Our decided genre: Alternative Music

Alternative Music

What is the history of Alternative music? 

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged from the underground music scene of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. The term "alternative" was coined in the 1980s to describe punk rock-inspired bands on independent record labels that did not fit into the mainstream genres of the time.

Alternative rock is a broad umbrella term consisting of music that differs greatly in terms of its sound, its social context, and its regional roots.
But most alternative bands' commercial success was limited in comparison to other genres of rock and pop music at the time, and most acts remained signed to independent labels and received relatively little attention from mainstream radio, television, or newspapers.
With the breakthrough of Nirvana and the popularity of the grunge and Britpop movements in the 1990s, alternative rock entered the musical mainstream and many alternative bands became successful. 

What are the conventions of Alternative music?

Typically, Alternative music has developed a mass of sub-genres such as indie, Britpop, Grunge and Paisley underground. Alternative music has gathered a lot of its history from its rejection of the commercialism of mainstream cultures. However, there are a lot of Alternative artists who have reached mainstream success. Such as Coldplay, Panic! At the disco, Good Charlotte and Fall Out Boy. 



Conventions of Alternative Music videos...

* Camera; features a lot of close ups of band members playing instruments, or on stage, long shots of entire band, POV shots, establishing shots of the scene.
* Mise-en-scene; most Alternative artists appear to be laid back in their music videos and have a 'casual' look (eg; baggy t-shirts, long hair), usually feature low-key lighting and narratives are shot in places like alley ways or clubs. 
* Actors; actors within Alternative music videos will usually show a placid and care-free attitude to life and also may appear reckless due to the stereotype and expectations surrounding alternative artists... eg; drugs and smoking
* Themes; reccuring themes of an Alternative music video consist of negative issues such as pain, depression, anxiety or heart break. However this is not always the case and some alternative bands would have lyrics regarding positive things. 

This alternative music video shows the typical low key lighting used...

This alternative video shows a good use of make up and costume to show narrative....

This alternative video reflects how the actors are fitting the typical attitude of Alternative artists, as being careless...