The video for "Boy With A Coin" by Iron & Wine uses various folk rock genre characteristics and visual elements that relate to the song's lyrics and music. The singer is shown alone with a guitar, a common folk rock theme, and the dancers move gracefully in circles that mirror the repetitive, fateful nature expressed in the lyrics. Their costumes and choreography match the old-fashioned, classy style of the music. The visuals and Beam's authentic appearance aim to tell the story and meaning of the song without distracting from its message.

1. BOY WITH A COIN – IRON & WINE
According to Goodwin’s Techniques
Music Video Research
By Hanan Mohamed 13KMH

2. Genre Characteristics
 Many different aspects of nature are used and a particular common
theme in folk rock music videos is of birds is used (e.g. Marling
‘Rambling Man). Here when the main lady dances she flicks feathers
up out of the tail of her dress, as if she has become a living bird herself –
truly at one with nature, which is the intentional of this genre of music.
 The lead singer sitting on a chair playing the guitar and performing
alone is another characteristic. Folk rock singers are often performing
in a location either completely alone, or marked out on their own. In
Laura Marling’s video ‘New Romantic’, she sits alone on a chair – like
Samuel Beam here – in a room playing the guitar. This could be seen as
a simple but effective way in which to sell the artist on their own
musical merit, without the distraction of other musicians assisting in
making the record. Another reason would be in emulating the singer in
taking time to be alone, encouraging listeners to take a moment away
from busy every day life to reflect, for introspection. This would be in
keeping with the folk rock genre which tends to have fairly abstract
lyrics unlike for example a clubber tune, and are more about
introspection rather than something more physical such as dancing.
 The lead singer here is also quite solemn faced as are all of the
dancers – it is rare to see anybody smiling in a folk rock video. Marling’s
face is also fairly solemn in her music videos, as are the narrative actors
in Bon Iver’s ‘Calgary’. This could be interpreted also as being quite
blank faced or neutral – so as not to impose emotions upon the
viewer, and instead of showing by their facial expression how the music
is meant to make them feel letting the listener focus more on making
their own interpretation of the music, making more of a personal
connection to their own associations and feelings about it which will
keep them listening to this song again and again.

3. Relationship between Lyrics and Visuals
 The main lady dancing on her own at the
end seems to be tracing ghostly dark
circles on the wooden floor with her
dress as she dances – the ‘coin’ perhaps.
‘A boy with a coin he found in the
weeds’. A coin is for material goods and
found in the middle of weeds, in nature;
although normally considered of value,
here it would be absolutely valueless and
so denotes materialism. The visuals here
are amplifying the meaning of the lyrics.
 ‘A girl with a bird she found in the snow,
Then flew up her gown and that’s how
she knows’. The choreography does have
a lot of twirling the whole body around
in circles as well as moving the hands
like birds and circles.
 Although the dancing is elegant, many of
the moves are repetitive particularly the
circles – doomed to continue the same
designated path, fated, hopeless. It
relates to the last line of the first verse
‘When God left the ground to circle the
world’ indicating that God has left
people to figure things out for
themselves, without intervention letting
things take their course. This line is
repeated at the end of the third verse –
the lyrics themselves having come full
circle, as have the dancers.

4. Relationship between Music and Visuals
 The style of the dancing matches the style
of the music played, old fashioned and
classy as does their costume – simple
hairstyle sleek and tied back with
modestly long, black dresses. Even their
make up is kept very minimalist and so
the scene created to the music is timeless,
the sentiment and visuals easily imagined
in another time and place.
 The movements of their hands are very
smooth like the notes of the piano being
played.
 Yet the dancing is still clearly
choreographed, their hips and legs
stepping out in tune and in time with the
plucking of the guitar strings in clearly
defined movements.
 The physical movements of the ladies are
always very graceful and smooth even
when they are not dancing, they are either
standing very still or move in time to the
music. For example, all the class look to
see the feathers coming out of the
teacher’s dress.

5. Demands of the Record Label
 Whether or not this is how he is normally
dressed, how Samuel Beam has been styled
for the music video is typical of folk rock
videos. His hair is thick and long and
natural; his moustache and beard are also
both unusually long like a ‘hippie’. Besides
the stereotype, the long beard indicates his
masculinity as well as his maturity and life
experience. This adds to an air of
authenticity, of him knowing what he’s
talking about in his song.
 A simple dark red shirt and wide leg jeans
are also in keeping with the simplicity of the
video; letting the focus be on the dancing
and the song itself, instead of flashy gadgets,
it stays in the nature of the song of humility.
Due to the simplicity of his costume as well
as the dancers, this makes sure to draw
attention mainly to the dance and primarily
the music, the words and their meaning.
 There are a fair amount of close ups which
linger for a time on Beam’s face as he sings
too, letting the viewer take in his face
although he does not once turn to look at
and sing into the camera. He is absorbed in
his music instead of selling himself
personally to us, into telling the story – and
that is what sells the viewer and what draws
them in. Selling the artist here means selling
him as an all natural, humble, independent ,
deep thinking man who is sharing his life
stories with the world and so the viewer is
drawn in intrigued by the mysterious image
this man creates, curious to know more.

6. Notions of Looking
Voyeuristic Treatment
of the Female Body
 The use of the dancers watching their own
performance within the video is an effective
way of referencing the notions of looking –
hinting that they are aware of the audience,
and they are performing for them.
 The windows too add to the notion of
looking as they present the idea of seeing in
and sunlight is shining behind them,
illuminating the room with natural light
and possibly a symbol for awareness – with
the mirrors implying a self awareness.
 A mid level medium close up shot is used to
emphasise the perfect shape of the woman’s
body and focusing on her backside,
emphasising her sensuality as she walks
and then further as the tight fitted dress
shows off the women’s curves when they
sway their hips in dancing. As the beard
made Beam particularly masculine, the
dresses have emphasised the women’s
femininity.
 A slightly more subtle way of viewing the
female body voyeuristically in the medium
close up shots of the singer’s face we can
see the main dancer’s bust behind him
emphasised further by how her head has
been cut out of the shot.