Riptide

GENRE AND AUDIENCE
Research and summarise the indie genre : conventions, influences, audience and key artists.
What is the definition of " indie " and does the artist, video fit into this category ?

Indie stands for Independent. So indie music is music that is produced independently by a commercial record label. But it is also relevant to film. The video represents this genre as it features retro technology and also some taboo equipment such as tarot cards and an Ouija board. These are all things that mainstream media wouldn't put in their videos as they usually get a sponsorship and promote that product in the video. Additionally with the Ouija board and the tarot cards having the stigma that its connected to the devil. The Indie genre, especially in music has a small audience, but as of recently the indie genre has gotten a rise as they talk about and present things that mainstream pop music wouldn't dare mention. 


NARRATIVE AND ICONOGRAPHY
Linear , clear and resolved narrative , or fragmented montage based on the lyrics of the song ?
Analyse scenes for symbolic objects and the meaning they contain .

REPRESENTATION
How is gender represented in the video ? Look at stereotypes, repetitive motifs and how women and men are framed narratively and through iconography.

Gender is represented, firstly, through the use of a centre shot on a woman facing the ocean. The woman was undressing, sexualising her. Also the fact that the woman's face was covered and the focus was on her body, shows how media represents females, and how they are sexualised and they have a huge focus on their looks. The woman is later seen with blood on her hands while grabbing her neck, and her makeup smeared. Contrasting the start where she is signing with her head up and confident. One could postulate how she is in a domestically abusive relationship or possibly career. This is reinforced because her lips are synced with the words at the start, then over time she is more off beat and her lip syncing is delayed. Additionally, the song lyrics displayed at the bottom of the screen starts to get lost in translation. This could symbolise the music industry and how you constantly have to work hard as when you get a hit song, the popularity will only last for some time before people move on. The scene with the tarot cards shows the card 'The hanged man' which represents surrender and sacrifice, this could linked to the video where the woman is putting up with abuse and a clear unhealthy mentality just so she can make it big in the industry. Additionally 'The moon' tarot card is revealed, which represents illusion and deception, could be linked to the abuse she is getting and how she is probably telling herself that it is okay for this to happen to her because it will get her to where she wants to be. Another card that is revealed is 'Eight of swords' which represents imprisonment and victim mentality, another reinforcement of her being abused and possibly slave to the music industry. Finally 'The fool' card is presented which shows new beginnings, could show how she is finally going to break free from the abuse. But the card was the first one presented, which could mean how this abuse that she is experiencing is her future, unless she changed it.


POSTMODERNISM
Which of the following postmodernist techniques are used in the video ?
How does this change how the audience responds to the messages, representations and other elements of the video ? Does it change the meaning ?

Firstly, it clearly demonstrates intertextuality in the video. This is through the use of the camera work, which one could say how its clearly influenced off of Wes Anderson. With his famous centre shots and the use of low shots to make the subject look more powerful.