AVENGED SEVENFOLD 'NIGHTMARE' MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

The music video begins with a fade in and we see a close up of a tattoo on a man’s arm, this is typical of the genre as tattoos are often associated with the rock genre. It is also significant because it is the band’s logo or symbol and so this allows the band to create their own iconography which makes up the band’s signature. The use of the blur along with the fade in and out suggests that the man is being strapped down while fading in and out of consciousness and that he is in a hospital and may be having an operation. This could be seen as quite violent and dark which is parallel to the genre of the music. Hospitals and operations are popular themes within the rock genre as they are quite dark subjects and so people expect to see these locations and ideas in music videos for this genre. It also suggests that the music video is going to be narrative based.

The use of white has the connotations of clinical and angelic behaviour as well as purity and so this suggests that the man dressed in white is trying to help the man and implies his significance within the hospital. An extreme close-up of the doctor’s eyes has been used to add mystery because he is wearing a mask and so this disguises him as well as concealing his identity, this appears sinister and so it relates to the genre. This shot also gives the sense of visual impairment and links with the idea of being in and out of consciousness because his senses are being affected.

  The use of iconography such as guitars, black hair and clothing as well as make up such as eyeliner is indicative of the genre as they suggest and give quite a dark atmosphere. It also shows that the music video is also performance based. The white clothing contrasts the use of black clothing and so this is suggestive of the juxtaposition between good and bad. The use of backlighting creates a halo effect which makes the band members appear quite angelic and so this creates juxtaposition between an angel and the darkness. A lens flare has been used so that it adds depth to the shot so that it creates a 3D effect and doesn’t make the shot appear flat. Lens flares are often found within this genre of music as it creates a star image because it makes them appear quite prominent as well as ‘glamorous’. Hard lighting in the performance juxtaposes the soft lighting in narrative sections of the music video as hospitals are brightly lit. The lighting in the performance also includes low key lighting and so this highlights the face and creates quite a ‘glamorous’ look. Having a bird’s eye view makes the vocalist appear vulnerable and helpless as he is strapped to the bed and unable to move.

 

 

As the song is fast paced a fast pace of edit has been used as well as rhythmic cutting so that the shot cuts in time with the music. Another suggestion to the genre is through the use of a straight jacket, as it gives the sense of being detained and suffocation which people mainly link with the genre of rock music. Special effects have been used to distort facial features such as the eyes and the mouth, the distortion of the facial features implies the use of drugs from where he is coming round from being unconscious, it could also be used to link to the idea of being in an asylum. Religion is also iconic within the music video as iconography such as a bible and a cross implies the idea of religion. However, the priest has black nail varnish and so this means that the priest may be corrupt.

 Effects such as desaturation are indicative to the rock genre as it gives a grudge effect and gives quite a dark feel to it, which is parallel to the song and genre. The use of a green filter indicates the sense of being ill and links to the idea of being in a hospital. A tracking shot has been used to give the sense of voyeurism as he feels as though he is being watched by the other people in the hospital. This idea is continued through the use of eyeline match as we can see that he is looking at them watching him go by.

 

 

Corridors are also used a lot in rock music videos as they appear never ending as well as having no way of escape. This appears quite sinister as the location is an asylum and so this gives the sense of isolation and danger and creates an enigma code because it makes the audience question why the patients are in the asylum and why they need to be so isolated.

Using children in the music video makes it more disturbing as children are often seen as innocent and vulnerable, so having them covered in blood makes them appear quite sinister. Also having the close up shots of them laughing makes you think that they aren’t as innocent as you think. Blood also has the connotations of death and so this is why blood is typical of the rock genre. This is also the case for the shot of the man dancing with the skeleton and the bloodied hand prints on the wall as they both bring about the idea of death and dark subjects, which is indicative of the genre. I think that this music video is effective as it contains many of the codes and conventions of music videos and also the genre. It also amplifies the relationship between the visuals, music and lyrics which makes the music video more entertaining.

 

FOO FIGHTERS 'WALK' MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

The opening shot of the music video introduces us to the vocalist using a close up shot. This creates a star image and also the band signature because the vocalist (Dave Grohl) is the most iconic members of the band. Close ups also help to promote the band as we see all of the individual band members because a star image is formed and so the look and style of the band are established which gives the basis of the band’s signature. The band signature is also highlighted to the audience through a long shot which allow us to see the whole of the band during the performance section of the music video.  

The close up at the beginning of the song, introduces us to the narrative and brings in a sense of humour as the audience may be familiar with the band and will recognise that the band members are characters within the music video. Iconography within the music video is important as it gives a suggestion to the genre of music. For example, instruments such as guitars and drums, tattoos and long hair as they form part of the band’s signature because most of their music videos are performance based. The vocals also are typical of the genre as people think of anger and aggression when they think of rock music and so by having the vocalist screaming sections of the song it is parallel with the visuals within the music video.

