Critical Evaluation of AS media Production

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Unit 2733- Critical Evaluation

Part 1

For our A2 Media Production coursework, we were asked to create a pop music video for any desired genre of music. We started to research many genres of music video’s ranging from rap and hip hop to rock and metal. We finally decided after short listing about ten songs to create a video for the Thrash Metal anthem Raining Blood by Bay-Area metal band Slayer. Raining Blood" is the final track from  band 's 1986 album, , and is quite possibly their most famous song as it is their . The song has become a live staple played at almost every Slayer show since its release, and is featured on every Slayer  and DVD. Due to the sheer popularity in mainstreem modern culture, we knew making a video for the song would be a tough task and needed a definate theme running throughout.

We studied over video’s of the Metal genre, ranging from 80’s metal bands such as Metallica’s video for the song One, where a soldier has lost his mind and used clips from the film, Johnny Got His Gun (a 70’s anti-war film based on a novel) The idea of having a character loosing his mind and becoming insane appealed to the group largely, as it fitted in well with the lyrical theme’s of the song. Another video that we drew much inpiration from was, suprisingly, of a non-metal genre. The video for drum and bass outfit Aphex Twin’s song, Come To Daddy (Directed by Chris Cunningham). The setting of the video, a really derelict council building, seemed a very good location as it represented the raw agression and heavyness that the band Slayer have within their music.

Quickly after the research stage, we began to storyboard basic, primitive idea’s, some of which did not make the final cut of our video. One such idea was to somehow use fake blood on some of the band shots. In the end we thought this was too clichéd and cheesy. We also shortlisted several locations in the Greater Manchester area including derelict libaries and an abandoned hospital in Warrington. The group one day stumbled across the perfect location that was right under our noses, an old Crankshaft Factory in the town of Eccles, somewhere that all memberd of the group were firmiliar with. After a brief excersion to the site, and a safety check was done on the building, the green light was given for us to film within the premesis. We felt as if the rugid, industrial feel of the bulding was perfect for the charcter we had in mind.

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Before we can prodcution we had to construct a strong narative that could run through the video along side the main band shots. This is where inspiration from video’s such as One by Metallica(mentioned previously) and Death Metal song Homage to Satan by Deicide started influence the narrative we were thinking of. The music video for British Metal Legends, Iron Maiden’s Be or Quick Be Dead(1991) played a big part in out group choosing an industrial setting for our video.

In the genre of Metal, songs take a much more serious and sometimes evil lyrical themes, such as ...

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