Mahnoor's avenue of research was Indie Pop music videos and their codes and conventions:
Not many Indie artist decide to create Music videos based after releasing their music unlike Big record labels do for popular pop star in order to promote their work. Indie artists mostly make low budget with only a few dedicating time and money on a actual filming set. After sorting through and watching several prominent Indie pop Music videos I was able to distinguish the common Codes and Conventions they followed.
MUSIC VIDEO STYLES:
Surprisingly most indie pop Music videos are Conceptual with little to few Narrative based videos and others relying on performance along the side the conceptual imagery presented.
Take for example a solely Conceptual Music video:
Men I Trust - Seven Which is a Conceptual Music Video with elements of impressionism with no performance, it diverts drastically from conventionally music video tropes taking a relax approach with nothing much happening other than 3 women wandering around a hiking track. the simplistic approach combined with music creates it's own appeal and aesthetic.
in contrast we have a Narrative such as:
FEAR OF MEN - Descent This Music video has a Impressionistic Narrative style, the story is conveyed through colour and red imagery, also including a little bit of Performance by the artist herself lip syncing to the song. By following a narrative story line this music video is also able to introduce an allusion where the girl ends up leaving the boy 'moving away from the high contrasting red' despite them being very close due to conflicting feelings portrayed by the lyrics.
whats common between these two Music videos is that they both utilize Typography, in the form of subtitles (of the lyrics) which are presented on screen for the viewer to read long side viewing the music video.
Performance Music Videos can be very simplistic with the artist only performs without any concept or deeper narrative, though they may contain fantastical visual imagery, however that may not contribute much to something meaningful. our two examples being;
Goodie Bag - Still Woozy
Pizzagirl - Coffee Shop
Both these music videos contain the artist lip syncing to the lyrics and going around different scenic locations while performing some dance moves while being playful in their nature.
VHS/ Vintage Footage:
Since most of these videos are made by the artist themselves, they can not afford high budget cameras in order to produce high production film like Music videos. Though it even may boil down to their personal preference when it comes to lighting and aesthetics as most Indie artist prefer Split-Complementary colour schemes/ Washed out or Muted Colour schemes. The two examples given below are very similar in terms of their aesthetics:
Alexandra Savior - Girlie
Fazerdaze - Lucky Girl
Both of these Music videos follow a Conceptual Style, with heavy emphasis on impressionistic imagery, they contain shots of scenery, jump cuts from people to objects to create a sense of disorientation however the true meaning behind the visuals are left up to viewer to interpret.
Animation:
A handful of artists choose to represent their work through means of visual animation with their own distinct style, it can either be very refined work or done in a simplistic manner. Here are a few examples:
Cones - Back In The Brain
Amy O - History Walking
Both these Music Videos follow a animated visualized narrative of the lyrics being sung, they utilized bright colours and a variety of shapes and formations making the videos more impressionistic.
SURREALISM:
I found this style common throughout several Music videos that I figured that it would deserve a spotlight of its own. A lot of Indie Pop artists opt for a surrealistic approach when creating their Music videos. Surrealism in this context meaning that the visuals of the music video are portrayed in a "dream-like" fashion, in between fact and fiction with distorted, vivid and contrasting imagery; including fantasy elements.
BEACH HOUSE - "DRUNK IN LA"
Beach house has more minimalist approach where they use simplistic footage with distortion affects in order convey the distorted perception reality of a intoxicated person.
Superorganism - Everybody Wants To Be Famous
Superorganism has a much more abstract and ambitious approach to match it's upbeat tempo, they use a variety of colourful and vivid imagery with heavy references to internet culture. This gives the song a more modern mainstream appeal.
Crumb - Locket
Crumb's Music Video seems to be expertly shot and edited, adding surreal elements with the help of Special effects, making the environment more immersive for the viewer with the use of a 360 degree camera that filmed the video, giving the music video a enclosed bubble feel. It also includes distortions and vivid imagery.
