Textual Analysis of Music Videos - Laura Marling

Laura Marlings latest song 'Sophia' was released onto YouTube on August 8th 2011. It was directed by Fred&Nick who have also directed a Mumford and Sons video in 2009 - Marling and Mumford are of a similar genre (indie, folk, acoustic) and there is a similarity in the way they have been shot. As well as 'Sophia' Fred&Nick are also directing a short film to go with Marlings new album 'A Creature I Don't Know'.


The video was shot in a Cathedral in  Buenos Aires while she was on a tour out there. As the video is shot in a Cathedral and there are some religious meanings in the song you can relate the two together, such as 'on your knees to pray', 'coming on judgement day' which are the main stand-out lyrics. 
Laura Marling has been preforming music for several years now and has three solo albums behind her, but only recently has she broken into the spotlight and like a majority of new artists videos they feature mainly themselves so the audience can see what they are like. 

I find that in this video Laura looks quite vulnerable at the start, but as the song progresses she becomes more confident and bolder - like the song. In the beginning she is sitting on a chair playing acoustic guitar, and singing by herself, then as the song starts to develop you see other musicians in the background, Laura stands up and joins them where the song gets into full swing. 





When they're playing, to me, it feels very personal and more like a family than a band. They are all in a circle and facing inwards, usually all the band are facing the front and the lead singer gets all the attention, whereas this feels like a real group affair. However the drummer is right in the centre of the group.
Genre and sex has a real effect on music videos, such as a female pop star would be singing (well, autotuned) and dancing, the star of the video. While Laura Marling, a folk singer is playing an instrument and singing from her heart, and while she is still a solo artist she gets the rest of her band involved in the video.

There are no motifs or logos in the video, and it has no references to anything else. I think the music video is beautifully shot and I like how it enhances the musical skills Marling has, and then how it changes into a higher pace. This is a very neutral video and I think can be aimed at all ages and genders, though I don't think younger children would like it very much.