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.
Comparing Bullet for my valentine to Avenged Sevenfold
As I am a fan of both bands these two seem like the best bands to do as they both have many well known good songs to use for my music video because I would class myself in their target audience I will know how to address the target audience and what appeals to mine and my friends taste, although I will conduct a survey to discover what specific details I will have to include in to the music video.
Avenged Sevenfold
Bullet for my valentine
Both Avenged and Bullet are famous and popular within the Rock/metal genre and although they have many differences they are alike with their look of being the stereotypical rock band. It will be hard to decide which band to do as they both have extremely good songs that would work with my ideas of how I want my coursework to be.
On the other hand I would say that Avenged Sevenfold have a bigger fan base than Bullet For My Valentine they have had many big singles and are extremely well known as they really promote their logo of the skull with large wings. However, both bands use similar techniques when it comes down to their music videos as they both have a mixture of narrative and staged live performances, although the majority of rock bands do this therefore me and my group can not choose a band on this basis. Also my group want to defer from copying the music video because the songs are well known as well as the
Music videos we would have to much pressure to try and replicate a famous video and it would reflect badly on my group because if we don’t recapture the greatness of the set video our target audience would notice small details that have been missed out because the rock audience are all about seeing their favourite bands and being in with the know about all the latest news. Also the rock audience religiously follow their favourite bands as when it comes to winning tickets to see the bands live the question is normally about a
Non-obvious detail that requires the fan to really prove they are a fan of that particular band.
Both bands have fairly recent albums that have just been released, for Bullet for my valentine the album is Temper Temper which has taken off massively as they have played their new songs at festivals such as Download; one of the biggest rock festivals in the UK which is yearly. Download attracts over 110,000 rock fans a year and Bullet For My Valentine played the main stage, although they did not headline they still got to play the main stage for the first time which shows they are increasingly becoming more recognisable. If my group was to do Bullet for our coursework we probably wont use a song from their new album because it is so new our target audience will be unfamiliar with the possible chosen song, which would make them maybe lose interest. In addition to that the same goes for Avenged Sevenfold as their new album is more recent than Bullet’s. it is called Hail To The King, my group have decided to definitely not consider any song from this album because it has had extremely mixed views because they have try to change their style and my group have opted not to do anything from this album because we all prefer their older music. We also asked our friends who are also fans and they are not particularly keen on the new album, this we are going though trial and error to make sure we have picked the right band and song for our coursework.
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.
There is an extreme close up of the singer’s eye, this will make the viewer feel like he is looking straight at them. This links in with the song of looking straight through the person. Extreme close ups are good ways to separate scenes within the music video. As they are extreme close ups, it makes the image stand out and it looks different to normal editing, this links in with the stereotype that it fixated on to people of a rock/metal style of standing out and being different. Although it sticks up for the view of not wanting to follow the norm.
Throughout this video there is a fire effect behind and around the band whilst they are playing, this makes the band look aggressive and troublesome as they are playing with fire. Also, this goes against what children are taught as they are told not to play with fire as it is dangerous. Therefore this links with the target audience and stereotype that teenagers and young adults go through a rebellious stage and this video represents that as the band are around fire and playing music that the majority of older people would not particularly enjoy. In addition, the lead singer is wearing sunglasses, this implies he is trying to hide his real identity which many teenagers stereotypically do as they tend to follow social norms to fit in so they
Hide who they really are. The band members are all wearing black because black is the most stereotypical colour for the rock/metal genre as it is dark just like the music being played.
In this video there are many people walking and gathering in to a large group/crowd. This represents being at a gig or festival as they are normally 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. This will appeal to the target audience as they will feel like they are having their own personal live performance in their own home or on the go via mobile. Also as there is fire used it gives the feeling of intense heat, festivals are normally hot as they are during the summer period in school holidays. There are large crowds of people confined in to a small space which will be hot, stuffy and crowded and that is what the fire symbolises. 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 as the music is heavy, dark and stereotypically about death or tragedy.
Analysis of lyrics – Nightmare
“Dragged ya down belowDown to the devil's showTo be his guest forever”
At the beginning of the song they sing about being dragged down to the devil’s show to stay there forever, this clearly implies that the individual being sung about is to go to hell, yet the reason is not yet apparent which will make the listener carry on listening to the song to find out why and maybe it could link with what the listener is feeling about a certain person in their life, the band is trying to connect and relate to teenage anger and dramas so they appeal to their audience because they can relate to each other. This links with the stereotype of metal as it is seen to be about hell, death and darkness.
