This document discusses genre and research on metal music. It examines the genres of death metal and metalcore. It explores the typical sound, language, typography, narrative, ideology, mise-en-scene, iconography, camerawork, editing, form, structure, visuals, and main image of metal music videos. It also discusses how institutions like Kerrang!, Vevo, and Rock Sound are important for distributing and advertising metal music videos to attract audiences.

1. GENRE AND RESEARCH ‘METAL’

2. GENRE
o A music genre is a conventional category that
identifies pieces of music as belonging to a shared
tradition or set of conventions.
o Metal is a genre that stems from rock.
o Sub genres in this category include:
oDeath Metal
oNu-metal
oRap Metal
oMetal core
o I will be looking predominantly at Death metal and metal
core.

3. SOUND AND LANGUAGE AND
TYPOGRAPHY
SOUND:
o In most metal music videos the sound is non-diegetic. This means the music is added
on to the video during editing to make it look diegetic.
o During narrative videos there is also ambient sounds added to aid the story line. This
adds a sense of verisimilitude to the video. Performance videos don’t usually do this if it
is just the band but if the band is onstage you can sometimes hear an audience.
Language:
o Language within this genre is usually strong and can be explicit. This is used to attract
a younger audience as they may be able to relate with the bands lyrics and use of
speech. Strong language is also used to emphasise a specific view or the ideology of the
band throughout their lyrics.
Typography:
o Most bands have their own typography recognisable to the band. This is used through
their logo, merchandise, posters and social media to allow a fan base to quickly
recognise the music and band members.

4. NARRATIVE AND IDEOLOGY
Narrative:
o For music videos in this genre the narrative is often kept simple. Propp’s character
theory doesn’t always relate as in performance videos the characters are the band
members playing themselves to attract an audience. This slightly differs in narrative videos
as you can usually see a damsel in destress, a Hero and even a villain. This is seen in
Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘True Friends’ video which has a vague story line. The lack of
characters in traditional metal music videos helps attract an audience to their band
members and almost helps an audience relate to the band more and the members are
being themselves.
Ideology:
o Videos in the metal genre often depict similar ideology to their fan bases. Presently this is
to do with factors like individuality and mental Health. Previously it was more to do with
living life and having fun. Metal is known for its satanic look and loud sounds. The
ideology conveyed ties in with this as it is usually unconservative.

5. MISE-EN-SCENE AND
ICONOGRAPHY
Mise-En-Scene:
o Low level or ambient lighting to create an eerie or mysterious atmosphere.
o Desolate location, isolated from all others. Often in a warehouse or
outdoors.
o Limited props, only things involved are usually band members and
instruments.
o Band are usually casually dressed and are made to look professional.
Iconography:
o Quick paced editing with fast cutting shots.
o Eerie atmosphere with ambient lighting.
o Often dark and gothic.

6. CAMERA AND EDITING.
Shots:
o Extreme Long Shots to show overviews of locations. Also shows the Band
as a whole.
o Close Ups of the band members and their instruments to convey emotions
and help an audience relate with members.
o Shot reverse shot sequences again to show different members and
instruments.
Editing:
o Fast pace editing to compliment the nature of the Genre.
o Special effects often used, like fast speed and rewind, to again compliment
the performance of the band.

7. FORM
o Form is the shape, visual appearance, constitution
or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the
form is the way something is or happens.
o This is what makes something up.
o For a music video this would be Mise-en-scene,
Visuals, image, structure and typical conventions.

8. LAYOUT/STRUCTURE
Camera:
o Predominantly Medium and Long shots to show location and to focus on the band.
o For a performance video the shots will focus on the band members and their
instruments ignoring most other factors in the video.
o For a narrative the shots will be split almost 50/50. Most will focus on the band and
instruments but the rest look at the story of the video and the surroundings.
Mise-En-Scene:
o Performance videos are usually set in a secluded location isolated from other humanity,
for example a wooded area or abandoned building.
o Clothing is casual connoting specific social groups, usually part of the
scene/indie/skater category.
o Low-lit ambient lighting to convey eeriness.
o Limited props, most being the Bands Instruments and speakers. Others are included

9. Editing:
o Fast pace editing between shots to connote the moving of time.
o Cut in and away shots to focus on the Bands instruments.
o Often use special effects, like a reverse in time or explosion, but this is mostly in
narrative videos.
Sound:
o Non-diegetic sound added during editing. [made to look diegetic]
o During narrative videos diegetic/ambient sounds are usually used to aid the story. For
example, in ‘True Friends’ by Bring me the Horizon the video has many diegetic sounds
like talking, animal sounds and others to aid the story line.
LAYOUT/STRUCTURE

10. VISUALS AND MAIN IMAGE
Main Image:
o Music videos in this genre often focus predominantly on the Bands image and their
instruments. The majority of camera shots emphasise the Bands look by showing them
in a certain light to make them appeal further to their fans. This also makes them appeal
to new fans. Their look is often used to attract a specific audience. This is done by their
clothes and the overall look of each member. If the members are dressed like the
scene/indie/skater crowds them their fans will follow this look. By focusing the camera
on the Band members and their Instruments it sells the band as a whole.
Visuals:
o The music videos within my chosen genre all follow the conventions of their house style.
This is amplifies their Brand Identity and furthers their main look. This is parts of the
video like the typical eerie atmosphere, the connotation of death and unrest and the
overall shabby look of the band to aid the genre ideals and stereotypes. ‘the bands that
created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified
distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. Heavy metal
lyrics and performance styles are often associated with masculinity, aggression, and
machismo.’ This is seen throughout the genre to date and helps attract a specific

11. INSTITUTIONS
o When distributing and advertising videos in my chosen genre a couple of institutions
stand out among others. These are Kerrang!, Vevo and Rock Sound. Between these music
videos are promoted over most media platforms.
oVevo is predominantly for YouTube however do use Television to advertise new music
videos. YouTube is one of the biggest social media websites and so generates a huge
audience for new music making it easily accessible for fans.
o Kerrang! Use the most media platforms advertising music videos in magazines, on
Television, On the Radio, through Social Media, on their Website and through their
Festival. Again, this makes it extremely accessible for new and dedicated fans as Music
videos can be easily found over many media platforms.
o Rock Sound is another music Magazine that functions similarly to Kerrang!. However,
Rock sound is lower In popularity therefor not generating as much coverage for newer
bands.
Why?
o Most music videos are distributed and advertised by well known magazines and social
media. This is because these institutions already have their own fans base which benefits