Media A1:
Media Messages; Music Videos
This is America- Childish Gambino
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The rapper, AKA Donald Glover, has released a cryptic new video that amassed 10 million views in 24 hours and has been hailed as a work of genius.
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In the opening scenes, Glover uses grotesque smiles and exaggerated poses, with some on Twitter suggesting this is an invocation of the racial caricature
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Each time Childish Gambino fires a gun he hands it off to someone who whisks it away in a red cloth.
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Viewers interpreted these scenes as a reference to Americans' willingness to protect gun rights over people, despite the country's alarmingly high rates of gun violence.
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A little like that video where you’re told to follow a basketball being passed around, and you miss the moon walking bear in the background, Glover and co’s moves – doing YouTube dance crazes such as the hopping, kicking “shoot” – mask the riots happening behind them
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Childish Gambino’s dance moves distracted all of us from the craziness that was happening in the background of the video & that’s exactly the point he’s trying to make.
NOTE TO REMEMBER:
L ANGUAGE
I NDUSTRIES
A UDIENCES
R EPRESENTATIONS
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media language: how the media through their forms, codes, conventions and techniques communicate meanings (the type of language that is used today and what type of message it might portray within the piece of media)
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media industries: how the media industries’ processes of production, distribution and circulation affect media forms and platforms
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media audiences: how media forms target, reach and address audiences, how audiences interpret and respond to them and how members of audiences become producers themselves.
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media representations: how the media portray events, issues, individuals and social groups (a specific event that may be happening, an issue that may have already occurred or going to occur, whether the media is talking about an individual or a specific social group and how they are being represented)
Designated Videos:
Emily Sande- Heaven
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Features the artist and are a mixture of performance and narrative (telling a specific story within the video), and raise a number of similar representational issues (a specific issue that is being represented in the music video) surrounding ‘street life’ (suggesting the main topic of the music video).
Radiohead- Burn The Witch
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Does not feature the artists but celebrates the power of narrative (telling a specific story within the video) and signification (implying a certain signal/meaning behind it) and a postmodern (postmodern media rejects the idea that any media product or text is of any greater value than another) emphasis on intertextuality. (the process of creating references to any kind of media)
Music Video Genres:
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ROCK
heavy metal, heavy make up, loud, aggressive, depressing, serious topics, harsher, deep narratives,
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HIP HOP
dance music, positive, rhythmic, accompanies rapping/DJ, break dancing, sub genre of rhythm and beat,
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POP
bubbly, happy, positive, dance music, rhythmic, popular, sub genres...
Pop black metal, Pop punk, Pop rap, Pop rock, Popcorn (music style), Progressive pop, Psychedelic music, Psychedelic pop.
Another way of categorising music videos is in terms of the way they look and how we see the artist...
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Performance: This is where we hear the song and see the artist performing in a number of locations and settings. The video will cut between locations at different points in the song but we always seethe artist singing. Locations, settings, camera angles and edits are key to this type of video.
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Story line: The lyrics and/or feeling of the song are used to help create a story. The artist may or may not feature in the music video. These are sometimes known as narrative music videos and may look like a short film with the song in the background.
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Experimental: These can be story line and or performance music videos but may not be related to the lyrics or feature the artist. They may not make sense, but they create a mood, tone or comment that drives the video. This type of music video is also known as conceptual.
One Direction- History:
This song written and sung by One Direction fits under the genre of Pop. The music video is a feature of lots of different small clips of the groups memories. This video mainly falls under the category of performance.
Adele- Hello:
This song written and sung by Adele fits under the genre of Pop, yet it is quite sad and telling a very serious narrative behind the lyrics and the video. For that reason this video mainly falls under the category of story line.
My Chemical Romance- The Black Parade:
This song written and sung by My Chemical Romance fits under the genre of Punk/Rock. This video mainly falls under the category of experimental.
Emeli Sande- Heaven:
Throughout this music video there is a representation of both street life (homelessness) as well as other hidden meanings to why people may be living in these bad conditions. The setting of this narrative video is set in London, outside important and famous landmarks like the Cathedral. This linking to the strong theme of urban living conditions and the variety of people with different ethnicity backgrounds. Therefore, creating a stronger link to the ideology of the stereotype that most people with different ethnic minorities often live in the more urban areas and highly populated cities like London. This music video has been identified to have the background and setting of Bethnal Green in London
Statistics:
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There has been 44% of people totalled to be from different ethnic minority backgrounds
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In Bethnal Green there are a total of 32% of the population being Muslim
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The East End area is predominantly full of working-class (C1: 31% and D/E: 25%)
Emeli Sande- Heaven: Lyrics Analysis
Will you recognise me
In those flashing lights?
