Music Video: Theory
Music Video theory - blog tasks
Childish Gambino, the musical stage name of writer and performer Donald Glover, released an incredible critique of American culture and Donald Trump with This Is America last year.
The music video is a satirical comment on American culture, racism and gun violence. Racking up 10m views in the first 24 hours, it now stands at over half a billion views and has been dubbed ‘genius’ and ‘a masterpiece’.
Create a blogpost called 'Music video: theory', watch the video again then answer the questions below:
1) How does the This Is America video meet the key conventions of a music video?
In this video there is performance which is one of the key conventions of a music video. There is dancing in the video, there is also a lot of lip syncing.
Childish Gambino, the musical stage name of writer and performer Donald Glover, released an incredible critique of American culture and Donald Trump with This Is America last year.
The music video is a satirical comment on American culture, racism and gun violence. Racking up 10m views in the first 24 hours, it now stands at over half a billion views and has been dubbed ‘genius’ and ‘a masterpiece’.
Create a blogpost called 'Music video: theory', watch the video again then answer the questions below:
1) How does the This Is America video meet the key conventions of a music video?
In this video there is performance which is one of the key conventions of a music video. There is dancing in the video, there is also a lot of lip syncing.
Another key convention in this music video is there is narrative. The narrative creates a sense of realism as some of these events are actually happening in America.
2) What comment is the video making on American culture, racism and gun violence?
The video is clearly showing that there is a lot of racism in America. This is shown in the video by showing all the black people dying some of them being based on real events that have happened in America. In the end Childish Gambino is seen running running from a group of white people. Which may be suggesting the increased racism in America because of its own very people.
3) Write an analysis of the video applying the theories we have learned: Gilroy, Hall, Rose and Dyson.
Gilroy- To relate his theory to this music video. All the black people are being connoted to not being belonging in America this is shown by all of the black people getting murdered.
Hall- In this video all the black people are seen to be ‘ the slave figures’ the connotations being they are less superior to white people in America.
Rose- Rose does have some relatable points to link this one being the social media has given everyone a platform to express and for black people to show what it is like being a black person in America.
Dyson- The video it clearly shows the critics that black people have for America. The way racism is in America.
Read this Guardian feature on This Is America - including the comments below.
4) What are the three interpretations suggested in the article?
- His gunning down of the gospel choir singing the lyric suggests that he’s tired of the pressure to accumulate wealth.
- Fans have pointed out that on the one hand it refers to the case of Stephon Clark, shot dead just weeks ago by Sacramento police.
- Glover distils the distorting way black men are seen by police with “tool”, meaning gun.
That America is an evil place, racist and violent that is why the number of black people are decreasing in America.
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