The police within the music video are iconic as it suggests rebellious behaviour which many people relate to rock music. This rebellious behaviour is also highlighted at the beginning where the boy in the car in front sticks his middle finger up at Grohl and also where he pushes over the telephone box although this rebellious behaviour is a negative attitude it however forms the basis of the humour within the music video.

The diegetic lighting within the performance section of the music video uses lighting from above and behind the band. The soft and high key lighting gives the band a more ‘glamorous’ look rather than a dark and high contrast look. A slow pace of edit has been used to match the speed of the music for the verse and then it speeds up as the tempo of the chorus also picks up.

 

There is a shot of a golf buggy rolling into the water and this has been done to match the speed of the music because as the golf buggy slowly rolls into the water the music also slows down. There are many Intertextual references within the music video for example the ‘Justin Bieber’and ‘Coldplay’ plates on the different cars. The most significant band intertextual reference is the 'Nirvana' sticker on the store till as Grohl was the drummer for the band and so the audience will be able to recognise the reference.

  

The scene in the fast food restaurant is a textual reference from the film ‘Falling Down’ where a man asks for a breakfast and just misses the end of breakfast service time where he then goes postal and pulls out a gun. This scene is similar; however he doesn’t reveal a gun and shoves the unwanted burger in the sale person’s face.

 

The clothes that the vocalist is wearing resemble that of what the character within ‘Falling Down’ wears and so this could also be another Intertextual reference to the film. This music video is effective because it has been made with the intention of entertaining the audience with the humorous narrative which is based largely on the film ‘Falling Down’ as well as the use of codes and conventions to the genre.

 

THE BLACK KEYS 'TIGHTEN UP' MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

This task has helped with the basic of analysing a music video as it has made me more aware to what to look for when analysing music videos. After learning more about the codes and conventions of music videos I have noticed that it is slightly performance based as the band play their instruments during the scene at the kids’ playground and so this is also slightly weaved into the narrative because they are still trying to impress the woman. Medium close ups have been used to create a star image which is important for the band’s signature.

 

 

ALTERNATIVE ROCK CODES AND CONVENTIONS

By looking at a range of different alternative rock music videos we managed to find different codes and conventions for the genre. We found that performance and narrative based music videos were often used as opposed to concept based as you can create a star image or band signature and this is usually done through close up shots. Most of close up shots in the alternative music genre are of the vocalist, however, you often see close up shots of the other band members as well as it introduces you to the band as well as adding to their band signature.

GOODWIN'S THEORY ON THE CONVENTIONS OF MUSIC VIDEOS

Andrew Goodwin’s theory looks at the key aspects of music videos. These include:

·       The relationship between lyrics and visuals – Amplifying or contradicting

·       The relationship between music and visuals

·       Close ups of main artist/vocalist

·       Particular genres may have own music video style and iconography e.g. live performances in heavy rock

·       Artist may develop their own star iconography, in and out of their videos, over time this become part of their star image

·       Reference to voyeurism likely

·        Intertextual references

 

Other points to consider:

·         Lyrics establish the mood

·         Music – Tempo, foregrounding instruments

·         Genre – Some trandecend genre while others are more conventional

·         Camerawork - Considerable impact on meaning (Movement, angle, proxemics)

·         Editing – Rhythmic cutting, pace of edit

·         Representations – Star image and voyeurism

After studying Goodwin’s theory this has allowed us to gather a range of different ideas and so we will be able to match this to the genre of music that we will choose. Although we considered having a concept based music video we really liked the idea of having a narrative and performance based music video and so we thought that this theory will really help us when planning our music video.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF MUSIC VIDEOS

During the lesson we looked at different codes and conventions as well as vital points which can be found in different genres.

·         Music videos are vital for marketing music

·         Pop videos push the boundaries of creativity

·         Visually bold and technically delivered

·         Star image

·         Band/artist signature

·         Voyeurism

·         Sexualisation

·         Performance, narrative or concept based

·         Camera movement

·         Dynamic and cinematic

·         Lighting that creates atmosphere and makes shots look 3D rather than flat

·         Diegetic lighting

·         Slow motion

·         Backlighting

·         Create depth

·         Lip syncing for performance based music videos

These points and codes and conventions will help us when planning and also constructing our music video because we will be able to see what makes up a music video of the specific genre we are looking at.

 

POPULAR CULTURE QUESTIONNAIRE

In class we created a questionnaire about popular culture so that we could get an understanding of what people thought it what. We asked ten people of two different age groups, which were teenagers and adults.

 

How many of the following have you used in the past week?

 

Television - 10

Video/DVD player - 6

Music CD player or audiocassette - 4

Desktop computer - 3

Laptop - 9

Digital camera - 7

Video camera - 2

Interactive whiteboard – 2

By doing this we have found out that televisions are widely used by all ages and so this is important for distributers because this means that consumers could be exposed to a large amount of music videos. Laptops also expose consumers to music videos and artists as they are able to watch and explore new artists. This is largely due to music videos being a source of entertainment irrelevant of the genre.

