Research Into Chosen Music Genre - Miss Miller*

The music genre I am interested in doing for my music video, is indie. The reasons why I want to do an indie music video is because I think the indie genre conventions are really fun to create, but also interesting  artist convey themselves well. What inspired me most to do an indie music video, is the artist Lana Del Rey as I believe her music video are conventional and portray the elements of the indie genre well. For example, her videos use number of close ups to express her emotions. It is vital to establish a genre before choosing an artist because studying the genre allows you to develop more knowledge about it which can inspire your choice of artist. Also, without knowing information about the genre, you wouldn't be able to create a music video that is conventional to the belonging artist as you don't have knowledge on it. Researching the genre can also be a guide to what your going to include in the music video, so that it'll be less time consuming and chaotic. The artist I'm planning on choosing for my music video is Birdy.

Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat 

Lorde belongs to the indie pop genre. A convention that is challenged in this music video, is the use of performance. In this music video we see Lorde expressing herself through dancing whilst she's dressed differently throughout the video. This challenges the indie genre, because instead of performing with a musical instrument, she is using her dancing as a way for the audience to focus on her. However, like the stereotypical indie convention of performing with an instrument, Lorde's dancing also helps the audience learn about her more as an artist through her dancing.

Another convention that is evident in this music video is the use of high key lighting. We see this when Lorde is sitting at the bus stop which is brightly lit on her. The use of this amplifies her lonesome, and also makes the audience focus on her as she's the focal artist present. This draws the audiences attention to her especially since before in the video she was not really seen much in brightly lit places. The fact that she is now seen properly at the end, could symbolise her as coming out of her shell. 

Mise en scene costume and colour is evidently seen in the music video. For example we see Lorde wearing a glamorous black dress when she comes out of the darkness and into the crowd of people who are formally dressed. This could represent her as coming out of her comfort zone, and not caring what others think about her. The black dress could portray her as the mockingjay which is apart of the Hunger games due to the furriness of it. But also with black connoting death and mystery, we do see her fall into some sort of abyss after her long bold strut through the people. Furthermore, the costume of her wearing a glamourous formal dress whilst strutting through the crowd to the camera, is subversive to the indie genre, as artists usually wear comfortable, casual clothing to portray ordinariness.The use of the black connotes death as in her coming out of her struggles alone. Furthermore on costume, the video ends in her wearing white at the bus stop. The juxtaposition from her black dress to her white outfit could imply that she's come out of her struggle and is now ready to get through them. The colour white represents her as pure, innocent and having a successful new beginning as she is sat a bus stop, which implies she's on a new journey. The use of these costumes are conventional to the genre, as costume does help the audience understand more about the artists because it represents who they are. Moreover, the costumes used in this particular video help convey the story of the film aswell, which attracts the film audiences and not only her fans, widening her audience.

Mise en scene lighting is used on this video. The use of low key lighting is evident in most scenes in the music video. For example when we see Lorde singing in a room full of plants, the only source of light is from the light slightly above her.  The use of the low key lighting is to make sure the focus is on Lorde and nothing else which grabs the audiences attention. Low key lighting is conventional to the indie genre as it helps set the atmosphere of the video, but also highlight the artist more. 

Positioning of characters is used in this music video, for example we see Lorde positioned in the middle in most scenes e.g the road, in the circle of people and when sitting down at the bus stop etc. The positioning of her being in the middle emphasises the representation on the artist being important and the focal attention in the scene. Moreover, the use of Lorde being positioned in the middle for mostly throughout the music video, makes the audience engage more with her and relate to the subject that is being portrayed in the music video e.g coming out of your comfort shell. throughout

A conventional setting that is evident in the music video, is a road in the middle of a forest. We see Lorde in this setting as she is standing in the middle of the road singing and dancing. The fogginess creates a tense atmosphere within the the music video which grabs the audiences attention. This is conventional to the indie genre because it creates suspense and tension which creates mysteries that makes the audience focus more on the performance. 

