Summary of Music video analysis

After analyzing the 5 indie music videos, i am going to summarize the main points i have found while looking through them.

Music Videos

What elements do the music videos have in common - in terms of genre and form?
The videos all contain a similar use of iconography, many props were similar such as guitars,cigarettes and alcohol. These props mean that the audience can easily identify the attitudes of the people on screen. The male dominance is very common within the indie genre music videos i looked at, most of the people on screen are male. The females are only appearing in the videos as the girlfriends, there are all attractive and well dressed, in the stereotypically indie style clothing. All of the videos contain the band members, or a person we could assume is the band member, this allows the audience to identify with those on screen and this means the fans can relate to the band, increasing the bands popularity. Similar settings such as the city, gigs and parties seemed to appear several times, these places were probably used as they are associated with this type of music, band members and the fans. This again helps the audience to relate as well as enjoy and be entertained.

How is youth/gender/ethnicity represented?
Youth
The youth are represented as rebellious and uncontrollable through most of the music videos. The use of alcohol and cigarettes means that there are presented as anti-Christian etc. These things are often associated with violence, trouble and relationship problems, all these (because of the use of the certain props, micro elements etc.) mean that the negative connotations are anchored to the youth of today. Due to the stereotypes given to people such as hooded teens the society we live in creates their own assumptions as to how social groups and individuals are. This is not in all of the videos I have looked at, as in the ‘Maccabees - Toothpaste Kisses’ video, the youth are in fact hardly represented as negative and are given positive imagery such as the peaceful birds etc, however this video is almost an anomaly in comparison to the conventional attitudes of the other indie videos.
Gender
As I have said earlier, the male dominance within the videos was clear, most of the videos seemed to be shown from the male perspective, reinforcing the idea of a patriarchal society. The women that appeared in the videos seemed to come across as attractive, almost an item for males to look at. This could influence the way in which the female audience are affected by the video, for example the care of appearance that the females seem to show could mean that female fans of the band want to take care of their appearances as well, they are influenced by the clothing style, the attitudes and the relationships portrayed.
Ethnicity
Throughout the videos I looked at there was a particular dominance within the white ethnicity, all of the band members/actors were white males, or white females. This white dominance was particularly notable within ’The Kooks - Naïve’ video, as the male singer walks through the gig he is at, the other party-goers all seem to be white. The dominance suggests a strong preference to the demographic audience for this genre being white. However I did notice one reference to another gender, this was in the ’Maccabees - Toothpaste Kisses’ video, as well as contradicting the youth representation, the video contradicts the white dominance and includes pictures of an asian family.

How is narrative theory used within the videos?

Throughout the videos that I looked at, narrative theory was not always obviously used. For example, ‘The Maccabees – Toothpaste Kisses’ video, the onscreen action did not follow a story at all, the different images (although symbolizing certain things) did not specifically need to be put into a certain chronological order. However when looking at other videos, it was clear there was a following of Todorov’s narrative theory, equilibrium etc. This immediately creates an enigma, as the audience want to see how the narrative turns out. The lack of conventional narrative suggests that the genre is perhaps unconventional and shows a lack of conventional structure within the videos.

How do they appeal to their target audience?

The videos appeal to their target audience through the use of many technical codes but mainly the use of the elements contained in mise en scene. The elements such as costume appeal to the target audience as they are easy to relate to, items such as hi-top trainers, leather jackets and skinny jeans are often associated with the younger generation. So by using these items in the videos the artists are demonstrating the kind of people they want to attract. The settings also appeal to the intended audience as they too are linked with where the audience will go or know of. For example a party in a flat, a garden and train stations are seen in some of the videos within the genre, this attracts the target audience as they can again relate to it. Props are also key for the artist to appeal to the target audience, in many of the videos we see reference to alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, these items are significant as they are things often associated with the younger generation. So by using them in videos the artists are sending across the message that these are the things you need to do to fit into the genre.

How are technical codes used generically?

