Final Index: Music Videos :)

My Music Video Index

1) Music Video - introduction and factsheet questions

2) Music Video theory

3) Common - Letter to the Free context and analysis

4) The Specials - Ghost Town context and analysis

Music Videos: The Specials - 'Ghost Town' Close Study Product :)

Background and historical contexts

Read this excellent analysis from The Conversation website of the impact Ghost Town had both musically and visually. Answer the following questions: 

1) Why does the writer link the song to cinematic soundtracks and music hall tradition?

The writer links the song to cinematic soundtracks and music hall traditions as it starts with a Hammond organ’s six ascending notes before a mournful flute solo, it paints a bleak aural and lyrical landscape. Written in E♭, more attuned to “mood music”, with nods to cinematic soundtracks and music hall tradition, it reflects and engenders anxiety

2) What subcultures did 2 Tone emerge from in the late 1970s?

In the late 1970s, 2 Tone had emerged stylistically from the Mod and Punk subcultures and its musical roots and the people in it, audiences and bands, were both black and white. Ska and the related Jamaican Rocksteady were its musical foundations, sharpened further by punk attitude and anger 

3) What social contexts are discussed regarding the UK in 1981?

In 1981, England was hit by recession and away from rural Skinhead nights, riots were breaking out across its urban areas. Deprived, forgotten, run down and angry, these were places where young people, black and white, erupted. In these neglected parts of London, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool the young, the unemployed, and the disaffected fought pitch battles with the police 

4) Cultural critic Mark Fisher describes the video as ‘eerie’. What do you think is 'eerie' about the Ghost Town video?

The very blank facial expressions portray a sense of 'eeriness' in the music video and this has been paired with conventions of the horror genre such as low-key and underneath lighting- this creates a feeling of unease for the audience because there is no sense of emotion or passion in the video 

5) Look at the final section (‘Not a dance track’). What does the writer suggest might be the meanings created in the video? Do you agree?

The writer suggests that the meanings created in the video are meant to portray a cry out against injustice against closed off opportunities by those who have pulled the ladder up and robbed the young, the poor, the white and black of their songs and their dancing, their futures- I agree with this suggested meaning because we can infer that the band members reflect society at the time because they driving around with no purpose because there are no opportunities for them and this was the reality for people like them in society. Even at the end of the music video, they are throwing rocks into the River Thames and they seem to have gotten nowhere and arrived at no particular destination which reflects how aimless young people felt about their futures at the time that the music video was released 

Now read this BBC website feature on the 30th anniversary of Ghost Town’s release

1) How does the article describe the song?

The article describes the song as a depiction of social breakdown that provided the soundtrack to an explosion of civil unrest 

2) What does the article say about the social context of the time – what was happening in Britain in 1981?

In 1981, Britain was in industrial decline which had left the city suffering badly- as a result, unemployment was among the highest in the UK 

3) How did The Specials reflect an increasingly multicultural Britain?

The Specials reflected an increasingly multicultural Britain with a mix of black and white members- the band's 2 Tone record label gave its name to a genre that fused ska, reggae and new wave and created a crisply attired youth movement 

4) How can we link Paul Gilroy’s theories to The Specials and Ghost Town?

Paul Gilroy's Black Atlantic theory can be applied to The Specials because they played ska music which is a hybrid mix of Jamaican reggae, American 1950s pop and elements of British punk rock. Gilroy's Black Atlantic suggested that things are not specifically African, American, Caribbean, or British but instead is a hybrid mix of all of these at once- which is very evidently shown in The Specials

5) The article discusses how the song sounds like a John Barry composition. Why was John Barry a famous composer and what films did he work on?

John Barry was a famous film score composer and he worked on the scores for 11 of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1967, as well as arranging and performing the "James Bond Theme" for the first film in the series 

Ghost Town - Media Factsheet

Watch the video several times before reading Factsheet #211 - Ghost Town. Once you have analysed the video several times and read the whole factsheet, answer the following questions: 

1) Focus on the Media Language section. What does the factsheet suggest regarding the mise-en-scene in the video? 

