'Sweater Weather' is a track by the alternative band The Neighbourhood, the music video for the single was released in March 2013 and was directed by Zack Sekuler and Daniel Iglesias Jr. As their music is of an indie style, the music video takes on relevant genre characteristics which reinforces the entire promotional package for their album and the 'image' they present.
The characteristics :
- Greyscale aesthetic
- Retro elements
- Emphasis on urban location
- A couple's relationship
- Perfomance scenes
- Diverse lighting
The lyrical content of the song explores the relationship of the narrator who describes their perspective of the intimate yet challenged relationship. The lyrics are diverse and suggest the couple are intimate physically and emotionally, the visuals amplify this with multiple shots of the couple.
"Head in the clouds but my gravity's centered" An extreme close-up and two shot paired with fast editing of a montage sequence provides insight into the passionate relationship. The visuals focus on aesthetic and the star image with hints of narrative, though most shots depict the band to portray their image the music video is littered with intercuts of the couple mirroring the importance of the narrator's romance.
"One love, one house
No shirt, no blouse"
The shots of the couple amplify the lyrics emphasis on the physical side of their relationship whilst the visuals ignore the lyrical suggestion that the narrator's lover keeps them grounded. The lyrics and visuals also explore the location of California as this is where the couple have found a home and is also used as a metaphor to expose flaws the narrator has e.g. being hypocritical.
"I hate the beach, but I stand in California
With my toes in the sand"
With my toes in the sand"
In terms of musical and visual connections the beat drives the editing causing fast paced sequences and short shots of a 1-2 second average duration. The editing chanegs pace in terms of editing when the track's tempo changes to intertwine audio and visuals thus complimenting the overall video, a convention explored by Fraser's convention theory.
The video illustrates solo percussion through the editing paces and shot sequences, a longer tracking shot with edits flipping shots and creating double exposure of multiple shots is also used when guitar is emphasised and isolated with vocals before the tone changes and tempo slows.
The video is 80% narrative and montage shots of the band reinforcing their image and the insight they are giving fans into their personas. The performance scenes are subtle with minimal instrument performance and few shots of lip syncing. This however is less important to the band as the single promotes their debut album and exemplifies their image when their fan base increased after the success of this song landing them into the alternative yet chart music grey area.
Overall, the music video is a promotion for the band's image as this allows them to connect to a larger audience and gain attention in the industry. The artist appear more marketable from this video as they establish their style both in music and the visuals. To conclude the video introduces conventions and genre characteristics well but still balances narrative to generate interest effectivley.
The band are signed to Columbia, a subsidary of Sony Music Entertainment. The label aimed to sell the song and band as a product taking a synthetic ideology of creativity approach described by Negus as a throw away approach which generates fast profits for the label.
Because of this they considered the star image , exemplifying Dyer's theory, and decided to give the band a grungey aesthetic that appeals to young people with an alternative style who look to stray from the mainstream. The band have some performance scenes in the video and we see all memebers in most shots which successfully allows their 'star image' to be displayed to satisfy the audience.
All of the band's music videos released prior to 'Sweater Weather' took on the same greyscale aesthetic and unsual grunge vibe in an attempt to set them apart from most popular music. The motif of relationships and retro mise-en-scene is common in the videos with emphasis on props and locations, the editing pace and montage quality in the video I am analysing is also a common approach of the band's videos.
As Fraser's theory suggests many music videos share the same codes and conventions which fuel audience pleasures. An example being Vouyerism, utilised to appeal to the male gaze. This sexualisation of the female in the narrative is shown through the pleasure of the frontman of the band. The couple are passionate in few shots with the female being sexualised through costume and provocative stances.
Though Vouyerism is utilised there is little use of performance or intertextuality in the video, some acts even utilised modern styles taking inspiration from technology e.g. creating characters from video games to act as the artist. In this video the retro aesthetic is evident rather than the modern approach, this convention contrast is due to the genre of the song and also the star image portrayed.
The video is 80% narrative and montage shots of the band reinforcing their image and the insight they are giving fans into their personas. The performance scenes are subtle with minimal instrument performance and few shots of lip syncing. This however is less important to the band as the single promotes their debut album and exemplifies their image when their fan base increased after the success of this song landing them into the alternative yet chart music grey area.
Overall, the music video is a promotion for the band's image as this allows them to connect to a larger audience and gain attention in the industry. The artist appear more marketable from this video as they establish their style both in music and the visuals. To conclude the video introduces conventions and genre characteristics well but still balances narrative to generate interest effectivley.
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