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Music video theory blog tasks:

1) How does the This Is America video meet the key conventions of a music video?
This video has a performance element which means that the artist is continuously performing within this video and this puts out the suggestion that there is no complete narrative but a message is being conveyed about America how diversity is forbidden to some extent. This video puts forwards the notion of how other cultures in America are attacked and the artist performance allows audiences to engage as a result. 


 2) What comment is the video making on American culture, racism and gun violence?
This video is suggesting that racism is increasing in america and so is violence as certain cultures are not able to relate  with each other and may also mean that this can all be a sense of entertainment but also part of daily conversations on the news.


 3) Write an analysis of the video applying the theories we have learned: Gilroy, Hall, Rose and Dyson. 
This video could be applied to Paul Gilroy's theory The black Atlantic(1993) as he explored the influence on black culture and believes the the slave trades have had a huge influence on modern America and is highlighted in this video  by the situations shown. This could be reinforced by the Black music articulating diasphoric experiences as they are viewed as being the other.
Also this video could suggest that there is also a native representation as he is shown as being quite mocking through his facial expressions and this alludes to what Hall states.

Read this Guardian feature on This Is America - including the comments below.

4) What are the three interpretations suggested in the article?

  • one interpretation is that this article is suggesting  s that the video is associated with black culture which means that it is represented as being inferior and the fact that the video shows the gospel choir singing and then getting shot also created the impression that he is tired tired of pressure to accumulate wealth and be performatively,  and stay spiritually uplifted in the age of gun violence.
  • Another interpretation may be that there are many other distractions that can cause us to look at the less important things than the ones are actually happening.For example, childish Gambinos dance moves are put across to make that point as in the background there are many situations happening but audiences still are getting distracted by him.
  • Furthermore, the lyric in this songs ''this is celly that a tool'' could be suggesting that the case of Stephon Clark who was shot dead by police who assumed he was armed but only had iPhone on him.The video shows a pan of teens using phones and could indicate the fact that now they are used for documentation.

5) What alternative interpretations of the video are offered in the comments 'below the line'? 
There is suggestion that this could refer to the idea of community as his performance is quite engaging towards the audience and most people genuinely believe this is a accurate representation of America.






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