Initial ideas

Genres Rap Metal House Pop Dance R&BHip Hop soul etc.

My group chose to do Rock/metal as we are all fans of the genre, therefore we know what appeals to the target audience. This will make it easier when deciding how to reach out to our target audience and what we need to include into our music video project. Rock also has many stereotypes which my group thought we could manipulate as it is stereotypically dark and gothic, this genre seems like the best one to do as we have many ideas of what to include and how to attract our target audience.

Bands • Bullet for my valentine• Korn• Slipknot• System of a down • Trivium • Down• Falling in reverse• Escape the fate• Bring me the horizon• Suicide silence • Avenged sevenfold

Cancer batsParamore You me at sixRammstein Motorhead Guns N RosesAC/DCBon JoviMetallica Five finger death punch

Comparing- Slipknot V Avenged Sevenfold

Both Slipknot and Avenged Sevenfold use the effect of fire in their music videos to show the anger and intensity of their music. This is extremely effective as it symbolises being in hell as the Rock genre is seen to be heavy and dirty in the sense of being in hell, this is represented by the heavy use of guitar and drums. Also the lyrics of some songs are about being angry and aggressive which is shown through the use of screams and growls; a different way of singing.

The two images in the previous slide are both from popular music videos within the Rock genre. Both include distorted shots of the band members playing their instruments. This references to the live aspect of being in a crowd and seeing the full band, but your view will be restricted due to people jumping and being lost in the crowd. This is represented In both Rock videos.In addition the distortion also complies with the type of music of being fast and almost being all over the place, in a sense of being hectic and loud. The blur symbolises the state of mind almost. This is evident in the Psychosocial video by Slipknot as the cutting rate is fast and there are many close ups on the band members. Both music videos use a fast cutting pace with lots of close ups.

Choosing the song and band

When choosing the band we selected a possible 3 and then looked at the lyrics to possible songs from the 3 bands. We then decided the best song would be Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold, we chose this as the name is self explanatory. We thought we could manipulate the lyrics as it describes being in a nightmare, which meant we could use this to our advantage because our video could be wide and open to interpretation. The whole idea of having a nightmare is scary and this fits in with our chosen genre as the music and videos are stereotypically heavy, scary, different and strange. My group then took on the decision of our initial plan and how we want our video to look and also what type of nightmare theme we could incorporate to the song. One thing we have decided on is that we want a section of the video to be of the band playing all together in a woods. Firstly, this makes it spooky like a nightmare, we thought a woods would fit in well with the chosen genre because from our research we have found that many rock and metal bands use isolated areas. In addition, we can use effects like saturation to make it look colder, darker and most importantly like a real music video; my group wants it to look professional and of a high quality, therefore we will be using effects to give it that high standard look. Secondly, this also links with the idea of connecting to the elements, our chosen element is earth, hence shooting the video in a woods as the band is within nature.

3 possible Avenged Sevenfold song

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIRNdveLnJI Afterlife

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94bGzWyHbu0 Nightmare

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi_GN1pHCVc Almost easy

Afterlife In the very opening scene there is the use of spiders which represents fear. However the spider is crawling on a woman’s face and she isn't scared or moving she is quite comfortable. This implies that those who are not fans of metal may think it is scary but really there is nothing to be afraid of.

Animals are again used as one of the band members is holding three doves, this represents a sign of innocence, tenderness and affection. In art doves typically represent peace an the Holy Ghost respectively. This is evidently a huge stereotype contradiction as people see metal as being dirty, depressing and almost like the music from hell. Avenged Sevenfold are trying to show that it is okay to listen to rock and just because you do listen to rock, it doesn’t mean that you are any different to anyone else. There is also a religious aspect to this as people view metal music as far away from god and innocence as possible, yet this band member is wearing a cross on a chain around his neck and he is also holding three doves this is showing the audience that you can be religious and like metal. They are clearly trying to challenge old stereotypes and attract a wider audience.