The factsheet suggests that the Ghost Town video uses the style of British social realist films. This genre is characterised by sympathetic representations of working-class men, the highlighting of bleak (often urban) environments and a sense of hopelessness. The video’s low-budget shoot, the social and political nature of the subject-matter of both video and song all reflect the codes and conventions of this film genre. The bleakness of the final shot where the band throw stones into the Thames is very powerful and nihilistic

2) How does the lighting create intertextual references? What else is notable about the lighting?

The lighting creates intertextual references to expressionist cinema seen in films like The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari. In the car, the band are lit eerily by a limited interior light source and what looks like a handheld torch to light the faces of those in the back from a low angle. This is a highly effective low budget filmmaking technique suited to the aesthetic 

3) What non-verbal codes help to communicate meanings in the video?

The non-verbal codes play a memorable role in contributing to the atmosphere of the video. The singing of the song with expressionless faces and direct mode-of-address with zombie-like, stiff body movements are suddenly relaxed in the manic middle section 

4) What does the factsheet suggest regarding the editing and camerawork? Pick out three key points that are highlighted here.

• One scene is cut like an action sequence of a car chase where both its style and short shot duration give a frenetic feel. This is reinforced by handheld, disorienting camerawork with whip pans and canted angles 

• The sequence near the start consists of a series of establishing shots and low angle shots which make the scenery loom in an intimidating way 

• The video ends with superimposition of a long cross-dissolve of the tunnel lights to the stone-throwing shot, to unsettling effect 

5) What narrative theories can be applied to the video? Give details from the video for each one.

Todorov's theory of equilibrium can be applied to the video: 

• EQUILIBRIUM: The band setting off together looking for something to do whilst being accompanied by a eerie diegetic sound and the green traffic light which is an arbitrary sign that things are being set in motion 

• DISEQUILIBRIUM: The bleakness and emptiness of the streets because, ‘Bands don’t play no more – too much fighting on the dance floor’

• NEW EQUILIBRIUM: Their bleak arrival at the river, having found nothing else to do 

6) How can we apply genre theory to the video?

Neale's theory can be applied to the video because the theory suggests that genres hybridise. Ghost Town is an example of how music videos often borrow from different cultural reference points. As discussed, the visual aesthetic for Ghost Town draws strongly on two cinematic influences- expressionist cinema of the 1920s and the social realist mode of film-making that began in the 1960s. The musical genre of ska had strong links to the 1960s, when it became popular in the UK with the mod sub-culture. Two-tone culture had diverse influences such as reggae, ska, and punk/new wave 

7) Now look at the Representations section. What are the different people, places and groups that are represented in the Ghost Town video? Look for the list on page 4 of the factsheet.

In the Ghost Town video many different people, places and groups are represented such as: 'Thatcher's Britain', the city, urban youth, race and masculinity 

8) How can Gauntlett's work on collective identity be applied to the video?

David Gauntlett suggests that media texts may offer us a sense of collective identity, by being an audience member and finding things in common with others via our shared tastes. In this sense, the song and video nurture a sense of male collective identity, and shares the experience of trying to negotiate identity. This means that the text offers a place for men to see their problems being enacted and perhaps compare them with their own lives in what was a time of economic deprivation for many when many traditionally masculine jobs were disappearing 

9) How can gender theorists such as Judith Butler be applied to Ghost Town?

Judith Butler's theories can be applied to Ghost Town because Butler suggested that gender was not defined by the sex we are born with, but is a collection of behaviours by members of a biological sex often based on attitudes and expectations held by society. She referred to these as a ‘performance’. These musicians seem to be ‘performing’ the structures of patriarchy which include brotherhood, camaraderie and male solidarity. Butler also argued that unless the media could also begin to transgress, (or cross) boundaries in the way it represented gender, it is difficult for society also to lessen its reliance on gender stereotypes. This is because stereotypes circulate in the media as well as in society itself 

10) Postcolonial theorists like Paul Gilroy can help us to understand the meanings in the Ghost Town music video. What does the factsheet suggest regarding this?

