a powerpoint outlining the conventions of heavy metal music video

1. Heavy Metal
- “loud and harsh sounding rock music with a
strong beat; lyrics usually involve violent or
fantastic imagery”

2. History of Metal Music
• Heavy metal music also known as metal, is a genre of rock music developing in the
late 1960s and early 1970s mainly in the United Kingdom and United States. Heavy
metal supposedly contained influences from blues rock and psychedelic rock but
created its own sound with conventions exclusive to that genre.
• Some of these included: extended guitar solos, emphatic beats and general loudness.
As well as the lyrics often described as being masculine, aggressive, controversial and
also containing “violent or fantastic imagery”.
• The new genre attracted large audiences for the first big heavy metal bands like Led
Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath despite the controversial manner of the
genre and critics dislike of the altering of rock music.
• During the 1970s and 1980s, the new genre gained sub-genres. In the mid-1970s,
Judas Priest discarded the blues influence of the genre which prompted other heavy
metal bands to develop the genre themselves. Motörhead introduced a punk rock
influence to the genre and focused on the speed of the music which some British
metal bands followed in such as Iron Maiden and Saxon. By the end of the decade,
heavy metal fans were known as “metalheads” or “headbangers”.
• During the 1980s, more subgenres became popular. Mötley Crüe and Poison made
glam metal a commercial force while other extreme subgenres were thriving in the
underground scene. For example, thrash metal which eventually became more
mainstream thanks to bands like Metallica and Slayer.

3. Conventions of a Metal Music Video
• Snappy shots- quickly edited for very short shots and a fast paced video.
• Flashing lights- whether it be lightening or shots of flashing lights at a live performance. Adds to
the pace of the video and makes it more frantic.
• Close ups of a live performance- quick close ups of the lead singer signing, the guitarist or the
drummer playing.
• Dark, abstract shots- someone drowning, scary faces, references to religion, sin, prayer, hell, fire,
death and the devil.
• Subtle shots- quick flashes of those abstract shots come up over live performance shots and
disappear again or appear faded in the background and fade out again- again adds to pace and
how frantic the video is.
• Dark, plain colours- lots of shots flashing to black and a lot of emphasis on night. Other colours
used include white, mainly for lights and red, (blood, the devil)grey (cold, heartless) and green
(evil).
• Reoccurring shots- the same shots appear throughout the video. Same scary faces and abstract
shots.
• The conventions of a heavy metal music video aren’t too dissimilar to that of a horror story.
They aren’t subtle in their music videos.
• Costume- dark clothes, leather, black

4. Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsmcDLDw9iw
• Opens onto a very abstract shot of a cemetery, reinforcing the idea that heavy metal music videos
often make references to death. There are dark colours in this scene also.
• When the music begins, the video is mainly centered around shots of the live performance. For
example the first shot after the cemetery is a close up of a guitar being played and a lot of the
video consists of close ups of the live performance, mainly the singer who constantly has green
lighting and smoke behind him which links to evil and horror films. Heavy metal music videos all
center around shots of the band performing live.
• Constant flashing shots of people in scary masks, Godzilla and explosions slightly faded appearing
behind the shot of the live performance.
• Emphasis on the flashing white, blue and green lights at the live performance when the music
speeds up and becomes louder.
• Based mainly around the live performance with sporadic, second- long shots of beasts, monsters
and people in scary masks.
• This video also has references to the devil late on with the red lights flashing and the numbers
“666” appearing late in the video. More obviously, there is also someone wearing a devil costume
in the video.

5. Metallica – Enter Sandman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD-E-LDc384
• Much more fast-paced opening to the video. Still maintaining the dark, disturbing, abstract
shots though. The pace of the video comes from the snappy shots and the way they crossover
and fade into each other.
• The abstract shots in this particular video are of the boy in the bed with the lightening flashing
on his face- flashing white lights. As well as the man drowning- disturbing, dark images-reference
to death.
• From the beginning, close ups of the live performance are apparent in this video also- guitarist
playing for example.
• Constant flashing to black- almost every shot flashes in from a black screen and back again-adds
the pace to the video.
• Horror aspect- this video also contains the scary/creepy faces as in the previous one. This time
it’s a creepy old man also accompanied by the conventional white lighting and flashing effect.
• Lack of bright colours- almost every shot is dark and even the brighter shots seemed to have
been dimmed down or filtered- adds to the negative, horror aspect of the video.
• Also adding to that horror aspect of the video is the obvious inclusion of the snake which is
linked with horror films.
• Same flashing colours used- white and red.
• Links to religion- the boy praying.

6. Slayer – Bloodline
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUPoi16rTqU
• One thing consistent throughout all three videos is the emphasis on the live performance. This video
is also based entirely around the band performing.
• As did the other ones, this starts with jumpy, fast-paced shots of disturbing images for example blood
which is linked with horror and death.
• In addition, the room is very bare and grey- making it look very plain and soulless. This also emphases
the flashing images of blood covering the rooms.
• Again, the main light used in this is a white light that constantly flashes off into darkness.
• As the other videos had, this video contains a lot of close up of the band playing and singer singing.
• I mentioned the links with religion in heavy metal music videos but it seems to only be negative links
to religion- in this case it’s a priest who abuses children.