Many close ups are used throughout the music video, this will be so we can see the famous band members and become familiar with what they look like , which is a way of promoting the band, especially if the viewer is watching the video on television and missed the subtitle of who the band is, they can easily identify who the band is.

Throughout the whole video there is shots of the band playing and singing the song to give it that seeing them live and by yourself kind of feel, almost like they are purely performing for you. Again you get to see which members play certain instruments.

They are performing in an old warehouse of some sort which is proven popular in music videos. For example Foo Fighters do it regularly. Using an old empty warehouse also shows they don’t need to spend millions on a music video to make them look good , they are completely open and being themselves . There are no heavy graphics or effects just them and basic and basic lighting, this will be considered when thinking of my groups music video .

NightmareAvenged sevenfold are well known for their band logo and they try to include it in every video they make, this will boost the recognition of the band as the audience will see this logo and know who it is straight away. Also this particular image is a tattoo which definitely links in with the Rock genre theme because stereotypically people who are of a rock/metal style have tattoos, this is evident that the nightmare video is showing that they support their own band so much they are willing to permanently mark their skin for the rest of their life, with the logo of the band.

Again the use of creatures is used in the video as the spider appears again. This can also be used to identify the band as they include the spider in many of their videos. If viewer is watching the music video on television and missed the subtitle of who the band is, they can easily identify who the band is without having to wait for the end of the song to find out who it is. Also the spider is large and for many scary, this could almost be seen as a mascot for the band as the band is famous on a large scale and because they are quite a heavy metal band they are scary and intimidating but to those who know the band are not scared it doesn’t affect them.

The religious aspect is again included in the music videos. As there is a vicar, this implies that even if you are a fan of metal and rock it will not effect the way you should be treated. However, the video is linked to the effects of drugs so the vicar could be there to symbolise trying to get rid of the demon inside of the patient i.e. drugs, almost like he is trying to cure the patient of all his sins before he can go to heaven.

Tribute to the Rev

The whole of this video is dedicated to the drummer who unfortunately died from a drug overdose. The video represents some of the side effects that drugs

Cause, for example the image of the female with the distorted face represents hallucinations, sadness and paranoia. The old drum kit abandoned down the corridor shows that because the Rev has died so has the drums within the music of the band, as it then cuts to a scene where a spider is crawling over the drum

Kit, spiders represents cobwebs and cobwebs represent being old and abandoned, just like the drum kit has been left as it is all smashed up and rusty. There is also a sequence at the beginning where the patient is being tied down by the nurses and doctor this could imply that the Rev felt tied down to life, the band and other things and drugs were his only escape. It is highly evident that a lot of work went in to this video to represent and pay tribute to the famous drummer, although simplistic there are a lot of different effects and obvious research done in order to represent the feeling of being on drugs. For example, throughout the video it is shot from the patients eyes and everything is blurry and dizzy, this is a common effect of drugs, from research I found that certain drugs cause hallucinations, nausea and dizziness.

Almost Easy There are many close ups in this video, at the beginning of this song there are many extreme close ups on the instruments used, therefore the viewer can see what type of guitars are used for example. Also the close ups lets the viewer see the band up close and personal rather than in the distance at festivals, they get to see what the band members really look like. In the image of the drums there is fire around them this shows the heat and intensity of the drummer as it is a heavy song it will take a lot of effort to be able to play the song, this lets the fans appreciate the talent that this needed to be able to play the drums.

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In the video it shows many people walking and then gathering in to a large group or crowd this represents being at a gig or festival as they are outside, it then cuts to a shot of the band playing a staged live performance and the camera angle is looking up at the band almost like the viewer is in within the crowd watching the performance. Also as there is fire used it gives the feeling of heat which at festivals it is hot as they are normally in the summer and there are large crowds of people confined in to a small space. However, the fire could also represent being in hell as people stereotypically picture hell to have fire as it resembles torture, burning and death, which is often represented within the rock genre.