Research into Chosen Music Genre - Miss Miller

I have chosen to create a music video in the inside music genre. Artisits such as Ed Sheeran, Nina Nesbitt and Gabrielle Aplin have inspired me to choose this genre as their styles are all fairly quirky and personal with interesting narratives. This means by creating a quirky artist we can make our coursework different and original and by using a song with personal lyrics we can build a relationship with our artist and the target audience more easily as the audience will feel they understand and know the artist more as they would be able to relate to the lyrics. Finally, an interesting narrative will again help us create an original and interesting music video as well as engaging the audience. 


It is important to establish a genre before you choose your artist because it allows you to consider all the codes and conventions of that genre that should be considered in your own work. It also means you can look at a number of different artists from that genre to get ideas and inspiration.  Analysing conventions and other similar artists will allow you to know what does and doesn't works well in this music genre, what is commonly found in these music videos and what the audience would want to see. This will make it easier to create your own music video as you can understand how to make it as successful as possible.  I have chosen to create a music video for the song 'Panic Chord' by Gabrielle Aplin and will annotate different artists in the same genre to give me inspiration and ideas.


Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love

'Give Me Love' by Ed Sheeran is conventional to the indie genre. One example of this is the use of feathers and wings in the video. Indie music videos are typically known for being quirky unique and these items prove this to be true. The blood on the feather creates an edgy and grungy effect which is also a conventional style to the indie genre. 

Iconography is seen in the use of a bow and arrow. This is typical of the indie genre as they hold connotations of love which is a common theme sung about in indie songs as it is relatable for the audience and personal for the artist. This will engage the audience because they will relate the lyrics and theme of love to their personal experiences and feel as though they are similar to the artist which will help them to build a relationship. 

The artist has a casual and edgy style through her costume; grungy outfit including a baggy grey top, messy hair and bare face. This sort of clothing is conventional to the indie genre as artists often want to appear quirky or different so they are unique and stand out. This is because they want to prove that you should be yourself even if that is different to the generic expectations.  The subject is also wearing the same clothes she is wearing at the start of the video where she appears dead and so when the audience see her alive in them clothes they know that this is the night she dies and dramatic irony is created. 

The lighting is primarily low key throughout this video which creates a dark and gloomy atmosphere. This is effective because it reflects the dark and gloomy feelings of the girl in the video. The girl is in an apparent dark place mentally as well as a dark place physical. This emphasises on her lonely and depressed emotions. 

Character positioning creates an atmosphere of the subject being invisible and alone. This is achieved through a camera shot that shows her peeking around a wall to look at a couple. It creates the idea that she is spying ans is always there in a situation but is never the main focus which emphasises on how she feels like a nobody. 

Mise-en-scene plays a large role in a lot of music videos, particularly in the indie genre.  Indie music videos are known to be quite low budget as the main settings are in easily accessed locations such as studios, cities and parks etc. Therefore this music video in conventional in that it is set in a run down area in London in underground parties, dark streets at night and in a shoddy apartment. The location fits in well with the costume of the main character as both portray her as not having much because she appears scruffy in appearance and her apartment is minimal and dingy. This shows the audience that the character has had a hard life which further explains the lyrics and highlights the theme of loneliness which is all conventional to the indie genre due to the serious and depressing theme. The stonewalls and emptiness off the room create feelings of coldness and lifelessness and suggest that the girl does not have the comfort of her own home which adds to the idea of loneliness.

Camera techniques are used to create certain effects throughout this music video. A long shot is used to introduce a full body shot of the girl and establish the apartment. The girl is shown sitting cross legged on her mattress. This increases the dramatic irony for the audience as this is the place where she appeared to have died at the start of the video. There is a high contrast in colours and lighting which is emphasised in this camera angle. The colour white comes across in her bedding, clothes, light hair and pale skin and is juxtaposed with the dark surroundings. The white connotes how she is innocent and pure yet the darkness suggests her bad times that may be corrupting her.
 Close-ups are often used in this video to portray the emotions of the actress who is the subject of the video. Her depressed and miserable expressions are highlighted using a close up so the audience focuses on her emotions and may remember a time they related to how she is feeling. This is conventional to the indie genre as artists of this genre are expected to sing about personal experiences that are often serious or sad. This is because they know their audiences can relate and it will help to build a relationship with them.

Ed Sheeran's target audience would typically be from around 16-25 as the artist himself is quite young and fits into that age range and also due to the subject areas of the songs and what they relate to. In 'Give Me Love', the artist romanticizes misery and so would appeal to and intrigue a rebellious teenage audience. Furthermore anyone who can relate to feeling lonely or depressed could engage to this song as they would relate to the lyrics. In this music video the artist is rarely seen. He appears shortly in a coffee shop, not noticing the girl or the camera and just minding his own business. This represents him as oblivious which fits in well with the theme of the song as the girl feels even lonelier because everyone is oblivious to her pain and misery. Sheeran is also portrayed as lonely himself due to the fact that he is sat alone in a coffee shop in the same position as the girl.