“But God ain't on your side”
Again Avenged Sevenfold use the element of religion to almost insult the person being sung about as it says that God isn't on their side, this also connects to the audience as they target audience are teenagers and young adults, at this age it is stereotypical to have a hate against the world as they are coming to terms with becoming an adult and responsibility and this can sometimes feel like the whole world is again them. The lyrics imply that even God isn't on their side, therefore they are completely alone if they do not change. t
“You should have knownThe price of evilAnd it hurts to knowThat you belong here, yeahOoh, it's your fuckin' nightmare”
Here it talks about being in hell, as it says you should have known the price of evil it implies that the person did not think about the consequences before making the sinful action as he took a non-utilitarian approach. It is also about coming to terms with receiving the punishment and accepting liability. This connects extremely well with the target audience of young adults and teenagers as they cant get away with bad behaviour anymore and they need to think about the consequences before their actions because they will get in trouble as they are to blame because they should have known better. It is all about being an adult and taking responsibility. In addition it then goes on to say it is their nightmare which stereotypically we link nightmares to children having scary dreams and this again relates to the target audience as they are teenagers can still be treated like children.
“Fight Not to fail Not to fall Or you'll end up like the othersDie Die again Drenched in sin With no respect for another”
The band, Avenged Sevenfold then send out the message to be different and not to follow the crowd because they will fail and their nightmare will become reality. This connects with Andrew Goodwin and his idea of convention of genre representation because metal groups and followers of this specific style want to be different and stand out and this is the message that the singer is trying to get across that you need to be different and it isn't a bad thing because to be a sheep and follow the crowd will leave you in trouble and to follow the crowd would be a sin. The band are trying to be role models and people to look up to as they are saying they are different and yet they are famous. At the beginning of this verse it tells them to fight not to fail, the word fight is used as it describes the strength that will be needed to fail as it isn't easy and they will have to fight as adult life isn't easy and they will need inner strength to succeed. Also the word fight is used as it is aggressive which also links with the type of genre as it is heavy, aggressive and brutal.
Live performancesIn many Avenged Sevenfold songs they film staged live performances which is extremely popular within the rock and metal genre (Andrew Goodwin) because rock bands like to play live gigs such as festivals and headlining gigs. This is a popular convention when filming rock videos because bands such as Slipknot, Korn, Bullet for my valentine, Trivium and Bring me the horizon which are all very famous bands within the rock/metal genre these all use staged live performances. This is effective because the viewer gets to see the band as if they were to perform live, the viewer then feels like they are getting their own personal live performance in their very own room. Also the simplistic idea of just having the band playing together gives the impression that the band are not trying to go away from the music because a lot of chart music is more dance based and has a narrative story where as rock is all about the music and band, they don’t need loads of effects and actors to make a good video, they are happy doing what they are good at and that it performing. The whole band is also included because a lot of the time chart bands only focus on the lead singer whereas with rock band there is an equal coverage of all the band members because they are a team and each individual member contributes something significant to the band and it is only fair that they are all included in the music video showcasing their talent.
Lighting In the opening sequence of this song there is a really light fade in to the video, this is to make it look like a dream as it is blurry and really light. They have manipulated the light to make it dreamy because the song is about a nightmare, they have also included their logo at the beginning this is to show that it is an Avenged Sevenfold song. Therefore we as the audience recognise the band through the video, this is a good technique to gain recognition as my band will consider doing something like this.
Again throughout the video there is this continuous bright light like the band are in a dream and the image is distorted like the viewer is looking through the patients eyes. Also the camera angle is looking up into a bright light this signifies death almost like the light at the end of the tunnel; this song is all in respect of the death of the Avenged Sevenfold drummer the Rev. The Rev died of a drug overdose and therefore the distorted image and sensitivity to the bright lights is a good way to show what the Rev was possibly experiencing.
The band use a simple spotlight whilst playing their staged live performance to make it look like a love performance because spotlights are used during live performances and because it is a basic lighting technique, it really shows that they are all about showing their music off and the viewer should not be focusing on anything else other than the member playing that particular instrument at that set time. In this part of the song it is all dark around the guitarist, this can symbolise the Rev because he may have felt that his life was in darkness and the spotlight is the light at the end of the tunnel.
Band History Avenged Sevenfold is an American rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999.
M Shadows came up with the name as a reference to the story of Cain and Abel from The Bible, which can be found in Genesis 4:24, although they are not a religious bandOn December 28, 2009, the band's
drummer James "The Rev" Sullivan was found dead at his home at the age of 28.
"we play music for the sake of music, not so that we can be labelled a metal band. That's like telling us we aren't punk enough. Who cares?"
Years active 1999 (1999)–present
Labels: Warner Bros, Hopeless and Good life - the fact that three different record labels have worked with Avenged just shows how popular and successful they are because Warner Brothers is one of the biggest companies when it comes to films, TV and music.
Who were your musical inspirations growing up? – an interview with Chad Bowar Guns 'n Roses, Pantera, Megadeth, Metallica. These were gods among men to me.
