Live Performance Tester

Narrative Tester - After Effects

Here we have used the editing software 'After Effects' to trial out an idea of having the reflection having a mind of its own whilst the man is stood still. Firstly we filmed Kelly standing still, looking into the mirror for a few seconds. We then filmed Kelly standing in exactly the same place but this time moving his right hand and pulling faces. Once we had the footage uploaded to After Effects we made two layers and split them down the middle just left of Kelly's shoulder. We were able to mask one layer so when played through, the reflection would be moving whilst Kelly looking into the mirror would be still. This attempt was fairly successful and gave us a great idea of how we  need to film and then edit the footage for our narrative. 

Audience Research Interviews

From the audience research interviews we have found that for a metalcore video people expect to see alot of close ups with camera movement and alot of quick pace editing. 

Having some knowledge of other metalcore videos we know that these are quite conventional filming techniques but they look very effective when executed properly. 

Editing is one of the most important parts of production and making sure we have enough footage is key when filming our promo. Having lots of cuts in a short amount of time not only goes along with the pace of the song but it also looks very effective and pleasurable for the audience. 

We have decided to have a narrative in our music video and will attempt to be original with our ideas whilst also staying in the same structure and feel of a typical metalcore video with a dark storyline. 

Narrative

The main idea of our narrative is to be very abstract and bizarre for the audience. We found from our audience research that some people expect the narrative to be hard to understand and not completely tell the story, leaving it on a cliffhanger or leaving it for the viewer's imagination to decide.

From this we wanted to create something that was exciting to look at but also strange and original with the main plot line open for discussion and consideration.

Idea


The opening shot would be of a blindfolded figure coming into focus who seems disorientated and confused. He stumbles across an old mirror only to have his reflection act in a completely different way. The reflection has an old book in his hand and looks to the right, hinting to the figure to search for it. The blindfolded man turns to find an old bookcase holding many books. He begins frantically searching through the books, not knowing what to look for until he finds 'You've only done this to yourself' written in one of the books. The man looks back at his reflection in the mirror to find it has disappeared.

The protgonist in the narrative will be a smartly dressed man who is blindfolded. The audience will have no idea of his past or why he is in this state but I find this adds to the mystery and abstract approach to our narrative.

The old book will be a significant prop in the narrative due to the reflection indicating that the man has to find it. It also links back to the band's name, In Archives.

The old mirror will be very effective in the narrative, its age is interesting and it also is more attractive to the audience and makes sense to have an old mirror rather than a more modern one.

Having the reflection behaving completely different is an intertextual reference to the horror film, 'Mirrors'. It also adds to the abstract approach as well as fitting in with the metalcore genre with a dark and sinister nature of the narrative.

Performance Shot Run Through

Performance shot run through

Run through 1 – Pan forward and back with a dolly of the whole band

Run through 2 – Pan side-wards

Run through 3 – Still footage of the band

Run through 4 – Crane Shots

Run through 5 to 10 – Full song, handheld, walk through the members

Run through 11 - Each band member plays through the song on their own

Video Shoot Check List

Music Video Shoot Check List

Zak’s camera – battery charge, memory cards and tripod

Sony Handicam

Lighting – Industrial lights, floor lights x4

Extension Leads

Laptop

Speakers

Leads

Representations - Asking Alexandria

Asking Alexandria are a metalcore band from York and have a huge fanbase in England as well as many other countries they have toured.
They made a big impression in the 'metalcore' genre after touring the UK in 2008 and early 2009 when they recorded their first album 'Stand Up and Scream' at The Foundation Recording Studios in Indiana. After signing to 'Sumerian' record label they gained success in the United States after touring with some big bands.

Fan Base


The band have a large fan base in North America, UK and Europe with the average age most likely being 15-20 with both males and females being big fans. As the band have toured the world with other big metal bands they have played to a wide variety of cultures and races and therefore have become popular all over the world.