I try to keep my heartbeat
But I can't get it right
Will you recognise me
When I'm lying on my back?
Somethings gone inside me
And I can't get it back
Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wake with good intentions
But the day, it always lasts too long
Then I'm gone
Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wake with good intentions
But the day, it always lasts too long
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Will you recognise me
When I'm stealing from a car
You're not gonna like me
I'm nothing like before
Will you recognise me
When I lose another friend
Will you learn to leave me
Or give me one more try again
Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wake with good intentions
But the day, it always lasts too long
Then I'm gone
Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wake with good intentions
But the day, it always lasts too long
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wait with good intentions
Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wait with good intentions
Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wait with good intentions
You say that you're away
I try but always break
'Cause the day always lasts too long
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
Then I'm gone
associated with paparazzi and cameras (celebrities)
will you recognise her after she becomes a celebrity
she has changed as a person after becoming a celebrity
she tries to behave well so she can go to heaven but her attempt fails by the end of the day
convinced it isn't her fault that she misbehaves, but the fault of the day lasting too long
religious context to the idea of her wishing (potentially praying) that she can go to heaven once she passes
potentially talking about a loved one that has previously passed- this being the reason she wants to go to heaven and join them
An image of a sunny yet cloudy blue sky, representing the main theme of the song- heaven. Also implying the connotations of a hopeful atmosphere with the hope that she could go to heaven one day
A young lower-class male who appears to be experiencing a condition that mainly effects his skin pigmentation who is attempting to keep the side of his face and ears warm in the weather conditions, suggesting that he cannot afford appropriate clothing
A lower-class younger male with an ethnic minority background sitting on the street, suggesting the lack of substantial living he is experiencing on an everyday basis
This younger girl standing in front of the painting/drawing on the wall of beautiful angel wings links to the religious context behind heaven and the connotation of heaven and angels
This screenshot clearly shows the setting of the video being placed in an urban atmosphere- highlighting the strong message about street life in the city of London
This image is reinforcing the idea of street life and the high amount of homelessness that occurs in highly populated cities (e.g. London- where the narrative of this video is set)
There have been more religious aspects to the video implied here in this image due to the angel wings tattooed onto the back of this young mans body- linking again to 'heaven'
Emeli Sande is appearing to be looking up at 'heaven' in almost a matter of hope, implying her sense of hope that she will behave well to eventually join her loved ones in heaven
The constant images and appearances of younger children can imply a sense of innocence and pure happiness that Emeli Sande may be trying to portray through this video
Another screenshot of children from different ethnic minorities are implying almost some attitude shown through their mode of address which can indicate that they are also fed up of their living standards
Theory and Theorist:
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Representations of the working-class: Newman (2006) argues that when in the media working-class are often depicted in a very non-positive light
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Representations of the working-class: Curran and Seaton (2003) believe newspapers aimed at the working-class make the assumption that they are interested in serious analysis of either the political or social organisation
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Representations of poverty and underclass: Recent media interest in the labelling of the poor such ads 'chavs' which according to Shildrick and MacDonald (2007) suggest that the poor are undeserving of sympathy
Viewpoints and Ideologies:
Poverty is strongly represented through the countless number of people who appear to be homeless or living in terrible conditions with a terrible quality of life.
Capitalism links to the idea that capitalist believe that there should be two classes and no overlap between the two which is shown through the images of urban life and the homeless people.
Hedonism is represented but in a contrasted matter in the fact that quite a lot of people are not actually experiencing the highest good and proper aim of human life in the sense of the satisfaction of desires.
Consumerism may link to the idea of the highest amount of business that occurs on the streets in urban street life is the drug business.
Individualism is also going to have a strong link to the people who appear to be homeless are all in it for themselves and do not have a group like families or friends to help support them, therefore they are their own individuals.
Radiohead- Burn the Witch:
There is a constant image of red paint being used in every day jobs/life which creates connotations of red blood and the foreshadowing of the death/burning catastrophe. Also, there is a link to the ancient deadly disease of the plague that has the connotation of the painted red cross on the door which was believed to help warn others that that house had been afflicted by the plague. The video has used puppets throughout to tell the story which creates the question of 'Why puppets?'. The video plays as a pointed critique of nativism-embracing leaders across the UK and Europe, perhaps even the show's near-namesake stateside (Donald Trump, anyone?). With the "Burn the Witch" video, Radiohead use pastoral English imagery to confront a global phenomenon, and inject their characteristically iconoclastic voice in the U.S. presidential election season. Overall, it is a critical viewpoint opposed to enforcing community and solidarity by exclusion and exploitation.
