The Neighbourhood - Sweater Weather

Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood (2013)

Narrative behind the video:

The video to 'Sweater weather' can be seen as a simple 'boy meets girl' story, but it actually has a lot more meaning.
The meaning behind the word 'Sweater' is meant to be the man's mind and by asking the woman, to 'hold your hands in the arms of my sweater' is a metaphor for the him saying he can't get her out of his mind. The narrative behind 'Sweater weather' is very contradicting and this shown through the line 'I hate the beach, yet I stand, in California with my toes in the sand'. This again is a metaphor for his feelings towards the woman he is singing about. He doesn't like her necessarily, but finds himself liking spending time with her. People interpret this in many ways, but in my opinion, this could be him seeing her as a sexual object.

What is it's purpose? 

The purpose of most music videos is to advertise and acts as a type of synergy. However, some music videos prompt the music and others prompt the actual band members or singers. The music video for Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood is used to advertise their music, opposed to the band. This music video is mixture between a performance and a narrative music video. There is small bit of narrative, concerning the woman, which could be the love interest mentioned in the lyrics of the song, however there are a few scenes of the band playing instruments showing them as skill.

How do they objectify women/men?

There is only one woman in this video, and there are five men. The woman however is shown in only a few shots, and when she is shown, its only for a few seconds. The actual word "Sweater" in this song, is meant to represent his mind, and having the woman only being shown for a few seconds could be a symbol that she is only a passing thought in his mind. Also, because the woman is not shown in the master shot of the band in the car, it shows the audience that she's actually in the band. The woman's outfit in this band matches the rest of the bands and adds to the overall retro tone of the video. However, she is hardly showing any skin, yet through the the lyrics, we feel that she could be the singers love interest.
(Finish)

How are the stars objectified? 

The band in this video are represented as one, there is no clear hierarchy. This shown when the audience are first introduced to the band in the establishing shot, where they appear to be in a warehouse. They have a lot of space around them, yet they are all grouped together in the middle, representing them as being close.  However, when the band are in the car, as a viewer, they may see the way that the men are positioned in the car as being a typical band set up, with the main singer driving with the guitar player in the passenger seat and the drummer and bass player in the back, however only a "The Neighbourhood" fan would notice this. "The Neighbourhood" throughout this video, are shown as musicians. There are many up close shots of the band playing guitars and drums, showing them as skilled.Finally, at the end of the video, there is the bands logo, which is an upside down house, which also includes the whole shot turning upside down as well. This again relies on the audience being fans to recognise the logo.

How do they reflect their genre of music?

The genre of "Sweater Weather" is identified as "Indie" which is shown through the use of retro items in the music video. For example, the car, which is shown in the master shot. There is a wide angle on the car, drawing the audiences attention to it. Also, later in the video, there is a shot showing one of the band members looking through records, again retro, much like the car. The use of retro items adds to the "Indie" genre, as when "Indie" music was first invented, it would have been on records.
The whole idea of the music video being monochrome, again adds to the retro feeling, because it looks grainy and black and white, like an old TV picture.  The point of view shot, of the band being in the car, makes the audience feel like they are actually sitting with the band. The band in this shot are smoking, which makes them seem rebellious and adds to the stereotypical view of an "Indie" rock band.

Does this video fit the criteria of a successful music video?

In my own opinion, I feel this video is partly successful, because it fits the criteria. It represents their genre well, by showing retro items. I like this video because it, although it has the cliché 'boy meets girl' narrative, it is adds its own twist by metaphorically implying that the man they are singing about, doesn't like her, yet finds it hard to be away from her. I like this video personally because its metaphoric and abstract, although it looks simple. Another reason I enjoy the video is because of the variety of camera shots. It follows the simple camera shots like 'close ups', but has some modern shots like 'graphic match', when the the fan is spinning, but then cuts to the man spinning in his chair. Also, the cuts in this video match the beat of the music and are to the speed of it.
The only reason I feel this video could be deemed as unsuccessful, is that we don't see the band members on their own, enough. If a new fan was to watch this video, they wouldn't be able to put the band name 'The neighbourhood' to a face, as they all look similar and we don't witness them alone enough.