When looking at the codes, conventions and elements of this genre, we found:
Mise en Scene:
Props: Most Indie Rock videos are either performance and narrative based, or just narrative based so the props that feature in them usually have some significance. We have found that when the videos are split between narrative and performance, the most prominant propsused are the bands instruments as they allow the audience to see that they create their own sound. However, props vary a lot in soley narrative videos, as they depend on the message which the abnd is trying to convey.
Facial Expressions and Gestures: The facial expressions of Indie Rock artists are usually quite plain or serious, and they hardly ever smile. This is because smiling happy faces is not an element which is normally associated with this genre of music as it tends to be more serious than playful.
Positioning in Frame: In Indie Rock videos, the frontman is normally placed in the centre of the frame to establish the fact that he is the main singer/performer in the band, then the other members are gathered around him to show that they are a unit.
Settings: Urban settings such as backstreets and bars are usually quite popular with indie rock videos, but stranger 'individual' or unusual settings such as abandoned places, tunnles and rooftops are also quite typical, as they give the videos a deeper and more realistic feel, which usually works well with the type of lyrics and music associated with indie rock songs.
Camera Shots: Close ups are the most common camera shots used in indie rock videos, as they establish who the frontman is. However, long and mediun shots are also typically used to set the scene and introduce the other band members. 
Editing: The edits used in Indie Rock videos are usually quick straight cuts, which help the videos flow better and go with the typical faster paced nature of the music. The fact that these edits are so sharp and fast paced could also connote that the lives of the band members are quick quick and on the go, as indie rock bands are known to be 'on the road' a lot.
Narrative:
We have also found that there is usually some sort of narrative included in the videos, as well as shots of the band performing the song and that these narratives are usually well linked in with the lyrics. This is because Indie Rock songs are usually about something important or meaningful, but the meaning can sometimes be a bit obscure, so adding a narrative can make the video more interesting and also create a better understanding of the song and also the band themselevs.
This is particularly shwon in the song 'Come to me' by the Goo Goo Dolls, which is a love song about a relationship from start to finish, where the song lyrics are completely illustrated by the visuals.
How Media Language works together to create meaning:
We analysed four Indie Rock music videos to look at how media language can create meaning. The videos we looked at were:
- Oasis: Wonderwall
- Arctic Monkeys: Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High
- The Killers: All These Things That I've Done
- Goo Goo Dolls: Iris
Arctic Monkeys: Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High
Mise en Scene: The Mise en Scene used in this video works together to create a video to portray the characters (frontman Alex Turner) journey which the audience is experiencing with him. The settings used are quite urban, which is one of the conventions of the Indie Rock genre. We follow the character as he travels from a busy bar to the streets whilst encountering a variety of people on his way. The characters costume is quite dark yet casual, giving off a slightly dangerous or 'bad boy' aura, which is reinforced by the settings we see him in. The props used throughout the video also reinforce this, with the character dowing shots, watching a pool game and texting on his mobile phone, all of which are typical conventions of a night out in a pub. The character is also constantly shown in darker or dim lighting, which could convey that he is a possible villain. However, the dim lighting is most likely due to the settings of the bar and the street late at night. All of these elemnts work together to show the charcater's journey as he struggles with consciouness as a result of intake of alcohol and drugs.
Camera Shots and Movement: The camera shots and movement in the video have been very carefully used, as they are trying to portray that the charcater is intoxicated and is also hollucinating. Again, close ups have been used often, but they usually start with a zoom in and end with a zoom out using handheld camera movement, helping to convey the feeling of unstability which typically occurs when a person becomes high or drunk. There is an array of long shots used to establish the setting which the character is in, and also a couple of two shots to show the characters encounters with other individuals. The main movement used throughout the video is handheld camera movement, which is used to again show the characters dysfuntional abilities when intoxicated.
Editing: There is a large emphasis in the editing in this video, as it plays a major part in creating an atmosphere that convinces the audience that Alex Turner is either drunk or high, or both. In the start, there are more straight cuts used in time to the rhythm of the song, suggesting that he is not heavily intoxicated at this moment, however, as he enters the bathroom, the editing techniques being to differ, changing only slightly to begin with, such as the fade ins and outs of his reflection in the bathroom mirror whcih shows that he is beginning to become a bit drowsy. The fade ins and outs continue with the jerky handheld camera movement to again create a drowsy and groggy atmosphere. As the character begins to hollucinate, the editing becomes more surreal, with a scene showing his mobile passing through his skin. The use of these edits help convey the fact that this character is not in his right mind and that he is not making the best decisions. This conforms to the codes and conventions of the Indie Rock genre, as the band members, especially the frontman, are supposed to be a bit 'different' and more 'edgy' which is reflected throughout this video.
The Killers: All These Things That I've Done
Mise en Scene: Similar to the video 'Wonderwall' by Oasis, this video is set entirely in black and white. This straight away suggests that there are heavy implications on binary opposites, which is then reinforced by the main theme of peace vs war in the song. The video is set in a discontinuous order, taking scenes from a linear story and mixing them up, with numbering to show what happened first amd so on. The settings and characters used in the video show The Killers dressed up as cowboys in a Trailer Park being chased by a group of women called 'The Killer Sluts'. This again conforms to the convention of 'individual' settings for indie rock videos, and plays on the use of binary opposites, this time the oppositions being gender. Dark clothing is used for all of the characters in the video, with the exception of one of The Killer's 'wife' who is shown to be wearing bright white clothes. This again plays on binary opposites, this time Good vs Evil, the wife being portrayed as 'good' even though she is shown hitting her husband. However, this is is because he has cheated on her, consequently making her the innocent one in the pair, reinforced by the dark clothing her husband is wearing which contrasts to her light coloured clothes. The guys also wear stereotypical 'cowboy' costumes which reinforces the fact they they are in a Trailer Park. The props used in the video also add to the effect of binary opposites in the song. Both 'The Killer Sluts' and 'The Killers' are shown in a deserted field in the countryside preparing for a battle, the girls have boomerangs which they use as weapons, whilst the guys have nothing. This scene is shown whilst the lyrics 'I got soul, but I'm not a solider' are beig repeated by both groups. This binary opposite is a huge contradiction for 'The Killer Sluts' as they begin to fire their weapons at the men. However, this contradiction is used to highlight the main issue raised by the song, that everyone should have choices and control over their lives, and that people shouldn't be forced into war and fighting if they don't want to follow that route. The fact that both sides repeat this line, but only the females decide to fight shows that the decision to go into war is a personal one, and no one should be forced into it.
Camera Shots and Movement: Again, the camera shots used follow the tradition of shots in indie rock videos, with the main ones being close ups to identify the frontman and the other band members, then any other characters and facial experssions critical to the scene, and long shots to establish the settings and allow the audience to experience what is happeneing in the scene. Handheld camera movement is repeatedly used to track the characters as they move or run from place to place, which gives the video a more realistic feel. Medium shots are also continuously used when portraying 'The Kilelr Sluts', as this shot makes the chest area upwards visible. This could be seen as a way to objectify the women when paired with the tight, barely-there clothing used to 'cover' them, as the main focus is on their bodies and not on their personalities.
Editing: The editing in the video frequently features straight cuts which occur in time to the pacing and rhythm of the song and music. There aren't many other editing techniques used, which again gives the video a much more realistic feel in comparison to the surreal nature of the Arctic Monkeys video.
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