Unseen texts practise

 Music videos

identify how media language is used in the music video to blinding lights

Make reference to:

• Cinematography and editing

• Music video conventions 

• How visual elements create meaning for the audience

Cinematography and editing

• First shot a close up manic laughing face with blood dripping off chin/teeth - extreme establishing shot - violence, unhinged character

• Editing very smooth and seamless - special effects - slow motion scene with flashing lights and the reflection on the glasses - creates a sense of spectacle - atypical and challenging typical music convention  

• Shaky handheld introduction - over the top and exaggerated - perhaps encoding high on drugs 

• Bright and very high key - ‘blinding lights’ 

• Editing - cut before you see any danger - makes reference to previous music video 

Music video conventions 

• Narrative - foreshadowed at start of video -  lack of continuity/ lack of the money shot - provides the audience with narrative to fill in the gaps - keeps the audience engaged - restricted narrative 

• Tracking shot of him shooing away the pigeon - reflects his isolation 

• Postmodern - lack of narrative arc - hermeneutic code -enigmas 

• Very cinematic - second shot - shaky cinematography - a reflection of how they’re feeling - drug induced warped reality - almost dream like 

• Lack of lip synching - unconventional 

How visual elements create meaning for the audience

• -Intertextuality - Joker - Red suit costume, he represented as a villain - red blood on the face combined with his manic smile is a binary opposition - connotes an enjoyment of violence 

• Intertextual - 80’s reference - glasses reference to singers in 70’s/80’s (Tony Stark ref), gloves signify actions of serial killers - this is also reinforced through the psychotic smile - ominous costume - shoes/dancing reminiscent of MJ - Pop culture references - Casino (Scorsese) - start out as nothing but become nothing 

• Money/drugs/women - living the excess 

• Horror conventions - smile, blood, the crazed character 

• Provides the audience with a sense of nostalgia - audience pleasure  

• Use of red as a predominant colour - very violent - perhaps metaphor - violence and love - the dangers of love

• fast pace editing reflects the tempo of song and the theme of joy riding and living life in the fast lane, no cares in the world. everything is fest and exciting.

Question:  Explore how the representation of America has been constructed in the video to This Is America by Childish Gambino

Make reference to:

• 1 - What group is being represented? black people - african americans. also imagery of police organisations like police.

• 2 - The media language that constructs this representation?

• 3 - How does this representation affect the audience?

• 4 - How could this representation affect the group being represented?

• the video makes note of police brutality, inequality and violence from systems like the police force in the us, we see many violent shots of black people being shot at (gun control being very a controversial topic in) maybe a metaphor to demonstrate the hardships that they endure.
• first scene, seems innocent and nice melody, relaxed and unsuspecting of what is next, slight enigma code as gives mystery especially with donald glover standing with his back to the camera, then moves to dancing but nothing truly out the ordinary (slight facial expressions). tone of video changes drastically, the man in the chair is now got a bag over his head, held hostage, this connotes helplessness, the hold that systemic opression has over african americans, feelings of being trapped with no way out. is then shot and killed in an instance like for seemingly no reason.
• both times when he shoots a gun, it is taken away in a red cloth, red connotes wealth, power and status e.g red carpet. maybe showing how a gun is prized in america, is not seen so much as a weapon as theyre common, more like just an iten or posession. maybe a quote on how higher in command control and make decisions, and have all the access to these guns.
• in the background there are people running around, hanging out cars being chased, even a body falls at one point, this is to show the underlying issues in US society, violence.

• Gilroy - Post-colonialism - stereotype around black community - old, cheap cars and clear lack of wealth and status - students are in basic school uniforms - random inclusion of chickens - connotes a sense of uncivilized status - perhaps symbolising black people often being represented as wild and dangerous - nods o underdevelopment and lack of privilege

• Reference to police brutality -  in one point  he is walking to camera with someone chasing him - police cars, riots, chaos - reference to protest, the unstable relations in America

• Last scene - references ‘Get Out’ - thriller/horror film conventions - dark lighting, extreme close up of his face (crazed, petrified) - hunted, chased down 

• Duality of America - in the first scene he shoots someone and then dances away - almost like a game - trying to cover or distract from brutal violence/murder though exgerrated performance and dance - protagonist is symbolic of America - how it is violent and racist but tries to cover it up through Hollywood/entertainment 

• Dehumanisation of people - the man being shot very nonchalantly - every person/group shot is seen to be enjoying themselves (guitar/singing) before being shot - almost video game like in violence 

• Binary opposition between lyrics and visuals - I’m so Gucci, I’m so pretty’ - we see people being thrown off building/murdered -allegorical of the illusion of America - what is presents and what is the reality - inequality, gun violence, high murder, systemic racism etc etc. 

