Genre Research- Indie Pop

'Indie Pop' is a relatively newly recognised genre that originated from alternative rock music in the mid 1980's. Some people used to use the term 'indie' to define artists who were signed to independent labels however it has recently changed to a specific type of music and style. Music videos from this genre tend to have vintage costumes and props as well as being quite quirky. Unique lighting and a mix of various different colours is also quite common in this genre. A common theme throughout these music videos is often youth. Many of the artists themselves are quite young and quirky and the music videos reflect this personality. Music videos from this genre tend to have quite an artistic style to them. This artistic style tends to consume the video and there is generally very little narrative in many of these music videos.

An example of a music video with unique lighting and a range of colours used together is Florence and the Machines 'Spectrum'. The mise-en-scene from each scene is very different and very distinctive. The use of the contrasting range of colours including blue, orange, green and gold also reflects this genre. The hair, costumes, locations and lightings are all very unique and quirky which also keeps with the conventions of this genre. The use of the ballerinas with the shot types and lighting also shows the artistic side often seen in indie pop music videos. The use of the exaggerated movement and lack of narrative also has the purpose of selling the artist and enhancing her star image.

These album covers taken from indie pop artists also reflect the unique lighting and distinctive conventions often used in this genre.

Vernallis

Carol Vernallis created a theory based on 4 key concepts in music video. These included narrative, editing, camera movement and framing and diegesis.

Narrative:

Vernallis states that the video is a visual response to the music and there is not necessarily a balance between the narrative and the performance shown in the music video. The narrative in music videos may not be complete, for example it may be fragmented or disjointed. There is also something that drives the video forward however this may not always be the narrative, it could be the performance or the music. There may not always be a clear resolution at the end of the music and many questions may not be answered.  A montage could also be used to present a narrative or theme running throughout the video.

Editing:

Vernallis claims that the editing may match the music or the beat. It may also break many of the rules of continuity editing but this is a clear convention of music video editing. Some edits can be very obvious; to draw attention to them while others may be invisible. A classic example of these could jump cuts, breaking of the 180 degree rule and juxtaposed images.

Camera Movement and Framing:

Extreme shot types can be placed directly next to each other, for a music video this is very common however this is not so common in continuity editing. The style of framing and movement may be very distinctive of a particular music video. The camera can move in time with the music or with the lyrics to create a different meaning or feel to the music video. Establishing shots and close-ups are often frequently used in music videos.

Diegisis (the world of music video):

Many actions may not be completed in a music video, they often be interrupted in some way. In some music videos the characters or objects may move in time with the music. Music videos also aim to leave gaps. This means that the audience may not fully understand the entire music video. Throughout the video the same location can often be repeated, this often occurs with chorus’ or repetition of the music. 

Response To Song Choice

Kate Nash- Foundations

We have chosen to do Kate Nash- Foundations. I am very pleased with this choice because I know and like the song. We all had lots of ideas to put forward and we soon came up with a narrative. None of us had seen the video and we decided to plan our video before we watched it. When we finally did watch the video we noticed that it was very different from our idea which helped us. We have now decided on a finalised narrative and the style of our video. I am excited to begin filming and see how it looks