Indie Music Videos Analysis

Indie Music Videos Analysis

In order to decide how our music video should look, we decided to research examples of indie music videos to try and find some conventions of the genre. We have looked at both mainstream and non-mainstream artists as the genre is a mix of both.

     Fox Academy - Grape Soda Bby

In the music video for Fox Academy's Grape Soda Bby, we see a montage of the artists and a kid playing around their neighbourhood. The video has been filmed and edited in a way that makes it seem very old-fashioned, with a grainy texture and a frame shaped like an old TV screen. This makes the video seem old and vintage, and, combined with the relaxed and happy sound of the song, gives the impression of a home footage tape. The fact that the shots used are mostly mid-shots to long shots also adds to this effect as the video does not seem overly professional or technical.

In terms of content, the video takes a non-narrative approach, instead using a montage of seemingly random clips in the video that creates the feel of a home-movie. The video is an example of disjuncture as the images do not appear to match the lyrics. There are some moments when the lyrics and images do seem to match, for example the lyrics and title mention the word 'grape' and there are occasional shots of baskets of grapes in the video. However, the image focuses more on matching the relaxed sound of the song, meaning that there is no need for narrative. Also, considering the fact that the lyrics have little narrative (the first two lines are 'grape scented shirt, family dessert') it makes sense that the video is an example of disjuncture, as illustration or amplification would have been hard to recreate.

The video seems to be set in a few different places. The first seems to be a backyard, up against a fence. The footage shot here seems to be shots of grapes and of the characters playing with gardening equipment. Another setting seems to be the front yard, where the footage shows them playing, sometimes in a three or a two but often with the child alone. The third is a shot of the ground, where the artists can be seen drinking from mugs. The last one is in the neighbourhood, where the artists are seen playing basketball with the kid. All of the settings are all close and personal, which creates the idea of a home footage tape.

Along with the vintage grain and frame in the video, a few other techniques are used to create special effects. These are all physical things which were clearly used on the day; for example, a pair of glasses is used to distort the image and change the frame of the video. A pair of kaleidoscope glasses and a glass decoration are also used to similar effect. This use of physical objects to create special effects also adds to the home video feel, and gives the idea of them playing around with a camera and seeing how their glasses change the effect.

   Bleachers - Rollercoaster

This video is set somewhere in the dry, mountainous wilderness. The sand and jagged mountains are images typically associated with more Indie music videos. The video also takes place in and on a campervan - something considered 'hip' and 'cool' - like indie music itself. The whole setting re-enforced what indie music is all about - getting away from the mainstream (civilisation?) and being something original and slightly crazy. In Rollercoaster, the slightly crazy part comes when the band gets up on the roof of the van with their instruments and starts to play the song while driving along the road.

The colours in the music video are bright and quite warm, that is, until the end where at dusk the colours cool right down and there is a blue hue across all the colours. This colour scheme of orange and blue is very common, not only in music videos, but in Hollywood films too. This is because most of the actors have an orange skin tone and blue complements orange very well.

The music video starts without music and introduces us to the setting and characters in a sweeping opening shot and the music only starts at 0:25 seconds into the video. This sets the scene and the tone nicely, making way for the music track to come in as the main character/singer wakes up from his sleep. An additional character is introduced at 0:33 and the music track reaches its full volume when it cuts to her. The video is also split into two parts visually as outlined above when the colours switch from warm to cool. Another shift happens when the band starts to play the music within the video itself at 1:35. 

The mise en scene in the video all looks like it lives within the same world; a hip, trendy, perfectly-colour-coordinated world. The video uses quite a few props, but it never focuses on them; they're always in the background setting the scene and setting the mood.

   The Lumineers - Ho Hey

Ho Hey is a song by the Lumineers. It is a love song about belonging to someone. The music video conformed to many indie genre conventions. For example the main singer has a guitar which is an icon associated with Indie music. Some of the shots in the music video are blurred, for example when there lots of people run towards the same direction. This makes it seem 'cheap' but not in a bad way. The blurred effect adds dimension to the video and allows it to have different effects. It makes it very engaging as the viewers are not just seeing the same shot over and over.

In the first shot there is an old vintage photo frame, and the camera tracks to the left revealing the lights on the wall next to more photo frames. The lights on the wall are flickering to the beat of the music. As the camera tracks to the left a man appears against a bright background creating a silhouette. I personally think this is a good element. The zoom into the man reveals the costume, which is very simple; black shirt, black trousers and a black top hat. He holds an acoustic guitar which is very common in indie music. As the man walks along the corridor, we see him through a profile shot. This enables the song to have a variety of shots which is again engaging as the audience are not just seeing the same type of shots. The location of the first shot looked 'cheap' as it was in the corridor with minimal props. One good thing about indie music is that they are usually very minimal and focus on the music and song rather than the video and footage.

We then see another man appear, and a mid shot shows the man's outfit. It is also simple; white t-shirt, black dungarees and also a top hat. His outfit contrasted against the other man who wore black. The outfits conformed to the Indie genre stereotypes of being simple as again they tend to focus more on the music. He holds a tambourine and the sounds of the tamborine sync almost exactly with the beat of the song, just like the flickering of the lights did. Later on a girl appears, wearing a white dress. The dress is also simple. Via a mid shot we see her holding a ukulele. Through various close up shots we are shown all of the 'singers' facial expressions. Moreover, the camera shows a close up shot of their legs tapping/ drumming to the beat of the music. There was an extreme close up shot of someone stepping on a light bulb, the brightness of the light bulb stood out against the dark background.

In another scene there are a lot of people surrounding and circling the band, diverting the attention to those who are significant in the music video. There are dangling roses which frame the man and woman's head, taking the audience's attention to them via the hotspots. There are more close up shots of the woman's facial expression and the other two men which allowed the audience to see how they are feeling and interpret their emotions. Right at the end of the video there is confetti, which is bright and stands out against the dull, sepia filter that was consistent throughout the music video.

Overall the song itself conformed to many stereotypical genre conventions associated with indie music. The key things it included was an acoustic guitar, a ukulele and a tambourine, typical indie instruments. The outfits of the people are simple which is also associated with indie music. The overall colour theme is dull with a sepia filter throughout the entire video. Indie music typically focuses on the 'band' itself rather than the video which I think Ho Hey did.