A camera technique that is used in this music video is tracking. We see the camera technique track around the artist especially when Lorde is singing in the middle of the road in the forest. This shows her facial expressions that the audience can see and relate to. Furthermore, this camera technique is conventional to the indie genre as it shows the artist in a personal shot, which gives them spotlight and also helps them build a relationship with the audience as their letting them in. The camera technique could connote the artist as being unstable due to the unstableness of the shot, because it isn't tracking around her in a steadily, its instead going around her like she is dizzy. This could portray the artist as being risky, unsteady and sensitive through the camera technique. 



Another shot that we see in this music video, is a mid shot of Lorde singing in a black background. The use of this shot shows the hand gestures and expressions she does in order to convey the lyrics to her audience. This is conventional to the indie genre, as mid shots help establish where the artist it and how it links in with the song. For example, in this shot Lorde's setting is just a plain black setting where her clothing blends in well with. This represents her as reserved, closed and mysterious as we cant see anything but her face and hands. This grabs the audiences attention and makes them intrigued to carry on watching the music video. 

An editing technique that is used in this music video is montage of Lorde dancing in a wall of shredded white sheets from 2:55 - 3.15. The use of this montage is to capture her in different angles and shots so that the audience stay focused on her. Also, it links in with Goodwin's theory of the visuals and music matching because the montage shows her dancing along to the beat. The use of these techniques help convey herself as an artist and performer by showing her expressing herself in different shots. This is conventional to the indie genre, however montages may be used stereotypically in indie music videos to convey short memories. Whereas Lorde used the montage differently but instead to showcase her expressing herself through dancing. 

Another editing technique that is evident in the music video is slow editing. This is used from 0:43 - 1:04 where we see Lorde in a room full of plants from the outside window to slowly being transported to her standing in the road through the camera. The use of the slow editing here is to create suspense and mystery within the atmosphere as it links to the next setting. This makes the audience feel anxious and intrigued to see what happens next as they follow the slow editing to find Lorde has switched scenes smoothly. Slow editing is conventional to the indie genre because it reflects the pace of the music which created the atmosphere of the music video. 

The target audience for this music video are people ages 15-24 who like the indie genre and eeriness to music videos, and also fans of the movie The Hunger games Mocking jay Part 1 as the song is apart of the soundtrack. However, generally her audiences are people aged 15-24 that may have similar costume or culture lifestyle to her. 

Lorde is represented as dark, eerie and mysterious through the use of low-key lighting, isolated settings and also through her body language  e.g dancing. This intrigues the audience to her so that they try and understand her mystery. However, she is shown as expressive through her dancing which some audience can relate with her. Furthermore, she's portrayed as normal especially when she's in real life settings such as the bus stop because "normal" people who are't famous are prone to use public transport. 
The style of the music video is concept based this is due to the fact that it has a link with the mocking jay film. The message in the concept is about people not knowing your struggles and being able to get through them but yourself. This concept goes well with the film but also appeals to the target audience as they can relate and take on bored on the message behind the music video. 

Goodwin's theory of lyrics and music matching is evident in the music video. For example when Lorde sings the lyrics " Red, orange, yellow flicker beat-beat-beat-beat" from 3:40 - 3:45. The repetition of the word beat in sync with the actual music puts an emphasis on the ending. However, it could also symbolise her being a broken record which makes it look like the song is left on a cliff hanger. The use of this excites the audience in the last minute, and also makes them intrigued to find out whats coming up next for the artist. Lyrics matching the music is stereotypical in the indie genre, as it helps emphasise what is going on in the music video so Goodwin's theory of lyrics matching gives the audience more of an understanding of whats going on. Also it makes the music video entertaining and interesting to watching and listen to.  

Goodwin's theory of visuals matching the music is also evident in the video. For example, at the end Lorde is seen sitting at a bus stop whilst singing and bopping her head on beat. The use of this is to give emphasise to the lyrics as her body language stresses what she is saying. This is effective as it provides excitement to the ending and makes her video finish with her bang. Visuals matching the music is also conventional to the indie genre, as it gives a further insight on what the artist is singing about. Therefore, creating a more engaging experience for the audience to continue watching what is in the video.  