Radiohead- Burn the Witch: Lyrics Analysis
Stay in the shadows
Cheer at the gallows
This is a round up
This is a low flying panic attack
Sing a song on the jukebox that goes
Burn the witch
Burn the witch
We know where you live
Red crosses on wooden doors
And if you float you burn
Loose talk around tables
Abandon all reason
Avoid all eye contact
Do not react
Shoot the messengers
This is a low flying panic attack
Sing the song of sixpence that goes
Burn the witch
Burn the witch
We know where you live
We know where you live
Seems to be a reference to the popular saying: “Flying under the radar”, meaning “untraceable” or “invisible”
This proves particularly salient here, as the speaker appears to be an authority figure forcing the people to turn on a dissident
Dating back to the 17th century, a red or black cross was painted on the front of a door to signify that the resident had been afflicted by a plague, and served as a warning to others
“Loose talk” is conversation that is “careless and indiscreet.”
Since Radiohead’s ‘Burn The Witch’ video hit YouTube, much of the discussion around it has focused on the inspirations behind its story and animation style- For example...
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The Trumptonshire Trilogy: In the late sixties, three connected animated series- Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley, which were all aired on the BBC showing the way of life in indyllic little communities and teaching children about community values
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The Wicker Man: The 1973 Wicker Man told the story of a devout Christian detective going to an island o investigate a disapearence that has happened (both videos are representing the story of an outsider being sacrificed due to the pure reason that they are an outsider)
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Medieval Practices: The menacing tone gets bleakly anti-intellectual via medieval details such as the red crosses painted on doors
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Jobe's: Throughout the video there is crates of tomatoes a reference to the empty crates of Summerisle Fruit in The Wicker Man- here those crates are full to bursting and are plastered with 'Jobe's'
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Dawn Chorus: A key part of the video is the bird singing cheerily at its open and close , ignorant of the lyrics' nightmarish vision of mob-like communities
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Blue Velvet: The opening shot is a pastiche of the opening shot of David Lynch's Blue Velvet and carries for those in the know, connotations from that film’s narrative of an apparently happy, stable and conformist world hiding disturbingly dangerous social and sexual elements under its surface
Viewpoints and Ideologies:
Xenophobia relates to the idea that the inspector who is visiting the village is not predicted to be from their country, which may suggest why they decided to sacrifice him.
Nationalism links to the exclusion of any interests of another nation which is shown with the little amount of care and respect the village people show to the visitor.
Individualism is shown through the character of the visitor which highly contrasts against the group work that the village complete in order to sacrifice the inspector.
Globalisation is represented though the idea/prediction that the visitor is not from the same country as the village he is at, but still potentially showing an interest in developing an international influence.
Populism relates to the idea that the people in the village have a strong belief that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups, someone like the inspector.
Authoritarianism may be represented again by the visitor as he has the power to enforce strict obedience to authorise at the expense of personal freedom.
Consumerism could link to the scenes of the small unique business cooperation to do with the consumption of tomatoes shown off by the village residents.
This introduction image shows the more middle-class that the inspector is apart of which compares strongly to the other people in the village.
It is clear that the mayor of the town/village is preparing the residents for the inspection of someone of a much high class than their selves.
The first image of red paint being used which foreshadows the connotations of red blood and potential death or danger.
This is the moment when the mayor and inspector meet, but the visitor doesn't show any respect towards the mayor as he disregards his handshake- once again showing the difference between the two classes.
The process of building the large object that they eventually burn towards the end of the video which could be considered foreshadowing again.
This scene shows the first image of strange behaviour occurring within the village which straight away creates the audience as well as the mayor to question what is happening.
Another scene withholding the connotations of death danger and blood, once again acting as potential foreshadowing moments in the video.
The image of both a worker and the mayor drinking from a bottle (which would be equivalent to a flask) creating questions of their well being again.
This moment of the video is once again a strange amount of activities occurring which questions the mental health of the village residents.
This image in the frame implies a large amount of suspense being built for the audience as well as the mayor who are wondering what could be behind this large sheet.
The revealing of the large scary object releases an amount of suspense but still creates the question of what is actually about to happen.
The final image of the video which ends in the visitor/inspector being burned alive in the wicker/wooden man as everyone in the village smiles and waves goodbye to the audience.
