Conventions

Research into

INDIE ROCK

Music Videos

Live Performance

It is very common for artists in the indie rock genre to do a live performance for their music video. This way the main focus is on them as performers doing what they love to do. It also keeps the focus on the actual music itself and the talent that the artists have. This is very typical in the indie/rock genre as the genre itself was never about success but more the music and the passion that people have to perform and play. A modern twist is now often put on this with a narrative included in-between to break up the music video and give it a story for the reader. Also there is more room to play around with the video if a narrative is included so many artists tend to use this technique a lot. It also helps them to compete with other artists of other genres who do narrative videos that are heavily based around a story to make it more memorable. Live performances also promote the artist as people will realise how natural they are and that they can actually sing well and sound the same when live. It takes a lot of charisma to be able to play an instrument and still perform so the live performance option highlights artists talents in a good way and can therefore attract an audience.

Foo Fighters – The PretenderThe Strypes – Hometown Girls

NarrativeA narrative video is used to tell a story throughout the video by using a sequence of images and videos that relate to the song. This is done in such a way that it makes sense to the audience so they can follow and link it to the lyrics. This is very popular with all genres as it leaves room for the imagination. There are so many different variations of this used and there's a lot of room for creativity which can leave a video very memorable to the audience. This is a great way of making a music video stand out from the crowd and making it popular. This is because there are many variations so you can make it as different and wacky as you like. Also, now due to new developments in technology, new storylines can be created using special effects and after affects to make the video look more realistic but also exciting. Narrative videos also hold peoples attention better in comparison to a live performance as what you are seeing is constantly changing and keeps people entertained at all times. Even people who aren't necessarily a fan of the artist may still enjoy the video so this method often helps people gain success and status.

Mise-en-sceneMise en scene now plays a large role in a lot of music videos and especially the indie rock genre. This Is because indie artists often have a retro look and this can be created through the sets they use, props and also their own appearance themselves. Props can change the look of a video completely for example in The Foo Fighters – Best of You a 60’s microphone is used in the first shot of the video. This immediately shows an indie convention of being retro. This is also the case in the video for The Cranberries – Zombies.

Costumes give people their identity and set them apart from the rest. A good example is King Charles whose known for his extremely elaborate choice In clothing and image. In the video telephone we know she wears a hate with a build in phone and this reinforces the message that’s in her video. As this was a memorable look, people now remember that video because of her appearance.

King Charles

Foo Fighters – Best of you

The Cranberries - Zombie

SoundSound is obviously very important in a live performance as we are hearing it directly from the instruments being played and therefore can appreciate the talent.

Different effects can be added to the sound to either distort it, fade it or even increase it to convey different emotions in the video or even different characters if voices are changed. The 1975 are a great example for this as most of their songs use a distorted echo sort of sound over the lead singer.

Diegetic sounds are also used throughout a lot to help set the scene at either the end or the beginning before the main song is introduced. An example of this is in Arctic Monkeys – Why’d You Only Call Me When Your High as previous to the song starting they’re all stood In a bar and with enhanced sound of glasses, people playing pool and mumbling voices.

The Stone Roses- She Bangs the Drums

The 1975

Arctic Monkeys – Why’d You Only Call Me When Your High

CameraIn music videos extreme close ups are the most common shots used as they introduce us to characters or the artist in the video. It may be done to highlight that they are singing or may to be show which emotion they are trying to convey to the audience. Full length shots are also commonly used to show the setting of the video and also give us a clear view of the artists and their outfits. This is important as a lot of artists are seen as style icons and therefore they need to be seen fully in the videos. The setting also needs to be seen as it will help us understand the message behind the video and the reasoning for it. Crane shots are used mainly in live performances as it allows you to get the artist from many different angles and also helps to keep the focus on them throughout. This looks effective in videos as its very continuous and hardly leaves the artist. Tilts or pans are used to make the setting clear and can move from left to right so we see the full set and get the most out of the choice of location. This can often help to tell the story as it may be a key feature to the video.

The Fratellis – Whistle For The Choir

The Pigeon Detectives - LostThe Zutons - Valerie

EditingEditing is now relied on a lot to make a music video successful especially in the indie genre to give it that old fashioned effect. Almost all videos now will have some sort of effect on them to make it either run more smoothly or to even add special effects to make it more interesting. Fast and slow cuts between shots often reflect the pace of the music and link with it well. This helps to put across the mood in the video and also how they want the audience to feel.

This interlinks with the editing used in the actual video, for example if a green screen is used like in Coldplay’s- Princess of China to create a set behind and make the story look believable. Effects are often added over the top of videos to make them look old and worn like they are being played from old tapes. This links into the indie rock genre and is very common in videos today. A black and white effect is normally used to convey this but sometimes a sepia tone works too, to make it seem more rustic and raw. Finally, special effects used in videos to make the artists fly or anything else that’s unusual make it more interesting for the audience and once again highlight how new advances in technology are very important and beneficial to the music industry.

For example this on the left would look like this on the right!