Sheeran's Appearance

The start of the video 

It has become increasingly popular in the indie genre to create music videos in the style of a narrative because it helps to tell a story that the audience can relate to. Indie songs are also often known as being about the artists personal experience and so a narrative will help an artist portray the events that inspired the lyrics etc.  In this music video the story opens with police men and investigators arriving to the scene of an apparent suicide. 

The video then backtracks to the victims life. She is seen sitting in the dingy room and then growing wings so she becomes a city dwelling cupid-like figure with a bow and arrow. She shoots the arrow at many people who fall in love. All except for her. This could mean the artist is trying to portray a story of loneliness. This is emphasised as the artist is seen in the background lonesomely sitting by himself stirring a drink. The girl has pictures on her wall of love which proves she understands love and is capable of it but cannot find anyone to love her back which is proved when she goes out at night to find love and shoot her arrow but it never results in someone falling in love with her but someone else.  When all her attempts fail, the story comes full circle at the end when the cupid figure is found back on her bed.

The meaning of this narrative is that loneliness drove her to the edge as she believed no one will love her but at the end when the police man arrived she woke up suggesting that she did finally find love. Therefore the narrative is trying to portray that love comes to those who wait and least expect it and you cannot go looking for it. This song could be based on some of Ed Sheerans' personal feelings or experiences which is conventional to the indie genre as indie artists often write lyrics that are personal to them and it also allows the audience to engage with the video more as most will relate to the feelings of loneliness and they will also feel closer to the artist after having heard about his personal experiences.

"Give me love like her" are the first lyrics of the song which portray the feelings of loneliness and jealousy as the girl is watching a couple and is envious of their relationship. This allows the viewer to understand that the girl who leads the narrative wants love and is envious of the girl she is watching who has it. This shows a direct correlation between the visuals and lyrics of the artist which is stated in Goodwin's theory.

     Arctic Monkeys - Arabella

The second indie music video I am going to analyse is 'Arabella by Arctic Monkeys. This band is more in the indie rock genre but still holds very similar codes and conventions to all other styles of indie. 'Arabella' is the name of the fictional female that the song is based on. The woman is a mixture between the lead singers girlfriend Arielle and Barbarella who is a film character from the 1960s. The song idolises this woman as though she is the 'perfect' girl who the band has created through mixing two girls together. 

Close up of artists lower face

A typical indie music video is largely about image. This is the same for most music videos but particularly in the indie genre where artists adapt particular looks and signature styles which run through the video as a whole. In this music video, the artists hair is jet black and gelled back which is his signature look. This is connected to the music video as the video uses a black and white filter throughout and it is common for the image of the artist and theme of the video to relate to one another as this enhances the overall product. Indie music videos often use filters in their videos to portray a certain idea or mood to the viewer about the video; such as a memory or certain time period or just a negative or positive theme to the song and video.  The overall atmosphere of the music video is very old fashioned as it has a black and white movies theme. The artists style os old fashioned with heavily gelled hair and a white shirt. He is also often seen in a leather jacket in other music videos as his signature style.  Also the music video is black and white and cinematic as it is edited to be flickering like an old film. The way the artist is introduced in the music video is also film-like as he is not introduced as a whole straight away. Instead close up shots show different parts of him which creates enigma and suspense for the audience who do not initially know what he looks like. This is conventional to the indie genre as it engages the audience with its interesting cinematic theme.

Close up of artists arm

The lead singer

Close-up of the drums

It is common for a live performance to feature in an indie rock music video. This is because it is a way of directing thew audiences focus onto the artist and their talent as well as promoting them like a brand.  Performances are a key element to most indie rock videos as  it allows the artist to show their energy and passion which will attract their audience to their live shows. The live performance shots in this video feature close ups of the instruments and lead singer to direct the focus on them at different points in the song. The lead singer uses different movements and gestures when he is singing which proves that he is enjoying what he is doing. This allows the audience to pick up on the passion the artist has for music.  Playing their own instruments gives off the impression that they are an independent band who don't need others to play their instruments or write their songs as they are playing music for themselves and not the industry.  The focus on the instruments also portray the artists as talented which is conventional because it makes them more admired by the audience and ultimately promotes the band.

Members of the band singing and playing guitar

Throughout the song, the band are seen playing their instruments. This is conventional to the genre as rock and indie songs often have artists playing their instruments because it provides them with credit and recondition for creating the song themselves and puts them in a powerful position whereby it appears the creation of the song was mostly down to the artists as they sing, song write and play their own instruments. This makes them appear more talented as well as more honest and open with the audience as they are not hiding anything and just singing about personal experiences and playing their own instruments without caring about exposing themselves to the audience. This builds a layer of trust between the audience and artist because the audience believes that through listening to the artists own written music and lyrics, they know them better and therefore if they relate to a song, they believe they relate directly to the artist.