CD/DVD Images

Stand Up and Scream is Asking Alexandria's first album. The cover shows their iconic logo of their name in bold white at the top, standing out over the dark image below.
The imagine is of a microphone that is most likely used for live shows. It represents the genre and with the microphone on its own may mean the band are trying to stand out from the rest.

This second album cover is 'Reckless and Relentless.' The album title shows the attitude the band possibly have on life. Reckless meaning they don't care and do what they want and relentless meaning they will keep doing it for the enjoyment. The photo shows a woman sitting in a bleak room with an old television set smashed and completely ruined. The expression on her face is very relaxed and calm, as if she is used to this kind of situation and surrounding. Her outfit reminds me of a hooker or a lady that has been out partying too hard. This representation of women is quite negative from the bands point of view as it could hint that they see women as obects of pleasure and nothing else. The televsion set being smashed and the graffiti on the walls links back to the album title, suggesting they are reckless in their behavior and relentless in their motivation. Reckless & Relentless in an interview with Fallen Blue, Danny Warsnop said, "we wanted something shocking, so we had the famous porn actress, Belladonna, just sitting in The Dirty Room."

Music Videos

In this video of 'To The Stage' the video is full narrative which is quite unconventional for a metalcore video. It shows the band have been told their set for a live performance has been moved forward and so the band need to get together and get to the gig. Unfortunately the end up in a bar and one drink leads to another and Danny, the lead vocalist, ends up going upstairs with a woman, unknowingly having his drink spike and ends up having a fit and possibly dieing. The video is shot like a movie and features no performance what so ever, throughout the video the actual song plays but the narrative focuses on the band and ends with a cliffhanger.

 This screen shot shows that the band are big drinkers with not only beer being consumed but also whiskey. This representation of the band shows that they are enjoying their rock star lifestyle. It shows that being in a band means that they can afford to go to bars and spend alot of money on alcohol. It also shows a negative view as consuming large amounts of alcohol such as this is very damaging to your body but they obviously have no thought for this. Again linking to their album title 'Reckless and Relentless.'

Here this shows a woman in a bar, she is dressed in very little clothing and a lot of make up. She is a stereotypical woman that is looking for a man on a night out. In the video she ends up taking Danny from the band upstairs. It shows quite a negative view on women as here she is represented as someone that spends her time in a bar drinking alcohol and has sex with a man she doesn't know.

 In this screenshot it shows the woman, 'spiking' Danny's drink.The audience doesn't know what type of drug it is or what effect it will have if it is consumed. We can see that this woman is being represented in a very negative way as she is putting someone elses life in danger by putting a drug in their drink.

This screenshot shows Danny and the woman from the bar kissing. They have not met before and would not know each others name. This links to lyrics from one of their songs, 'Clothes trailing from the backdoor to the bedroom and I don't even know your name.' This representation shows that the band, especially Danny, see women as objects for pleasure and nothing else. The hand on her throat shows that this is a very lustful encounter and not passionate or full of love. It would be a 'one night stand' with no emotions. This shows that they probably have no real respect for women.



Lyrics deconstruction

Magazine Cover 

This magazine cover from Kerrang! Magazine shows Asking Alexandria when they were touring America. The slogan above states ''We're taking over America.'' This possibly shows that they are very confident in their ability and feel that they are winning over fans in America. You could say they are arrogant as they believe they are taking over the metalcore scene in another country as nomrally it is quite hard for an English metalcore band to break through and become popular in North America as even though they are from the same genre, the bands are quite different in musical stlye.
Danny, the frontman, also takes over the band photo, he appears dominant and masculine at the front and is the main focus over the other band members. His metal 'pose' could represent his masculinity and the love for the music and his lifestyle now they are a signed band.
It also states ''they're off their faces in Las Vegas.'' This links to the video of 'To The Stage.' The narrative had an american location and although it was never said where it actually was, we could imagine it to be Las Vegas, a city renowned for alcohol and women. 'Off their faces' represents the band in a way that shows they enjoy the lifestyle of consuming large amounts on alcohol and the company of women and their friends.

