Character References

Slenderman (The tentacles will likely not be used)

Grunt from Amnesia (In the song he is called Mr. Face)

Necromorph from Dead Space

Pyramid Head from Silent Hill

Wilfred Warfstache (aka Markiplier from youtube)

Although she is never mentioned in the song, we may also use Chell from Portal but use her Portal 2 appearance (it's easier to copy than her appearance in the first game)

Song

The song that we have chosen is Hello Monsta.

We will modify the song to include what we think is the best part of it in the video.
Our postmodern element will be parody of the song and video.
The video will reference many games, like the song does (It references Slender, Amnesia, Silent Hill, Dead Space and other games that are in the original video)

Props:

• Full Body Suit (slender)
• Marker
• Warfstache (Wilfred Warfstache)
• Companion Cube (Chell)

Digipack Analysis

In order to design the digipak, I looked at those that were used by the bands I looked at for the music video.

Firstly, the digipak that was used for Skarlett Riot's latest album has a very basic colour scheme; beige and black. These two colours contrast sharply with each other, which makes the cover 'pop'.

Secondly, the bands name is the largest text on the front of the album, yet the title of the album (We Are the Brave) is smaller. I have noticed that this is common in many of the albums that I myself own. The name of the band or artist often take priority over the name of the album.

The lion is related to the title, as lions are seen as brave, so this use of imagery is quite clever. The constellation chart behind the head brings the lion out more and makes it look more majestic.

All in all, this digitpak is rather simple and clean cut, which is an uncommon characteristic of rock albums, which normally have a lot more going on.

As this album have never been released physically and is purely only available in a digital format, there is no reverse for the digipak.

Halestorm latest album, Into the Wild Life, is similar in terms of colour. While it is not a complete contrast between two colours, it is entirely black and white, which contrasts in itself.

Once again, the bands name takes priority over the album title. The name is spray painted in large letters behind the band on gear cases that are used for tour, while the name of the album is printed on the back of Lzzy Hale's jacket.

The use of tour gear clearly represents the title, as many bands (including Halestorm) refer to tour life as being wild, and this particular band is on tour for a majority of the year.

The band also appear in this cover, unlike Skarlett Riot, so the imagery of the band may not be entirely important. Similar to how many of the albums I own prioritise the band name, they also tend to not contain the band (For example, the bands Shinedown and Lacuna Coil have never appeared on the cover of any of their albums). Halestorm are the only band whose albums are consistent with showing the members, either photographed or in cartoon form.

Into The Wild Life is less simple and conforms more to the characteristic of having a lot going on or looking more informal, as the band are wearing jeans, denim and leather.

The reverse of the digipak contains the track listing, barcode, legal information and the address for the bands and labels website, as well as the backs of the band members.

It is a common characteristic to have the track listing on the reverse, although the use of another  image without any print on it is unusual, as bands and artists simply have the tracks printed on the reverse image, as opposed to above it.

Music Video Analysis Two

Halestorm- Amen

 

To contrast with the other video I analysed, I decided to look at Halestorm, who are a signed American band (Skarlett Riot are from the UK and unsigned).

Once again, this video contains a performance element, but there is also a narrative segment at the start.

All the members of the band are seen carrying out normal careers at the start and later go on to perform in a warehouse type setting.

 As seen below, the band members can be seen in the aforementioned normal jobs. Arejay is a chef, Joe is working at a guitar shop, Josh is a school bus driver and Lzzy is working at a call center. They are later seen performing, dressed as they would normally be seen (Josh is out of shot in the picture). However, the way Arejay appears is completely amplifying, as he is wearing a white jacket and suit, yet rarely wears this in other videos or when the band are playing live.





In terms of the lyrics and the visuals, it is amplifying as the song is about it being your life and doing what makes you happy. The band can be seen breaking away from a 'normal' life that makes them miserable, or at least unsatisfied, to play in a band that makes them truly happy, despite the fact that they are not playing a huge area.

When the video cuts, it is amplifying as it sometimes cuts on the drums, but also on Lzzy's vocals and guitar. One cut where the cut occurs on all three is when Jessie can be seen hitting the counter while Arejay is cooking.

There is some sexualising in the female body in this video, as there is a woman who is playing with fire while wearing a bra and skirt. This can be seen as presenting women as dangerous while showcasing the female body.

This can also be viewed as being the case with Lzzy, who is wearing short shorts with ripped tights, something that is typical of a girl in hard rock and may be playing towards the heterosexual male viewpoint of sexualising women without having them down to their underwear.

 

 

 

 

Another thing I have noticed in the video is the common characteristic of the close up for the solo being present when Joe is playing the solo, although the video cuts a lot during this segment to show the others playing. This part is followed by Lzzy singing through the first part of the chorus, and a medium long shot shows her screaming the word 'lust', another characteristic that is common in music videos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, I found the idea of the band going to play this show reminiscent of the video for 'This ain't a scene, it's an arms race' by Fall Out Boy, where the band wake up after having dreamt about this epic career, and rush to get to a high school where they play a small show. While Halestorm aren't rushing to this warehouse for the sake of the show, the fact they are leaving their normal lives to play this small show remind me of Fall Out Boy's video and may be seen as an intertextual reference.

 



Music Video Analysis One

Skarlett Riot- Rising

One thing that is especially prevalent in this video from the start is the performance element. Skarlett can be seen lip syncing and playing guitar, Danny can be seen playing lead guitar, Tom is seen playing bass and Luke is playing drums.

A video that is entirely the performance is a common characteristic of rock videos.

In terms of the relationship between lyrics and visuals, it is contradicting, as there is no relationship between the two, as the video is entirely performance-based and therefore has no narrative that can be related to the lyrics.

To a point, the video cuts on beat with song, but the cutting is not consistent. It always occurs on either a drum beat or the main riff of the song but the time between each cut varies, making the relationship between the music and visuals amplifying.

Also, in the sepia sections, it is easier to make out how the band is dressed, and the way in which they are is clearly illustrative because they appear as they always do in their other videos (except for Skarlett, who has recently changed her look slightly).

 

The use of silhouettes in this video is creative, and in the chorus, segments are in a sepia tone, so the contrast in style throughout the video is interesting.

The sepia tone is also used to show the guitar solo, as it makes it easier to see how Danny is playing during that section of the song with the use of close ups (another common characteristic of rock videos is being able to see the way the guitar is being played during the solo)

 

As far as I'm aware, their are no intertextual references, and their is no sexualised treatment of the female body in any part of the video. Skarlett is not dressed in a 'provocative' manner at any point.