Charlie Simpson is a folk artist/singer songwriter. Charlie is well known for being front-man in the band Busted. When Charlie started writing for his solo debut he knew that folk was the direction that his music would take him due to influences of music his parents listened to as he grew up. Charlie has said in interviews that one of his favourite parts of folk music is the layering of voices to almost create a 'chord' of vocals and he aims to use this in most of his music. Down Down Down was the debut single from from his debut album Young Pilgrim (2011). The song was released on 11 April 2011 and peaked at number 9 on the UK indie chart.
The Down Down Down music video is a hybrid of performance and narrative. Performance is a key convention of Folk music videos, with bands often playing their instruments such as guitars and banjos. The narrative element of the video seems every smooth and professional, almost like Charlie and his band are narrating a story, folk music has very strong links to storytelling and folk tales. After analysing folk tales Vladimir Propp identified a set of stock characters that are present in all stories, whilst the roles are rather mysterious in this short narrative of Down Down Down however we can assume that the woman is the 'princess' that needs saving and that the man is the villain of the tale. Due to the lack of hero within the narrative it is possible for us to see Charlie Simpson as a hero-like figure due to the lightness of the woods he is in and the light colouring of the clothes he is wearing.
Charlie being dressed most smartly as he is the key performer of the video. In the woods where they are performing there are fairy lights which add to the atmosphere of the woods and look good in frame. The forest is a usual setting in folk videos, folk tales and songs often centre around tales and fairy tales which have strong links with woods and mystical areas.
There are crossovers between the settings of the narrative and performance settings of the music video. The first shot in the woods is a close up of a bag which appears later within the narrative and seems to be a key part of the story, the other tie between the two is when the woman escapes the cabin she runs through a woods/forest which we assume is the same woods which Charlie and his band are seen performing in.
There are a variety of camera angles throughout the video such as mid shits, close ups, long shots and focus on the instruments being played. Some shots are taken as if they are watching the band perform whilst in others Charlie is making direct eye contact with the camera as if he is addressing the audience. The instrument are shown in many shots with emphasis that the band are making their own music which shows that folk music is almost 'organic' and there is no computer generated music added in. The narrative sections of the music are smooth, controlled shots which would have been shot on cameras whilst using devices such as tripods and gimbals, these look like that of a film or television show. This is a contrast to the shots in the woods where Charlie is performing which arehandheld, they are not shaky but it is evident that they have not been stabilised using any devices. The focus of the camera shots vary between shallow and deep focus, often showing parts of the shot in a hazy light which makes it seem more mystical.
The editing pace of the video is dependent on the pace of the song. The transitions are always straight cuts between shots and the pace of the shots are a lot slower during the verses than they are during the chorus. The woods are very light and airy during the shots of Charlie performing which is a strong contrast to the narrative shots which are very dark and create a sense of tension. The only sound which is present in this music video is the song Down Down Down by Charlie Simpson which was recorded in a recording studio, whilst the lip syncing makes it seem that the son is being performed live, the sound which the audience hears is non diegetic.
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