Deconstruction: Big Jet Plane

Big Jet Plane was written by Angus Stone, Julia Stone and Govinda Doyle, whilst the video was directed by Kiku Ohe. The music video follows a narrative structure, showing a young female in a dull and exhausted routine of working at an isolated supermarket whilst she dreams of being elsewhere. It is conventional of indie folk music due to the nature of the song.

This idea is apparent from the very beginning where we see a low angled shot of a woman's hair blowing in the wind; connotations of freedom and warmth come from the sunlight that illuminates her hair, contrasting immediately with the mundane surroundings of the supermarket and the acknowledging of the desktop fan. A close up has been used to present the character's vacant expression; she finds no satisfaction or fulfilment from this lifestyle.

Repetitively stacking and unstacking shelves, wide angled and panning shots from the front and behind establish her solitude and detachment from anyone; leaving her to easily reflect on herself and her own desires. Here, we are introduced to her simple outfit: blue jeans, a black t-shirt and work overalls, challenging conventions of youth as this is not an outfit she would usually wear. However, she wears bright pink nails which give connotations of youth and freedom; as the only bright colour we see on the woman, the idea that she is restricted in what she wants to do is reinforced. 

Further close ups of her character nervously fiddling with her fingers are paired with creative shots of maps and postcards, bringing connotations of travel and wanting to break away. I really love the effect of the fairy lights at this point as the sparking blue colours contrast with the dull colours of the supermarket, illuminating and silhouetting her face. The slowly fading focus onto the hand as well as the extreme close up of the woman's eye suggest she is in a thoughtful state, contrasting with her blank expression as she walks down the aisles. The long shot of the world map and with travel clippings surrounding it reinforces her dreams of travelling around the world. As the lights are flashing above it gives an urgency in that she has to fly or travel soon and also shows that it is a constant desire of her to fly.

Perhaps my favourite shot is found towards the end of the video; the woman is riding in a car with her hair blowing through the open window. The use of slow motion and careful editing in this clip is really effective and portrays the clear sense of freedom that this character desperately searches for.

This clever over head shot is used to show the woman sweeping up colourful confetti and stars, perhaps to represent how by sweeping up the confetti and stars she is in fact 'sweeping' up her hopes and dreams; accepting that she will not be able to escape the routine. The music video ends with the girl spraying the windows at the original setting, showing a full circle in the narrative; her life and routine remains the same.

The edits throughout are cut at a slow pace to match the beat, making the video seem more calm and sobering, matching the gentle nature of the song. In total there are 18 close up shots, 12 long shots, 4 field of depth shots, 7 medium close up shots and 1 panning shot, presenting a wide range of visuals that will engage and be well received by the audience.