Music videos originated as promotional videos ("promos") for bands to sell more records. As MTV launched in 1981 exclusively playing music videos, the format became a new form of visual entertainment. MTV helped expose alternative music genres to wider audiences through music videos. Analyses of music videos by Billy Talent and Nirvana for their songs "Rusted from the Rain" and "Heart Shaped Box" show how these alternative rock videos utilize cinematography, editing techniques, and visuals that parallel the songs' lyrics and sounds to represent the genre.

1. By Richard Morelli

2. Music videos, where did
they come from?
- A music video is simply a fast paced short film made to parallel a song or piece of
music.
- They became most popular when record companies started producing more and more music
videos as a method of promoting the band and ultimately selling records.
- Originally they were known as „Promos‟ (short for promotional videos) as that was their
primary asset as far as the studios were concerned.
- When the term „Rock Video‟ can around in the 1980s, it became very popular as a from of
portraying a new form of visual entertainment.
Photo from Queen‟s
Bohemian Rhapsody.
This was the first ever
synchronised music
video

3. What impact has MTV had
on alternative videos
- As the turn of the century approached, MTV had implanted their
presence deep inside everyone‟s minds as the best exporter of
tunes since 1981.
- What MTV managed to do was deliver the most modern music to the
consumer, their most successful approach of course being music video.
- MTV‟s first launched music video was “Video Killed The Radio
Star” (ironic) and was a huge success!
- It gained nearly £7 million in the short space of 18 months.
- Acts as diverse as Michael Jackson and Green Day, Guns n‟ Roses
and 2Pac have been featured.
- What a difference from today, Where the company is more focused on
reality television than music videos.

4. Analysis of an existing
video
I will be doing an analysis of the
video „Rusted from the rain‟ by
„Billy Talent‟ which is in the
alternative rock genre. I have
picked out and expanded on the
elements that make the codes
and conventions of alternative
rock in the moving image. The
two main factors are „video‟ and
„sound‟, how do these two play
off of one another and parallel
the typical traits that come with
the genre?

5. Analysis of an existing
video
After a series of slow paced shots of
the homeless man picking up litter and
putting it in his trolley. As an audience
we then see the lead singer make his
first appearance as a close up. This is
often done in alternative music videos,
either the lead singer or the lead
guitarist are shown first as its what the
audience/fans want to see first and
secondly identify the band playing the
song in order to carry on watching. The
fact it‟s a close up register that it wants
you to identify with him.
Nirvana - SliverNickelback – How you
remind me
Green Day –
Basket Case
Other alternative
rock videos with the
same editing
structure

6. Analysis of an existing
video
The plot line and „live‟ shots are edited to a
one after the other sequence. This is typical
for alternative rock music videos. We then
see a left panning zoom-in of the guitarist,
this further establishes that this is a band
effort rather than a solo artist with a backing
track. Notice though this he is portrayed as
a subordinate character in this video, not as
close as the lead singer distorting the face
slightly – Identification may prove difficult for
the audience as intended.
Nirvana - SliverNickelback – How you
remind me
Green Day –
Basket Case
Other alternative
rock videos with the
same editing
structure

7. Analysis of an existing
video
Next we clean cut back to a mid shot of
the homeless man pushing his trusted
trolley around. The song is bordering a
drop in depth by adding bass and
drums for harmony, but for the
moment, it‟s staying the same to
emphasise loneliness. The arpeggios in
the song portray the lyrics through an
alternative source. The pitter patter of
individually stricken notes with a lightly
distorted reverbing echo afterwards
has an overwhelming sense of rain
falling down upon us.
Nirvana - SliverNickelback – How you
remind me
Green Day –
Basket Case
Other alternative
rock videos with the
same editing
structure

8. Analysis of an existing
video
Finally, when the bass guitar and
drums fill in, we as an audience are
thus introduced to the drummer
and bassist in a series of quick
shots so that we are made aware
of their presence: they are a band.
The song now is very bass driven
with the riff being carried louder on
the bass than any other instrument.
The speed change on the shots
has crescendoed now to match
the progressive tempo of the song.
Nirvana - SliverNickelback – How you
remind me
Green Day –
Basket Case
Other alternative
rock videos with the
same editing
structure

9. Further analysis of an
existing video
Next I will be doing an analysis of
the video „Heart Shaped Box‟ by
„Nirvana‟ which is also in the
alternative rock genre. Like the
prior video, this too follows the
same basic guidelines of
structuring an alternative rock
video. It raises the question once
again, of how is the genre
represented through the images
portrayed accompanied by the
sound track?

10. Analysis of an existing
video
This opening aerial shot is a unique
way of establishing the narrative
setting. Clearly the man in the bed
is the focal point of the video, and
the use of the curtains and empty
floor space gives the audience the
impression that he is not well in
hospital. The music itself is (at this
stage) just the arpeggio guitar riff
with a light distortion accompanying
a gentle minor keyed melody.

11. Analysis of an existing
video
By this point in the video, we appear to
enter the subconscious dreaming mind
of the man asleep. The bizarre
surrealism of the surroundings reflects
this idea. The song now has progressed
from a simple electric guitar riff to the
addition of a soft drum beat,
harmonious bass riff and gentle vocals.
In some ways, the lyrics are as bizarre
and irrelevant as the video itself,
reflecting perhaps Cobain‟s drug
problem, or the hallucinogenic power of
a dream.

12. Analysis of an existing
video
The high contrasted lighting used to
cut between shots is used to
emphasise some kind of divine
tranquility. The image concept
however of what the audience sees
is reflective of religion, a subject
often tackled by the alternative rock
genre. “She eyes me like a Pisces
when I am weak” is the lyric that
accompanies this long shot, and
what it does is exaggerates the anti-
religious message portrayed
through visual metaphor

13. Analysis of an existing
video
This close up is used to portray the
emotion the song is trying to
message through. It‟s successfully
done, as this accompanies the
minor keyed dreariness of the first
verse „Heart Shaped Box‟. The lyric
“I‟ve been locked inside your heart
shaped box for weeks” is once
again parallel to the emotion
expressed on screen. He‟s tied to a
crucifix, constricted, “locked”.