Gabrielle Aplin - Panic Cord

Gabrielle Aplin a female indie pop singer who sings the song Panic Cord. A convention that is apparent in the music video is a performance shown which is evident through the use of her playing guitar throughout the music video. For example when she is singing and playing the guitar with her boyfriend on the bedroom floor. The use of Gabrielle showing herself playing the guitar showcases to the audience that she is multitalented and can do other things than sing. This is conventional to the indie pop genre as artists, especially in the indie genre have a performance of them playing an instrument. 

Another convention that is apparent in the music video, is the theme of conflict. The song is about her break up and how she feels she's too blame and feels lonely. This is evident as we see flashbacks of the couple being happy and of when they're at their rocky stage of the relationship. This is conventional to the genre as its a typical theme of love and loss, blame, guilt and loneliness. This appeals to the target audience as they may relate to the artist and feel more closer to her as she's portraying that she's been in the same issue.  

In addition, the artist representation of being reminiscent is conventional to the indie genre and evident within the panic cord music video. This is evident throughout the video as it shows the artist reminiscing memories of her relationship by looking at items in the memory box then shots after showing the event behind that piece. The use of this artist representation portrays her as thoughtful, deep and reflective which are traits that are stereotypically found in the indie genre, as artists tend to sing about personal experiences of their lives and reflect on them through their music. 

When it comes to mise en scene costume, the artist is portrayed differently in two different colour schemes in her outfits in the video. The first one would be that she is often wearing white, which shows her innocence and purity from the relationship. This could suggest to audience that everything gets better after a break up, since she's dressed more brightly it conveys the image of being new and moving on. However, what I noticed was that when she was in the flashbacks with her boyfriend she would wear dark,dull colours for example grey, burgundy and black. This could represent her being not happy in the relationship, confused and dead in the relationship due to the dark colours shown. The use of her costumes having two different colour schemes juxtaposes the white and dark side to convey the journey she has been through in the relationship and how she is finally free. Also in the flashbacks she wears casual, quirky clothing which reflects the indie genre but the white helps to promote her as clean and innocent, separating her from other artists. 

The lighting mostly throughout the music video is natural lighting, especially when she pulls out the glass chandelier and the light glistens through it. This is conventional to the indie genre as it gives a sense of realism for the audience and helps build a relationship with Aplin because they can relate to what she's doing. In addition the natural lighting represents the artist as ordinary and innocent, as it showcases her through a non artificial lighting, portraying her as honest and genuine. Also, it portrays her as authentic, and delicate, which grabs the audiences attention due to her delicacy, as they feel she's sharing her weaknesses with them. This could help build a relationship with the audience, as they feel she's being honest about herself, through conveying herself in a natural light. Furthermore, the lighting is quite bright and airy, which connotes a sense of being relieved about the situation, as well as looking back on the happy memories in a clear mindset. Could convey that she has no regrets on what has gone on and also gain empathy from the audience if they have experienced something similar. 

Thirdly, mise en scene hair and make up is evident in the music video. For example Aplin's hair and make up is very simplistic and natural which reflects the mood of the video and shows the innocence of the artist. Natural hair and make up are conventional to the indie genre because they show the artist as being ordinary and relatable which appeals to the target audience. 
Fourthly, mise en scene setting is evident in this music video conventionally, for example its set in a house for most of the video where she is playing the guitar, with her boyfriend or alone. The use of having a house as a primary setting is to make the narrative told look more realistic but having it in a real place. Moreover, this is conventional to the indie genre because it shows realism that audiences expect to find and relate to. 

Lastly, mise en scene positioning of the character is evident in this video. For example when Aplin is smelling the rose she is positioned in the middle of the shot. The use of this positioning makes the audience focus on what she's doing sot that they follow the narrative well. This is conventional to the indie genre, as artists tend to position themselves in the middle of their videos to gain attention from their audiences. 

A camera shot that is used in this music video is extreme close ups. This is evident in the video when she is playing the guitar and the close up shows her lips. The use of this camera shot is to help convey her facial expressions whilst she's playing so that the audience gather a deeper understanding of the song. Extreme Close ups are conventional to the indie genre, as they help amplify what is being shown as important, however in this shot it is adapted to convey importance into what she's saying as the audiences are forced to focused on her lips.

