By Ellie Plummer

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF

INDIE MUSIC VIDEOS

It is very common in indie music videos to include a live performance. This helps focus on them as a performer doing what they love to do. It also helps keep the focus on the actual music itself and the talent that the artists have.

This is typical in the indie genre as the genre itself was more about the music and passion rather than about the success of the artist. A good example of this is Ed Sheeran.

A modern twist is often put on this with a narrative included to break up the music video. There is also more room to play around with the video if a narrative is included so a lot of artists tend to use a mixture of performance and narrative in the music videos. It also allows Indie artists to compete with artists of other genres who do narrative videos that are heavily based around a story to make it memorable.

Live performances promote the artist as the audience will be able to see what the artist is like live and it may make them want to see the artist live.

PERFORMANCE

Narrative in music videos is used to tell a story by using a sequence of imaged and videos to relate to the song. This is done in such a way that it makes sense to the audience so they can follow and l ink it to the lyrics. This l inks with Goodwin’s theory of i l lustration and amplifi cation.

Narrative is very popular with all genres of music as it leaves room for the imagination. There are a lot of diff erent variations and there is a lot of room for creativity which can leave the video very memorable to the audience.

This is a great way of making a music video stand out and making it popular. This is because there are a lot of diff erent variations so you can make it as diff erent as you l ike. Also, now due to new technology, new storylines can be created by using special eff ects and after eff ects to make the video look a lot more realistic and exciting.

Narrative videos also keep peoples attention better in comparison to performance as what you are seeing is always changing and keeps you entertained. Even people who aren’t necessarily a fan of the artist may sti l l enjoy the video so this method could help gain success and status.

NARRATIVE

Mise en scene plays a large role in music videos and especially in the indie genre. This is because a lot of indie artists often have a retro look and this can be created through the sets they use, props and also their own appearance.

Props can change the whole look of the video. A good example of this is Lana Del Rey’s – National Anthem. The audience can see her glamorous and expensive looking house. This suggests to the audience that she is wealthy and well respected.

Costumes give people their identity and set them apart from the rest.

Makeup is also important as it can give us an indication as to which era the video is set in. For example, Paloma Faith has very subtly makeup in her videos wit a pale face and red lipstick, this suggests that her music and music videos are supposed to be similar to the 50s

MISE EN SCENE

Sound is obviously very important in a live performance as we are hearing is directly from the instruments being played. Diff erent eff ects can be added to the sound to either distort it, fade it or even increase it to express diff erent emotions.

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. National Anthem by Lana Del Rey is also a good example of this as she ends the song with a small speech and it begins with her fans screaming.

SOUND

In music videos, extreme close-ups are the most common shots used as they introduce the audience to the artist. It may be done to amplify what they are singing or may be to show the emotion they are trying to express to the audience.

Full length shots are also commonly used to show the setting of the video and also give us a clear video of the artists and their outfi ts. This is important as a lot of artists are seen as style icons. Establishing shots are used as the location/setting needs to be seen as it will help the audience understand the message behind the video.

Crane shots are mainly used in performances as it allows the audience to see the artist from many diff erent angles and it also helps them focus on them throughout the video. This looks eff ective in videos as it is very continuous and hardly leaves the artist.

Tilts of 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 tell the story as it may be a key feature to the video.

CAMERA

A lot of music videos rely on the editing to make it successful, especially in the indie genre to give and old fashioned look. Almost all videos now will have some sort of eff ect on them to make it either run smoothly or to even add special eff ects to make it more exciting.

Fast and slow cuts between shots often refl ect the pace of the music. This helps create the atmosphere of the music video and set the mood.

Eff ects are often added over the top of videos to make them look old and worn as if they are being playing from old tapes. This links with this indie genre and is very common in videos today. A black and white eff ect is normally used to convey this but sometimes a sepia tone works too, to make it seem more rustic and raw

Finally, special eff ects are used in music videos to make the artist fl y or anything else that it unusual to make it more interesting for the audience and it also highlights how new advances in technology are very important and benefi cial to the music industry.

EDITING