analysing this is America - childish Gambino

This is America - Childish Gambino 

thoughts after first viewing

• youth culture 
• discrimination towards black people, including the corruption of America and its police
• portrays things like cars on fire and protests
• the video is much more narrative based 

in detailed analysis

starts with hand written font saying 'this is America'. the America is not capitalised at the start showing that he is trying to show that America is not that great. it also seems informal almost like a letter due to the font. the black background with the white weighting could be symbolism of the narrative of the video about discrimination. shows moving away from the American dream as it is a white middle class concept and childish Gambino is trying to play with that concept. 

video is shot In a wear house, universal and urban setting.

as camera is moving towards the chair it bumps as if to imitate foot steps

it starts with a calm vibe and is depicting cultural African music as the guitar player starts to play 

when childish Gambino comes into the frame he is wearing no shirt to show his skin colour which is an important aspect of the video.

he follows a moving camera dancing and then we come across the guitarist no longer with the guitar and now with a bag over his head, childish Gambino proceeds to shoot him in the head, the bag over the guitarists head showing him being viewed as a terrorist. reference to Jim Crow law image as he bends down to shoot the man (intertextualisation) 

after the shot the music changed dramatically. he is handed a red cloth for the gun, the colour red could represent the Republican Party and to symbolise corruption. 

backing dancers come in to the video and he dances to the kid, shows black youth culture and some of the moves almost look zombie, there is a tracking shot following his movements 

montage of kids on the cars dancing being celebratory behind him in the frame 

reference to church massacre in Charleston in 2015 when the choir are singing in the video and childish Gambino shoots them all. the shooting in Charleston was done by a white supremacist

the video shows the idea of the corruption of politics and America but also the issue between white supremasinsts thinking they are better by minority races 

get a constant juxtaposition between the jumpy smiley background and the mayhem and fights and the smoke. juxtaposition between the positive front of frame (dancing) and the back-frame of the fights.

talks about his cell phone and their is a panning shot towards a group of school children on their phone to show how societies technology has changed and kinds are now hooked to devices

black horse with white hooded figure to represent the KKK a group who were extremely discriminatory and prejudiced towards black people and would perform lynchings

moment of silence as he raises his hand as if he is holding a fake gun. he then lifts his hands and lights a joint, reference to drug culture

zooming out shot of childish Gambino dancing on a car surrounded by many other cars. could be referencing how black people often get pulled over for nothing and police violence takes place. this could also be a reference to how people protest about black peoples rights and fight for equality but in the end society reverts back to its 'normal' which could be shown by the calmness of all the cars in the wear house and szza who is pictured in the frame sitting on the car possible representing normality.

him running through the dark corridor you can only see the whites of his eyes. he is running away from a group of white supremacists. this is a reference to a famous image of a black man running away from white supremacists.   

 

Andrew Goodwin's music video conventions theory

•  explain each of his ideas 
• find examples of real music videos to demonstrate each point 

Andrew Goodwin 

Goodwin's theory on music videos 

• taken from "dancing in the distraction factory", 1992 
• the music video became an art form with its conventions inside it with MTV coming along to give music videos their own platform to be used 

Andrew Goodwin theorises that music videos have the following conventions also known more widely as common features 

• a link between the lyrics and the visuals 

vibe of the lyrics goes with the vibe of the video

• a link between the music and the visuals 
• reflect common features of the genre of music 
• use of intertextual references 

audiences can make references to what they see, they can relate the music video to other forms of media

• notions of looking and voyeurism
• demands of the records label evident e.g. budget etc 

record label controlling an element was they know what they can sell from the artist

• star image is a key focus 
• performance based, narrative based, and/or concept based 

link between the lyrics and the visuals - Taylor swift, love story 

there is a link between the lyrics and the narrative of the music video

link between the music and the visuals - firestarter

visuals reflect the pace and rhythm of the music

visuals and the song

disjuncture - this means the original meaning of the song is completely ignored and the visuals in the video do not relate

illustrate - this is where the meaning of the song is made clear through the video. this is the most common use 

reflects the genre of music 

for example pop music conventions consist of bright colours and sometimes a narrative. 

use of intertextual references 

for example: thank you next - Ariana grande 

this includes elements such as...

• her own life and relationships 
• bring it on 
• legally blonde 
• mean girls 

she is taking elements of chick flicks and incorporating it into her music video

inter = between, when media products refers to other media products 

references could be literal e.g naming the name of another product 

or could be more subtle and by the use of costume and carefully composed shots they make you think of other media products

why...

