Conventions of alternative rock music videos

Alternative rock backgroundAlternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a genre of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s and 2000s.

Alternative rock is associated with quite a few big name bands ranging from classics like Nirvana to current day bands like imagine dragons and 21 pilots

Black and whiteThe black and white aspect of an indie video makes it seem simplistic suggesting it goes back to the roots of indie (independent) and that there are no gimmicks involved just the music.

Performance based The music video features the band throughout which is typical of an indie band as they aren't usually narrative or concept based. This also helps the simplistic feel as there is just the music and the band.

Extreme close-ups and longshots Extreme close-ups are used

to create a star image and make the song seem more personal as he is singing directly to your face.

extreme longshots are used to show off the band and the location and helps set the scene and add to the mood of the song.

Lighting in alternative rock Natural, low-key lighting is used to give

a very natural theme to the music video this was established as alternative rock videos were often done on low budgets so naturally adopted a very natural and untouched appearance. For example in panic at the disco’s this is gospel.

Costumes in an alternative rock music video The costumes tend to be very basic and

casual as it refers back to the minimalistic approach most alternative rock bands go for to put the focus mainly on the music.

Props in alternative rock music videos The props tend to focus mainly on

musical equipment such as guitars, amps, drum-kits microphones as the main focus of most alternative rock music videos is mainly on the music and the technicality of it.

The iconography of alternative rock music videos The main iconography used in

alternative rock is the band themselves and their image as each band has an iconic sound and look also the majority of the music video features the band. Furthermore some props like drugs and alcohol are very iconic to the genre as well as many bands are seen to be involved with these.

Themes and narratives featured in alternative rock Hardly any alternative rock videos are

narrative based however some are based on true events and stories from the past usually entailing iconic props like alcohol and drugs. The key themes featured in alternative rock music videos are predominantly the band and their experiences either in the past or in the process of creating the music video.