Thursday, 16 September 2010

Record Label research

Good life recordings - Good Life Recordings is a record label based in Belgium. The label specializes in hardcore bands as it was founded by the lead vocalist 'Edward Verhaeghe' from Nations on Fire. It was founded in 1996 and it has released many highly significant bands of the second and third wave of hardcore, as well as the majority of the signed bands that are part of H8000. Between 2000 and 2003 Good Life made a deal with Trustkill Records to release limited Picture discs and compilations of some of its bands. Bands signed with the label at the moment are A Traitor Like Judas, Angel Crew,As We Fight, Congress.

Another label that deals with Rock is Hopeless Records. It is an independent record label founded in 1993 which is located in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California. The other genres of music they use are punk rock, pop punk, post-hardcore, or alternative rock, but some also include elements of various genres of metal. The label was founded by Louis Posen. Bands signed to this label are Thrice, Anarbor, All Time Low, There For Tomorrow, and The Human Abstract.




The major record company that deals with some Rock music is Warner music group. It is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies. Warner Music is one of the major companys that cannot trace its ancestry to either Columbia Phonograph Company or Berliner Gramophone. The roots back date to the founding of Warner Bros many years ago. The headquaters for the company is in New York, United States. It includes bands like Aveneged Sevenfolds, The Darkness, and DevilDriver

Monday, 13 September 2010

3 CD Covers - Rock



As Blood Runs Black
This CD cover is for my chosen genre. There is an extreme long shot of men standing with their backs to the camera looking at the moon which is central in the photo. This creates a dark, on egde feeling as we are not able to see their faces and their bodies are only black silhouettes. The main colours used are black and green and the title is in a green colour with a black outline. The title 'As Blood Runs Black' which is at the top of the cover, looks as though it has been scratched in as it is very messy but sharp. You can also see in the mens hands that they are holding which what looks like axes and shuvels which gives of the idea of a murder or something dangerous as it is also set in the middle of the night as their is a bright, white full moon.




Bring me the Horizon
This is another CD cover for my chosen genre. This is different from the one above however it still sticks to the same obvious conventions. It is very wierd as it is a mid shot of a young girl looking with wide open eyes directly at the camera which creates an uncomfortable connection with the audience. She is also holding someones bloody intestines in her hands which is very wierd. She has no facial expression and her makeup is pale which portrays the idea of 'death'. She is wearing a black dress but isnt portrayed as a 'pretty going out' dress as she also has bold red blood splatters up her arms. This again gives the sence of evil like the cover above with the idea of murder, and, blood. The background is white which makes your eyes concentrate mainly on her.



We are the ocean
This CD cover is different from the other two. It is more like a cartoon drawing than a taken photograph. It is again set at night time with the dark blue sky with 6 yellow hot air balloons in the sky. Their is a light house in the background which sets the scene of 'the sea'. At the front left there is a large drawing of a women with very long green hair. The long hair represents the genre as most of the members within the 'Rock' bands have long hair. The hair also blends in with the title 'We are the ocean' which is to the left of the cover. The font is very swirely and thin like the womens hair. Green, black and a little bit of white are the colours mainly used again.


From these 3 CD covers it is clear to see that they are all very different however use the obvious same conventions as each other such as colour and people. All the models used within the frames hae blank facial expressions and are portrated as dark. They use mainly dark colours and backgrounds and are even set at night time.

Rock Video Analysis

Evenessences - Bring Me To Life
The video starts with a strong wind sound and a soft tempo when a girl begins to sing. It is set at night time and the music becomes stronger when we see the girl falling out the window which instantly makes the 'rock' genre recognisable. There is alot of fast jump cuts that make the song faster and stronger. You then hear the male sing. He sings with a band who are also playing instruments which aredrums and electric guitars. The whole story line represents a 'death' feeling as the female lead singer jumps out a window in a nightgown with her long black hair blowing in the wind behind her. The cold, misty, windy night also creates a dark atmosphere for the video. The camera tracks out at the end to an extreme long shot to show the old, tall, crusty building.

30 Seconds To Mars - Kings and Queens
The video starts with an establishing shot of the orange sunset with the band members all standing there but you can only see them as black silhouettes. This also creates a night scene which you then see throughout the video. There are many close ups of the lead singers singing to the camera which creates a connection with the audience. A sort of story used throughout is loads of people riding bikes somewhere wearing very abstract things such as gas marks. The musics beat then cuts of when someone on the bike gets hit by a car in slow motion. The band then use an abstract idea of a horse running in slow motion towards the camera. They use a live audience of loads of people in the background for a certain part of the song of all the people riding the bikes.

Bullet For My Valentine - The Last Fight
The video again is set in a dark scene. It starts with an extreme close up of the band members eyes which creates an instant connection with the audience which also makes you feel on edge and easy. It has many whip pans as the song is very fast and loud aswell. It has many close ups of the electric guitars and the band members head banging and jumping around. The basic story line is of a fight and you see many close ups of the mens hands, face, mouth and other body parts of them sweating. The story is in slow motion which shows the difference between the narrative and the band members.

Sunday, 12 September 2010

Conventions of Rock music videos

Hard Rock/Heavy metal have many obvious conventions which are;
-Play instruments (guitar/drums)
-Have a main singer (quite screamy)
-Music is very loud/fast
-Colours are dark (black/red)
-Band members are very 'head banging'
-The band members have long hair which swoops across their face
-Main singer will come very close to the camera
-Fire/darkness is associated in the videos
-The narrative is still usually involving a 'love story' or affair

Thursday, 9 September 2010

Conventions of a Music Video

Even though all music videos are different, they all tend to use the same conventions which are;
- Fast paced cuts
- Cutaways
- Bands
- Instruments and close up of the instruments
- Dancing as a group
- Lipsynching (The most essential thing)
- Singing to the camera to show emotion
- Close ups of the lead singer and see most of them
- Random storys
- Slow motion and Speed ups
- Fades/Pans/Tracking shots
- Extreme long shots to show the band or a dance together
- Jump cuts

Wednesday, 8 September 2010

Mood Board - HardRock/Heavy Metal

Add VideoAdd ImageThis mood board for our chosen genre shows that the genre consists of bands and males. The colours are mainly black and red to represent evil and the devil. It shows the bands instruments that are drums and electric guitars. The band members mainly have long, dark hair and wear dark colours. They also have lots of tatoos and the music is played on Kerrang Radio.