Codes and Conventions of Indie Music videos

Live performance is a common feature used in Indie music videos due to the idea that it makes the main focus the music itself instead of drawing the audience in with a narrative of the video. Along with this it shows the artist doing what they love and have passion for, considering its more common in Indie or rock genre music for them to care less about success and care more about playing the actually music. Another reason for using live music in their videos is that it shows a natural talent because it hasn't been finely tuned in a studio and it also helps show the passion they have for their music. Live performances in videos as help the viewer experience what the atmosphere is like at one of the shows, making them want to go themselves which will be encouraged by showing people dancing in the crowds as shown by the Black keys video below. Although commonly now artists have started using small narratives between the live performances, making the video more memorable helping them compete with other artists.

Mise-En-scene used in music videos play a large role music videos but especially in Indie videos, along with this in indie videos they commonly follow the 'retro look' which is often related to indie clothes fashion itself. The costumes impact largely on the music videos as conventionally it helps show the audience about the artists or the songs narrative. 'Kitchen sink' Mise En scene is often used in indie music videos as they are commonly set around day to day lives so basic props are essential to be able to great the verisimilitude which makes people relate to the image. Although in the case of Gotye's video below it emphasizes on certain objects and aspects of normal life into a cartoon fashion to make them appear comical to its audience. Sound is obviously important in music videos but added extras change depending on the style. For example if an indie artist chooses to use a live performance it commonly features the crowd screaming in the beginning but by choosing to use a live performance it also helps the audience appreciate their musical talent more. But diegetic sounds are also used to help the narrative in music videos, with the example of  Gotyes - easy way out which starts with ambulance sounds in the background and then the alarm ringing as a sign he's about to wake up which are both sounds the viewer is used to making it more relate-able to them.

Camera angles in Indie music videos tend to largely use close ups to help express the emotion or lyrics in the song playing, other common camera shots are Long shots to help show the location or the artists themselves and the costume they are wearing, because some artists are known as style icons and the costumes are memorable and make an impression on the audience which can help people remember the music video even more. There is also crane shots mainly used for live performances as it can view the band over the crowd and allow for different angles to be used whilst keeping a smooth transition between the frames.

Using as an example:



Editing wise the must commonly used is a fast cut which allows for the video to change locations swiftly which is often done to the beat to emphasize the song itself, along with this another common editing technique is the fade which works well for slower parts of songs due to it being a gentle edit. Some music videos for the indie genre also use effects on top of the video to add an aged look which often fits in with the vintage theme of costume commonly used in these videos. This is commonly a black and white effect or a sepia effect to make it appear rusty and old.