By Zara Anne Lane

There are many different genres of music and each of

these make their music videos in very particular and
different ways. For example the music videos for rap, heavy
metal and pop will all be very different to suit and appeal to
their different target audiences.


My own video will be for a song under this
genre; so first I have decided to analyse the
conventions of Indie Rock.
The video for this genre is Mr. Brightside by the
killers, released in 2001. The song is about
jealousy and envy and is inspired by singer,
Brandon Flowers, cheating ex-girlfriend. The first
5 shots are very important as they basically set up
the storyline of the whole song and video.

1. Shot one shows the band on a stage ready to
perform. It is immediately obvious by what they are
wearing that this isnt modern or natural to the genres
usual look.
2. Shot two shows the audience, they look bored and
uninterested and are all wearing extravagant outfits.
3. The third shot is of a woman dressed in burlesque.
The setting has now been made clear to the viewer.
4. The fourth shot is of a man and the fifth of another
(Brandon flowers)
5. In these five shots, the viewer is now aware of the
setting, characters and what is going on.
6. There is clearly a love triangle going on between the
three characters shown.




As the song begins to play, we see the band playing and
singing along, however they are also part of the narrative
in this video, which makes it interesting. Brandon
Flowers playing himself means that he is able to show
the emotion that the character feels as he is singing.
This is a very common feature of Indie and Rock music
videos. One which director, Goodwin, has used regularly
in this video in particular.
The lyrics coincide with the narrative as it is happening
and the viewer is made aware that he is singing about
jealousy, and how these three characters really link
together.

The video is cut to the beat at points but is slower than
the song at times to give the viewer time to focus, and to
put emphasis on the visuals. There are shots of each
instrument and band member individually and also shots
of the whole band; however, the majority of camera
shots that focus on the band are mid shots or close ups
of the lead singer. This is most likely due to the
popularity of the singer and the face he creates for the
band.
The main female character appears to be displayed as a prostitute
and being controlled by the other man. There are shots of the girl
lifting up her skirt for the other mens viewing, showing the
voyeuristic side of men as they observe woman as an object of
pleasure. As this is all going on, we cut back to clips of the singers
face, looking on and watching her, he is clearly bothered by what he
sees.
Furthermore, the storyline of the music video is very similar to the
film Moulin Rouge, in terms of the storyline consisting of a love
triangle. It is also similar to Moulin Rouge in the mise-en-scene and
costume. There are also references to Snow White- with the red
apple symbolising poison and the biblical story of Adam and Eve
with the apple causing the destruction as a result of temptation. In
the Mr. Brightside video, the older man chucks the apple towards
the woman, and she catches it, making her sleep with other men as
a result of the apples symbolism.

My second music video for this genre is by the same band
that wrote the song for the music video that I will be
making. The song is Supermassive Black Hole by Muse
and is very different to the Killers Mr. Brightside.

Although more often than not Indie and rock music videos
will feature the band playing as well as a relevant narrative;
they also often make their videos strange, unique and
nothing to do with the lyrics of the song. This makes the
video and song more memorable and interesting to watch.

The idea for this video in particular comes from a recurring dream that
the director had, so it was nothing to do with any of the band members
ideas or their lyrics. Other than the reference to space at the end of the
video when the characters unzip their costumes and become part of
space.
This was the bands most successful song and one of the reasons for
how unique and interesting the video was.
Another Indie/rock band that regularly do this are the Arctic Monkeys
The main conventions of a pop music video are:
They are usually set in bright colourful places, if it is outside
then it will be sunny and have a positive atmosphere
The characters and singers are happy and energetic
There will be larger amount of shots of the singer(s) as their
appearance is highly important and is what attracts their fans.
If there is a narrative the artist or band will often play the main
character(s) so that the attention is always on them.
There are often a large range of different sets and locations
and will feature the artist(s) in each one, however they may be
dressed differently or doing different things etc. This is to mix
up the music video and make it faster pace without losing
focus off the artist(s)
One example of a pop video that meets these conventions is One Directions Live While
Were Young
The band members are jumping around, interacting with people. The setting is extremely
bright and colourful. The videos narrative is about the progression of a summer day and
of teenagers enjoying themselves.
This creates a positive vibe and immediately appeals to teenagers and especially
teenage girls.
The video also includes another popular convention of a pop music videos which is also
often used by One direction, which is dancing and singing directly into the camera, as
though they are trying to make it seem as though they are singing directly to the
audience. Another pop artist who often uses this in their videos is Justin Bieber.


Another pop artist who follows the common conventions is Katy
Perry. Her music videos are often loud, bright and exciting and she
is portrayed as a powerful and important female which is most
commonly seen in pop. (e.g. Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Shakira etc.)
In particular I have looked at her music video for her song Roar
The music video for this song was made in a way that looked as
though it had been done badly. When the tiger jumps out of nowhere
it is obviously fake and the acting is well over exaggerated. This is to
make the video more entertaining for the audience as it adds a
sense of humour.