Not many Indie artist decide to create Music videos based after releasing their music unlike Big record labels do for popular pop star in order to promote their work. Indie artists mostly make low budget with only a few dedicating time and money on a actual filming set. After sorting through and watching several prominent Indie pop Music videos I was able to distinguish the common Codes and Conventions they followed.
MUSIC VIDEO STYLES:
Surprisingly most indie pop Music videos are Conceptual with little to few Narrative based videos and others relying on performance along the side the conceptual imagery presented.
Take for example a solely Conceptual Music video:
Men I Trust - Seven Which is a Conceptual Music Video with elements of impressionism with no performance, it diverts drastically from conventionally music video tropes taking a relax approach with nothing much happening other than 3 women wandering around a hiking track. the simplistic approach combined with music creates it's own appeal and aesthetic.
in contrast we have a Narrative such as:
FEAR OF MEN - Descent This Music video has a Impressionistic Narrative style, the story is conveyed through colour and red imagery, also including a little bit of Performance by the artist herself lip syncing to the song. By following a narrative story line this music video is also able to introduce an allusion where the girl ends up leaving the boy 'moving away from the high contrasting red' despite them being very close due to conflicting feelings portrayed by the lyrics.
whats common between these two Music videos is that they both utilize Typography, in the form of subtitles (of the lyrics) which are presented on screen for the viewer to read long side viewing the music video.
Performance Music Videos can be very simplistic with the artist only performs without any concept or deeper narrative, though they may contain fantastical visual imagery, however that may not contribute much to something meaningful. our two examples being;
Goodie Bag - Still Woozy
Pizzagirl - Coffee Shop
Both these music videos contain the artist lip syncing to the lyrics and going around different scenic locations while performing some dance moves while being playful in their nature.
AESTHETICS:
After viewing several music videos I was able to distinguish a few common aesthetics followed by artists in their music videos, these include:VHS/ Vintage Footage:
Since most of these videos are made by the artist themselves, they can not afford high budget cameras in order to produce high production film like Music videos. Though it even may boil down to their personal preference when it comes to lighting and aesthetics as most Indie artist prefer Split-Complementary colour schemes/ Washed out or Muted Colour schemes. The two examples given below are very similar in terms of their aesthetics:
Alexandra Savior - Girlie
Fazerdaze - Lucky Girl
Both of these Music videos follow a Conceptual Style, with heavy emphasis on impressionistic imagery, they contain shots of scenery, jump cuts from people to objects to create a sense of disorientation however the true meaning behind the visuals are left up to viewer to interpret.
Animation:
A handful of artists choose to represent their work through means of visual animation with their own distinct style, it can either be very refined work or done in a simplistic manner. Here are a few examples:
Cones - Back In The Brain
Amy O - History Walking
Both these Music Videos follow a animated visualized narrative of the lyrics being sung, they utilized bright colours and a variety of shapes and formations making the videos more impressionistic.
SURREALISM:
I found this style common throughout several Music videos that I figured that it would deserve a spotlight of its own. A lot of Indie Pop artists opt for a surrealistic approach when creating their Music videos. Surrealism in this context meaning that the visuals of the music video are portrayed in a "dream-like" fashion, in between fact and fiction with distorted, vivid and contrasting imagery; including fantasy elements.
BEACH HOUSE - "DRUNK IN LA"
Beach house has more minimalist approach where they use simplistic footage with distortion affects in order convey the distorted perception reality of a intoxicated person.
Superorganism - Everybody Wants To Be Famous
Superorganism has a much more abstract and ambitious approach to match it's upbeat tempo, they use a variety of colourful and vivid imagery with heavy references to internet culture. This gives the song a more modern mainstream appeal.
Crumb - Locket
Crumb's Music Video seems to be expertly shot and edited, adding surreal elements with the help of Special effects, making the environment more immersive for the viewer with the use of a 360 degree camera that filmed the video, giving the music video a enclosed bubble feel. It also includes distortions and vivid imagery.
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