Postcolonial theorists like Paul Gilroy can help us to understand the meanings in the Ghost Town music video. The factsheet suggests post-colonialists might argue that there is double consciousness (Gilroy) here. This term refers to the experience of being part of a black minority in a predominantly white culture, seeing black representations being constructed for white people from the outside with very little self-representation. Black musicians, as part of a music industry in the UK which was controlled by the white majority, had limited control in terms of self-representation and were often side-lined in bands which were multi-ethnic 

TV assessment: Learner Response :)

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential)

WWW: There is clearly good knowledge here of terminology and the CSPs. The challenge is to add the exam technique that opens up the top grades 

EBI: Question focus + organisation for the 25-marker. See mark scheme/examples 

2) Read the whole mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment (even if you got full marks for the question)

Q1: 

The increasingly blurred nature of film genres in the contemporary media landscape. Sequels and parodies often offer intertextual references and audience pleasures linked to recognition of other films, franchises, genres or stars. Possible theories: Steve Neale – similarity and difference, Schatz – genres are dynamic and go through cycles. Kingsman: The Secret Service suggests the parody or deconstruction stages – where genres are experimented with to establish new or different conventions 

Q2: 

- Capital: Capital has been accused of left-wing bias for negative representation of wealth/upper middle class white British people and positive representation of multiculturalism and illegal immigrants 

- Deutschland 83: The focus on the cold war is a reference to actual historical and political events (e.g. Able Archer).

3) The first question demanded a response using postmodern terminology. Write a definition here of the three main terms:

• Bricolage: The juxtaposing of old and new texts, images, ideas and narratives to create new meanings 

• Pastiche: This refers to media products that imitate the style of another text, artist or time period. Pastiche is an example of intertextuality and takes a positive view of the original source. In contrast parody is similar but ridicules the original source (e.g. Scary Movie parodies horror) 

• Intertextuality: The reference to other texts within media products 

4) Look over your mark, teacher comments and the mark scheme for Question 2 - the 25 mark essay question on your TV Close-Study Products. Write a complete essay plan for this question based on the suggested answers in the mark scheme. You can either use something similar to your actual answer or alternatively start from scratch. Make sure it is an extensive, detailed plan focused on the question (representations; social and cultural contexts of production) and offering specific references to Capital and Deutschland 83 for each section

P1/Intro: The close study products I will be referring to are Deutschland 83 which is a German hybrid genre TV show which was set in 1983 but produced in 2015 and Capital which is a state-of-the-nation British TV drama set in modern-day London and also was produced in 2015 

P2: I strongly believe that Capital represents the social contexts in which it was released because there was extreme social inequalities (especially between social classes) at the time and this was captured and represented accurately in the show. This has been done through the characters, Roger who represents the upper-class in London, which is especially emphasises through his dialogue of "What use is 30 grand to anyone?" in order to reflect the ignorance that the upper-class have towards the working-class residents in London. This emphasises the wealth and money divide in British society and even allows us to apply marxism where we can see the minority (the elite) who are represented by Roger and Arabella in Capital have power and money and use their wealth and power to generate more power. When we compare the upper-class to the working-class in Capital, we can see the true social divide and the emphasis on left-wing ideologies  

P3: To some extent, I believe that Capital represents British culture in 2015 because British culture is difficult to determine due to the diversity of cultures that is presented in London and the show- a majority of the characters do not originate from British nationality 

P4: I do not believe that Deutschland 83 represents the cultural contexts of the time of production because the show was based on 1983 Germany where there was a divide between the East and West Germans and there was a large cultural divide. By the year of production, there was no division between East and West Germany so the events of Deutschland 83 are only reflective of the cultural contexts of 1983 instead of the year of production which is 2015 

P5: I believe that social representations in Deutschland 83 are less prominent because the social representations are not as noticeable as the cultural representations. However, the social context representations suggest that in the West, the working-class life is fetishised and the middle-class is criticised. However, the East presents a warm, intimate and friendly community whereas the West presents a cold and distant environment 

P6/Conclusion: This means that the social and cultural contexts in which they were produced are reflected in Capital are more prominently than the social and cultural contexts in Deutschland 83 

5) Based on this assessment, write three things you need to revise before the end of Year 12 exams in June

- The structure and organisation of a 25-mark essay question 

- The ways that postmodernism can be used in different media products and texts

- The exam techniques that must be used in order to achieve the top marks 

Music Videos: Common - 'Letter to the Free Close' Study Product :)

Social and cultural contexts

Read this Billboard interview where Common talks about Letter to the Free, political hip hop and contemporary American society. Use the article to answer the following questions on the social, cultural and genre contexts for Letter to the Free 

1) What is the 13th Amendment of the American Constitution?