Technical codes such as camera shots are used throughout the music videos to show key elements to the genre. For example a close up shot of the lead singer is used in most music videos to identify to the audience their importance. Shots of props such as guitars, drums and pints are used in the majority of videos; the shots of the instruments put across to the audience the ingredients to the indie genre. The pints however could be interpreted as appealing to the male gender as many stereotype men with drinking pints many colours are used repeatedly in a range of videos, these colours such as red, blue and yellow stand out and make the video look energetic and appeal to a younger generation.

How might the audiences make use of the video?

The audiences can make use of the video in many ways. Firstly videos allow the audience to interact with the artist. For the audience they get to see what the artist is like, from there gestures, costume and location throughout the video. It allows the audience to feel as though they know the artist. Secondly videos can be used to share, for example someone may like the song, so by embedding it onto a social networking site they can show their friends the music. This in fact benefits the artist as well as their music is shared with a wider audience.

Music video 5. The Rifles - Repeat Offender

Repeat Offender was the third single from The Rifles debt album. It reached a high of 26 in the UK singles chart and number 1 in the Indie chart when it was realesed in 2006.

The video contains the band performing together aswell as indervidual band members on they're own. It also contains footage from a home like enviroment where it looks as though a party is going on. There is no clear narrative structure to the video however through the use of different editing the video fits together nicely, straight cuts are used to go from scene to scene and to enable it to look as though both things are happening after each other. Fast forwarding is used aswell to speed up the action in the video, this creates a upbeat tone to the video.

The mise en scene through the video is interesting and it is the key element to communicating the genre. Firstly the establishing shot is quite ironic as it is a shot of a council estate. Common ideas are that council estates are grotty and full of 'Chavs' however the fact a group of causal/well dressed men are put onto the screen challanges common ideology about council estates. The men reinforce ideas people have of an indie band, firstly this is down to the long hair and secondly because of their clothing. Items such as leather jackets, skinnie jeans and pumps are a key element to the indie scene umongst young bands and their fans alike. The colours of the Bands clothes are dull, however this makes the brighter and more unusual Props in the frame stand out. One of the props that is most significant is the barrel of beer, this stands out because alcohol is often ossociated with the auidience of the bands and the bands in the indie genre. The background colour and the colours of the walls throughout the video is white. This is significant as white is associated with cleanliness and coolness within the media, this links in with the genre as each band is trying to be indervidual and in doing so they will try to be cool.Guitars, drums and other musical instruements as well as a microphone are used in the video to disginguish the genre, as most indie bands are formed with a lead guitarist as well as others supporting.

The target auidience is again the younger generation, much like the other bands in the genre. This is apparent because of the people used in the video during the scene in the flat (below) these people are seen dancing to the music connoting that they enjoy it. It does'nt feel as though the teenage generation are being targetted in this video though, as for one there is no images of the outdoors with rebellious connotations of youth. Instead it looks like a civilised get together. Also the people don't look like teenagers either.

The representation of gender is unapparent towards women as they are just seen in the background, suggesting they have no importance to the band or genre. Men again are presented as talented and sophisticated as for one they are making the music and also they appear to be well dressed and own a nice flat.

Music video 4. The Last Shadow Puppets - Standing next to me

Standing Next to me was the second single released by the Last shadow puppets it reached number 30 in the UK charts in 2008. The video was directed by Richard Ayoade and was shot in London, the video is pretty simple and involves two of the band members performing with a shadowy backdrop along with a troop of dancers.

The image we first see is of Miles Kane playing the guitar, a medium shot is used to establish the scene, the camera zooms out to allow us to see another member of the band, Alex Turner playing the tambourine. Both men are wearing smart clothing, suggesting sophistication and wealth. The colours of black and grey reinforce this, they are also positioned in the center of the frame, highlighting they're importance.Further on in the video we see a troop of female dancers all dressed in black and white but wearing different leggings. The Different leggings connote individuality however the same dress reinforces they're together as a group. We don't see the dance group in any close up, suggesting they're less important then the band members, and also showing that they are all equal with each other.