Mise-en-scene reinforces the idea of the ideal girl 'Arabella' who the lead singer has created. One way this is done is through costumes. 'Arabella' is described as wearing a "cheetah print coat" and drinking "mexican coke" which Arielle has been pictured wearing and drinking. In terms of the artists, they are wearing loosely buttoned white shirts, chain jewellery and tight jeans. This rebellious style is like that of The Teddy Boys in the 1950s and 1960s which was around the time Barbarella was first released.

The performance scenes of this music video seem to take place in a small venue with not may people. This represents the artists as down to earth and reminiscent of their roots as this shows that they are able to still play smaller gigs like this and not only headlining shows with a larger audience. 

Bright stage lights

The lighting in this music video is used to further enhance the theme of the song. The main colours of the video are black and greys with harsh white lights like that of a stage performance or on a film set. This reinforces the indie rock genre with live stage performances as a convention.  This also links the indie image to the old movie theme of the music video. The contrast of the stage lights with the misty stage create a hard light which causes shadows to form. This creates a sense of enigma and mystery as the audience can not see all of the artists clearly and rarely even see the other band members other than the lead singer. This suggests that there is more to the band that is being revealed. This could mean that the band has a dark side of their personality which is conventional to the indie genre as the artists often sing about past dark times or memories such as addiction, alcohol abuse or relationship breakups. This intrigues and engages the audience as they want to know more about the band and are therefore more likely to invest in their other songs to find out more information. 

This aspect is emphasised through the use of character positioning. Again, the artists only reveal part of themselves at a time; there are a lot of quick snappy shots that zoom in close to the artist and do not show the artist completely. The artists is positioned looking away not at the camera or too close to the camera to be focused on for a long time. There are only a few shots whereby you can see the lead singers face as he sings but even then he is not singing directly facing the camera. As a result this reinforces the idea that the artist is not completely revealing themselves and that there is more that meets the eye. Also the rest of the bands faces are not shown which increases this effect. This is conventional to the genre because again it makes the audience want to see more as they get the idea that the artists are not revealing everything about themselves.

The artist singing in a different direction to the camera

Close-ups are commonly used in this music video. The purpose of this is to introduce the artist to the audience as it is the lead singers face that is mostly zoomed in on. There are also close-ups of the instruments or microphone which convey the artists musical talent. The close-ups aim to direct the audiences attention on one aspect of the video at a time. For example the audience will focus on the artist when he first sings so they are introduced to his appearance and style before they focus on the instruments and rest of the band during the chorus so the band can gain recognition and the artists get credit from their ability to play musical instruments. 

Close-up of artist

The lead singer appearing energetic

Fast paced editing is used throughout this music video which adds to the flickery old film effect and is exciting for the audience. Because the video is made up of mostly close-ups and mid shots there is less in each shot for the audience to establish and it therefore does not stay on the screen for long. A quick sequence of fast-paced short clips disorientate an audience as it is hard to keep up with fast-moving clips and quick cutting. This makes the audience believe that everything on the screen is being performed in the speed that they see it which creates a sense of urgency and energy. This makes it look like the artists are perfuming their song with haste which makes them appear energetic and passionate about the song because they enjoy what they are doing and their job in the music industry. This positive attitude of the artists rubs off on the audience who will then feel happy and upbeat watching the video. The fast paced editing also works well as it matches the time and beat of the song and fits in with the old flickery film theme by creating a stuttering effect.

Old film style filter

A black and white film filter is used for the entirety of this music video. This filter creates a seedy and voyeuristic feel through the ancient Hollywood movie style and makes the entire music video appear static and old fashioned. This is conventional to the indie music genre as indie artists and audiences tend to be quirky and unique  and would therefore be likely to watch old classic films and wear interesting and non-generic clothing which could possibly be old fashioned in some cases. This means the target audience can relate to the theme and atmosphere of this video and would therefore be more engaged. The filter reinforces the whole idea of the video being broken and distorted due to the singers regular flashbacks of Arabella that send him back whenever her is reminded of her. This sis why the shots are often switching to and from the band performing to Arabella. The flashes that often appear in this video are representative of the flash of a camera. This suggests that Arabella has a star quality and beauty about her as others want to take photographs of her.

Arctic Monkeys have a young teenage target audience in a rough age group of 14-21 year olds. This is because the teenage audience tend to enjoy alternative music and styles and it is interesting, quirky and unique. The lyrics of the bands songs are often based around the theme of relationships and alcohol which are both a part of most teenagers and young adults lives which means that they can relate to the songs and therefore build a relationship with the artists. 

There is evidence of intertextual reference in this music video. The film Barbarella plays in the background of the first shot when a woman who is presumably Arabella is taking off her shoes and coat. The shot is replayed and paused several times creating a flickery effect and emphasising the importance on the woman's appearance. This reinforces the idea that this is the artists ideal girl in terms of appearance.

This research into the indie music genre will assist me with planning my own music video for this genre because is has shown my the common codes and conventions found in music videos of this genre by noticing the similarities found in both videos. I will then consider including these conventions in my own music video to make it conventional to its own genre. I can also see what works well in these music videos in terms of mise-en-scene, editing and camera angles. As well, it has made me consider how I want my artist to be represented.