analysis of vampire weekend video

Analysis of ‘Unveiled: Diane Young (Amex UNSTAGED: Vampire

Weekend)’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTzgvUiUi-M

The clip opens with establishing shots of the area in which the studio is that the band are in. This sets the scene for the clip. In the background

an early recorded version of the track that the video is about can be

heard. As fans you would only generally get to hear the final

version so this is clearly an exclusive.

After these establishing shots Rostam (the keyboardist of the band) starts to speak about the early versions of the song. This happens whilst footage of

him and Ezra (lead singer and guitarist) listen to the version that

was previously playing (both bits of audio are playing.) There is first a mid shot of just Rostam as it is he who is speaking, and then a two shot from

another angle of both of them. Then he is shown speaking, and then playing the piano - which the

audience hears as diegetic sound.

As Ezra begins to speak, the shot changes from that of

Rostam to some close-ups of various items of recording

equipment. He discusses “when we’re working on our album” which fits well with the shots

used.

These shots of the equipment are followed by firstly a mid

shot of Ezra looking straight at him (though he isn’t looking

directly at the camera) and then another mid-shot of both Ezra and Rostam, and Ezra is still speaking. Through both the

shots of equipment and of Ezra, the diegetic sound of the piano being played continues in the

background. The source of this sound is reiterated with a shot

(from a different angle) of Rostam playing the piano.

As Ezra finishes speaking, this marks the end of that particular

scene and a change in setting. This is shown through a couple more

establishing shots, the first showing that it’s a different time of day, and

the second that they’re still at a studio of some sort (probably the

same one, though now in the practice space.) The shot of the case with the bands name on

reiterates who the clip is about and suggests that we’re about to see

them playing something live.

It is shown that it most likely will be a live performance with a mid shot of

Ezra holding a guitar, which is followed by a close up of the guitar. The sound of the piano also ceases and you hear

more diegetic sound of drums etc. Ezra’s speech explains the situation,

acting as narration for what is going on in the scene. Before they start playing,

Ezra is shown speaking (again not looking directly at the camera.) As Ezra

finishes speaking the shots return to ones of the band practicing.

This particular scene opens with Rostam asking the others “Should we

start with Diane?” which, as with Ezra’s speech earlier, explains what is

happening and tells the audience that they’re about to play ‘Diane Young’,

the song which the clip is about.

The shots of them performing last for almost 30 seconds, mostly with just the audio of this

performance, but later with Rostam speaking about the development of the studio recording of the track

and the music continuing in the background. The shots used to show them performing include close-ups of Ezra singing, and often seem to focus on the instrument, for instance the shot of Rostam playing guitar pans down to the guitar itself rather than just

showing him playing it. The drummer, Chris, isn’t shown in these shots, perhaps as the drums haven’t

kicked in yet in this part of the song.

After explaining how they had experimented with Ezra’s voice, and how they had settled on the ‘middle

ground’ making him sound ‘older and younger’. Rostam appears to play this part of the song on his laptop and the audience hears it, though it’s as non-diegetic sound (perhaps so it will be louder and clearer.) This audio then

changes seamlessly to a live version in the studio.

Ezra next explains how Rostam can control the pitch of the voice live, and we are shown this, through a mid shot

of him, and then a close-up to show the piece of equipment and what he is

specifically doing, as well as a close-up of Ezra to show he is singing in real

time and it’s not all pre-recorded. The song continues in the background

whilst Ezra is speaking. The narration acts as some behind the scenes

information about how the song is performed live.

As Ezra finishes the point he is making he is actually shown speaking, rather than only having his speech over

the top of other shots. The shot used has been used previously in the clip, showing that the interview was probably recorded with a few cameras and then the

footage from these used altogether to create something that flows well and doesn’t stay on one shot for too long. At the end of this 2 minute section of the clip, the band are shown performing the song, carrying on from the

section that has been playing in the background.

Shots of all four members of the band are shown in the performance. No shots of the whole band together are shown, so it feels

very up-close and this is further emphasised through the use of close-ups of Rostam’s guitar and Baio’s bass guitar. The camera

shots chosen seem to focus on the instrument that is most prevalent in that part of the

song.

There is another interview shot of Ezra and Rostam, whilst Ezra talks about a particular aspect of the song. The live

version of the track can still be heard in the background, and the interview shot is

broken up by one of Rostam playing guitar, and at this point the speaking

stops and the audio grows slightly louder. The interest of the audience is kept as the clip is about how the song came

together.

There is another shot of Rostam playing the guitar,

this time it is closer than the previous - with particular

focus on the way in which he is playing guitar, which is

what they’re talking about at that time. There is then a

close-up of Baio playing bass. For the first of these shots,

there is only the song, but in the second, Rostam begins to

speak.

These shots are followed by another of the interview scenario, from a different angle to the previous interview scene, where Rostam talks about the way in which he achieved this sound on the recording, giving fans an insight into the process. There is also another shot of

Rostam playing guitar which zooms into a close-up.

Ezra begins speaking (a different topic to that which was being talked

about previously) but footage of them performing the song is shown. The audio of this performance continues in the background. There is a close-up of Ezra singing, whilst the audio is

mainly him talking. Ezra mentions something about “figuring out how everybody can be performing”, and

shots of the rest of the band are shown.

As well as mentioning that when performing it live, everybody needs to be performing, Ezra also mentions Baio

using samples, and at this moment there is a shot from behind him of him playing (to remind the audience who

they’re on about), followed by a close-up of his foot pressing the effects pedal, giving an insight into the complexity of the performance. Rostam then goes on to talk about how the samples give a flexibility to their performance and

make it more enjoyable.

For the closing moments of the clip the live performance of the track is shown, in the last

moments of the song. Various shots and angles are used to keep it interesting for the audience rather than the same shot of the whole band for 20 seconds. As with many times before, close-ups of the instruments

are used as well as of Ezra whilst he is singing.