media coursework

1. CONVENTIONS OF THE
INDIE ROCK GENRE
Victoria Norton

2. Three popular Indie rock artists:
The Killers Florence and The Machine
My Bloody Valentine

3. Are the music videos performance,
narrative or concept?
The Killers – When you were young:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff0oWESd
mH0
This video is both performance and narrative.
The storyline tells the story of a young
woman in her 20s. In the beginning of the
video the woman can be seen mourning by a
giant white cross, she is later comforted by a
worried man who has been looking for her.
After this the following scenes tell the story of
how they got to the cross. The first flashback
is of the woman at church. She leaves after
praying and is greeted by a man, they kiss
and soon enter a romantic relationship.
Throughout the video we see clips of the
band performing and more flashbacks of the
couple’s memories. The woman walks in on
the male cheating on her which then leads to
the woman going to the cliff edge.
Florence and The Machine - Kiss
with a fist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
1SmxVCM39j4
This video is mostly performance
with a small amount of narrative.
We see Florence lip singing
throughout the video while holding
and being filmed with props that link
back to the lyrics. This video has a
eighties-styled theme and takes
place in a room with a white
coloured background. It features
Florence dressed in a cheeky punk
themed outfit, running around –
kicking and screaming. This video
was made to show how forceful
love can be which relates back to
the lyrics being sung.

4. How have the music videos created meaning
through the use of technical elements:
camerawork and editing.
The Killers: In the beginning of the music video there is an eyeline match between the
male and the mourning female. He is looking down on her. This connotes a sense of
venerability and how caring the male is. Close-ups of band members and instruments
throughout video. Around the 2 minute mark we see the man is higher up then the
woman, he then pulls her up to his level. This suggests that the woman felt powerless
and venerable until the powerful male came along which also made her feel powerful.
Voyeurism is seen around the 3:30 mark with shots of the woman pouring water over
her legs. The makers have also “Edited to the beat”, they edited so the cuts match up
with the drum beat. Finally the lead singer engages with the audience by making eye
contact.
Florence and The Machine: Audience engagement (eye contact) is made to the
audience throughout the video. The video amplifies the lyrics, for example: the lyrics
“a kick in the teeth” is shown by Florence kicking the air. High angle shots are also
used a lot throughout the video this could connote a sense of power. Editing to the
beat has also been used with the fast passed cuts and short clips. Hand-held camera
style of filming has also been used a lot throughout the video which could connote a
sense of venerability, this fits in with the lyrics as they are about abusive relationships.

5. How have the music videos used mise-en-
scene? (location, clothing, hair/make-up,
colour/lighting)
The Killers: the locations for this video is like a Spanish/western like setting. The lighting is low
key and soft which could connote the depressing/upsetting storyline that lies in the video. The
costumes match the Spanish/western like setting with cowboy boots and jackets. The fact that
most of the male’s costumes are missing the sleeves to their shirts and jackets suggests that they
are filming in a hot or desert/western like country. The white material on the cross, the fact that the
cross is white and the woman being dressed in white suggests purity. This suggests to us early on
that she is innocent and pure. Also when we see the woman praying in the church, she is holding
prayer beads, again suggesting her purity, innocence and her faith.
Florence and The Machine: At the start of the video we see Florence holding flowers
which have been arranged into the shape of a heart connoting love. Around the 50
second mark we see her holding a baseball bat while she is surrounded by red
lanterns. The red on the lanterns amplifies the lyrics “I spilt your blood upon the floor”.
The paper fire seen on the bed amplifies the lyrics “I set fire to our bed”. Around the
1:35 mark we see Florence hitting a man over the head with plates amplifying the lyrics
“You smashed a plate over my head”. In the video she is seen wearing a punk like outfit
connoting a sense of rebellion against the man she is having this abusive relationship
with. Her hair is purposely styled to make it look like she has just been in a fight (messy
hair) connoting the abusive relationship theme that is obvious throughout the lyrics.