The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime 

2) What were the Black Codes?

The Black Codes were restrictive laws designed to limit the freedom of African Americans and ensure their availability as a cheap labor force even after slavery was abolished. This law enforced the restriction of freedom for African Americans and led to the incarceration of (predominantly young) African Americans who had just gained their freedom from slavery and forced them back into following orders and doing labor tasks against their own will 

3) Why do people suggest that the legacy of slavery is still a crucial aspect to American culture 150 years after it was abolished by the 13th Amendment?

People suggest that the legacy of slavery is still a crucial aspect of American culture 150 years after it was abolished by the 13th Amendment because it affected such a large amount of African Americans and it cannot be disregarded and ignored by history because racism that originated from slavery still exists in American culture today. There is still an unbelievably high amount of racially motivated crimes against black people happening daily and this is because slavery holds so much dominance in American history and ignorant racists in America still hold the legacy of slavery despite slavery being abolished over 150 years ago

4) Why was Ava DuVernay inspired to make the Netflix documentary 13th?

Ava DuVernay was inspired to make the Netflix documentary 13th because she looked into how multi-billion dollar companies were making huge profits from the forced labour of black people in prison due to the loophole in the 13th Amendment 

5) Focusing on genre, what was the most significant time period for the rise in political hip hop?

The most significant time period for the rise in political hip-hop was the late '80s and '90s- Common says that this time period was most reflective of black empowerment, black love, black consciousness and just being aware

6) Common talks about other current artists that have a political or protest element to their music. Who are they? Are there any other hip hop artists that you are aware of that have a strong political element to their work?

Common talks about other current artists that have a political or protest element to their music such as Chance the Rapper and Kendrick Lamar 

Media Factsheet #223: Common's Letter to the Free

Read Media Factsheet #223: Common's Letter to the Free and answer the following questions:

1) How is Letter to the Free described on the first page and what album is it from? 

Common’s ‘Letter to the Free’ is a political protest song which uses rap and other musical genres such as gospel to communicate how America’s slave history and the various political laws governments have enacted, disproportionately affect black African Americans and people of colour, especially in terms of incarceration rates. 'Letter to the Free' 2016 is from the album Black America Again and is the eleventh studio album by Common and was released on November 4, 2016 

2) How does the factsheet link Common to the mythology of the American Dream?

The factsheet links Common to the mythology of the American Dream by communicating racial issues with a positive attitude- he said “I just want people to feel like they can achieve something great in their lives. We all go through rough times, but love is the antidote. You’ve got to dream and just believe in yourself. And if you believe, you will achieve it.” and this is more or less what the American Dream stands for because the American Dream is the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American and this is still prominent in American mythology because it presents the idea of equal opportunity for all Americans 

3) How does the factsheet apply Todorov's narrative theory to the song? Does this three-act structure also work for the video?

• EQUILIBRIUM: "Southern leaves, southern trees we hung from Barren souls, heroic songs unsung Forgive them Father they know this knot is undone Tied with the rope that my grandmother died Pride of the pilgrims affect lives of millions Since slave days separating, fathers from children"----> intertextual reference to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ linked to the lynching of innocent African Americans. The knot is a play on words, knot in the rope but also the knot/tie to the slave past. The European settlers (Pilgrims) have affected the lives of African Americans by imposing their supremacy over African Americans. Binary opposition of past and present that creates conflict but will only be resolved through equality of races

• DISEQUILIBRIUM: "Institution ain’t just a building – For America to rise it’s a matter of Black Lives And we gonna free them, so we can free us" ----> various political, economic and social laws implemented by U.S Presidents- especially the ‘war on drugs’ campaigns which have disproportionately affected people of colour. African Americans make up 40% of the prison population- whilst only 14% of the actual population. They work for businesses often for no money and have no rights. Binary opposition between freedom and incarceration

• NEW EQUILIBRIUM: "Freedom (Freedom) Freedom come (Freedom come) Hold on (Hold on) Won’t be long (Won’t be long) Freedom (Freedom)" ----> the struggle is long and slow but freedom is on its way for those African Americans who have hope- there is no resolution yet 

4) What does the factsheet suggest regarding the mise-en-scene, lighting and cinematography?

