The genre that my chosen music video
falls into is the Alternative/Indie genre
Alternative
rock (also
called alternative music, alt rock or simply alternative)
is a genre of rock music that emerged from the independent
music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s.
Although the term was most commonly associated in its commercial heyday with a
loud, distorted guitar sound, its original meaning was broader, referring to a
generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical
style, or simply the independent, D.I.Y. ethos of punk rock, which
in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music. At times,
"alternative" has been used as a catch-all description for music
from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition,
or for any music, whether rock or not, that is seen to be descended from punk
rock
The name "alternative rock" essentially serves as an umbrella
term for underground music that has emerged in the wake of punk
rock since the mid-1980s.Throughout much of its history, alternative rock
has been largely defined by its rejection of the commercialism of
mainstream culture, although this could be contested ever since some of the
major alternative artists have achieved mainstream success or co-opted with the
major labels from the 1990s onwards (especially since the new millennium and
beyond). Alternative bands during the 1980s generally played in small clubs,
recorded for indie labels, and spread their popularity through word of
mouth. As such, there is no set musical style for alternative rock as a
whole, although The New York Times in 1989 asserted that the
genre is "guitar music first of all, with guitars that blast out power
chords, pick out chiming riffs, buzz with fuzz tone and squeal in
feedback." Sounds range from the gloomy soundscapes of gothic
rock to the jangling guitars of indie pop to the dirty
guitars of grunge to the '60s/'70s revivalism of Britpop. More
often than in other rock-styles since the mainstreaming of rock music during
the 1970s, alternative rock lyrics tend to address topics of social concern,
such as drug use, depression, and environmentalism. This approach to
lyrics developed as a reflection of the social and economic strains in the
United States and United Kingdom of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that
originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock
is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include indie pop, jangle
pop, C86, and lo-fi, among others. Originally used to describe record
labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was
initially used interchangeably with alternative rock.
Indie rock, derived from
"independent", describes the small and relatively
low-budget labels on which it is released and
the do-it-yourself attitude of the bands and artists involved.
Although distribution deals are often struck with major corporate
companies, these labels
and the bands they host have attempted to retain their autonomy, leaving them
free to explore sounds, emotions and subjects of limited appeal to large, mainstream
audiences. The influences and styles of the artists has been extremely
diverse, including punk, psychedelic, rock and country. The
terms alternative rock and indie rock were used interchangeably in
the 1980s, but after many alternative bands followed Nirvana into the
mainstream in the early 1990s it began to be used to distinguish those bands,
working in a variety of styles, that did not pursue or achieve commercial
success.
The conventions of Music videos
Camera Shots – Music
videos tend to include many long shots, close ups and mid shots. This tends to
create emphasis on the artist or subject that is the main focus in the video,
locations and emotions. Also, close ups are used not only to show emotions but
to reflect the words of the song with the movement of the lips of the artist or
the subject which is the main focus.
Camera movement – The
movement of the camera is used to follow and trace the artist or band. Camera
movements include tilts, tracking and crane shots
Mise-en-scene – This
refers to the arrangement of performers and props on stage or in a scene for a
production of a music video or any other media text. Mise-en-scene puts
importance on the representation of something. For example the themes of
isolation within the song will be reflected through the use of empty rooms or
streets or the main subject being alone in a situation.
Editing - Jump cuts
and rhythmic editing are the predominant editing technique used in music
videos. This is because this allows a sudden change from one scene to another
and it will match the beat of the song. Similarly, transitions such as fade and
dissolve are very common in music videos as they create a different effect to
cuts.
Lighting – Some music
videos are black and white which help emphasise a particular mood and some
videos have artificial lighting which put the main focus subject in an enhanced
look.
Sound – Sound is
mainly the vocals or the song but in some cases such as Michael Jackson’s
‘Thriller’ the producers can turn the music video into a short film.
Props – There are
vital in aiding to add to the scene and create significance on particular
objects or people.
Costume - This goes
with the scenes in the song and reflects the genre. Costume is an important
factor because it has a slight influence on how the viewers will dress because
they use some of the celebrities as role models.
Colours – Colours
tend to set the mood of the song through creating an atmosphere. For example,
dark colours are used more in rock songs and bright colours are used more in
hip hop songs, but of course these rules can be broken and are from time to
time.
