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1. Jumana Ismail
Forms and Conventions of Indie Folk music videos
Due to my initial research of analysing music video’s within the Indie Folk music genre, it has
helped me to be able to know what the forms and conventions of music videos within that
genre are and therefore I am now able to use them in the product I will produce which is
also a music video within the Indie Folk genre.
Camera work:
One main convention that I realised was present in all of the music videos I have analysed
was the constant use of the close-up shots on the protagonist’s face.
In all three music video’s I have analysed, there are many close-up shots on the main
characters face which allows the audience to clearly see their facial expressions and as a
result the audience may be able to sympathise with the protagonist and feel more
emotionally attached to the song and the music video. In addition, the close-up shots allow
the audience to focus mainly on that specific character and therefore it is made clear who
the main character is.
Other additional conventions of camera shots I have found present in Indie Folk music
videos:
Extreme long shots are highly popular within the Indie Folk genre as it enables the audience
to view the beauty of the nature and clearly see it. It allows the audience to understand
what the purpose of the scenery is in relation to the song and the rest of the music video.
A panning camera angle is also frequent and popular within Indie Folk music videos in order
to portray the protagonist as going on a journey, conveying the fact that the camera is
following them, in order to allow the audience feel part of it, as they may believe that they
are following the characters themselves.
The Lumineers - ‘Stubborn
Love’musicvideo.
Bon Iver- ‘Holocene’ Mumford and Sons – ‘The
Cave’

2. Jumana Ismail
Mis-en-scene:
The music videos that I have looked at and analysed all had very similar settings as well as
lighting which has a big impact on the music video as a whole.
When looking at all three music videos I realised that there is a lot of reference to the earth
as well nature. As Indie Folk music talks about the future and going on a journey, a lot of
reference to the earth is important as it highlights the fact all three characters in the music
videos are going onto a long journey, and using the earth to guide them. In addition the
earthy bright colours add a sense of realism to the music video and allow the audience to
feel as if they are part of the music video and living within the present time with them. The
colour blue symbolises spirituality and contentment, as well as serenity and futurism. In two
out of the three music videos I analysed, the characters were going through a struggle and
used nature as a form of escapism.
Other additional conventions of mise-en-scene I have found present in Indie Folk music
videos:
In addition to the reference to earth and colour schemes, I found that abandoned buildings
in the middle of nowhere were also frequent in many indie folk music videos. The
abandoned buildings emphasise on the isolation and the struggle the protagonist is going
through and therefore allows the audience to visualise the lyrics of the song. This is in
relation to Andrew Goodwin’s theory, in which one of his key aspects was the relationship
between the lyrics and the visuals on the screen.
As part of my research within music videos within the indie folk genre, I have realised that
there is also a distinction within their clothing. For example, in the music video ‘postcards
from Italy’ by the indie folk band ‘Beirut’, the characters seem to be dressed in very simple
and quintessential everyday outfits. This is very effective as it allows the audience to
connect with artists by feeling equivalent to them. If the characters/artists are dressed in a
The Lumineers - ‘Stubborn
Love’musicvideo.
Bon Iver- ‘Holocene’ Mumford and Sons – ‘The
Cave’

3. Jumana Ismail
normal way like how the audience would dress, the audience may not feel inferior towards
them.
Editing:
One thing that personally stood out to me in all three music videos is the duration of the
shots. When the camera is focusing on each main character, the shot lasts for about a good
20 seconds which emphasises on the fact that they are the main character. In addition to
this, the longevity of the close-up shot on the protagonists face enables the audience to
deeply analyse the characters face and therefore consider their actual feelings. I also found
that the use of consecutive jump cuts when the sound is very fast paced is common within
this genre. This may be used in order to emphasise the change that has occurred within that
protagonists life, thus interesting and captivating the audience more.
Sound (Musical instruments used):
A very common and popular convention of Indie folk music is the variety of instruments
used throughout in order to produce a recognisable and natural sound that is similar to
ambient sound we may hear outdoors. This is connected to the convention of nature, and
The Lumineers - ‘Stubborn
Love’musicvideo.
Bon Iver- ‘Holocene’ Mumford and Sons – ‘The
Cave’
Screenshotsof the characters
outfitsinthe musicvideo‘Postcards
fromItaly’by Beirut.

4. Jumana Ismail
when nature and the instruments are used together, the combination creates a strong sense
of realism.
Instruments that are present a lot within indie folk music videos include the harmonium,
piano, violin, acoustic guitar, a variety of drums. After listening to and analysing music
videos, the most instrument that stood out to me was the harmonium. The sound of the
harmonium is very peaceful and in fact similar to natural, ambient a sound which is why I
believe it is used alot in many indie folk songs.
Categories of music videos (narrative):
After analysing music videos and researching on the topic of music video categories, a
convention of indie folk music videos would be the fact most of them are narrative based.
Alot of the music videos within this genre tend to portray the protagonist going on a journey
or fighting through a struggle. Including a narrative makes it easier for the audience to
follow what is happening in the music video, as well as captivates the audience as they
would like to know what may happen in the end. This is why having a treatment and a
proposal as part of our planning was extremely vital, as it allowed me and my group to show
a clear distinction between the beginning, middle and end.
Although a convention I found in indie folk music videos was the fact that they include a lot
of narrative throughout, many artists tend to combine a performance based and narrative
music video together in order to enable the audience to feel as if the artist is also
contributing and telling them the story.