A presentation I created as part of my research into music videos for my A2 Media Studies coursework.

1. Music Videos
Luke Harris

2. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

3. The isolated and hollow setting reflects the nature of
the music; wide open spaces are often used in gothic
literature, and the gothic was a major influence on
Post-Punk music, as well as being a more subtle
influence on modern indie music.

4. The handheld camera effect used makes the
video seem raw and unpolished, therefore
conforming to conventions of the indie genre.

5. This wide shot reveals the dingy
surroundings, which are reflective of the crowded
small music venues associated with indie bands.
This adheres to the notion that indie bands are
‘rebellious’, as it promotes working class
surroundings and therefore challenges the idea of
the ‘ruling class’.

6. The Smiths - Ask

7. The various close-ups used accentuate the
character’s emotions – here he looks melancholic
and pensive; qualities that lead the character to be
associated with the indie genre.

8. He gives a girl flowers, giving off the impression that
he is a romantic. The character’s femininity in the
video supports the idea of gender as a social
construct, as opposed to being biological, therefore
tying in with the idea of queer theory and
conforming to the idea that indie music subverts
norms.

9. The female characters stand next to cars that match the
colour of their clothing, suggesting they are merely
possessions of the men. This also helps to establish the
main character as an ‘outsider’, thus conforming to
another typical quality of an ‘indie’ person and establishes
him as a binary opposite to the stereotypical men in the
video

10. The Stone Roses – I Wanna be Adored

11. The video opens by panning through the setting – a
barren desert - for a long period of time. The isolated
setting establishes the band members as ‘outsiders’
and therefore adheres to the image of the indie
genre

12. The slow dissolves reflect the psychedelic nature
of the music, making the video seem dream-like.
The general psychedelic feel of the video could
be said to be influenced by the drug-addled
‘Madchester’ scene of their early years together
as a band.

13. The Libertines – Can’t Stand me Now

14. The fast paced editing of still images used to open
the video establishes the fast paced rock & roll
lifestyle of the band.

15. The way the camera progressively zooms into the
venue suggests an intimacy, despite it being one
of the band’s bigger gigs; therefore still
attempting to associate the band with the more
traditionally ‘indie’ small venues, and implying a
close connection between the band and its fans

16. Quite a lot of the footage of the band playing their
instruments is asynchronous with the actual
song, supporting their messy rock & roll
lifestyle, which was prevalent in indie music in the early
2000s.

17. Arctic Monkeys – The View from the
Afternoon

18. The setting is quite glum, tying in with the melancholic
nature of indie music. Additionally, the multi-storey flats
signify a working class environment; an environment
which was heavily influential on Arctic Monkeys’ early
work.

19. The slow dissolves used reflect the melancholic
nature of the music

20. The various people that come to heckle the
character help to establish that he is an
‘outsider’, showing that he conforms to the
stereotype of an ‘indie’ person.

21. The tattered hand-wraps suggest he has been drumming
for a very long time, conveying the passion he has for
music – artists and bands within the indie genre are
perceived to be more passionate about the music they
create than artists and bands within other genres of
popular music.

22. Bombay Bicycle Club – Dust on the
Ground

23. The setting is a lot more suburban than the murky city
surroundings that used to be more prevalent within the
indie genre. It conforms to Anthony Giddens’ theory
that the self is always changing, as the ‘indie’ identity is
no longer heavily associated with the working class

24. The video is full of depressing and, sometimes, disturbing
imagery, conforming to conventions of the genre. Here, a
group of girls circle a girl knelt on the floor in a way that
suggests some sort of perverse ritual. The low lighting also
adds to the melancholic and disturbing feel.

25. A girl is seen beating another with a cane. The more
intense disturbing imagery here characterises the
melancholic nature of indie music