After looking at a some music videos from bands from the genre of indie I wanted to make a quick post that includes the most common aspects so when we start planning ours we are able to know exactly what is expected to be in the video.
Sound
The sound of indie music videos could be seen as heavily influenced by artists such as The Beatles, Oasis, The Kinks so the sound is recognisable and appealing to those who like this sound.
Camera
Typically indie music videos are made to look like they are amateurly made, some look like home videos but all are usually filmed on handheld cameras, some even on mobile phones and others are even filmed on film cameras to be really authentic.
Shots
The use of close ups, long shots and extreme close ups are essential within the indie genre.
Editing
Fits in with the pace of the song and changes with the beat, quick changes when the pace gets faster and longer shots when it's slower.
Lighting
Outdoor shots use the advantage of natural lighting and indoor shots tend to be darker and more subtle.
Colour
Colour is a key part of getting the right feel to the footage, being able to give it a vintage vibe is key to an indie music video so the hues and tones are often edited and a lot of them are commonly black and white or cut between this and colour.
Props
Usual props of a video of the indie genre is usually an acoustic guitar and an old film camera, there isn't very many props in these videos as they tend to be very simplistic.
Clothing
Male artists of the indie genre are usually seen wearing smart-casual clothing with their own individual influences. Typically many of the clothes and outfits worn have been inspired by vintage and retro styles apposed to high street clothing and mainstream fashion. This down to earth and casual look gives of the impression that they are just normal people to the audience. I would say indie bands and male artists take inspiration from bands that they are both musically and style influenced by. Common brands used within their wardrobes are probably Fred Perry, Rayban sunglasses or signature pieces and for more one off individual style clothing many pieces would be bought from vintage stores such as Rokit and shops in Brick Lane. Indie artists construct their individual image to fit in to the image they want to portray and the music and image mirror each other.
Locations
The majority of indie music videos I have seen have an outdoor location, typically in a random forest or field with the sun light creating a really striking image of the scenery. They tend to be in summery locations in this sense, some are filmed at beaches. Also a town location is common but is usually an outdoors in an urban area.
Characteristics
Male indie artists come across to the audience as relaxed and casual people and also appear to us as a natural artist in the sense that they haven't been overly worked on and constructed to be something they're not this image could be made in order to appeal to the target audience though.
Instruments
Often indie artists really emphasis the playing of instruments, especially the use of acoustic guitars but in some music videos by the indie band Mumford and Sons they have included more classical instruments and Ben Howard, an indie/acoustic artist has also included the use of more unusual instruments in some of his latest videos.
