Keeping Up With the Conventions

        Codes and Conventions in            Alternative/Indie Rock Music Videos

Type of Music Video

Indie rock music videos appear to be predominantly performance-based, however several indie artists explore conceptual and narrative-based videos as well. 

Performance-based:

Everytime // boy pablo

This music video is purely performance-based, showing the band performing in one fixed location, with no other interventions.

Are You Bored Yet // Wallows (ft. Clairo)

This music video adds a slight twist in performance as, apart from band members performing on the stage, the crowd is shown lip-syncing the song with vague (almost blank) expressions.

Conceptual-based:

Graffiti // CHVRCHES

This music video revolves around the artist reminiscing her first love, and contains various sequences of her and the aforementioned first love. The use of elements such as floating objects or people that recur throughout the video add to the overall concept of romanticising love.

Sunflower // Rex Orange County

The music video for Sunflower is also concept-based in the way it portrays various settings and events that seem to have little or no coherence to be part of a narrative, for instance the artist running away from a few guys and then suddenly being their friend.

Narrative-based 

Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High // Arctic Monkeys

In this music video we see proper linear narrative from the perspective of Alex as the main character, who gets drunk at a bar and repeatedly texts a girl named Stephanie while walking to her apartment. In his drunken state of mind he sees hallucinations of sorts, all of which involve the girl in explicit scenarios with people he sees on the street during his walk.  

Robbers // The 1975

Robbers contains a fledged out broken narrative which portrays the toxic relationship of a couple. We see the video cutting between shots of the couple in their "happy" and "joyful" moments and the times where they argue and fight. It proceeds to show them deciding to rob a store at gunpoint in order to cover their drug addiction. The narrative ends with the guy getting shot and, even though it's not shown, it can be reasonably inferred that he eventually bleeds to death or dies due to the pain. 

Editing and Special Effects

Most of the music videos above have a similar feel to them in terms of the visual aesthetics. Graffiti, Everytime and Are You Bored Yet? have vintage or retro aesthetics. The camera seems to be not very high quality, which could either really be the case or effects are added to make them look vintage, as if from old tapes and recording, or a VHS camera, which adds to the overall nostalgic element that is associated with alternative/indie music.

Van Etten's Seventeen uses a vintage film effect, as seen especially from 0:54 to 1:10.

Camera Shots and Movements

Indie rock music videos rarely use close-up because indie artists don't really need to have that much of a star image, but still use a variety of shots, mostly mid-shots or long shots so that the band can be seen performing, or to establish the setting for the audience since that plays a big role in indie music videos.

This music video for "Motion Sickness" by Phoebe Bridgers shows different shots, with the camera focused on her for most of the video, but bringing attention to the background as well.

Many music video like the one above use hand-held camera sort of movements that give the video a more raw and unfiltered look. This is also seen in Arctic Monkeys' "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?". 

Mise en Scene

The mise en scene in alternative/indie rock music videos plays a great role in establishing the identity of the artist or group, and also contributing to the "indie" vibe. These "vibes" however can be portrayed in various ways. For instance the music video for "These Days" by Wallows uses a very bright and aesthetic colour palette, with complementing warm colour tones - yellow, orange, red etc. The props in the background such as vinyl records, cutouts covering a wall, also add to the pop-retro vibe.

Yonaka's "Bubblegum" on the other hand uses a more darker, lowkey-grunge aesthetic which stays consistent with the image of original alt rock bands. This is why the mise en scene of the video - settings, colour palettes and costumes - may look overused and typical.