- good way to target a specific audience 

- portray a theme or message 

male gaze - showing woman bodies for a specific audience 

e.g. blurred lines

reflective of the record label 

this could reflect issues such as the record label's 

• financial status 
• power and connections 
• other signed artists 
• global location 
• target audience 

e.g. stormzy had no record label at the time, was British, with zero budget. his music video was filmed in an Ikea car park in croydon 

e.g. not deep - stormzy

star image 

this is a key focus 

lots of close ups and other camera shots that focus on the singer/bands image 

performance, narrative and concept based music videos 

Goodwin thinks that music videos have at least one of the following three elements as their core focus 

performance based - videos focus on a singer or band performing to camera, often with instruments 

narrative based - videos have a story line 

concept based - videos focus on some kind of arty, surreal, odd based concept 

performance based   

narrative based 

concept based 

Richard Dyer - Star Image - Applying to an artist

Dyer has written extensively about the role of stars in film, TV and music.

irrespective of the medium, stars have some key features in common:

• a star is an image, not a real person, that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials e.g. videos, art work, performances, media appearances
• stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of there meanings

stars and stardom

• in order to understand the relationship between the music industry and its audiences, it is important to consider the roles of music stars.
• the term 'star' refers to the semi-mythological set of meanings constructed around music performers in order to sell the performer to a large and loyal audience.
• stars depend of a range of subsidiary media - magazines, TV, radio, the internet - in order to construct an image for themselves which can be marketed to their target audiences
• the star image is made up of a range of meanings which are attractive to the target audience depending on the artist 

e.g. youth - one direction to rebellion - one direction, image changes with the audience

good common values of music stardom 

youth, rebellion, sexual magnetism, anti-authoritarian attitude, originality, creativity/talent, aggression/anger, a disregard for social values relating to drugs/sex and polite behaviour, conspicuous consumption of sex/ drugs and material goods, success against the odds

• fundamentally the star image is incoherent , that is incomplete and 'open', Dyer says that this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes.

paradox 1 

• the star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraoreinary to the customer

paradox 2 

• the star must be simultaneously present and absent for the customer

the star image 

• the incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to complete of to make sense of the image
• this is achieved by continued consumption of the star through his or her product
• in the music industry, performance seems to promise the completion of the image, but it is always ultimatly unsatisfying 
• this means that fans will go away eager to keep consuming

Miley Cyrus 

I have chosen to apply Richard dyers theory to Miley Cyrus as she is a prime example of how a young star transitions from her values of being a child star to being watched by an adult audience. 

Hannah Montana and child stardom

Miley Cyrus debut her career on the Disney channel show Hannah Montana playing the character Miley Stewart who led a double life as a teenage girl and a pop star phenomenon. this show made Cyrus one of the most well known house hold names amongst young girls. she was seen as a role modal to them and had many synergies of products centred around her for young girls such as wigs, clothes and dolls targeted towards a young audience. Disney created this image to be applicable to young girls as they have them a pretty blonde girl who wore sparkly outfits and sang on a stage.

break up style 

Miley Cyrus first started to emerge into her more adult image in 2007 after her break up with fellow Disney star Nick Jonas. she released the iconic teen breakup song titled 7 things. along with her song 15 year old Miley made one of her first major image changes. in her first rebellion to her image she went from her golden highlights to dying her hair black in an attempt to not look pretty anymore and to rebel against her former beauty image.

'cant be tamed' music video

a few months after her film the last song premiered Miley Cyrus released 'cant be tamed' an album which marked to her audience her transition away from her child stardom and wholesome child image to her adult self. the music video for one of her albums songs consisted Miley dressed up as a bird dancing in a cage whilst a mob of people surrounded and photographed her. this was to send a message to her fans and viewers that she was breaking our of the child image Disney created for her.

provocative performance at the 2013 VMAs 

in what started a massive online controversy and confirmed to viewers that Miley Cyrus was no longer a child anymore she performed her infamous nude twerking performance on Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV video music awards. her twerking performance stirred massive controversy online but she was becoming known as the singer who sung the song 'we can't stop' instead of the girl who was in Hannah Montana amongst viewers. 

her twirling performance helped her grow her adult audience and made the audience see her potential amongst the greater public. a quote from Miley says... 

"Not only was culture changed, but my life and career were changed forever," she told the outlet. "It inspired me to use my platform for something much bigger. If the world is going to focus on me and what I am doing, then what I am doing should be impactful and it should be great."

