Music Video Analysis: Laura Marling - Sophia

Laura Marling is an established Folk singer/songwriter from London.

This video for Sophia is an example of illustration as it is a simple performance video with no storyline. I think that a performance video is very suitable for a folk video, as it can make the viewer feel as though they are there, experiencing the performance and I think that this is because most folk music is acoustic.

The folk genre is usually linked to acoustic instruments and often the songs are very relaxed with no computerised sounds/instruments.

I think that this video is very conventional for the folk genre. This is because the mis-en-scene reflects the folk genre, e.g. set in a church, candles. I think that the set for this video reflects the song as the vocals have been echoed as though it was recorded in a church. Also, Marling refers to religion within her lyrics - 'getting down on your knees to pray'.

I think that the camera angles match the music very effectively. At the beginning when she's just playing by herself, the angles are all very close up, with some slow pans. This helps to keep the pace of the video and the viewers attention. As the music builds up, we start to see more of the mise-en-scene, including the band behind her. I think that this helps to ensure that the viewer knows that there is more to be shown, and that the music is going to build up to a crescendo.

To begin with, the cuts between shots are very smooth and match the pace of the music at that point. As she stands up and the band kicks in, the cuts become quite sudden and the shots have been transformed into slow motion until she reaches the band. I think that the slow motion is very powerful during the movement from slow to fast as it anticipates what is about to come.

I think that the way that she doesn't look at the camera throughout the video adds a more casual and intimate feeling as it seems as though she is playing to herself and the band only. This is carried throughout the video and is shown by the way she faces towards the band, rather than into the church.