Planning - The band and props

As we are filming the track 'Step Down' by In Archives we are also using all the band members on filming day.

• Zak Pinchin - Vocals
• Kelly Pinchin - Guitar
• Phil Moore - Guitar and vocals
• Louis Grant - Bass
• Richard Stimpson - Drums

 Zak is the frontman of the band. His screamed vocals are very unique with a good range of high and low screams as well as speak-to-screams which are very effective in the genre. On filming day Zak is most likely going to wear skinny jeans and trainers as well as a band t-shirt or a wifebeater (pictured).
The band will be able to supply a microphone for the video as that is the only prop Zak will need.

Kelly is one of the guitarists of the band and also plays a huge part in the song writing process. His ability for writing up beat riffs and heavy breakdowns is impressive whilst also being a very talented guitarist.
On the day of filming Kelly will most likely wear a checkered shirt or band t-shirt as well as skinny jeans and Vans plimsoles.
Kelly will use his own guitar that he uses for live performances as well as bringing his own guitar amp to plug into for background use.

 Phil is the other guitarist of In Archives and has alot of band experience. He also sings the clean vocals in a few of the tracks from the bands debut E.P. 'Traitors.'
Phil, on filming day will again most likely wear a band t-shirt, wifebeater and skinny jeans. He will use his own guitar for the performance.






Louie plays bass and has been good friends with the all the band members for many years. For the video Louie will most likely wear skinny jeans, a t-shirt and hoody, depending on the weather as it may be very cold. 

Richard has been playing the drums from a very early age and has proven himself to very talented. He was also part of 'The Prophecy True' the metal band that also feature Zak, Kelly and Louie before 'In Archives' were formed.
Richard will use his drum set for the day of filming whilst also wearing jeans, a t-shirt and hoody.

Planning - After Effects Editing Software

We shot some practice footage using a very strong light that we may possibly use for our music video. We found the lighting to be very effective as the main focus was highlighted perfectly whilst dimming the rest of the location. We also filmed Zak miming some of the lyrics to the song whilst getting a feel for the camera, the movement and how much of the actor we want in the frame. Thirdly we filmed Kelly playing the bass guitar to get an idea again of how much of the actor and the instrument we want in the frame and how much movement the camera needs to go with the conventions of a metalcore video.

The camera we are using is of high quality and you can see here how good our footage will be. This close up of myself is very clear and we are planning on using lots of close ups throughout our video on each band member, whilst mainly focussing on Zak, the frontman. Declan has used 'After Effects' very well here, he has colour corrected the lighting, making it more moody which fits to our genre. 

We are aiming to use lots of shots like this one here of Zak screaming the lyrics. This close up was panning past Zak as we were filming and the action was very smooth even though it was handheld. We have found that in most music videos from our chosen genre, the camera is never still so we took influence and used the same handheld technique. The lighting is again very effective, illuminating half of Zak's face whilst putting a dark shadow across the other side of his face.

This screenshot is of Kelly playing the bass, here we were again using the handheld technique but also trying out different ideas of how much of the actor and the instrument we want in the frame. We decided that we would probably use a close up or mid shot when filming the band members playing their instruments as we found that having the actor tight in the frame looked more effective and professional. 

Music Video Theory - Steve Archer's Theory

Steve Archer's Theory

• There needs to be a strong and coherent relationship between narrative and performance in music promos
• Music videos will cut between a narrative and a performance of the song by the band
• A carefully choreographed dance might be part of the artist's performance or an extra aspect of the video designed to aid visualisation and the 'repeatablility' factor

The video opens with an establishing panning shot of the frontman of the band.
It pans forwards and goes past him.

The shots of the band members playing their instruments are very well shot.
The band member is very tight in the frame and the handheld camera works effectively,
the shakiness going with the aggressiveness and fast pace of the song 

There are so many cuts in this video that it is impossible to count. A shot lasts no longer on screen than a few seconds. I find that the editing is fantastic and makes the video memorable. 