 

How confident are you with using the following? (1=Really confident, 5=Not confident)

Using a computer - 17

Using a digital camera - 17

Using a video camera - 17

Using photo editing software – 20

 

I counted all of the marks up and found that people were overall more confident using a computer, digital camera or a video compared to using photo editing software. It is possible that these pieces of technology are consider more within popular culture compared to photo editing software as people are more confident with using them and that they may form some part of our lifestyle.
 

What do you think popular culture is?

•   “Something which is followed/updated and appreciated a lot”

•   “Music / lifestyle / fashion and stuff like that”

•   “Hoodies running around knifing people”

•   “Something that’s popular”

•   “The kind of music, fashion, trends and attitudes which are popular”

•   “Pop music and stuff”

•   “A reflection of the age expressed through the media”

•   “Pop”

•   “Fashion”

•   “MTV, fashion, music”

 

Popular culture is ideas, perspectives, behaviours, images and experiences which come together as a whole and so a lot of these answers form the basis of popular culture as it is what is popular at the time.

 

How much do you think that popular culture affects you?

•   “Not much”

•   “Very little”

•   “Not a lot”

•   “Too much”

•   “Little”

•   “Loads”

•   “Has a big part in my life, how I dress and act”

•   “Quite a lot”

•   “Not much, don’t pay much attention”

•   “Enormously – Everything surrounding us daily in the media”

 

The answer in the previous question demonstrates that we are affected by popular culture “Hoodies running around knifing people” because we see different representations in the media, especially music videos and so this either makes us form stereotypes or influences the way we dress or portray ourselves. Different genres of music may do this as some people may think of youth when they hear dance music or reckless and anti-social behaviour when they think of rock music and so the media has led us to form these stereotypes.

 

What do you think popular music is?

•   “Pop – Katy Perry style stuff. But whatever is most popular at the time”

•   “Terrible music”

•   “Something I don’t like”

•   “Stuff like RnB and generally heavily synthesis stuff”

•   “Pop Music”

•   “Music in the charts”

•   “Popular music is recognised and listened to regularly”

•   “Spice Girls”

•   “Simple, irritating, repetitive”

•   “Popular music is what’s played on Kiss/MTV”

 

I think that the media has influenced this as songs are often replayed and so become over-exposed and over-played as well as being quite clichéd. The top charts also focuses more on the pop genre and so this may also a reason behind why people think that popular music is just pop music.

Do you think that popular culture affects boys or girls more? Why?
 

•   “Girls, as they care about appearance more”

•   “Girls, they try to be similar to the artist if female”

•   “Both, influenced by fashion and attitudes of their idols”

“I think it affects both the same”

•   “Both equally, they are both influenced by it

•   “Girls more”

•   “Girls, because they are more impressionable”

•   “Both because they are both heavily influenced”

•   “Both equal”

•   “Both – Boys are led by attitude, girls by fashion”

Popular culture can affect both boys and girls because the media shows different representations and so this makes people think about how they should behave or portray themselves. The focus has mainly been on girls but now the focus has also been turned to the boys as the media would want to engage and attract a wider target audience.

Do you think that the media influences popular culture? How?
 

•   “Yes”

•   “Yes. The media comes in different forms -  we use every bit of it”

•   “Yes, broadcasting the latest fashions etc. To the world”

•   “Yes

•   “Yes -  What media shows most often becomes popular culture – X Factor”

•   “It leads it in every way – Huge influence TV and film”

•   “Yes as we dress the same as the genre of music we enjoy”

•   “Yes”

•   “Yes, because the amount of pressure the media puts on artists”

•   “No”

Creating a star image is key within the music industry as this is the way that people see them, so if artists strive for the perfect star image then people are going to try and mimic this and be more like their role models. It also does it in other ways such as the more media coverage that something gets the more likely that people are going to be interested and that it is going to become part of popular culture and change the way it is shaped.

Do you think that music videos are important within popular culture? Why?

•   “Yes – Star image – Band signature”

•   “A bit, not a lot of people watch them”

•   “Yes, as we learn what’s acceptable ”

•   “No”

•   “Yes, fashion and attitudes”

•   “Yes”

•   “Yes because a lot of people watch them and product placements are becoming more popular ”

•   “Yes – For enhancing the music”

•   “To teenagers yes because music videos add a visual interest – compliments the song”

•   “No”
 

Music videos are vital within the music industry as it creates a star image of the artists and so they become well-known for their style and image. It also changes the way that popular culture is shaped as different ideas become into focus and so new things become popular. It also enhances the music because there is a visual which may complement it. It is also used as a form of entertainment because images are created for the audience’s pleasure.