You can partly apply Todrov's narrative theory to this video. The equilibrium is set when the two band members are stood next to each other shown by use of a medium shot of the two of them. The disruption comes when the dancers come, causing the two males too separate. The equilibrium is attempted to be reset when the two men are seen through a television screen and later standing apart from each other. An equilibrium is set again at the end of the video when we see the two band members with the dancers in front of them.

There is very little editing in the video between shots. When there is, it is a straight cut allowing it to move from scene to scene quickly. The fact there is little editing and instead lots of camera movement allows the video to run constantly and smoothly at the same time. This causes the audience to keep watching it as they're following the camera instead of flicking from scene to scene.

The elements of the genre are communicated in the video through various ways, firstly the hair cut of the two band members is a recognisable image of the indie genre, as it is common for male band members to have longer hair. Secondly we see the guitar, which is a key ingredient to the genre as it is played in all songs in the genre. The dress sense of the female dancers also puts across the genre as they all have individual leggings connoting they're individuality.

The target audience is vast and made open to many. Firstly the song is about love or the loss of love, making it relatable for many people however the music and tone of the song shifts it more towards the teenage audience. This is reinforced by the two band members being at the center of the video for the majority, for teenage boys these are two musicians who inspire many and for teenage girls they may be an image to look for in a boy meaning they're attracted to the music because of the bands appearance.

The tone and mood of the video is put through mainly by the colours as well as the song. the colours around the people are mainly dull and dark making it mysterious and depressive. This is reinforced by the band members clothes which are also dull. However when the Female Dancers appear they seem to brighten up and bring an exciting element to the video, this is because of they're multicoloured leggings, the tone is kept dull by the black on their tops and also the white and black stripes they're dancing on.

The representation of men and woman is clear in this video, The men seem dull as they are just standing around. However dull they seem they are shown to be talented, through the use of props such as the guitar and tambourine. The females in this video are represented as bubbly and energetic, we know this because of they're costume and gestures through dancing. No ethnicity is represented in this extract, reinforcing the idea from the previous video that the genre is not common among people with an ethnic background.

Music video 3. Foals - Balloons

The Foals are a 5 piece band from England. This song comes from their debt album and peaked at 39 in the UK charts.

The location for the video looks like a room within a house, for the most the band are performing in front of a flower coated wall which makes them look slightly feminine and has connotations of happiness and peace. The rule of thirds is used to enable the audience to focus on band members it also means that a single band member is not more important then the other. The costume of the band members is typical for what we expect in the indie genre. Shirts, polo tops and skinny jeans are all seen throughout the video this portrays a casual look. The woman in the video however are simply wearing black dresses connoting sexuality and mystery, both things will have engaged with the male target audience. Some of the props in this video are also very significant, for example the shots we see of the lead singer holding a black bird creates an enigma it also could be portraying the idea of evil as black seems to anchor this emotion.

The editing in this video is face paced this is done through the use of straight cuts, this creates an upbeat tempo and allows the video to match the music. A variety of camera shots are used, but mainly the long and medium shots. The medium shots in the video allow items to be highlighted and seen in more detail, whereas the long shots are used to show everything going on, it allows the audience to see the band and the surroundings.

The elements of the genre are communicated through the use of props and costume. Close ups and medium shots are used to show certain instruments which highlights there importance. The costumes are again stereotypical of what we expect from an indie band. The target audience for this video is again the younger generation however more at the male gender. We know this because they're are more women in the video which attracts males it also allows the female audience to relate to someone on screen. The representation of women however may be seen s portraying them as objects, as the band do not communicate with them, its as though they are just there to make the video look attractive. There is again no representation of any ethnic groups which reinforces the idea that the indie genre is predominantly for the white ethnicity.

The mood and tone is created by the upbeat music. However elements such as editing and the setting reinforce the upbeat and energetic tone.