Fleet Foxes, Helpless Blues, The Shine/An Argument

This video is amazing in so many ways, I get excited just thinking about it. I guess it helps that I'm a huge Fleet Foxes enthusiast, own all their CDs, posters, and was in the 7th row of their concert this past summer, but there's something special about this After Effects Motion Graphics Video. 

The blurry/foggy effect that is present throughout the whole video as well as the darkened edges of the video are incredibly effective in setting a mood for the video. As well, the warm colours that are used in the first part of the song - The Shrine - embody a very warm, earthy feel. 

I loved the combination of textures and rough cutout shapes to make the characters, and the integration with them and the glowing eerie background. The visualizations and musical transitions flowed so well with the music that when watched full screen with headphones on it's like being in an actual cinematic experience, and the emotions that the songs brings out of the viewer are so genuine. 

I never would have imagined this to be the face behind this song, but after seeing it I can't imagine anything else. The characters, the way they move and shift so fluidly yet with a clear 'puppeteering effect' is both incredibly eerie and childlike all in one. The first impression that I got at 2:38 when the creatures are revealed was the children's book Where the Wild Things Are. The song seems to cross borders on all plains - being both modern yet medieval at the same time, and the video does the same thing in playing with our sense of being. Where are we when watching this video? Why is this happening? The song on it's own isn't this dramatic yet coupled with the video it reveals so much hidden meaning. 

I love this Motion Graphic exactly for that. Not only is it beautifully made but it evokes emotion and thought from the viewer. It's interesting, intriguing, and multi dimensional.