Indie pop music video analysis

Due to our chosen artist not having any existing music videos, we decided to analyse another music video from the Indie Pop genre. The purpose of analysing this video was to get a better understanding of the conventions and codes used within our chosen genre. Furthermore, we were able to identify common camera angles and movements used in Indie Pop and what is expected in music videos in this genre.

MUSIC VIDEO TEXTUAL ANALYSIS 

Bleachers- Rollercoaster

GENRE: 

What is the Genre of the Video?	Indie Pop
What is the genre of the Artist?	Indie Pop/Rock
Is there a typical narrative?	Yes from what I can gather the music video is about a relationship which is described as a “Rollercoaster”.
What is expected in the video?	A narrative inspired by lyrics Different sets/costumes  Mainstream/ fashionable clothing
What is unexpected in the video?	The only things unexpected in this video would be that the same clothing is worn by the performers from start to finish as well as, same/similar location used throughout.
Intertextual References?  (Video link to other music videos?)	There isn't any intertextual references in this video.

NARRATIVE: 

What is the storyline of the video?	The storyline of the video comes across as being about a relationship which is described as being a “Rollercoaster”
Is there a theme?	Relationship
Is there a recognisable structure (TODOROV – Equilibrium 5 stages)?	This video doesn’t follow a clear structure, this is to do with a not so clear storyline. To begin with there was an equilibrium which was disturbed by the female character that drives past who the artist then chases but at the end of the video when they meet she is seen walking away from him as he is left on the floor.
Are there recognisable characters?	There aren’t any recognisable characters apart from the band members however, they are not a really well known band making them not a recognisable character.
How does the video reflect the lyrics?	The lyrics “So come closer” are used as the lead singer’s hand gesture reflects this as he signals this to the female character. There is quite a close link to visuals and lyrics in this video which is expected of this genre.

REPRESENTATION: 

What issues of representation are evident?	Woman are seen as more powerful than men which is non-stereotypical.
How have these been represented? Stereotypes?	Female characters are seen as being more dominant than males in this video which is a non-stereotypical of gender. This can be seen at the end of the video when the male character can be seen on the floor in the background as the female walks away after she was followed by him (the artist).
Look at the artist as a star – how have they been constructed?	I do not believe that the lead singer of this band has been constructed as being a star due to him being overpowered by a female character at the end of the video which stereotypically, is seen as being weak which a star isn’t usually constructed as being. The do not seem to have a recognisable identity or any sign of an ego that can persuade the audience that they are watching a star.
Do they have an anonymous role in the  video or are they there as celebrity?	The lead singer as well as the band, play an anonymous role in this music video as they do not seem to have any sort of recognisable identity. Having said this, their tour bus does have the band name written all over it but it is a fairly low end looking vehicle whereas, a character playing a celebrity role would have a more expensive, luxury vehicle.

VISUAL CODES: 

Where is the video set? Connotations of this setting?	The video is set on a long open road going through the desert which further suggests the idea of the tour bus on their way to their next concert. There is also a shot from inside the tour bus where all of the bands members can be seen resting before the lead singer see the woman drive past.
Dominant colour used in the video? Why? What is the effect?	There aren’t any dominant colours used due to the whole video being shot in naturalistic lighting which is common of this genre.
Written Iconographics? Typography? Why?	The band name can be seen written all over the tour bus to promote the band however, there isn’t any other use of Iconographics/ Typography.
Shot Compositions that stand out?	At the end of the video the woman is positioned just of centre of the shot filling half of the frame with her being the focus pull in the shot and her car in the background is blurred out, this allows the audience to see her expression/emotion.

TECHNICAL CODES: 

Camera Angles? Interesting ones? What effect is created?	A long shot at the end of the music video which shows the male character guarding himself on the floor with the female character standing above him, this is a non stereotypical representation of gender and dominance as it seems that the male character is afraid of the female character.
Does the way the camera moves help to tell the story?	The video begin slow paced however, when the song starts the music video is very fast paced. The way the camera moves helps to show this as constant tracking shots are used in order to show the band playing on top of the bus (performance shots). The idea of the man chasing the woman creates this fast pace to the video.
What is editing like? Type of cuts etc?	Lots of frequent jump cuts are used to once again, show the pace of the video which links back to the narrative of the man chasing the woman. The lead singer has a lot of screen presence however, the female character in the video seems to be the main focus.

AUDIENCE: 

Who is the target audience for the video?  How does the video target this specific audience?

Indie pop is usually found most appealing by 16-22 year olds due to advertising on social media platforms. The audience varies between males and females as there is not a specific gender that this genre s targeted towards.  The band members and the female characters are wearing fashionable clothing that will appeal to a younger audience involving both genders. At this age they will also be able to relate to relationships/ break-ups which is the theme of this video.

Demographic?

Generally, 15-21 year olds in higher education or university due to being able to connect to the genre as at this age or time of their life they will be very independent.

INSTITUTION: 

What role does the record company play in the music video?	There are quite a lot of close-ups on the lead singer and the instruments used within the performance shots which could have been a demand from the record label however, there are not as many are seen in this compare to a huge star’s videos.
What is the brand image of the star that is sold?  How is the star marketed and promoted?	This band seems to be mainly focussed on their music rather than their image on a whole because of how they are presented in this video of theirs. The band have their name on the side of the bus used within the music video.

Sam du Berry