Research into Chosen Music Genre

For our music video, we have decided to use Nina Nesbitt's 'Noserings and Shoestrings', a song that belongs to the indie genre. Indie as a genre can be defined as an artist or group which does not belong to a major record label. Therefore such artists are considered to be 'alternative' to those appealing to a mass audience. Their fan base is typically niche, as many feel that once such artist has become well known and liked by the majority, this exploits their originality and uniqueness.

Artists considered to be indie include:

Nina Nesbitt, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Passenger, Laura Marling, The Kooks, Two Door Cinema Club, The Kooks,  Arctic Monkeys, Alt-J, Bastille, Bombay Bicycle Club, Of Monsters and Men, Kate Nash, The Courtneers, Mumford & Sons, Florence and The Machine, Lana Del Ray, Kate Nash, Noah and The Whale,The Lumineers , Just Jack, Jack Pente, Daminen Rice, and The Wombats.

Passenger

Mike Rosenburg, better know by Passenger, is perceived as an indie artist. Rosenburg started a band called Passenger many years ago and they released music to a niche audience. However, the band split and Rosenburg decided to continue as a solo artist. He released a few albums as a solo artist including, Wide Eyes Blind Love, Divers and Submarines, Flight of the Crow, and his latest album All the Little Lights which features his internationally famous song, Let Her Go.

In the interview below, 'Passenger' reveals how for years, he lived his life busking and writing songs in order to get to where he is now. He then goes on the speak of his tour with Ed Sheeran, his latest album success and festivals he intends on playing:

Busking is a conventional way in which an indie artist will eventually become successful; it shows their dedication and focus on the music rather than the fame that comes along with it. For example, in comparison Rihanna, who became famous by an audition on front of Jay Z, the amount of time it took Rosenburg to become well known was much longer than Rihanna's climb to fame, who was discovered at 16. Rosenburg states it took him around 10 years to get to where he is by 'doing something constructive everyday' conveying his focus on music; conventional in indie artists.

Passenger - Let Her Go

The original music video for 'Let Her Go' by Passenger

Throughout the music video for 'Let Her Go', they are many close ups on the instruments being played. including a guitar and piano. It is conventional for a guitar to be included in an indie video as it connotes the origin of the artist as they probably started busking in order to be better known, in which this is specifically relevant to 'Passenger'. By zooming in on the artist playing an instrument, this emphasises their talent to the audience and the depth of thier dedication to music in order to learn how to play such instrument, portraying them as authentic in their ability. Such use of cinematography, appeals to the target audience as this gives a short representation of the artist, allowing them to further their knowledge on the artist and therefore build a relationship with them. This will effectively evoke their interest in the artist and consequently encourage them to continue listening to the artist.

Further in the video, there is a long shot to show the audience watching the live performance, the context of the video. A live performance is very much conventional as an indie music video, as it portrays the artist's attitudes regarding the importance of the music as this becomes the focus. A live performance conveys an artist's true talent as it hasn't been altered by a recording; therefore conveying a raw talent as well. The long shot allows us to see the entire audience, in which this indicates the intimacy of the performance, suggesting the artist's niche target audience. For example, in comparison to Rihanna's 'Cheers' video, there are short previews of a live performance she has done, however we can assume this was from a concert on her tour as the amount of people in the frame convey that she is an artist appealing to a mass audience. The shot reverse shot reinforces the intimacy between artist and audience.

The main editing style used in the video consists of a very simplistic approach regarding the techniques used. The editing lacks variety, often using straight cuts to transition from one frame to the next as well as adopting a consistent pace of editing, each frame appearing for a similar time until the next. By having slow paced editing, this compliments the song, allowing thereto be substance in the video without taking the focus away.This style is conventional within the indie genre, as it emphasises their independence as an artist; they lack the requirements in which a big record label demands, highlighting their originality. The lack of complex editing allows the audience to focus on the song, again emphasising the short representation of the artist in order to build a relationship.














The mis en scene in the music video appears conventional to an indie music video. The video lacks outrageous lighting, and rather adopts a simple approach, highlighting the small production as a result of their originality rather than an overpowering range of effects in order to emphasise this. There appears to be a recurring motif of small fairy lights that are seen throughout the video, in which this appears to look similar to the album cover of the artist. This effectively promotes the album through the music video as it is called, 'All the Little Lights' in which these are evident in the music video. The only other lighting that appears in the video is the stage lighting, further highlighting the live stage performance by the artist; the spotlights appear on both the artist and the audience in which this focuses on the artist as well as signifying the audience's importance in regards to the artist.

The artist also appears to be wearing clothing considered to be indie in style; denim shirt and chinos.

By adopting an image that is considered to be indie, this will increase the appeal of the target audience as they will like and show interest in the artist's clothes and image in order to become more like him. An image of an indie artist is conventionally similar to Passenger's, typically wearing chinos, denim, converse, baggy tops and hats, portraying an everyday, relaxed image. This type of image can be related to the audience as it is simple, original and affordable in which case allows the audience to adopt a similar style and therefore be influenced by the artist, increasing recognition and popularity.

Overall, the artist is presented as an everyday, talented and dedicated person in which his target audience are able to easily build a relationship with as a result of his personal and intimate videos. His image portrays him as a relaxed artist who is focused on the music rather than a false image created for him in order to appeal to the mass; subverting Richard Dyer's proposal that all artists are commodities created in order to be consumed. Such originality appeals to a niche target audience that appreciates talent rather than image, typically female because the artist is a male, their age ranging within the teenage to young adult spectrum because the artist speaks of love, a subject new yet experienced by such ages. Because indie artists are typically known by a small amount of people before becoming well known through distribution of product, the artist has a strong and loyal fan base; however because his lyrics and music can be related to by such a huge proportion of people, the artist has universal appeal.

To develop this post, you need to analyse a second music video and then aim to include the summary points, to explain how your research will assist you with planning your music video.