Another camera shot that is evident in this music video is a long shot. This is shown when we see her and her boyfriend by the fire eating marshmallows. The use of this long shot establishes the setting that their in e.g indoors which shows how comfortable they are together. Also the long shot helps show what they're doing from head to do so that the audience see clearly what is going and its importance in the narrative. This is conventional to the indie genre, as it shows part of the narrative so that audience understand what is happening because they can see the setting in which the artist is in.  

An editing technique that is used in this music video, is a montage. A montage is a series of shots that are put together of the same scene to show deeper meaning to the scene. For example, from 1:05 - 1:12 we see the artist and her boyfriend by the fire place feeding each other marshmallows through different shots, such as long shot, close up and panning shot. The purpose of this montage is to show the scene from different angles and perspective, which makes it feel more upbeat and lively, therefore illustrating the happy memory successfully. Also, because of the different shots seen, it appeals to the audience as the creativity isn't dull to them, therefore making them engage more to the video. Montages are conventional to the indie genre as it shows the scene from different angles and positions, also helps the audience understand the narrative or concept more as the montage may show the facial expressions of the characters, what they're doing and the location they're in. 

Another editing style that is evident within this music video is a jump cut. This is seen when Gabrielle is smelling the flowers she was given by her boyfriend from 0:06-0:08. The jump cut gives emphasis on their intimacy by drawing the audience closer through the editing technique. This engages their attention to what is going on in the scene, so that they have further understanding of the narrative. Also, it helps build a relationship between the artist and audience, as the jump cut illustrates her allowing them into her personal life. This is conventional to the indie genre, as artist's usually sing about their personal experiences and use their music video's to showcase this to their audience. 


The target audience for Gabrielle Aplin's - Panic Cord would tend to be more females round the ages 16- 26 due to the narrative of a relationship break up, this may build a closer relationship with her and the audience because its a relatable situation. The artist is represented as emotional and relatable through the narrative as it is a life situation that anyone can experience in their lives. She is also represented as talented through the use of iconography of a guitar. This instrument is conventional to the indie genre as it is what is usually used in the music beat to create the calm, easy going feel. The style of this music video is mixed with performance and a narrative. An element where the video is seen as performance based is through the guitar. This is used when she is singing alone and when her and her boyfriend are playing together romantically. The performance conveys the passionate, relaxed, calm and contented mood in the music video. However, most of the video is narrative based with the story being about her relationship ending because she was bored in it. We see this when she sings "maybe you were happy, I was bored" and we see her facial expression of boredom on her face whilst being with him. This gives further meaning to the lyrics, so that the audience understand the video well. 

Goodwin's Theory that there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals is evident in the music video. Throughout the video, it illustrates many of the lyrics being represented through visuals. For example, when she sings "Maybe I wanted you to change, maybe I'm the one to blame" the couple are seen sat on the bed as if they have just had an argument, however when the boy leaves her, she looks upset as if she is in the wrong of it all. Even thought the lyrics are not directly related to the visuals, it still conveys the narrative well and makes it easy for the audience to the understand the situation. This is conventional to the indie genre, as lyrics matching the visuals amplifies the story included in the music video so it makes it flow and understandable within in the audience. 

Secondly, Goodwin's theory that the demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work, could arguably be in this music video. This is because I believe the way the record label are looking for realism through the track, this is shown in the music video through the narrative. Also, scenes such as having a drink at the pub or walking along the beach are seen as every day scenarios that audience could relate too. In relation to close ups, there are close ups evident in the music especially when she is playing the guitar which emphasises herself as an indie artist because its conventional and making the focus on her when she is performing. In her other videos,they follow the same idea of everyday situations and videos people can relate to, for example her song "please Don't say you love me", however the difference is that she is performing to the camera and she is not involved with the acting.


After researching different music videos within my chosen genre;indie, it has helped me develop more of an understanding about the conventions that are suitable for a indie music video. Some inspirations I consider from this research is the use of a relationship based narrative within my music video like Gabrielle Aplin's 'Panic Cord'. This is because this type of story conveys real life stories which the target audience may relate to which is conventional to the indie genre. Also, I will consider using a vertical camera angle shot, as seen in Lorde's video, to introduce my artist but in a more interesting way so that it catches the audiences attention.