In concert and As-live Music Videos

Following on from my discussion of music genres and their different styles of video, I will now look at other styles of music videos. A very common style of music video is the in concert or as-live video. In concert videos are where a director puts together a music video from one or more live shows. Clips from the gigs are edited together and usually put to a professionally recorded version of the song. Sometimes the audio will actually be from the live performance but usually not.

As-live music videos on the other hand still have the artist performing in front of a crowd but the performance has been set up specifically for the production of the music video. Both of these styles showcase the energy or emotion of a live performance of the band, making them look popular as they have an audience and also helping the band to hopefully sell more concert tickets.

A huge range of camera angles are used in these styles of video as if the band’s performance has been captured from every possible angle. The camera work and editing will often reflect the pace of the music and the energy of the performance. There is still a great deal of focus on the lead singer but often there are plenty of shots of the audience too. Fans of the band can then see other fans on screen in their videos and can feel a sense of camaraderie. Often as-live videos will be more experimental in their camerawork such as in the video for Chop Suey by System of a Down.

In as-live videos, the location the performance is shot in will also be relevant. For example Sum 41’s Fat Lip is filmed in a skate park which will no doubt appeal to much of the target audience. In the video for Paradise City, Guns N Roses are filmed in real stadium concerts at the height of their popularity, showing just how incredible and huge their success has been.

Often the live performances might be intercut with other images. For example The Omen by Prodigy has a creepy little girl wandering through the crowd, Paradise City has backstage footage of the band and Papa Roach’s Last Resort has inserted shots of the fans in the crowd at home in their bedrooms. Coldplay’s Fix You starts with the lead singer wandering the streets and then ends with the band playing live.

What are your favourite in concert or as live music videos? I'm always on the look our for more examples from a range of music genres as I know some of my students will not be fans of my taste in music though I do try to include and refer to a range. I even put that horrible man Chris Brown on here.