Birdy - Skinny Love

Birdy – Skinny Love

The music video which I have analysed is from the genre of folk music which implies that it targets a niche market. The music video is created by the artist Birdy and is called Skinny Love however this is a cover of an original by Bon Iver. Birdy released her own cover January 2011. Stereotypically the target audience would be assumed to be people listen to folk music due to their culture or interest in the genre with a lower percentage of viewers being young people. However Birdy’s cover is able to appeal to a wider audience as she combines folk music with her youth. The music video combines narrative and a performance based music video using parallel editing. In my opinion the key focus in the music video is the music as it is folk music it is likely to be low budget therefore the video tends to be quite simplistic and simply acts as a visual to support the music. The music video frequently uses close-ups on specific objects or props such as broken glass, the boots which Birdy are wearing, a small white statue and also Birdy’s hand when she’s playing the piano. These objects are used to describe the nature of the set where the music video takes place and allow the audience to pay attention to small details. In the music video mid-long shots are used to show to the audience Birdy as she plays the piano and the objects in the room. This allows the audience to see that the piano is rusty and the furniture is quite old fashioned and dated, which is well suited to the eery and mysterious feel from the soundtrack. The piano appears to be the most important prop in the music video and is seen several times using panning shots, 360 shots and zoom.

The music video often uses hand-held cameras which creates a feeling of unease for example when Birdy is walking around the ‘home’ used in the video, this puts the level of emotion behind the song she is singing into visual display for the audience. There is an unusual P.O.V shot of Birdy looking out of the window at a dead spider which creates a feeling of uncomfort and emphasises how strange yet inquisitive the narrative in the video is. The video caught my attention as its start and finish was very similar, the scene begins with a fade in from darkness to light where a small light bulb can be seen however it doesn’t appear to be working, the final thing seen in the music video is the light bulb on a wooden surface with a fade out into darkness. This start and finish is not very clear for the audience, it keeps them guessing and interested in the video. Lighting plays a key part in the music video as it uses black and white.  Therefore natural lighting enhanced by false lighting sets the scene and atmosphere for the music and Birdy wears only black and white dresses throughout the video. This simplicity keeps the attention on the soundtrack. The soundtrack itself is also quite simple consisting of a piano and Birdy’s voice which are typical components of folk music. The continuous changes in lighting from darkness to brightness reflect the changes in the emotion and tempo of the song.