In what ways is our video and printwork rich in connotation?

Visual Signifiers

Our video's main aim was to promote a band image that both had an essence of conformity and provided an alternative viewpoint on indie videos and the indie youth subculture as a whole. We've taken this initial brief into account when thinking through individual shots and their connotations.

To give us an overview of how these signifiers are implemented into today's indie videos, we looked at videos by similar artists in the genre. What we found was an overwhelming attitude of light-heartedness and blithe cheerfulness coupled with a retro or take on visual design that led to simplistic visuals with a

Here are a few examples of shots that we feel are rich in connotation.

• The second-narrative shots. All of the non-narrative, non-performance shots are representing different aspects of Harri's rebellious side. His eating of the onion acts as a revolting spectacle and a rejection of the social norm - the burning of the paper is symbolic of rebellion and revolt.
• The band performance. The location and mise-en-scene of each shot involving band performance was heavily laden with connotation, including the peeling/old garages in the background, connoting the maturity/mental age of the performers, rejecting the view of teenagers as immature.

Promoting or rejecting social myths?

As an overview, I believe that our video is rejecting the myth that all indie music is throwaway and cheerful - we've added an undercurrent of seriousness with a colourful fun-poking overtone (which fits the genre).

Our representation of teenagers is also rejecting certain social myths - teenagers in film are usually portrayed as hormonal, childish and angsty. In the main narrative, our teenager (Harri) is represented as being content, mature (to a point) and in control. There is no representation of common themes in teenage films e.g. arguments with parents/girlfriends. This attempt to show an undramatised segment of teenage life is a concious choice on our parts, as we felt that the media representation of teenagers is too biased towards the rarely-surfacing rebellious/dramatic side.

We've conformed to a number of social myths relating to the indie subculture, including the clothes and camera styles. However, we have rejected most of the serious side of indie videos, with bright colours, cheerful concepts and day-to-day locations (in the main narrative).