Indie Codes and Conventions

1. Mise-en-scene

1.1. A lot of indie music videos have a very retro feel to them. This retro look can be created through the sets, the props and the artists appearance itself.

1.2. Make up and costumes can be either really subtle or very extravagant in indie music videos. This is so that the artist has a very distinctive identity and so that they stand out and will be remembered to the audience.

1.3. Props that are commonly used in music videos are music instruments such as guitars and microphones so that they can be used during performances.

2. Sound

2.1. In indie music videos it is especially important especially if the artist is doing a live performance.

2.2. If the music video is a narrative, there may be some use of diegetic sounds. The artists vocals need to be amplified so that the audience can really hear and relate to the lyrics.

3. Setting

3.1. Settings are usually kept quite simple so that the audience is more focused on the artist rather than on where the artist is.

3.2. This is usually in the setting of alive performance.

3.3. Some indie artists prefer to film their music videos using a narrative instead of or along with a performance. This is to help the audience relate to the lyrics of the song and to help them connect with the visuals in the video.

4. Camera

4.1. Close up shots of when the artist is performing helps to convey the artists emotion and it helps the audience to understand the artists strong passion or ‘rawness’ shown through the lyrics.

4.2. Close up shots also play a role in advertising the artist as the audience are more likely to remember the artist’s face if there are lots of close up shots which is linking in with the Andrew Goodwin Theory.

4.3. Another common camera shot is a crane shot this is when a camera is placed on a crane because live performances can be filmed at a lot of different angles that you wouldn’t usually be able to reach just using a camera which is useful for the performance element of indie videos.

5. Editing

5.1. A lot of indie music video’s use editing to make the audience feel as if they are in the music video or to make them connect with their feelings.

5.2. Sad songs have a video that includes lots of black and white which gives the video a more melancholic feeling and it also gives the video a more retro edge.

5.3. Cuts used in indie music videos usually relate a lot to the song. For example, if the song more more slow and emotional, the cuts will be slower linking music with visuals another element of Goodwin's theory.