Research: "Ben Howard - The Wolves" Analysis

Benjamin John Howard (born 24 April 1987) is an English singer-songwriter, born in West London. He moved to Totnes, Devon when he was 8 and is currently signed to Island Records. Howard was raised by musical parents who exposed him to several of their favourite records from singer-songwriter artists from the 1960s and 1970s including Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, by whom he was strongly influenced.
This is the music video for the song "The Wolves" from his debut studio album "Every Kingdom". The song was released as a single on 3 June 2011 as a digital download in the United Kingdom. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number 97. The song was written by Ben Howard and produced by Chris Bond.

The video sets up the genre with a slightly out of focus, low angle mid shot of the band walking towards the camera. The composition of this shot is particularly interesting, as the sun is behind the subjects, creating a silhouette effect. This creates an enigma, making the band seem anonymous. This is in keeping with the genre, as folk music began as being defined as music where the artist is anonymous. Also, the idea of travel links to folk music as it was old English travelling musicians who picked up folk music. This is shown not only in Ben Howard's video, but also in "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons as the band ride around on vespa bikes.

Throughout the video, there are obstructions within the frame, such as doors and microphone stands. This adds to the idea of the artists anonymity as you cannot clearly see them, enhancing the enigma and the links it creates to the origins of the genre. The lighting in this particular shot is very dark, added to by the sepia tone, which makes reference back to film noir, such as The Third Man.

This reference to film noir is continued with chiascuro lighting behind the artist. As the lighting is behind, this creates the same silhouette effect as was at the beginning of the video, however in this the artists face is visible.

This is an intertextual reference of the iconic shot in The Third Man, where Harry Lime emerges from the shadow of the doorway with only his face visible.

There are several shots showing the artist exploring an old ruin and dancing. This adds a more human, playful aspect to the artist, which is in keeping with the light tone of the song. This relates to the genre as it makes the artist seem relaxed and free, and folk music is often associated with freedom, again linking back to its origins of travelling musicians.
The video also shows the artist and band performing and recording the song. This allows the audience to feel more involved in the creation of the track and feel more connected to the artist and thus the lyrics and meaning behind the song.