a2 - music videos

1. CONVENTIONS OF
INDIE POP MUSIC

2. BACKGROUND OF INDIE POP
MUSIC:
THE TERM 'INDIE' HAS BEEN USED FOR SOME TIME TO DESCRIBE ARTISTS ON
INDEPENDENT LABELS (AND THE LABELS THEMSELVES) AND THE TERM 'POP' AND IS AN
ABBREVIATION THAT ORIGINALLY DERIVES FROM THE WORD 'POPULAR'. IN ADDITION,
'INDIE POP' IS A SUB GENRE OF POP , ALTERNATIVE OR INDIE ROCK MUSIC AND
ORIGINATED DURING THE LATE 1970'S IN THE UK. THE STYLE WAS INSPIRED BY
PUNK'S DIY ETHIC AND RELATED IDEOLOGIES AND THE GENRE OFTEN DIFFERS FROM
INDIE ROCK TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS MORE MELODIC. FURTHERMORE, NME'S 1986
COMPLICATION ,'C86' IS NOW SEEN AS THE BIRTH OF INDIE POP IN THE UK.

3. CONVENTIONS OF INDIE POP MUSIC:
• THE LYRICS ARE OFTEN REVOLVED AROUND RELATIONSHIPS/BREAKUP'S , LOVE
OR EMOTIONS.
• THE MUSIC VARIES FROM BEING LOUD AND VERY EXPRESSIVE TO BEING CALMER
AND MORE RELAXED.
• THE INSTRUMENTS USED WITHIN THE MUSIC OFTEN TEND TO BE DRUMS AND
GUITAR'S, WHICH ARE STEREO-TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH ROCK MUSIC.

4. CONVENTIONS OF INDIE POP MUSIC VIDEOS:
• GENERALLY HAVE LOW-BUDGET VIDEOS
• MAIN SETTINGS ARE OFTEN IN CITIES, PARKS, GIGS OR STUDIO'S.
• MAJORITY OF INDIE POP VIDEO'S INCLUDE A LIVE PERFORMANCE FROM THE ARTIST, THIS IS
DUE TO EITHER BREAKING UP THE VIDEO'S NARRATIVE OR SHOWING THE ARTIST'S PASSION
FOR PERFORMING THEIR MUSIC.
• ARTIST'S ARE SHOWN TO BE WEARING GENERIC AND SIMPLE COSTUMES AND/OR MAKEUP.
• DIALOGUE IS OFTEN USED WITHIN THE VIDEO TO EITHER HELP TELL OR CONCLUDE THE
STORY.
• CLOSE UP'S ARE THE MOST COMMONLY USED CAMERA SHOT WITHIN INDIE POP VIDEOS. THE
REASON FOR THIS IS SO THAT THE AUDIENCE CAN VIEW THE ARTIST'S/CHARACTER'S
EMOTIONS, AND THEREFORE THE AUDIENCE CAN UNDERSTAND THE OVERALL MESSAGE
BEHIND THE VIDEO.

5. KEY PLAYERS IN INDIE POP MUSIC:
• A KEY PLAYER IN INDIE POP MUSIC AT THE MOMENT , IS THE ALL-MALE
BAND, ARCTIC MONKEYS. THIS BAND'S PREVIOUS ALBUM 'WHATEVER PEOPLE
SAY I AM, THAT'S WHAT I'M NOT' HAS BEEN SHOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL
ALBUM VIA THE AMOUNT OF AWARD'S RECEIVED. ONE OF THE MAIN TRACKS
WHICH FEATURED ON THIS ALBUM, IS CALLED ' I BET YOU LOOK GOOD ON
THE DANCE FLOOR' AND THIS VIDEO INCLUDES MANY STEREO-TYPICAL
CONVENTIONS OF POP MUSIC/VIDEOS.
• I COULDN'T EMBED THE VIDEO ONTO POWERPOINT, BUT I HAVE ATTACHED
THE LINK BELOW: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=PK7EGZAT3HS
• IN THIS VIDEO, ALL MEMBERS OF THE BAND ARE PRESENTED WEARING
CASUAL AND GENERIC CLOTHING AND ARE SHOWN TO BE PERFORMING IN
THE STUDIO. IN ADDITION, THIS COULD SHOW THE ARTIST'S PASSION FOR
PERFORMING THEIR MUSIC AND IS NOTICEABLE VIA THE USE OF CLOSE UP'S
WITHIN THE VIDEO, AS THIS THEREFORE PRESENTS THE ARTIST'S
EMOTIONS/FEELINGS. ALL IN WHICH ARE COMMON CONVENTIONS OF INDIE
POP MUSIC/VIDEOS. FURTHERMORE, THE LYRICS ARE REVOLVED AROUND
LOVE AND PHYSICAL ATTRACTION AND THE MUSIC TENDS TO BE LOUD AND
VERY EXPRESSIVE VIA THE USE OF DRUMS AND GUITARS, WHICH ARE
INSTRUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GENRE/STYLE OF MUSIC.