Hardcore Genre Music Videos

Now that we have our chosen genre, I have chosen 3 music videos of that genre that I feel are very effective and professional videos, I will look to take ideas and conventions of a hardcore music video and possibly use them in ours.

Camera Work – The camera shots used in this video are very stereotypical of a hardcore music video, most shots are either close ups or mid shots, this allows you to clearly see who the band members are and what they look like, they have also used some long shots from the roof looking down, this gives a great sense of atmosphere, the fact it’s from the roof also makes the place look very small and cramped, making it more of an intense environment, even to the viewer, furthermore it helps to how the band don’t see themselves as needing to be higher than the crowd, it’s almost as if they are part of the crowd, which helps to show they love the music and the energy it creates.

Close up shots of the crowd singing and joining in is a main aspect of this video, this shows how much the crows love the music and are willing to join is very easily.

Editing - The editing is very conventional of a music video, the cuts are done on beat which helps to create momentum and help the video flow with the song. They have used slow motion shots in this video, this really gives emphasis to sections in the video in which the slow motion is, it also gives off a larger burst of energy when it goes back to normal speed, this is something I would like to incorporate within our music video as I feel it is a very effective technique.

On some of the shots, they have used an effect to show two clips at once layered on top of each other, this is extremely effective at showing how time as passed and the memories they’ve had in that building.

Mise-en-scene -  The video is of a live performance, however, usually a band would be set up on a stage playing to a huge crowd, this video is very different in that they are playing in what seems like a private venue, this makes you feel more special to the band as it is them playing in their band barn, the location is however perfect for the feel and most hardcore bands use derelict/worn down houses or buildings to have as their location.

The lighting is fairly dark, for a hardcore music video, this is quite typical and makes the place feel more abandoned and almost lonely, this works really well with the genre and enhances the deepness of the song.

For this video there is no storyline as such, however, there is text at the start of the video which explain how the barn has been such a large part of their lives, so the performance almost is the story.


Camera Work – The camera work in this video also follows strong conventions, they have used mainly close up and mid shots in both the storyline and the performance, this helps link the two and also helps to focus on the artists and the characters in the story, they also have a couple of extreme long shots, this are used to help set the location, it also helps to show how the city is so large, yet the focus of the story is only on 3 people so they must be very important, keeping you hooked to the video.

There are a lot of point of view shots from the crowd, this helps to give a feel of what the band are like live and also helps to give you the feel that you are there watching them.

Editing – The editing in this video is all very upbeat and fast, this helps to create a very fast flowing video and keep all focus of the viewer as will definitely not get bored watching it, the constant flick from storyline to performance helps you to keep in mind that is not a film, this keeps you listening to the music and also following the narrative.

This video also uses slow motion effects; this is obviously an effective method as it seems to be very much used in a hardcore video.

Mise-en-scene – The location in which they are playing is very basic and there doesn’t seem to be an extremely large crowd, this could indicate to more of a small time, private gig, again making it more individual and making the viewer feel more special whilst watching it.

There is no costume set or specific design for this video, hardcore artists tend to be very simple with how they dress, keeping the main focus on the story, they sometimes wear other band shirts to promote their band, mainly a band that is of the same genre.

There is a much larger narrative within this video about the lead singer changing the fate of 3 people, he then brings them to his gig and you see them become happy and it almost changes their mood and gives them a second chance, they have use amplification effectively here and it enhances the aspect behind the song a lot.

When the 3 characters are at the venue, you are given a mid-shot of each of them separately, even though the crowd are moving about and are extremely energetic, they stay still, just bobbing, this helps to really keep the focus upon them and gives off a sense that the music has almost got them in a trance.

Camera Work – The camera work in this video is very much following conventions, it sticks to using mainly mid shots and close ups, this is a very effective technique by not only keeping the focus but also making things very close and intense to the viewer, you would get that sort of feel from a long shot, however, long shots have been used, though these have been kept within the narrative section of the video more, this difference in shots helps you to be able to pick out the narrative easier from the video.

One huge aspect about the camera work in hardcore genre music videos is that it never usually stays still, the camera tries to give off to the viewer as much energy from the performance as possible, the movement of both the performers and the camera allows for that to happen.

Editing – The editing sticks to very traditional conventions of being fast paced and just using straight cuts, however, they have used a strange effect on the video to give it a guttery feel when watching it, I believe it is to make the viewer feel a bit off balance and unusual, this little personal touches and unusual styles it what makes people want to come back to watch the video again, making it successful for being different and standing out.

Mise-en-scene – Location is a largely obvious aspect of this video, quite a lot of bands use multiple location shots in their videos, although this looks effective and adds a sense of ‘where are they going to be next’, I don’t feel it will suit our video.

The narrative is very simple within the video and doesn’t really link to the lyrics as such, I think they have left the narrative purposely open to thought as it allows people to take what they will from the video and create their own meaning for the things they see, this is an interesting concept.

One of the most interesting props for this video is the use of feathers, this is the first time I have ever seen feathers used in a video and gives off a very peculiarly atmosphere, however, when used on the drum symbol, it gave a very nice effect as they all shot into the air, this has been done before with things such as water and dust, however feathers makes it more original.