• Gospel music with hopeful lyrics - lighthearted and playful - sudden shift before he guns them down - reinforced through shift - changes to rap music with has connotations of violence, misogyny 

• When he shoots the gun - someone comes off screen to take the gun away - connotations of worship - red symbolic of power/status - character is almost bowing down when he takes the gun - very delicate the way he takes it - the idea of gun being put on a pedestal - so central to the themes - binary opposition with the man being dragged off screen 

• ‘This is America’ -the lyric during the shooting - presenting the true reality of what is happening 

• Distraction of dancing - hyper entertainment - trying to distract and cover up - 

• The dancing - teenage trends of dance movements - nene dance - references to youth culture - idealised place for youth and teenagers - the high school - postmodernism and hyperreality of teenage life - perhaps symbolic of the ignorance of some groups 

• Over exaggerated - contorting - the way he moves his body - black performance - ‘black man get your money’ - reference to performance, being a spectacle - OTHERING 

• Due to slavery - black americans having to create their own culture through dance, music - reference to culture and history being destroyed 

• The use of young children - group of children sat on the cars in the background - represents the indoctrination of young people into gang/gun violence - later see the same characters filming the violence - could reflect a desensitisation of violence - reinforced through brutal violence represented in a casual, throwaway manner

• White background contrasts with black characters - symbolic of white supremacy - police brutality - hegemonic mise-en-scene 

• Segregated setting - cut off - separate from world - symbolic of oppression? - black characters inside hanger - inside constricted, limited setting with no freedom - living in this chaos, having no escape

• Whole video is a comment on the reality of America - oppositional reading 

• Gun wrapped up - running away from the media - there is a pan away from it - symbolic of the media not showing the true reality 

• Camera movement way of producer of directing audiences attention - 

• Mise-en-scene - costume - man with guitar has relaxed clothes with no shoes - connotes relaxing mood - contrasts with violent shooting - despite the oppression and violence the culture has survived and it has been overcome - references to african music - postmodern - POLYSEMIC 

• Camera movement - constantly moving apart from significant movements - long takes, minimum cuts - UNCONVENTIONAL 

• This is America - walks to camera away from the chaos - perhaps symbolic of government/media ignoring violence 

• Moment of silence in the middle of the video - 17 seconds - 1 second for each of a victim? Silence being a moment reflection - encouraging to reflect upon what we are observing

Adverts

Question:  Why did the producer in this Nike Ad represent people, issues and events in this way? What choices did they make, and why?

Make reference to:

• Cinematography and editing- split screen which shows different sports side to side but becasue the actions match, can connote how theyre different but also connected as two sports that seem "opposite" have things in common.

• Genre conventions

• Representations (who, how, impact) - wide range of representations of groups, includes both men and women, all different races and includes people with disabilities. this is good as almost everyone can find someone who they can identify with so can have a role model to loo up to that seemingly relates to them.

• How visual elements create meaning for the audience

• First shot we see - split screen mid shot of black and white woman - constant representation merges all ethnicities - the producer wants to convey that we are all together as people - connoting togetherness and we are just as important as each other - support one another - overcoming adversity - dominant ideology of this advert

• Split screen used, in editing, merges people together and symbolises this idea of ‘unity’

• Split screen of two disabled people, one with legs amputated and ones with arms - connotes an ideology that we are the same - equality - non-diegetic narration - ‘when are we doubted’ - anchors the meaning - nod to that stereotype of disabled - trying to challenge stereotypes

• Whole advert is trying to target all audiences - in this shot both men and women are represented - ideology that men and women are different but equal - the two different shades of blue in the sky - could be argued this is symbolic of their difference but remaining equality 

• Cinematography - filmed as if it is one motion - fits very well together - Actions are edited as one and the camera movement reinforces this - very fluid and seamless - editing fast paced - trying to fit as many sports/people in - this reflects the dominant ideology of the producer 

• Advert - selling ideology product - engaging, exciting, get and hold our attention 

• Narrator - Megan Rapinoe - captain of USA women's football team - having a women narrating is significant as reflects the message of equality - she is a prominent figure with the LGBTQ community - very vocal on political subjects 

• Narrator - uses inclusive lexis -’together, we, our etc’ - Blends the message of responsibility together - trying to demonstrate that  there is solidarity amongst people - famous figures - black man/white women - binary opposition - very diverse in representation 

• Narrator anchors the meaning of the advert - reinforces the ideology of the advert - ‘come back stronger, we are as one’  

• Rainbow smoke - representative of LGBT community - inclusive message - tracking shot of skating - all inclusive and diverse - very accessible as sport - symbolic of rebellion, anti-establishment - the first half of the split screen is a woman skating in a burka - to represent muslim 

• Narrative - this idea of ‘resilience’ being promoted - ‘things won't always go our way’

• Shot of empty stadium - nod to the current coronavirus pandemic - anchored through the shot of people in PPE cleaning - non-diegetic sound of news broadcast - ‘all sport to be postponed’ 

• Narrative - disruption, resolution - clear arc 

• Shot of people playing at home - you can play sport - overcome adversity 

• Non-diegetic - uplighting, positive, uses strings - very dramatic  

• Shares conventions with Charity advertising? 

• USING SOCIAL ISSUES AS A TREND TO SELL PRODUCTS /NIKE A PROGRESSIVE COMPANY/THERE FOR US AS AUDIENCES

Answer

representation is the way in which groups of people or ideologies, are shown to the intended target audience. in this nike ad we can see that a wide variety of people are included, we see people of all races and abilities (e.g. disabled people. two shots of disabled people that merge) and abilities in the sense of professional sports figures and "regular people" just like the majority of the audience watching. this has been done in order to relate to people of all backgrounds and sporting abilities, this is useful for broadening their audience but also showing that they have an inclusive ideology. one event which links us all and that everyone has experience with is the pandemic, this is represented as a break in the video, a disruption, the music softens and we see very few people, this further humbles and links the audience with the brand as it is then followed by shots of people.