Genre Conventions

Heavy Metal

• The heavy metal genre has a very different style to other music videos like pop. As we will be looking at the genre, the music videos will contain many different conventions, only specific to that style. Some famous bands of this genre are:

• Bullet for My Valentine• Bring Me the Horizon• Slipknot

All of these bands within the style all have their own features within their music, but in music videos, lots of the conventions are the same.

Live PerformanceBoth of the music video’s use live bands, this is to show a more realistic and violent side of the artist, by seeing them moving around like they are having fun, it affects the viewers interpretation on the band and on the style of music. The use of a band set up also shows how they are enjoying what they are doing, so they will include it into their own music videos.

Each Band however has a varied location for the band, the first (Bullet For My Valentine) is in a hall, and everything blacked out, which links to the persona of that song (Your Betrayal) as it links to darkened thoughts and helps emphasize a violence, which is a stereotype of a rock band. Unlike the first shot, the second band (Bring Me the Horizon) use a very dreamlike setting, of lighter colours and flowers, fighting against conventions of the genre, however it links very well with the song (Sleepwalking), so acts as a dream.

AnimalsWithin the majority of music videos, animals are a key part in it, as each one represents something different. For example the mouse (Bring Me the Horizon – Go to Hell, For Heaven’s Sake) has connotations of vulnerability, as It links to the title of the song, as it shows that the person/people it is aimed at, are vulnerable by the artist. It can also show death, as the mouse is dead, but again, the afterlife of Heaven and Hell links into it.The second shot is of a goat (Slipknot – Left Behind) and has connotations of weakness and helplessness, as later in the video, you see chops of meat, possibly saying that these goats are born for the slaughter. It could also link to the title of the song, as goats are often animals that lose there way, and effectively “left behind”.

Elements• A major convention of Rock Music video’s are

elements. Throughout, the bands seem to be at one with “nature” and the surroundings. An example of this is in Bullet For My Valentine – Tears Don’t Fall. The use of water is trying to show purity of the artists, breaking stereotype conventions of the “bad boy” image associated with the style. It also has a heavy link to the title, as the water can represent the “tears” and add an extra dimension of emotion to the song. The high use of the colour blue in the frame also shows a link with the element of water, because the blue can signify cleanliness, and is quite a bold colour, it also gives the effect of “drowning” or being “underwater” possibly used as a metaphor for lyrics associated with the genre. In the video Shadow Moses – Bring Me the Horizon, the

use of a snowstorm highly emphasizes the element of WIND. The use of the snowstorm brings together both water/ice and wind elements, helping to show that they are at one with nature and the elements. Connotations that come across with the snowstorm are that he is under some form of pressure, as wind is a strong element and “pushes” until it is done, it may also signify that they can be “everywhere” possibly linking the genre of music with modern day technology, and getting there music out there.

• In the song Psychosocial – Slipknot, they have a heavy use of fire, and flame effects, this shot helps show that they are at one with this element, as it contains both a member of the band and fire. The fire has many connotations of “heat” possibly showing that there is a problem going on that the current time, or it could show heat as a pressure, linking to the phrase “this is heating up”. The fire may also symbolize “control”, as it is a very dominant element, that affectively destroys anything in it’s path. This use of flames could possibly link to the title with the “psycho” part, as is seen to be an element possibly stereotypically associated with psychopaths.

The song Dead Memories – Slipknot contains a man with a shovel, and sticking it into the ground, this is looking at the element of EARTH. Connotations of the white vest can show innocence, or trying to be innocent, as it links to the genre of rock, because the lyrics tend to be about asking for forgiveness, or relieving themselves of any problems they faced or contributed to. The shovel in the shot represents repentance, as it is an extended metaphor for digging away the past, and sticking it underground, however in contrast, it could be to dig up old memories that were once forgotten, possibly in the time that there were no problems in his life. The way that he is bowing signifies that he needs help, and that he is weak from his problems.

Bring me the horizon - Sleepwalking • The first shot of the song is a young girl looking out of the window, you can clearly se the reflection. This

may be used to signify looking back on the past, or facing yourself, and then trying to make yourself a better person. It links in well with the genre, as they often use lyrics that reflect certain feelings, or past events. You can also see a flame in the back, this links in to the use of elements with music video’s as “rock” is effectively part of the earth element, and they all are twinned into one.

This next shot is of a person by the fire on a snowy day, but it is a shot through the window. The shot through the window can signify the artist, as during a point in their childhood, “rock” wasn’t considered to be a popular genre, so the genre was effectively looking out on the other genres, whilst they were just alone at home. The shot also uses the elements of earth, water (in the form of snow) and fire. This is showing the combining of the elements, the snow signifies a cold, desolate location, often associated in rock music video’s. The fire also contrasts with the snow, as it is warm, it has connotations of the person looking through the window, as it is completely different to its surrounding.

