conventions of genre essay

Introduction

When making a music video it is very important to look at the conventions of that genre. This is so when we make our video it follows all the same conventions of that type of music or even breaks the conventions in the same way other indie videos break them. Not all indie music videos follow the strict conventions set but largely keep to them this is important to know as it will become helpful when we plan for our videos.

Cinematography

The camera shots that are used in indie songs are largely the same. They never really take longshot its always medium shots or medium longshot it also uses close ups often to show the face of the singer. In snow patrol- chasing cars this is apparent if you watch the video you notice that the singers face is always a focus of the camera and not his surroundings. Another song that proves this is by Marc Foster- I was broken in his music video nearly all of the shots are close ups of him and Kristen Stewart therefore showing that this is a convention of indie music and something that can be used in our videos or even just using medium longshot would suffice to fulfil this convention.

Lighting

The lighting in indie music is largely natural for example sunlight. This is shown in snow patrols chasing cars video. Even looking at other indie music like Florence and the machine all her music videos are largely lit by natural lighting. The few times that it’s not lit up by natural light are rare therefore this shows that the conventions of indie music videos is light and natural.

Editing

Editing is very important in indie music videos they use many different types of editing to make the videos look good. In snow patrol there is editing the one bit of editing that stands out most is the change between light then becoming night time in a second. This means when I make my video I need to look at these kinds of editing to be able to keep to the conventions of indie music. But not all indie music videos are heavily edited this means that even if we do not edit a lot and put in tons of special effects it would still be sticking to the conventions of the indie genre.

Mise-en-scene

The surroundings on the set of indie music videos are natural surroundings like fields and some even feature in cities. This means that the set props are just the natural surroundings nothing really needs to be placed specifically as it needs to be as natural as possible. The costumes the people wear are simple clothing but they are bright natural and warm colours this means when I make my video those costumes must reflect these conventions or at least have the hint of those conventions. In Florence and the machines videos she is mostly wearing light bright colourful dresses this is because it is a convention.

Forms

Indie music videos are mostly always narrative this is because the music videos almost always directly relate to the lyrics of the song or at least relate to it in some way. The lyrics are almost like the story of the video therefore when I make my video I must be able to do the same and make sure the lyrics are telling the story of video as it is the conventions of the indie genre. Some indie music like snow patrol: chasing cars use conceptual form so this could also be an option for the video.

Cultural references

Indie music videos do not relate to any culture they are for everyone they do not single out a specific group of people to watch their video’s the references made in indie music videos are almost always about love or other human emotions that everyone can relate to.

Conclusion

From looking at these conventions I have found all the types of conventions that my music video must follow when I need ideas I can look back on this essay and gain more ideas. It will help me stick to the conventions and not break it completely but it can also show me where I can break conventions slightly.