Skip to main content

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.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

War of the Worlds: Blog tasks

War of the Worlds: Blog tasks Media  Fact sheet Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #176: CSP Radio - War of the Worlds. Our Media Fact sheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Fact sheets - you'll need to save the fact sheet to USB or email it to yourself in order to complete this at home. Read the fact sheet and answer the following questions: 1) What is the history and narrative behind War of the Worlds? Orson Welles’ 1938 radio play is an  adaption of H.G. Wells’ novel of the same  name, first published in 1898. It tells the  story of an alien invasion and the ensuing  conflict between mankind and an extraterrestrial race from Mars 2) When was it first broadcast and what is the popular myth regarding the reaction from the audience? Broadcast live on 30th October 1938, a popular myth has it that thousands  of New Yorkers fled their homes in panic, and all across Ameri...
Post a Comment
Read more

‘Coursework draft tutorial feedback and learner response’.

Anisa Statement of Intent second draft: ·          Very solid Statement of Intent that covers the majority of areas required. ·          I think you could add to representation in terms of ethnicity as well as gender (and add some more theory – Butler, Gilroy etc.?) ·          Add an industry context – funding, distribution, digital promotion etc. Trailer rough cut comments: ·          Lots of potential here with some nice jump scares – the fast paced section in the middle is exactly what we’re looking for. ·          You’re missing loads of easy trailer conventions (most text on screen) that will immediately give it more of a trailer feel. ·          Add some dialogue at the start to explain the narrative (estate agent speak...
Post a Comment
Read more

Life Hacks: debt advice feature on BBC Sounds

Listen to this debt advice feature on BBC Sounds. BBC Radio 1: History BBC Radio 1 launched in 1967 playing pop music and using jingles in the style of American radio. It was a significant change from previous BBC content and was hugely popular in the 1970s and 1980s (some shows had 10m+ listeners). It became available on DAB digital radio in 1995 but not promoted until digital radios were more popular in 2002. It is available via digital TV and online via BBC Sounds. Radio 1 is famous for events as well as radio – summer Roadshows, Big Weekends and the annual Teen Awards. Industries: Radio in decline Although the BBC still boasts impressive audience figures for BBC Radio 2 and 4, it has struggled to attract young listeners to BBC Radio 1 in recent years. Since 2010 listeners have declined – and although BBC R1 targets 15-29 year olds the average listener in 2017 was aged 30. Radio 1 is increasingly focusing on digital and social media with 16m weekly YouTube views reac...
Post a Comment
Read more