Music video conventions

For indie rock the music videos are very similar, they use live performances clips in the along side a cut to a narrative story. The live performance is done to demonstrate how passionate the artists are for their music. The story in the music video is there to enforce the meaning behind the song and offer a visual representation to the lyrics. Sven Carlsson said that there were three types of music video, performance, conceptual or a hybrid of the two. This theory is accurate as the Arctic Monkeys song "Snap out of it" has both a live performance of the band and a narrative. The narrative in music videos are becoming more popular as it creates a story in which it make the music video more entertaining for the audience. Matt and I will likely include a live performance in our music video as it will provide a visual demonstration of what the lyrics mean. The only reason for not including a live performance is if we are unable to use any instruments as props. However, both of us have friends that own instruments and so we can utilize those. 






Indie Rock bands use iconography in their music videos and usually use a wide range of props and have no specific style. Unlike certain genres such as heavy metal fire and blood can be a norm however in Indie Rock the style is much more original. This quirky style draws the audience in as it is something new and intriguing rather then repeating the same style. An example of this being implemented is Coldplay with "Adventure of a Lifetime" as they have monkeys replacing the band members creating a unique look to it. The band used motion capture suits to create and bring the monkeys to life in a completely computer generated world. This links in with the increase of technology as 10 years ago Coldplay would not have been able to create this video. As Matt and I are only amateur producers we do not have access to CGI however we can use our phones which have a high quality camera and so we can capture detailed shots. As a result in the development of smart phones we are also able to use either slow motion or time lapse to produce alternative shots.





Indie rock music differ from pop music videos. In pop music the videos typically focus on the performance of the artist an example of this is "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. In this music video we can see the three dancers preforming who are always center screen. Beyonce is in the very middle of the screen between the two other dancers suggesting she is the most important. Indie rock focuses on multiple camera angles such as extreme close ups and long shots to create a diverse music video. The close ups are used on the instruments when the band strum the guitar to reinforce the talent of the artists rather then as performers. The long shots are used to demonstrate the band as one as we can see all the members together at the same time which reinforces the idea that they are a group.