In this video there is an obvious indie feel to it. The
mise-en-scene instantly expresses this in the first shot, all members of the
band are dressed in black with Vans or Dr Marten’s with their instruments held
low and surrounded by amplifiers. There is also a large picture-like frame
around the drummer with is something you don’t see very often as it is not mainstream
but more ‘Indie’. Later on in the video, there is a scene where the band are
still in their black clothes but are sitting on sunbeds with bright colours
around and tanned girls in bikinis, this binary opposition is a mockery of
contemporary pop music videos, mocking the mainstream is also a very indie
thing to do. When the scene switches back to the performance the band members
have been swapped for female doubles, this is an example of spectacle, another very
indie trait for a music video. Finally, there are many close up shots of the
lead singer, this shows us his emotion and as indie songs are usually about
things to do with love and relationships, this is very relevant.
The Arctic Monkeys - R U Mine?
The Arctic Monkeys are a more popular indie band and are
very famous in the United Kingdom and also quite famous in other parts of the
world. In this video, I think the point is supposed to show that the band
members are real people who are down to earth which is why they have made a
more amateur video with the lead singer singing along to the song which is
supposedly playing on the radio (we know this because of the narrative before
the song). Doing this and showing fans that they are normal down to earth
people is a very humble and self-aware thing to do which wouldn’t be seen from
high key artists such as Kanye West or Katy Perry. However, the director does
add a twist at the end of the video where the band is playing the song with a
set-up in the middle of the road and a smoke machine, this is very cool and
sort of spectacle-like, as they need to add a boost of indie feeling to the
video. The fact that the director chose to make the video all one take is
another way the video will stand out from the crowd which is what being indie
is all about, being different.
The Black Keys - Lonely Boy
This is a very strange video. It shows an average looking
man with average clothes dancing in a very strange manner and lip syncing to a
voice that clearly not his own. He also stays in the same place for the
duration of the video. I think the
director did this to show that indie music videos are different to the likes of
Katy Perry which are more about image, the director tries to make this video as
edgy as possible by showing a very strange thing happening in a very dull
situation, everyday employee in an office building. The video may also be
trying to subliminally promote the reputation of the band as it could be implying
that this guy is just dancing to and singing along with his favourite song.