Conventions of indie genre

1. Conventions of the Indie Genre

2. Conventions
Indie music video’s can be either really
minimalistic, or really extreme depending on
how big the band is as smaller bands will have a
smaller budget etc. This makes conventions of
an indie genre hard as the majority are different.
However, there are some conventions that are
apparent in the majority of indie music videos.

3. The Video
The Indie Genre is mostly known for not wanting to follow the ‘pop scene’ in
a sense as they focus more on the music than the music video. This means
that there is usually the band playing the song in music videos as that is what
they want to show the audience; their performance. As well as not wanting to
conform to the stereotypical pop style, the indie genre developed from not
wanting to conform to the rules of the major labels which made up the music
industry. Therefore, bands of the punk genre then turned to local music shops
and formed their own labels for example ‘Rough Trade’. By the performance
being shown in the music video it gives the audience a chance to see their
favourite band performing, whilst not having to pay the money to see them
live. Also, it may want them to want to see them live therefore the band
would be generating more money. Bands are typically shown in their own
music videos as they don’t want to hide behind narratives such like what the
other genres of music are known to do, they want to be involved and be the
face of their songs as that is their job. However, some indie music videos do
include a narrative, but they usually have a deep meaning that relate to the
meanings of the lyrics, not just the actual words being said.

4. Mise-en-scene
Mise-en-scene is quite a prominent element of indie videos as that is basically all
each one has to stand out from the other. Costumes for indie artists in their
videos are usually minimalistic and just everyday clothing. For boys in the indie
rock genre it is typically skinny jeans and t-shirts. For girls it may be slightly
brighter or more colourful as they may be trying to stand out.
Lighting in indie videos is usually dark and shadowy. This usually reflects the
emotions being portrayed by the music which is usually meaningful. As most
indie music videos show the band performing, there is usually the stereotypical
stage lighting of a concert.
Props are used in indie videos especially to relate to the song and make the video
realistic. For example, if the video was the band performing, there would be the
instruments and set etc. The use of props would be different depending on
whether or not the video is abstract or narrative based, as if the video is abstract
it may had a random variety of props in it, where as if there is a narrative there
would be a more structured arrangement of props.

5. Cinematography
The cinematography used in indie music videos is similar to
that of the conventional shots used in every other music
video. However, there are some that are specifically used in
indie music videos. Typical shots that are used are close-ups,
medium shots and long shots as these are predominantly
used to show the band performing. Long shots are usually
used as establishing shots to show the stage or a location.
Tracking shots are often used to show the band or singer
moving in the music video are are used during the
performance elements of the video.
One video that has a different variety of shot types is -
The Paper Kites – Bloom

6. Editing
When editing an indie music video, similar to other styles of music
videos the video is edited to the beat. This means that if there was a
fast part of the song, the video would usually be made faster to match
the speed of the song. Typically in indie music video’s, some elements
are made faster as the song speeds up or the band come into a loud or
stronger part of the song.
When editing the video after filming, particularly indie videos, are
made black and white as that reflects the tone of indie music as it’s
not as colorful as pop and usually has a hidden meaning. Effects can
also be added to videos and are typically used in indie videos. These
can range from special effects to changing the colour of the video. An
example of a video that uses a range of special effects is –
Tenacious D - Tribute