This shot contains a staged band in a living room, it breaks all the genre conventions, as they stereotypically would be performing in a darkened area, such as a derelict building, or in an alleyway, however they choose to use a lightened room, with very prime colours, this contrasts with the girl at the beginning of the video who is seen to be trapped inside. The use of the live band is often in rock music videos, as it is adds a more full effect to the video, it also works well, because the stereotypical rock song lyrics, are truthful, so with them being in the video, it adds an extra dimension, and the song effectively becomes real.

The shot of the bedroom is very stereotypical of the rock genre, as it is set in a darkened room, this relates to the style, because the lyrics are often seen to be quite dark. The unusual shaped room can be showing how the genre is often different from any other genre, and links with the girl in the video, as she seems to be an individual, so having everything completely different shows that they are more lonely in their own world. The room also contains lots of old toys, so it could show the girl is all by herself in the world, possibly having to live in the past, hence why she is surrounded by objects that would be for a younger child.

The shot here is of a plant with a Barbie in it, this is considered unusual, because the weather is snowy outside, and the plant clearly shouldn’t be there. This could possibly show that her youth is the life she should be living, rather than the current one, as it is making her live in a world of unhappiness, and the snow can mimic that being cold. The shot has a draw focus on the plant, meaning that the plant is also where the girl is looking.

This shot on the pier has conventions relating back to elements, as she has gone from a house that is covered in snow, to a pier that has water surrounding it, this can be used to show how she has gone from being a cold hearted individual, to somebody who cares about herself, and other people. With the seagulls being a metaphor for the “picky” people/things in the world, it works well as the girl has effectively decided not to care, and by coming out of the house, shown how they are more at peace with themselves. The time has also gone from dark at the beginning, to light now, also showing how she has changed her perception on things, and that she is now at peace with herself.

System of a Down - BYOBThe first shot is of some people with a screen on their face, they are shown to be quite robotic, possibly to make them seem as devoid of emotion and character as possible. This may be used to signify a “hypnotized” people, most likely the listeners to the music of SOAD. This can be supported by the lyrics in the song “Marching forward hypocritic And hypnotic computers.” These lyrics are sang very quickly, so can be seen as hypnotic. As the lyrics describe the people as “computers” it emphasizes that they are devoid of all sorts of emotion. The use of greyscale also helps to show that everywhere is devoid of life, and left with a set of robotic people walking around the town. With them in a marching fashion, it becomes much like an army of them, rather than a race.

In this shot it has the live band, which is a convention in almost all rock videos. However compared to the last shot, the band seem to be in the middle of the robots, this can signify they maintain some control over them, as they don’t seem to be phasing each other. Also, the use of colour shows that the band is a life form, and the only one in the shot, as apart from the band, everywhere else is still greyscale. With the lead singer down on his knees, this can show how he could be surrendering to these robots, or possibly showing that he means no harm to them.

This shot here is of some machinery, in the video it is a quick shot, zooming into this, which takes up a second of the video, so it is difficult to know what it is, just by watching the video. The mechanism could possibly portray a human mind, as it has all the cogs moving, and it is encased, much like the human brain. It could be used to show that the music of this genre works like a mechanism, by having a strict beat, but also linking back to the human brain, has the ability to “control” the listener, linking back with the first shot of the robotic people, and the lyrics about hypnosis.

This first shot looks at a member of the band. The beard shows his “bad boy” look, that is often associated with the genre, by been unshaven, it adds a form of attitude to his persona, that listeners of the genre will often use. The red behind him can signify danger is coming, which is then shown, when later in the video, the robotic men come into the club and take over the people. The green then can be used to signify life, as when the band were outside, it was greyscale, so it then compares the lifeless robots, to the human fans in the audience.

This shot is of the lead guitarist in the band, who also has backing vocals, as you can see on his hat is the “cross” symbol. The use of religious icons are often used in rock music video’s, most likely when a symbol is used, it is often to have sacrilegious meaning, and often opposing the bible. The use of religious meaning at this point would come from the lyricss“Kneeling roses disappearing,Into Moses' dry mouth,Breaking into Fort Knox,Stealing our intentions,Hangars sitting dripped in oil,Crying FREEDOM!” This is a reference to when Moses freed the Israelites, and were looking for the land of milk and honey, due to them walking through the desert for 40 Years.

The band is shown to be playing here in this shot, but this time there are no robots, this can show how the band have managed to “escape” these robots, or have no quarrel with them, because the robots did not attack them. It also has a darkened sky, usually is a stereotype of “evil” or “danger”, in this case, it can be associated with the robots. The weather contains snow, which links back to the elements theory, as the snow symbolizes cold and emotionless, which can symbolize the robots yet again. With the empty road, having no cars, it can be seen as a metaphor for life, because a highway has many different twists and turns , and can be seen as somebody’s journey through life.