Throughout the music video each band member is on screen for a fairly equal amount of time.
Some bands only focus on one or two of the members but this promo has the whole band alot of the time
with the frontman being the main interest at times.



The narrative is shot in slow motion for the majority of the time. It splits the performance and also adds more to the video.





The narrative amplifies the lyrics as the narrative shows a group of men acting violent to an uknown enemy.
The lyrics 'Fuck the law, we wrote the order, fuck the bridge because we built the border' are amplified by the men acting as they don't have any concern for the law and are doing what they want.



Music Video Pitches

Video Tester Part 1

This is a quick test video that we did to see if we could pull off certain editing techniques we had seen from other music videos and were inspired to try and do the same.
For the first part where Zak Pinchin screams 'You've only done this to yourself' the lip syncing was done twice as fast so when we came to edit the footage, everything would be slowed considerably but the lip syncing would still fit.
The next part is Kelly Pinchin jumping just as a frontman from a metalcore band would on stage. We edited the footage to slow down and speed up at points and we think that it looks effective but can look alot better if we have more time to film and edit as this was a quick run through.

'Heartburn' by Architects is where we took inspiration to lip sync the lyrics twice as fast and then put a slow-mo effect on the footage. In the Architects video the band are walking along a desolate road and the slow motion looks really effective to capture the feel of the bleak landscape as well as having he front mans hair blow about. Whilst all this is happening the lyrics still lip sync perfectly to the actor and we really wanted to try and accomplish the same effective technique.

As we were limited to location we tried it in small classroom and only had one attempt at it but I believe that it looks good but could definitely do with some improvements. If we were to try it again with more space and do it a few more times we could edit it to fit perfectly but also add more slow motion to the footage.

Insitutions - TV Channel to show our chosen track

The channel that would be best to show our chosen track would be Kerrang! TV. The channel is loosely connected with the magazine 'Kerrang!' The stations playlist genre is very modern with nu-metal and pop-punk being the most popular genre played. Other genres such as heavy metal are played but not as often as the channel doesn't want to veer too far away the mainstream choice.

The channel is owned by Box Television which also has connections with Bauer Media Group which publishes the Kerrang! Magazine.

Kerrang! TV follows the same principles as the magazine, showing new and exciting bands whilst also having programmes dedicated to showing classic rock. Many of the videos on Kerrang! TV are censored to remove any swearing, violence or references to God.

According to http://www.barb.co.uk/ Kerrang! TV has an average daily reach of 120,000. When you think of the target audience, the channel is extremely popular as there is a small number of people that listen to the genre.

Kerrang! Magazine was first published in 1981 but has since then flourished as a weekly magazine and now has its own edition in Australia and is also published in Spanish. Kerrang! also has its own radio station which broadcasts to the West Midlands of England.

Kerrang! TV

Kerrang! Magazine

Kerrang! Radio

Digipacks

Digipacks are used as packaging for a CD or DVD, they are an alternative to the jewel case that was originally used and are now the favored choice by major record companies. They are a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd and though they have no official name, 'Digipack' has stuck due to the popularity and effectiveness of them.

Digipacks consist of a gatefold, a book style opening made of paperboard or card. They have a gloss finish with a range of artwork inside and outside depending on the artist. There is also an option to have either a plastic tray or slot for the CD/DVD to sit in.

Pros

• They are capable of holding more disks
• Look more creative and professional 
• Space for more innovative ideas
• Can hold more information
• Environmentally friendly
• Cheap to produce
• More design options
• Innovative premium product

Cons

• Open to wear and tear
• Plastic teeth that hold the disk can break
• More expensive to buy
• Can look old and ragged quickly
• Trays can break and come away from the other packaging

Deconstruction of Lyrics

Our chosen band - In Archives

In Archives are a 5 piece metalcore band from Peterborough. They were formed in 2010 and take influence from bands such as 'The Ghost Inside', 'Architects' and 'Parkway Drive.' They have released a 5 track EP with great local success.  

