media coursework

1. Indie RockArctic monkeys -- Do I wanna
know?
Polaroid (alt rock) or thief —
imagine dragons
Originated from the
1970-80s
Indie rock is typically
male singers or bands,
with bands growing in
popularity over the
years.
In music videos- very few
women
Due to the ‘indie’ part of the
genre, budgets are usually
low
but major labels have
began to purchase indie
bands/singers therefore
budgets have risen.
Narrative and
performance –
rock music
videos hold a lot
of performance
Narrative is used to present
the ‘true’ meaning of the
song
Lighting and colours- low key,
dark colours (black, blue,
grey), usually to fit with the
meaning of the song and
allows a sense of mystery
needed for an interesting
music video.
Rock is typically
a ‘rebellious
genre’ and music
videos often
reflect this
Nirvana- Smells like
teen spirit

2. Nirvana- Smells like teen spirit
LIGHTING -> dark lighting, slightly
monochromatic of orange, which
symbolises the rebellion and anger
typical to an indie rock song
LONGSHOT-> Long shot of artist in the
distance, makes them appear small and
victimised. This give the song a feeling
of revolution and helps the audience
sympathise with the bands intentions
CLOSE UPS-> close
ups are typical to
music videos as they
allow the audience
see the band/artist (to
play to the
demographic (fans of
the band))
However the faces are
distorted either using
bright light or the
artists hair and dark
lighting, this suggests that the music video is
simply about the music and not the artist. Which
creates alternative tone and plays to the
rebellion against the industry which is usually
typical the rock genre
The only shot of women is that of
cheerleaders which are sexualised,
which supports the idea of the
male gaze. By limiting the amount
of women to insignificant roles in
the video the typical conventions
of an indie rock video is
reinforced.
NARRATIVE -> By having
characters other than the band
there is use of narrative as well as
the vast amount of performance
MIDSHOT-> frame is dominated
by people to exaggerate the
power of the band, it also
ignores the simplistic setting,
which reinforces the indie aspect
of the genre with little expense
spent on the video

3. Green Day- Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Narrative-> the only time
other characters are involved
are in sexual positions (only
females of the video) in a
quick passing, which draws
focus on the stars and the
music
Performance-> the main aspect
of the video – but it in mixed
with narrative, both aspects are
combined within the video
Faces are distorted (Blurred focus, with back lighting to create a
silhouette , post edit distortions) which follows the typical idea of
focusing all attention on the music rather than the star. This may be
criticising the conventions of a typical music video as close ups are
essential in music videos to sell the star- typical of the rock genre to
‘rebel’ against institutions
Colours-> dark colour
typical to the rock
genre music videos,
symbolises the
depressed but
rebellious tone to the
video
The rustic and simplistic setting conforms to the
natural tone of rock- the cheap and personal
creation of indie rock is pushed forwards

4. Oasis- Don’t Look Back in Anger
‘summertime's a new’
By having flowers the mid shot is quite illustrative
and may suggest
that the message is significant,
which conforms to the genre
as most videos and songs
are made to create some type
of critical message
Builds up a circular narrative by having the stars
arrive and leave in the same car – reinforces the
messages of the video being one of change and
acceptance
By having all other characters in white the attention is drawn to the main stars, which
is a convention of music videos as it is a promotional tool to sell the stars. This sale of
the stars is also reinforced through the majority of the video being performance
(which is typical of the indie rock genre) which is used to sell music and create a sense
that the stars are humble and are only in it to spread their message through music
There is a narrative created through the colour
of clothing with the white clothed characters
used to represent the main stars passed that
they have left behind, this creates a story –
narrative style
There is a binary opposite (Strauss) created
between the stars and other characters, by
having this the colourful stars are made out to
be the hero (Propp) when contrasted with the
colourless and inhumane “villains”, which
creates a positive opinion of the band
Blurred imagery- makes the video seem hand-
made, makes the star seem
relatable and humane –
typical of indie top have
a cheaper looking video