Research Blog: Music Video

 I decided to do a music video for the song 'Does It Ever Cross Your Mind' by The Paper Kites. Since it is a song considered to be in the indie genre I did some research. After watching videos and reading about the genre I learned that indie is coined from the word independent. It represents the independence of an individual, and in this specific case an artist/ performer. In this sense the artists try to be as authentic as possible with both the lyrics of their songs and the visuals they use for them. It is not uncommon for an indie music video to appear as a live performance with interwoven scenes that tell a story . This is due to the fact that many songs in this genre are written in a narrative style (which undoubtedly makes it easier). The goal is to match the visual with the story being told in the song or the overall feel of the song. Because of this, the setting of indie music videos are often places with beautiful scenery such as cities, beaches, or parks. It is usually kept simple so the viewer can focus on the artist or subject rather than the background. Another approach is when the subject of the video is not a person but rather various things such as objects and scenic views. Camera shots and angles typically used are close-up in order to convey emotion. If the artist is the subject of the music video then these angles can also be used to try to make the audience remember them. Another camera angle that can be found are high angle shots. These are typically used when the subject is in awe and wonderment of their surroundings. The editing of these specific music videos usually makes the viewer feel as if they are inside of it as well.  Making it so the viewer is immersed in the video rather than just viewing it as if it were a short movie. After watching music videos from this particular band while researching I notice that they follow many of these conventions. One thing I noticed in particular was they used what could be long takes.  Rather than the music video scenes going from one to another in relatively rapid succession they seem to slowly stretch to the next. I hope I can do the song justice.