Immersion and metal music videos

Music videos are designed, filmed and edited to magnify the musical experience, and, when well-used, contribute to making artists stand out. With the evolution of media and technology, ‘localness’ can be broadcast worldwide, and folklore, culture and traditions are at the heart of many metal groups’ preoccupations. By making their culture a central part of their music, Alien Weaponry’s success has resulted in the Maori culture, history and legends achieving international recognition in the metal music world. ‘Kai Tangata’ and ‘Hatupatu’, the music videos directed by Alex Hargreaves, operate to further represent elements of Maori culture, by adding a visual dimension to Alien Weaponry’s use of te reo Maori, the Maori language. Using formal and comparative aesthetical analyses, reinforced by a theoretical approach, the use of immersion in this representation will be discussed. Firstly, the representation of the characters in the videos and their role in the narration will be analysed. Secondly, the affect and the dynamism brought by the rhythm and the structure of music and images will be examined. And finally, the representation of bodies, gestures and rituality will be analysed, as a representation of the Maori culture, meant for both Maori and non-Maori people.