Indie Pop Music Video Analysis

In this post I plan to analyse the music video, 'Stressed Out' by Twenty One Pilots as it is a sub-genre within my chosen genre, Indie.

The video, 'Stressed Out', displays conventions typical of the Indie Pop genre. An example of the video following the conventions is the artists, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, performing within parts of the text. Furthermore, the artists are the main focus of the video, with very few other actors featuring in the narrative. The actors who do feature are presented as the artist's family members, thus there is a very clear link. This is a typical feature of the Indie Pop genre, as the main focus is usually on the performance element of the text.

Settings common within the genre are often the place in which performance takes place, and the diegesis in which the narrative is set. Within the conventions of Indie Pop, it is suggested that the majority of settings for Indie Pop music videos will be low budget, as there is more of a focus on the production of music. The settings presented within the music video, 'Stressed Out', follow these stereotypes, as the narrative and performance parts of the text take place in a street, two different houses, and a studio. These are very basic settings, which tie in with the overall presentation of the artist, as Twenty One Pilots have only recently become popular, and appear to be more focused on the creation of their music, and the way in which the audience appreciates their music. I also feel that the Director of the video may have interpreted the lyrics of the song in a more literal sense, and so the artists are taken back to the 'good old days', when life was more simple. This could be suggested by the shots used which show the artists travelling through the street on tricycles, as it could be seen as quite childish. Also, the section in which the artists are shown sat on the curb outside of a house drinking from juice boxes could remind members of the audience about their younger life, when going round to each other's houses was an exciting prospect, and they had very little to worry about.

The costumes worn within the music video are very simple, with the artists only having two outfit changes throughout the course of the text. The initial outfits shown consist of dark clothing, with Tyler Joseph being completely shown in black aside from his red beanie. The denotations of wearing dark clothes could be that he is having dark thoughts, which could be suggested by the lyric, 'Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days'. He also wears black body paint on his hands and neck, which is said to represent his anxiety, as he feels that it's choking him. This is further supported by the lyric, 'Now I'm insecure, and I care what people think.' The other half of the duo, Josh Dun, is shown to be wearing a t-shirt which is half black and half white. This might suggest to the audience that there he is struggling with an internal battle. It is conventional that within Indie music videos, the colours will all be quite dark, or neutral. The second outfits are the same, with both artists appearing in red. Red could be used to suggest danger to the audience, and this could be linked back to the issue of mental health, as it could be inferred that the artists are feeling dangerously stressed.

Props used within this video appear to be fairly basic, with the main focus being on the use and transportation of instruments. Using instruments in order to perform within an Indie Pop video is a convention, as the artists will usually jump from parts of the narrative, to performing the song. This is so significant as the audience will expect a high level of competence when it comes to the artists actually playing the music. Other props include tricycles, and two single beds which are placed back to back. The use of doubles in the video creates a sense of symmetry, which could suggest that both halves of the band are very much in sync with each other. The props could also be so basic due to the director's interpretation of the lyrics. It might be said that the lyric, 'Wake up you need to make money', could have influenced the director to use low budget props in order to show that money is not the most important thing in life.

The body language and movement within the video could be described as a little bit robotic, and perhaps as awkward at time. This could be to show that the artist's anxiety is constant, and could reflect that even though Joseph's mental illness is always with him, nothing can stop him doing what he loves. I feel that this is significant for the audience as the majority of adolescents will be able to relate to having some anxiety, and so the way in which this is featured really highlights it's not something to be afraid of. This could also make the artist relatable, thus creating a stronger brand. I feel that the narrative also makes the artists relatable as they're seen doing things that the audience will have done as younger children, thus reinstating that the artists live similar lives to our own.