• MISE-EN-SCENE: Letter to the Free was filmed in an empty prison in Queens, New York State. The action takes place in the cells, corridors and gymnasium. The doors of the cells are left open throughout and this creates a sense of irony as we know that if they had people in them, they would be shut. This is one way in which the video connotes the theme of freedom. The stainless-steel toilet and bed show us the harshness and austere nature of prison life and the dehumanising effect it would have on the prisoners 

• LIGHTING: The video also intertextualises the aesthetic of film noir Hollywood crime dramas. Light and shadow are used to create the chiaroscuro effect with intense shadows. In the still below you can see how the light and shade make the men look like they are trapped behind bars, this reinforces the oppositional ideas of liberty and incarceration 

• CINEMATOGRAPHY: Works to communicate meaning that goes beyond the ideas of incarceration. The opening POV shot tracks us through a steel gate and into the prison taking the viewer with them. The hollowness and echoey nature of the prison appears also to symbolise the ‘hold’ of a slave ship where hundreds of slaves were packed tightly together. This has the very powerful effect of collapsing time and place and taking us back into history to experience it now. It is the absence of slaves and prisoners that makes us think about them all the more 

5) The factsheet offers some interesting ideas regarding representation and the positioning of the artist and musicians in the video. Summarise the main points here.

The video carefully positions the artists within the frame. There are no direct gazes at the audience which subverts the usual performance aspect of music videos. The first artist we see has his back to us drumming, oblivious to the audience behind him. This challenges the stereotype of the black artist as simply a performer and could be an example of how the video avoids, what Stuart Hall calls the ‘White Eye.’ Other framing of the musicians has them claustrophobic cells with the doors open which also coincides with a reference to poet Maya Angelou’s autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,

anchoring the idea of being trapped and also of the possibility of creative talent being wasted. The female singers are positioned centrally, and they look up with yearning as they sing ‘freedom comes’- invoking a kind of spiritual incantation and this represents the hopefulness that Common is trying to convey with regards to equality 

6) How can Paul Gilroy's ideas on diasporic identity and double-consciousness be applied to the Letter to the Free music video?

Paul Gilroy's ideas on diasporic identity can be applied to Letter to the Free because we can see black musicians gaining more power and representation in the industry now and black culture has an influence on cultural output in many different countries. This links to Paul Gilroy’s ideas about the impact the diaspora created by the slave trade had and still is having on Western culture. Gilroy’s ideas also could be used to explore the idea of a black identity, one that has been and is uniquely shaped by the slave history. He calls this double-consciousness which is an internalisation of both African and white identities that have been adopted in order to fit in with society 

Close-textual analysis of the music video

Re-watch the music video several times to complete the following tasks in specific detail:

1) How does the Letter to the Free music video use cinematography to create meanings for the audience? (Camera shots and movement)

• Long-shots/establishing shots throughout the music video- no close-ups in order to almost create distance between artist and audience which subverts music video conventions and this may have been done intentionally in order to force the audience to focus on the political message of the song instead of the performance and artist
• Long-shots also allow for the setting to be established successfully 
• There is no direct performance or address to the audience and the performers never look at the camera which also subverts typical music video conventions 
• Constant camera movement which is very slow which moves through the prison location before moving back out of the prison at the end of the video and this is symbolic of the progression of racism in American history throughout the years 

2) What is the significance of the constantly moving camera?

The constant movement of the camera signifies the constant fight that black people have against justice and equality and reflects the perseverance they have to achieve equality 

3) Why is the video in black and white?

The video is in black and white because of the historical element that allows the video to be reflective of the time the Common is expressing his concern about. The black and white video also creates a cinéma vérité aesthetic which is a French documentary genre associated with realism and has no heavy emphasis on editing in order to reflect reality in a more realistic way  

4) How is mise-en-scene used to construct meaning for the audience - prison setting, costume, props, lighting, actor placement?

