Conventions of a metal music video

Mise-en-scene• Costume

In metal videos the actors will conventionally wear dark denim cloths and black leather jackets, this would appeal to their audiences psychographic profile of strugglers and this semiotic code of dark clothing represents the band as fellow “outsiders” from society. The artists wear this clothing usually as this is what their fans will wear to be able to create a relationship with their target audience

Some artists choose even more abstract costume such as artists like Slipknot or Mushroom Head who wear masks and jumpsuits, these masks are extremely effective at creating a brand image for the band as the target audience quickly recognise these costume choices.

• Location

Usually the videos take places in dark locations often at night, where the “outsiders” can feel at home and be themselves hidden in the shadows away from societies negative image of them. Promo shots of the band playing will often take place in either smaller rooms and studios or large stages, with huge, very energetic crowds of people all dressed in similar style of alternative clothing as the band to create a mode of self identification for the target audience watching the video.

An example of one of these dark, gothic locations is in Marilyn Masons – The Beautiful people

It is set in an industrial, old, hidden warehouse type building where the regular conventions of

society do not apply. It is not existent to the regular mainstream consumer and only the “outsider”

Consumer of the gothic, metal genre will be welcome there, this related to Blumler and KATZ’s uses and

Gratifications theory as the audience can personally identify with the location and the artists shown.

• Lighting

More often than not the lighting in a metal video is very low key and dark to connote the dark themes and image of the artists. Also this mirrors what society sees the style of music to be like as it is different and weird.

Video Styles• Performance based.

Most commonly music videos of the metal genre are performance based, featuring lots of promo shots of the band showing off their talents, playing their instruments. This helps to promote their band image of being rockers and good at playing music. This also attracts the target demographic of aspirers as they see the artists playing their instruments and aspire to become like them.

Parkway Drive – Vice Grip is a video that is performance driven, most of the shots in the video are promo shots of the band playing their instruments in a field with a plane, the other shots are of the band sky diving from a plane. This video helps to create an image for the band as being talented, cool, fun and brave which appeals to the target audience as a demographic of explores and aspirers.

Video Styles• Concept based / Abstract based. Some metal genre music videos however are concept driven to create a very

abstract, dream like state. Usually in the metal genre these videos create a distopian

world, where something is right. Likely the “outsider” audience will find this world

appealing.

For example Bring Me The Horizon – Throne uses various images that connote a dream

like state, such as those shown in the images to the right. These images are not relevant

to the lyrics in the song, this juxtaposes Andrew Goodwin's theory stating that all lyrics

and images in a music video must be linked, which effectively creates distopic imagery.

The use of lighting in this extract contributes to this distopian imagery as it provides an

ominous, dark, shadowy back drop which appears to be a wall of darkness. This further

allows the “outsider” demographic to identify with the dark, ominous lifestyle.