Avenged Sevenfold Seize the Day This video tells the story of the band going to rob a liquor

r store, but get caught and sent to prison. The performance part of the music video takes place largely in the prison cell. The lead singer and his wife are recording on a camcorder, and the rest of the band comes into the house, pulling on ski masks and getting ready for the theft. The woman is pregnant, and although she tries to stop them from going on the robbery, she cannot, and the classic ideology that women are weak is represented here, she is shown to be unable and weak. This stereotype is used to show the viewer quickly and easily that the woman is weak. The band goes into the liquor store, and begins to steal things, the men are being portrayed as strong and manly, for example in the prison cell, the lead singer is sitting staring at the camera, not reacting to his head being shaven. It is clear from the way the band conduct themselves that they have stolen before, and they are being shown as criminals, which is in keeping with many. The bands image is a rebellious one, because of the genre of music that they play, and the way that they look. The wife goes to see her husband in prison, and a fight ensues, this is the video trying to be real to life, by having a domestic dispute. The wife ends up storming off, and this could be a representation of how the woman can be strong when she wants to be. However, the music stops for a few seconds, and a truck hits the wife and she dies. The band attends her funeral, and the lyrics Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost are highlighted by the tragedy of the band. The members of the band are also wearing black, which is another sign of how they have been affected. The sad theme of the song is reflected in the editing; slow paced editing makes the song seem slower, and the dissolve transitions create a somber mood. There is a significant diversity, or tokenism in this video, for example the multi cultural inmates in the prison, and the Puerto Rican officers that catch the band. Laura Mulveys theory of the male gaze would be appropriate in this video, because at one point the lead singer is naked, and this would appeal to many of the bands female fan base. The dominant audience for Avenged

Sevenfolds music is teenagers and young adults, and having the naked scene blurred out means that the female viewers will be entertained by it, but the male viewers will not be offended or reluctant to view it again. Overall, the video tries to conform with classic conventions, and tries to appeal to multiple audiences through its use of tokenism and the male gaze.