• Prison setting- reflective of the subject matter of the song and the documentary which is mass incarceration 
• The setting has elements to reinforce the reflection of the subject matter such as prison cells, bars, the writing on the wall that says "no excessive noise" (which may be seen as a way of silencing the voices of black people)
• The video is in black and white and has naturalistic lighting in order to create a cinéma vérité aesthetic which is a French documentary genre associated with realism and has no heavy emphasis on editing in order to reflect reality in a more realistic way  
• The placement of the performers puts all of them in different locations in the prison and this is unconventional for music videos but it has been done in order to reflect the consequence of division caused by the 13th Amendment- this could be separation in society between black and white or even division within black communities where friends and family members have been wrongfully incarcerated or been a victim of a racially motivated hate crime 

5) What is the significance of the floating black square motif? Discuss your own interpretations alongside Common's explanation of it in the Billboard feature linked above.

I believe that the floating black square motif is reflective of the progression of the black experience in the USA- this is because we are taken on a slow journey where the floating black square is slowly zoomed in on into a close-up and is then shown in a cell to reflect the mass incarceration of black people in the USA and then it goes into the corridor to suggest limited freedom where black people are led to believe they are free but they are still restricted by society due to racism. The floating black square then ends up in a cotton field at the end of the video which presents the idea of freedom because they have no more limits but there is always a constant legacy and history of slavery in the USA that cannot be moved on from or ignored 

6) How does the video reference racism, slavery and the oppression of black culture? Make reference to specific shots, scenes or moments in the video.

Racism, slavery and the oppression of black culture has been referenced in this video through the lyric "instead of 'n****' they use the word criminal" and this is highly reflective of the racism that has taken place in America because the 13th Amendment has allowed police officers to incarcerate black people for "crimes" that are not even worth incarceration. The amendment has given police officers the ignorant view that ensures black people are still seen as criminals that are worthy of being locked up instead of real people. The shot of the cotton field at the end of the video is symbolic of the cotton fields that slaves used to work on- using the idea that the floating black square is reflective of the black experience, we can make the link that black people still feel the legacy of slavery because society is not free from racism yet and black people are still not free in the way that they should be 

Music Video Theory: Blog Task :)

Childish Gambino: This Is America

1) How does the This Is America video meet the key conventions of a music video?

This music video meets the key conventions of a music video because we can see the artist lip-syncing his parts of the song while looking at the camera for some parts to make it look like he is singing to the audience. There is a lot of camera movement in this music video that tracks the artist around because he is moving a lot throughout the video. Another key convention for music videos is narrative and we can see the narrative of this music video is that he is telling the story of what black people experience in America 

2) What comment is the video making on American culture, racism and gun violence?

This video is a clear criticism against American culture because it has been suggested that racism and gun violence has become incorporated into the very culture of America and society has become desensitised to this and no longer see it as the very real issue that it is. The sudden shift from singing to the brutal murder of black people reflects how neglected this issue is by society because it has been normalised as American culture and people no longer feel the need to react to it 

3) Write an analysis of the video applying the theories we have learned: Gilroy, Hall, Rose and Dyson. Try and write a short paragraph for each theory.

• Gilroy: Paul Gilroy's Black Atlantic theory can be applied to this music video because when Childish Gambino uses a gun to shoot the black people in the video, the lyric "this is America" plays which explains and justifies the shooting of the black people because it has been normalised as American culture so the idea of black diasporic identity is emphasised 
• Hall: Stuart Hall's Race Representation can be applied to this music video as well because the artist has played one of the three roles that he suggested black people play in the media. Childish Gambino played the role of The Entertainer because he is dancing for a majority of the music video and seems to be trying to entertain the audience by dancing for them 
• Rose: Tricia Rose suggested that hip-hop gives black Americans a voice to express themselves and this can be applied to the music video because Childish Gambino has been given a voice to express his disgust and shame about racism in American culture and raise awareness for the issues that black people are facing in America 
• Dyson: Michael Eric Dyson suggested that hip hop music is important because it sheds light on contemporary politics, history and race- this can be applied to this music video because Childish Gambino created the music video as a criticism against the injustice that black people have faced in terms of politics and history in order to raise awareness for audiences who are unaware of the injustices that black Americans faced and continue to face 

