NECK DEEP//A PART OF ME
HOPELESS RECORDS
Neck Deep's A Part of Me feat. Laura Whiteside (from the album Rain In July/ A History of Bad Decisions) is a performance/narritive video and illustrates the realtionship between Ben Barlow and Laura Whiteside. It shows them out in the fields and by the lake having fun and being happy together but the lyrics discuss the breakdown of their romantic relationship. Only Ben, the band's frontman and Laura are shown in the video and the performance element of it is really important to the conventions of indie as it shows their organic nature and their musical talent.
The setting of the video is also conventional of indie music videos, outdoor settings especially including lakes and the woods are often used as they often evoke a sense of nostalgia of childhood and have connotations of freedom which are themes often found in indie music. Arguably, it also adds to the idea of the band being 'organic' and 'real'. The hazy sunlight and lense flares are indicative of summer which allows the viewer to infer that perhaps the relationship was a summer fling and it again encourages the viewer to reminice over similar situations.
The idea of building this relationship and emotional connection between the viewer and the content through memories of summer love adheres to the personal identity element of used and gratification - the viewer chooses to watch/listen to this because of the fond memories it evokes and their ability to relate to it. A conventional shot this video uses is the extreme closeups of instruents being played and people singing as this emphasises their non-manufacted and true nature to the audience.
Extreme close-ups of facial expressions are also used in the video for A Part Of Me, this really shows the emotions and passion on the faces of those singing and conveys their intensity to the viewer which is appealing as it shows a real depth of feeling that indie fans love to see. The appearances of both Ben Barlow and Laura Whiteside are conventionally 'indie'. Ben is shown wearing a black beanie and hoodie, red tunnels, chino shorts and wristbands. The idea of looking as if no effort was made and a bit dishevelled is common on indie 'fashion' and is common among artists and fans alike. Dark colours such as black are also common as they're mellow and dont stand out and distract from the narrative or music itself.
Laura's costume has more bright colours and patters, this kind of 'bohemian' aesthetic is also common in the indie scene as it diverts from what is commonly seen in mainstream fashion and music videos alike. Furthermore, the male gaze is not really seen here nor are the lyrics particularly objectifying. Laura is mostly covered up and is shown simply sitting and singing. Lyrically, Ben sings about how he likes her because shes 'smart, headstrong and independant.' and doesnt actually mention her physical attributes at all.
unlike pop music indie reflects on deeper emotional meaning in life and relationships which is perhaps why we dont see her sexualised and objectified by the man describing her, it is refreshing compared to videos where women are nothing more than mere objects to desire. Overall in this video a lot of the romantic images are made purely through use of setting and the audience making assumptions and associations through the lyrics as the coupls arent shown being intimate in any way.
Very few two shots are used in this video despite the narrtive being about their relationship, the use of predominantly mid shots or close ups of the two individually allows the audience to make the link with the lyrics about their now fragmented relationship. However, due to the highkey lighting and images of them together cut throughout their scenes alone the mood of the video remains positive.
Handheld shots are also used in this video, which further emphasises the elements of personal identity in the video as it looks homemade and gives it also an element of truthfulness to reflect the meaning in the lyrics. There are a lot of elements and enventions in this video that would be good to use in our own production such as the close ups of instruments and faces however I feel it would be good to perhaps subvert the setting to give our video a more of a unique selling point.
In conclusion - in this video the band are presented as organic and emotional both of which are conventional of the genre. Furthermore conventional settings and images are also used in the video. It makes good use of uses and gratification and its subversion of the male gaze which is it's unique selling point in terms of comparing it with mainstream media.