Indie as a genre is more of a cultural movement rather than a specific and well defined genre similar to alternative as bands described as indie take elements of well known and established genres, combining them together and making them a lot more original and more difficult to point out. It's also about the rebellion against what is mainstream, by rejecting it and trying to be unique and is basically about the artist being themselves more than anything. To gain a bigger understanding into what is expected to be included in a typical indie video I've decided to look into a few different videos by indie artists.
This video by Bombay Bicycle Club for their song called 'Always Like This' has been filmed, put onto a video and onto a tv which has then been filmed so there is a sense of intertextuality of the same video in it and the footage cuts between the tv view and real view. I've not seen a video done in this way before and it's cleverly done, with quick cutting rates that fit into the beat of the song. The mise en scene is typically indie through their dress sense as they're casual and look a little nerdy. The use of instruments is very typical of any music video but especially one from this genre. The use of the tv adds a vintage/retro feel to the video which again is common with the indie genre as old is not new or mainstream especially since video players are not commonly used anymore. The speed and rate of the video looks as if it is being controlled, and which could be interpreted as if they're being controlled by a remote by someone. The video and the song don't really link too well together, there isn't a specific story line to it or main characters just the band and their instruments. The video also goes through the day to night time and is filmed in random town locations such as parking lots and shops and bus stops and then it's rewinded.
The music video for the song 'Trouble Town' by Jake Bugg is typically indie because of the use of derelict an worn down locations, the acoustic guitar, presence of the artist and the massive vintage/retro look to the video as well as the cut between digital footage and film footage. The use of black and white in some shots add to the old fashioned feel and the colours have been adjusted give that vintage vibe. The video and song relate to each other because of the lyrics 'trouble town' and it's clear that it has been filmed in a town location. His dress sense is also typical of the indie genre.
Ben Howard's video for his song 'The Wolves' shows the presence of instruments from the start as we see a group of people carrying guitars and double bass' and it's already clear that the footage colour has been edited giving off a heavy vintage feel through the use of muted colours. We see the performance from the band in a natural habitat, after seeing dark clips that are quickly cut between each other which proves difficult for the audience to really understand what is going on until we are shown a wider shot of the full band playing in a shed/garage type place. The words 'we lost faith' relate to the outdoor setting as he is in a church yard so there is a link to faith and religion. In the video he's seen to laugh and joke around with friends and it connects the audience to him as an artist more because they're seeing what he is like behind the scenes. There is a strong contrast between each outdoor and indoor shot, ones dark and ones more natural and light. The mise en scene is very typical of this genre as the dress sense of everyone in it is very casual and the location is random.