Now read this Guardian feature on This Is America - including the comments below

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

• Childish Gambino is playing an invocation of the racial caricature Jim Crow due to his grotesque smiles and exaggerated poses in the opening scenes 
• Childish Gambino is duping us with dance because in the background of Glover and co dancing, there are riots happening- the dancing masks and distracts us from the harsh reality which is perhaps what is also happening on social media 
• Childish Gambino is taking on the police as the line “this a celly / that’s a tool” has a powerful double meaning- fans have pointed out that on the one hand it refers to the case of Stephon Clark, shot dead by Sacramento police (who assumed he was armed but only had an iPhone on him) Glover distils the distorting way black men are seen by police with “tool”, meaning gun 

2) What alternative interpretations of the video are offered in the comments 'below the line'? Choose two and explain what the comments are suggesting.

• "It's just music.": This music video raised awareness for the injustice of black people in America and the way that black people have been continuously mistreated in America but this comment has adopted an ignorant approach towards the music video and sees it as just music despite the powerful message behind it. This music video empowered many young black people to go and make a difference for black people in society but this comment is simply ignorant by ignoring the representation of injustice for black people and the stories of how many black lives were lost 
• "This is (not) America": This is another ignorant comment because they have simply disregarded the decades of mistreatment of black people in America and all of the lives that were lost under the hands of racist Americans. Despite the very real statistics, some narrow-minded audience members refuse to accept that they have mistreated black people in America for decades. This comment suggests that some Americans refuse to hold accountability for the way they have treated black people even though there is very real evidence for this mistreatment

Music Video Introduction: Blog Tasks :)

Media Factsheet #69: Music Video

1) What is the purpose of a music video?

The purpose of a music video is to sell products, the most obvious of which is the song featured in the video. However, other connected products are also marketed by a music video 

2) How has the digital age changed the production and distribution of music videos?

The digital age changed the production and distribution of music videos completely because before, songs were only available at specified times in places that were approved by the record company (such as on weekly television chart countdown shows). However, the development of new media technologies meant that music videos, and the songs along with them, were more widely available at any time. Videos could be uploaded to video hosting sites like YouTube and viewed using portable media devices such as mobile phones and iTouch devices, allowing audiences to see the video and hear the song whenever and wherever they liked 

3) Which three major record labels are behind VEVO? What is VEVO and why was it created?

The three major record labels behind VEVO are: Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media. VEVO is a video hosting site specifically for music videos and the content of VEVO is syndicated to YouTube in the UK with YouTube and Google receiving a share of advertising revenue for directing users to the official versions of music videos rather than those uploaded by a third party 

4) What are the key conventions of a music video?

Movement, narrative, band/artist, lip-syncing, and intertexuality 

5) How can narrative be used in music video? Give an example of a music video that uses a narrative.

Narrative can be used in music videos to create a story that may relate to a song's lyrics and illustrate what is being said or be independent from the song and tell a different story. Some music videos have much more explicit narratives which are more closely linked to the song’s lyrics- such as Dilemma by Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland which shows a girl moving into a house as Nelly sings: “I met this chick and she just moved right up the block”

6) What examples are provided in the factsheet for intertextuality in music videos?

The example provided for intertextuality in music videos was the Blink 182 video for All the Small Things which makes references to videos by pop artists such as Back Street Boys (I Want it That Way) and Christina Aguilera (Genie in a Bottle) by directly copying scenes. However, references can also be more esoteric and obscure, allowing the audience to feel pleasure when they recognize the reference. For example, the video for My Chemical Romance’s Teenagers features ‘alternative’ cheerleaders, which is reminiscent of the cheerleaders in the video for Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. Most fans of My Chemical Romance are likely to be familiar with Nirvana and this iconic video 

7) Why do audiences enjoy intertextual references in media products?

