It is very common in indie music videos to include a live performance. This helps focus on them as a performer doing what they love to do. It also helps keep the focus on the actual music itself and the talent that the artists have. This is typical in the indie genre as the genre itself was more about the music and passion rather than about the success of the artist. A good example of this is Ed Sheeran. A modern twist is often put on this with a narrative included to break up the music video. There is also more room to play around with the video if a narrative is included so a lot of artists tend to use a mixture of performance and narrative in the music videos. It also allows Indie artists to compete with artists of other genres who do narrative videos that are heavily based around a story to make it memorable. Live performances promote the artist as the audience will be able to see what the artist is like live and it may make them want to see the artist live.
Narrative in music videos is used to tell a story by using a sequence of imaged and videos to relate to the song. This is done in such a way that it makes sense to the audience so they can follow and link it to the lyrics. This links with Goodwin’s theory of illustration and amplification. Narrative is very popular with all genres of music as it leaves room for the imagination. There are a lot of different variations and there is a lot of room for creativity which can leave the video very memorable to the audience. This is a great way of making a music video stand out and making it popular. This is because there are a lot of different variations so you can make it as different as you like. Also, now due to new technology, new storylines can be created by using special effects and after effects to make the video look a lot more realistic and exciting. Narrative videos also keep peoples attention better in comparison to performance as what you are seeing is always changing and keeps you entertained. Even people who aren’t necessarily a fan of the artist may still enjoy the video so this method could help gain success and status.
Mise en scene plays a large role in music videos and especially in the indie genre. This is because a lot of indie artists often have a retro look and this can be created through the sets they use, props and also their own appearance. Props can change the whole look of the video. A good example of this is Lana Del Rey’s – National Anthem. The audience can see her glamorous and expensive looking house. This suggests to the audience that she is wealthy and well respected. Costumes give people their identity and set them apart from the rest. Makeup is also important as it can give us an indication as to which era the video is set in. For example, Paloma Faith has very subtly makeup in her videos wit a pale face and red lipstick, this suggests that her music and music videos are supposed to be similar to the 50s.
