Indie Genre Conventions

Location

Indie bands usually perform in outdoor areas; either in a forest scenario or an urban scene. Furthermore the location is usually close to home for the artist, in a familiar location either near their home, spot they use to hang out in or a meaningful place.

Narrative
The videos are usual in an Amplified or Disjuncture style of narrative, ranging from subtle symbolism or links to the lyrics or the video being completely unrelated to the lyrics or meaning of the song. However the artist, usually the singer, is current in the video and mainly plays the 'hero' within the narrative. Also, the narrative is usually shot in a different location to the performance by the band or individual artist.

Camera
Due to indie artist usually lower budget videos, the camera is made to reflect this. Therefore there is a heavy use of hand held cameras to give this personal impression which the indie artist strive for; to have a personal connection with their fans. However, camera techniques genuinely become improved if the band are performing in the video, using various style of shots from: close ups, mid shots, pan shots, low and high angle shots.

Mise-En-Scene

The outfits are usually personal preference of the artist. Generally their own clothes which they feel comfortable in but also highlight their individual personality. So a smart-casual style clothing inspired from vintage or retro styles from previous eras instead of mainstream/ high street clothing.

Editing

Editing generally fits the tempo of the song, varying between fast and slow paced dictated by how the artist or band play their instruments.

Lighting
As mentioned before, locations are usually set outside therefore naturalistic lighting is normally always present in indie videos. There is also a frequent concept in the videos where the video starts in the morning and ends at night therefore showing the change in light from sun rise to night.

Narrative In Music Videos

NARRATIVE IN MUSIC VIDEOS on Prezi

Audience Profile

As our artist fits into the Indie acoustic genre, our typical ideal audience member will be a female aged 17 as, from looking at Lewis's and other Indie artists demographics, this fits the profile the best. They would have to have previous knowledge of what the conventions are regarding indie acoustic; so, emotional and personal lyrics, solo instrument which is usually a guitar or, on some occasions, piano. The girl would be able to relate to his lyrics in some form; most typically in a relationship situation. Also, the girl would be around a similar age to the artist and be able to relate her lifestyle or adapt her lifestyle around him.

Micro Element: Performance

From research of our chosen genre, the majority of Indie videos will contain a performance from the band playing their instruments. This feature is a key element which we want to include when we go to create our music video and it will help us coincide with the Indie conventions. The video I am going to analyse is 'Two Door Cinema Club's' - 'Something Good Can Work' as it has a high focus on performance of the band within the video.

This song is a typical Indie Alternative genre as it contains a strong focus on the band performing as well as a high involvement of stop motion; a micro element which I analysed in a previous post and a editing and cinematography technique my group and I want to include. 
The first 15 seconds of the video uses a still mid shot of the band playing their instruments, guitars and bass, individually. This gives both a focus and individualism to each performer and establishes a personality and role within the band. Therefore, giving the band a personality and allowing the audience to 'get-to-know' them personally, to a certain extent.

By keeping the camera in a fixed position means that the band had to interact and move towards the camera as shown by the image on the left. However the absence of technical equipment like the amplifiers, drum kit, microphones gives a indie and unique approach to the performance; something which would suit our music video well as the artist will be playing a acoustic guitar. The increase in speed of the stop motion as the video progresses is an aspect which really intrigues us and would be a interesting approach to take in our video. 

Micro Element: Stop Motion

Another technique my group and I want to incorporate in our music video is the camera and editing technique of stop motion. Stop motion is either a photographic or camera animation technique which stimulates the impression of jagged movement created by filming one or two still frames at a time then either speeding it up or slowing it down (dependent on the intentions of the group or individual) during the editing process.

Despite this video by Western Spaghetti not being a short film rather than a music video, it still presents the idea of stop motion and the effect it portrays. By either filming or photographing each still frame it gives a lack of continuity and sleekness; a jagged disjunctive feel to the video. However, my group and I hope to take this technique and apply it to our idea of the artist bringing furniture to a place in a forest and building his own miniature house; the stop motion will allow us to show him moving the furniture and putting it up in a unique and original way.
This technique really ties in with the conventions of an indie genre as its original and different to other current videos out now and been out in the past. It's a technique which, if done right, will look really effective and intriguing for the audience.

Micro Element: Polaroid Pictures

In order to gain a better grasp and knowledge on developing our cinematography and editing skills. One technique my group and I are hoping to include in our music video is the use of Polaroid photos and the idea of moving images/ a video playing in the shot. Therefore I looked at 'The Streets' video for 'Fit But You Know It' which uses this technique very well.


As can be seen in the video, the band take the idea of flicking through Polaroid photos while incorporating a moving image within it. My group and I hope to do the same concept however with the idea of either flicking through a relationship; from start to finish or flicking through a lifetime; from young to old. Our idea takes a more indie approach as 'The Streets' are a rap/ alternative pop group therefore using the concept to suit the conventions of that genre.

By using photos it gives an original approach to a music video, showing a progression in narrative within the video as well as keeping the audience intrigued to where the images will end up or the story that they will show. In the case of 'The Streets' video, the Polaroids show a holiday which the band take and the singer is reminiscing on the holiday while looking through the photos; commenting on the women who features in the images.

Music Video Ideas