We have chosen to use this band as Kelly and Zak Pinchin are both in our group and we decided that they would benefit from a music video as well as us for our A Level. They are a very experienced and talented band so filming them playing their instruments won't be a problem. The band will also have all the instruments and props ready to use, so we don't have to worry about getting them from somewhere else.

The song is called Step Down and was recorded in the summer of 2011, where they had previously recorded their 5 track E.P. The recording is very proffessional and wouldn't seem out of place on rock TV channel, 'Kerrang' or 'Scuzz.'

Our Chosen Genre - Metalcore

Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a mixture of the names of the two genres.

History of Metalcore

Metalcore has originated from a mixture of other metal subgenres over the years with different styles and techniques being incorporated. Bands such as 'Black Flag' and 'Bad Brains' are among the orignators of hardcore genre taking inspiration from rock band 'Black Sabbath.'

Thrash metal has also had an influence in the progression of metalcore with some hardcore bands playing alongside thrash metal bands 'Metallica' and 'Slayer.' This has then led to the formation of bands incorporating similar styles from both genres and producing something original.

Metalcore Bands

There have been many successful metalcore bands over recent years that have not only made the genre more well known but have also continued to evolve metalcore as a genre.

Asking Alexandria are a 5 piece metalcore band from York. They have 2 albums, 'Stand Up and Scream' and 'Reckless and Relentless' which was released in 2011.

The Devil Wears Prada are a 6 piece metalcore band from Ohia, USA. They are a Christian band with 4 full length albums.

Misery Signals are a 5 piece metalcore band from Winconsin, USA formed in 2002 with 3 full length albums.









Features of Metalcore

Metalcore is distinguished from other punk metal fusions by its emphasis on general heavy metal characteristics as well as breakdowns which are slower, intense passages conducive to moshing.
The vocals in metalcore are screamed vocals and often with clean vocals during the bridge or chorus of the song.

Representation of Metalcore Bands

Metalcore bands often feature quite young members, from late teens to early 20's. They are at an age where they have heard different types and sub-genres of metal and have these bands to influence what style of music they write. Normally there are around 4-6 members in a metalcore band, with 5 being the most common number. One drummer, one bassist, two guitarists and one main vocalist. 

The dress code of the metalcore scene is very distinguishable as alot of fans have a similar look.
The main characteristics are -

• Mid to long hair length with a fringe swept across
• Band tee shirts
• 'Wifebeater' vest
• Skinny jeans, normally very tight
• Plimsoles, 'Vans' are very common
• Facial piercings such as a norse ring or 'snakebites' in lips
• Stretched ears with plugs or tunnels
• Tattoos, full sleeves etc

Target Audience

Our target audience will be mainly aimed at male fans aged from mid teens to early twenties. Males find the genre much more appealing but there are still female fans we will be aiming at. As the fans are similar ages of most band members a stronger connection is formed with lyrical content and the evolving nature of the genre. Being from the same generation any lyrical topics are often relatable with day to day life or negative aspects of life such as break ups from relationships etc.

Presentation of an inspirational music promo

History of the music video

Bob Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' in the 1960's is seen to be one of the first music videos. Compared to music videos these days, the promo is very uncoventional as Bob Dylan doesn't sing throughout the whole video. The lyrics are on boards and he throws them on the floor in time with the song.

Top of the Pops was a weekly show that began in 1964 that promoted the singles from different artists. It was chart based with different artists playing their song live or mimed in the position of their single in the chart. If the artist was unable to feature on the show, they would often send in short films of the band, with the song playing over the top.






The rise of MTV

MTV was established in 1981 with the simple idea of broadcasting music promos for 24 hours a day on a TV channel. Not only would it promote the bands that were played on the channel but it was also something a young generation wanted to see. It was a time when music was rapidly evolving with many different genres and popular artists and having a channel dedicated to showing the latest singles was a great decision from a business standpoint.

