Codes and Conventions for alternative and indie rock music videos:
- Artist involvement and participation in the video/ narrative
- Lengthy shots, interrupted and broken up or let play
- Representation of mental illness and addiction
- Use of surrealist visuals and concepts
- Mystery and adoption of a 'showing not telling' style of storytelling in narratives
- Reflection of mood and tone through lighting and filters
- Performative elements even in narrative videos
- Breaking up and distortion of continuity and the course of events
- Cameos of the artist and other popular figures
- Subversion of expectations on often opinionated topics
- Exhibition of alternative fashion and unique styles such as 'gothic' and 'grunge'
- Multi-role castings, often consisting of the artist(s) featuring in many roles
- Metaphorical meanings behind the cycle of/ difference between time of day
- Moral messaging and suffusion of hope within narratives
- Choppy and punchy editing
- Use of comedy and visual ridiculosity
Codes and Conventions for generic rock music videos:
- Extreme artist aesthetics with piercings, dyed hair, extreme hairstyles, and makeup
- Dark atmospheres with high contrasting lighting
- Brutalist or outdoor locations often barren of notable features
- Exaggerated facial expressions and bodily movements
- Featuring of synonymous iconography within the rock community
- Incorporation of 'interruptions' in the song to progress narrative
- Editing in-line with fast-paced tempo of song
- Jump-cuts and montages often during climaxes in song
- Little use of special effects/ CGI
- Close-up shots and rotating shots across moving figures
- Ariel shots exhibiting location and situation of characters
- 'Example stories' of themes explored in the song, often exaggerated and fantastical in nature
- Use of performance and narrative
- Focus on characters being wronged/ rebelling against societal norms and corruption
All of these codes and conventions are explored in greater detail with examples from the music videos I analysed in my related post:
