"Avenged Sevenfold - Afterlife" Denotation

First performance scene

Second performance scene

This video is mainly performance based, with two separate scenes of performance being used in the video, the first features the band performing in a warehouse, these scenes have heavy use of dark colours (such as in the form of the drum kit and amplifiers, as well as the actual colour of the warehouse) which relates to the music genre, which is hard rock/metal. The band member's clothing in these shots also indicate the genre, as one member is wearing a leather jacket and two members are wearing sleeveless tops, something interesting to point out here is that the rhythm guitarist is wearing a shirt and bow-tie, which relates to the narrative, as will be explained later. The second performance scene features the band performing with a green-screened bright white background, contrasting to the first performance scene, this relates to the lyrics, as it gives a surreal, heavenly feel to the performance, as the vocalist is singing about being in his "afterlife" and the first scene could symbolize life, and the second, death, as (something I learned from last year's media filming) white is often associated with death. This contrast is a theme that has been used with other aspects of mise-en-scene such as the instruments, for example the drum kit is mostly white in the second scene, and the lead guitar and bass have both changed from black to white. These details get even more precise in things such as the vocalist wearing white-rimmed glasses.

This video also contains some narrative as each band member has a separate scenario, such as guitarist Zacky Vengeance ballroom dancing and bassist Johnny Christ holding and then releasing some white doves. These pieces of narrative relate to the lyrics, as in the vocalist's, he is running away from the camera, while repeatedly looking back over his shoulder "move on dear, escape from this afterlife". The white doves relate to the religious aspect of the song "I pray by the grace of god that there's somebody listening" "Oh lord I'll try so hard, but you gotta let go of me". The tarantula on the drummer's face relates to the fear side of the lyrics "So out of place, don't wanna stay, I feel wrong and that's my sign." The lead guitarist Synyster Gates holding a skull relates to the whole of the lyrics in general, as the song is about dying too early. And the narrative scene of the ballroom dancing relates to missing loved ones "Got nothing against you and surely I'll miss you."

Last shot of video

In the performances there are quite a lot of close-ups of the vocalist, which is a common convention of music videos, as it reinforces the idea that it is him telling his story in the video, this focus is also used in the last shot of the video, as it is a long shot of the five band members walking towards the camera all wearing black, apart from the vocalist who is wearing a white top and is in the centre of the group.