Video Analysis of Existing

Rock Band’s Music

VideosBy: Shahrukh Hussain

Video Analysis of Existing Rock

Band’s Music Videos I have analyzed five different music videos which belongs to

five different bands. I have mentioned all of the features of

the videos which are immaculate for being used in a music

video. I have analyzed the videos of the following five bands:

Dream Theater, Nickelback, Entity Paradigm, Avenged

Sevenfold and Pantera.

I am inspired by the video of “The Looking Glass” – “Dream

Theater” as it uses dark lighting, variety of camera shots and angles,

which I may use in my self-produced music track’s video for the

portfolio, but not confirmed. Some of the screenshots of Dream

Theater song’s video are shown, in next slides.

The Looking Glass – Dream

Theater (Example # 1)

Guitar Close-Up is used here because a guitar riff has been played at this

particular shot.

Birds Eye Shot is used here to show Mike Mangini’s giant drum kit.

Over the shoulder shot is used here to show that both of the guitarists are

playing at the same time.

The Location

The band have used their own jam room for the shoot

of this video and I will also use this idea in my video.

The Make-up

Very light make up has been applied on Dream Theater in this video.

They have kept it totally natural and I think that I should also keep it

this way.

Hairstyles

All of the band members have long hair in the video, as mostly rock

musicians or metal musicians have long hair because it gives a

heavy and a dark impact on the audience. I guess this thing

automatically shows the representation of the genre.

Nickelback – This Means War

(Example # 2)

Well, the set used in this video is quite simple, but

the camera shots, angles and lighting used in this

video are very reasonable and attractive for the

audience. Lights used in this video are white, which

creates an epic, dull and aggressive appearance.

The thing I like the most about the video is

directions. I am planning to use such directions in

my music video.

The Location

The location used in this video is a house, and

the video has shot in a jam room as shown in the

next slide.

The Location

A high angle shot has been used in the video to show the drum kit and the

other equipment in the room. It also focuses the drummer and the guitarist

of the band.

A low angle shot is used to focus on Chad Karoeger while playing the

guitar riff.

Another high angle shot it used to show the entire jam room below the

stairs. I saw this shot for the very first time in a rock video and if I will get

a chance to take a high angle shot in my music video, I will use such type

of a shot.

Hairstyles

Members of Nickelback also have short hair like Entity Paradigm (Shown

in the next example). Maybe, the trend of long hair is changing day by day

in rock bands or the modern rock bands.

The Make-Up

The Make-up used in this video is of such a type which looks good in white

lighting as it has kept so natural, like the previous example of The Looking

Glass – Dream Theater.

Ajab Tamasha – Entity Paradigm

(Example # 3)

Entity Paradigm is a Pakistani General Rock band.

The video of Ajab Tamasha is one of my favorite video

ever made. The yellow and warm lighting and the

pyrotechnics made this video look so good. They gave

it a lively and a rocking feeling. It has a perfect video

opening as shown in next slide and I may use such

type of opening for my music video.

The Opening

The pyrotechnics used in the video enhanced the level of

the video. It gave a lively feeling. This concept is used very

rarely in the videos as pyrotechnics are costly and they does

not fix/suits in every Rock music video.

Water splashes were stroked on the drums to create a different and

an attractive appearance. I have never seen such type of concept in

any video so far.

The Make-Up

Blush on and eye make-up are used in the video to create a dull feeling

because most of the rock/metal bands uses such type of make up to express

a dark feeling. If you compare it with the other examples, no one has applied

such type of make-up, so this example is comparatively unique from the other

videos.

Hairstyles and The

Location

All of the band members have short hair unlike most of the rock bands.

The location used in the video is a big hall.

Nightmare – Avenged Sevenfold

(Example # 4)

The video of Nightmare by the famous band

Avenged Sevenfold is quite different from the

other examples. The video contains the

performance as well as the narrative acts. The

narrative depicts lead vocalist M. Shadows about

to undergo surgery, when the surgeons take him

out of the room on a gurney. So this idea is

comparatively different from the other videos and

makes it unique.

A screenshot from the video is shown below of the narrative. The

location used in this part of the video is a hospital. Whereas, the

performance part of the video has shot in a studio’s small room, as

shown in the next slide.

The Location

The Make-Up

The make-up used by the band members is very different, one of the

example of a band member is shown below. He have used a make-up

base on his face and the blood on his forehead to show an evil

appearance.

A guitar close up has taken while the guitarist is playing the solo, just to

make the video more conceptual and natural.

Hairstyles

Wild hairstyles like spikes are used by the band, unlike the other

bands, one of the band member’s hairstyle is shown below.

The lighting used in this scene is a normal light of a room along with some

supporting lighting.

Cemetery Gates – Pantera

(Example # 5)

So it is an another example of a music video

which contains narrative as well as the

performance shots in the video. A graveyard is

shown in the narrative and the whole concept of

the song is shown in the narrative. The locations

used in the video are a graveyard and a live

concert. The screenshots are shown in the next

two slides of the narrative and the concert shot

after it.

A shot from the narrative part of the video.

A shot from the narrative part of the video.

A shot from the performance part of the video.

Hairstyles

The band members have long hair, as long hair also represents

the rock/metal music.

So this is going to be my first example in which no make-ups are used by

the band members as they have merged a live concert video in their music

video.

The Make-Up

A transition between the narrative and performance part of the video is

shown below. None of the other examples contains such type of transition

used in this music video.