MTV grew rapidly in the US with a large dominance of white male rock artists being played but rap was becoming very popular in the 80's but because it contained alot of controversial language and content, it was not played much. The Aerosmith and Run DMC 'Walk this Way' provided the crossover of rock and rap which led to the white dominance being broken and a much wider range of genres being played. Music promos were a great way to help propel artists to megastardom as it gave them much more publicity and recognition around the world.

Conventions of a Music Promo

Camera Shots

Close Ups and Extreme Close Ups are the main shot types used for a music video. The idea of these shots are to highlight and illustrate the artists' musical ability. For example in music promos for bands, there are many close ups of each member playing their instrument, showing their great ability.

Reaction shots are used to higlight the audience or the artist in the music video. If the promo has a narrative, reaction shots can be used to show emotions or illustrate the meaning of the lyrics.

Establishing shots are good to show the setting of the music video. For example, a music video may be set in a venue and so establishing shots will show, the stage, the audience and the artist up on stage.

Band shots are very effective when showing the whole band in one frame. Often in music videos only one or two individuals are shown in the frame but there are times when the whole band playing emphasises their ability and togetherness.

Low Angled shots are mainly used to highlight the stars of the band or the individual artist. The low angle looking up makes them dominate the frame and seem more important.

Movement of the camera is very important in a music promo. It keeps the flow of the song and also looks very effective compared to just a still shot. The camera is always panning, across or up or down which is something you don't always see, especially in a movie. Crane shots are also used to capture film from above, showing different angles and perspective on either the artist or the narrative.

Editing

Fast cuts are very common in  music promos. They are the most efficient types of cut and also flow with the song as they are mainly used in time with the beat and tempo of the song.

Transitions are often used in between cuts to add a certain effect to the promo. Fade to black or white add an effect of anger or peace.

CGI features in many modern day music promos. It is mainly used in pop videos which has a certain narrative that CGI can help acheive. For example The Black Eyed Peas 'Meet Me Halfway' the promos location is in space so CGI has been used to create a world that otherwise would have been unable to film on location.

Mis-en-scene

Location and Lighting in music promos is used to add to the mis-en-scene and genre of the song. For example, a pop song would most likely be set in a very exotic place such as a beach. The lighting would be very bright, highliting the fact they are in such a glamourous place and the artist would be made to stand out. Yet for a more agressive genre such as hardcore and metal, the location may be very desolate, with low lighting. This links to the genre of the music and is very conventional.

For example, these two videos are very different in style, lighting, mis-en-scene and narrative. The Wanted 'Glad You Came' shows the group enjoying themselves in a very exotic place, partying and being surrounded by women. Whereas Slipknot 'Psychosocial' shows the band in a very desolate place, with low lighting and fast paced cuts which link in with the speed of the music and anger in the song. 

Costumes in music promos add to the narrative or the artist's performance. What type of costumes depends on the genre and also the narrative, if their is a particular storyline for instance. If a music promo was set in space then the costumes would fit in with that location. When a band perform a music video they will often wear their own clothes if they are perfoming, as if they were actually playing in a live venue.

A good example here is metal band, Slipknot. They are very famous for their iconic masks they wear in live shows and promos. They hide their identity and are very sinister which links in with their style of music and lyric meaning. The whole band also wear matching jumpsuits and are each identified by a number from 0 to 8.

Props in music promos are mainly the instruments the artists are using to play. For instance, in Architects 'Follow the Water' the only props in the video are the instruments to show them playing the song. In other music promos, if there are any props they will link in with the narrative.

Narrative

In a lot of music promos they feature some kind of narrative and performance. These means during the video you will see the artist performing the song and also a storyline running throughout.

• The narrative in the promo could illustrate the lyrics, and have the storyline following the meaning of what is being sung.
• The narrative could contradict the lyrics, also known as disjuncture, which the narrative can then be completely different to what the lyrics actually mean.
• The narrative could also amplify the lyrics and show exactly what the lyrics mean. A good example of amplification of the lyrics is Coldplay 'The Scientist' which shows the whole video in reverse as it focuses on one line 'going back to the start.'