Audiences enjoy intertextual references in media products as it acts as a reward for them for their knowledge but can also be an acknowledgement of their interests- this can make audiences feel seen and acknowledged as others may not understand the reference if they are not familiar with the other text 

8) Read the music video example analysis on page 3 of the factsheet. Select a music video of your own choice for each of the following headings and explain how each one links to the heading

 

Conventions (movement/narrative/artist): 

• In pop music videos, there tends to be a lot of movement to match the up-beat tempo of the music and this is seen in this music video during the "fight" moment in the video 
• There is often a narrative that reflects the lyrics of a song through a story that progresses through the music video 
• Taylor Swift is known for the narratives in her music video and the narrative in this music video is arguably the most distinguishable as we are presented with a clear progression of events- especially as this is a love song, a clear narrative can be portrayed 
• Pop music videos can be performance led, narrative led (or both) and it is clear that this music video is narrative led due to the clear story that is being told 
• In pop music videos, there is usually reference to the artist's name or song in the music video. In this video, as she sings the title of the song ("Blank Space"), Taylor's name appears in a tree carving where it says "Sean + Taylor" in a heart
• Taylor switches from singing to the audience to the man in the video repeatedly throughout the music video 
• There are a lot of establishing shots to establish the location of the scene and then there are long/mid shots where there are tracking shots of the artist 
• The use of close-ups allows us to understand the artist's emotions throughout the video and there are also scene where there is a tight frame to keep focus on the artist 

Intertextuality: 

• There are intertextual references to Wuthering Heights where they were dressed in dark clothing and had to make their relationship seem dark and sinister with a Gothic and mysterious feel 
• There are also intertextual references to The Picture of Dorian Gray where the man's portraits are slashed, followed by the slashing of his clothes 
• The red apple that Taylor is holding has intertextual references to Snow White's poisonous apple so the apple in the music video is reflective of Taylor's toxic/poisonous personality. The apple is red which also signifies the idea of the danger that the man is in due to her anger 
• The balcony scene references Romeo and Juliet which is a classic and iconic love story so the reference to this story creates the idea that their relationship is far from ideal and they should not be together but they can't be apart from each other 
• The shot of Taylor holding the apple is almost identical to the image on the front of the Twilight books which is another romance series 

Representation: 

• This music video portrays women as manic when they are in relationships because when the relationship in the video went south, Taylor began screaming at the man and fighting with him and we can see scenes where she drops his phone in the water fountain, slashes through a painting of him with a knife and vandalises the other paintings, cuts up all of his clothes and tosses them out of the window while they're on fire, smashes his car with a golf club and attempts to cut down the tree that they carved their names into 
• This music video also portrays men as the problem in relationships because he did something that caused their relationship to go downhill and Taylor clearly resents him for it 

Audience: 

• The target audience for this music video is likely to be for young people around the ages of 16-25 because this is when people start getting into relationships and listening to music about love or failed love
• The target audience is also likely to be around 16-25 because those are the ages that will understand the intertextual references throughout the music video 
• This music video is also likely targeted towards females because it shows how women deal with heartbreak and does not pay much attention to the way that men handle break-ups 
• This music video will not be aimed at older generations because due to the generational differences, an older audience would simply see Taylor as manic in this relationship but a younger audience will understand the struggles of modern relationships and sympathise with her instead of judging her for her actions and behaviour 

9) Watch the video for Ice Cube's It Was A Good Day (1993). How did this video set the conventions for later hip-hop music videos?

This video set conventions for later hip-hop music videos: the prop of a low rider car, the boys playing basketball, baggy clothing, gang culture, representation of 'the hood'. These conventions are now used in a majority of hip-hop music videos which leads to the suggestion that there will be a lot of intertextual references in hip-hop music videos 

10) How important do you think music videos are in the marketing and promotion of music artists in 2022? Are music videos still essential to a band or artist's success? 

I think that music videos are still extremely important in music artists success in 2022 because a majority of artists produce music to distribute on Spotify but the income from Spotify is extremely limited so the success of an artist would have to be achieved through the production of a music video. If an artist aspires to be successful in the music industry in 2022, they would have to produce a music video and perhaps the production of a music video shows the dedication that the artist has to the music industry and this may allow people to take the artist more seriously. Music videos also give audiences pleasure if they like the band/artist and this creates an environment where like-minded fans of an artist can interact and share their opinions of the music video and perhaps fans will share the video with other people and the success of the music video will increase rapidly and allow the artist to become more successful as well. This is why I believe that music videos are essential to a band or artist's success, especially in the digital age where there is access to an abundance of ways to interact with other fans and appreciate music videos