'wrecking ball' music video

with the help of this song Miley Cyrus quite literally and metaphorically destroyed her child star image. her music video shows her swinging fully naked on a wrecking ball crashing through walls as a symbolism of her breaking through into her new identity and wrecking the child image that was created of her to apply to an older audience. the music video became one of the most iconic videos of all time and widely discussed amongst audiences about how great her physical and social image change has been in her transition from Disney to now.

looks as host of the 2015 VMAs 

another widely spoke about moment was when the spotlight was shining on her risqué and provocative outfits during her host time at the 2015 VMAs. the singer debuted her new over the top provocative performance style by wearing blonde dreads and dressed in a silver harness that covered only the centre of her boobs with a skirt that dripped down like such of a chandelier.

her gig on the voice 

in march 2016 now 23 year old miley Cyrus announced she was going to be one of the judges on the voice as a judge who aids and coached her group of selected singers into the final. her step into the voice on television showed her portraying more tame tidy looks with slick black dresses and long hair pushed back into a post tale. this marked an end to her rebellion era and showed audiences her growing into an adult image instead f a rebellious teen image.

younger now era 

in 2017 miley Cyrus released her album titles younger now which saw the star going down a different path for herself and embracing her Nashville roots.

the star gave the quote... 

'Malibu' and 'younger now' are obviously two very different visuals in a way, but what binds them together is that they are both me. Now, I think I have more of an open mind."

"dead petz isn't a record for everyone"

performance at the 2018 grammy awards 

her grammy award performance showed audiences her shift to Hollywood glamour when she performed in a duet with Elton John performing his song tiny dancer. the fact miley was performing with a well respected artist and one of his most famous sounds reinforced to audiences how the star had grown up and was stepping into her glam era.

 Miley at the met gala 

miley at the met gala was the final moment where audience saw past her Disney days and saw her as the glamorous world wide star she was who had grown through the years being seen by different audiences from child star to rebel to high end a list star. she showed off her new  sophisticated style at the 2018 met gala and was praised by viewers for her beauty but mostly for the change she depicted of her self which audiences fed into as they saw her go from being perceived in a negative light to a positive light.

what is a campaign?

promotional campaign - a series of advertisements using various marketing tools that share the same message and ideas to promote a business or event to a target audience

defining a campaign 

a coordinated series of actions and elects aimed at achieving a shared defined set of goals 

film marketing campaigns

both warner brothers and host use a range of activities and media to build awareness and demand for their films and time these to build up anticipation in the run up to the opening weekend 

trailers, social media, interviews, BTS photos, competitions/giveaways, TV spots, billboards, synergies with toys, costume, accessories manufacture, sponsorship with food/drink and other brands, premiers, awards, critic reviews 

a coordinated series of actions/elements aimed at achieving a shared, defined set of 

 music pomotiom campaigns  

 of actions/ elements incorporating a wide range of events and use of diffrent media

music videos, other video content, album track works, tours, live appearances such as festivals or on radio shows, social media, interviews with websites, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, posters 

shared/defined set of goals the record label (or artist them self if they are self-publishing) are investing money in the campaign (e.g production budget for video) in an attempt to build demand for the products and service it sells. 

 

 

Richard dyer - Star Image

 dyer has written extensively about the role of stars in film, TV and music.

irrespective of the medium, stars have some key features in common:

• a star is an image, not a real person, that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials e.g. videos, art work, performances, media appearances
• stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of there meanings

stars and stardom

• in order to understand the relationship between the music industry and its audiences, it is important to consider the roles of music stars.
• the term 'star' refers to the semi-mythological set of meanings constructed around music performers in order to sell the performer to a large and loyal audience.
• stars depend of a range of subsidiary media - magazines, TV, radio, the internet - in order to construct an image for themselves which can be marketed to their target audiences
• the star image is made up of a range of meanings which are attractive to the target audience depending on the artist 

e.g. youth - one direction to rebellion - one direction, image changes with the audience

good common values of music stardom 

youth, rebellion, sexual magnetism, anti-authoritarian attitude, originality, creativity/talent, aggression/anger, a disregard for social values relating to drugs/sex and polite behaviour, conspicuous consumption of sex/ drugs and material goods, success against the odds

• fundamentally the star image is incoherent , that is incomplete and 'open', Dyer says that this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes.

paradox 1 

• the star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraoreinary to the customer

paradox 2 

• the star must be simultaneously present and absent for the customer

the star image 

• the incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to complete of to make sense of the image
• this is achieved by continued consumption of the star through his or her product
• in the music industry, performance seems to promise the completion of the image, but it is always ultimatly unsatisfying 
• this means that fans will go away eager to keep consuming

favourite videos starting point

music video is a marketing video to help sell the song 

Charlie Puth - light switch 

- genre - pop

- target audience 8-20s 

- on trend 1980s = costume, neon, aerobic work out 

- intertextuality 

- references to 80s films relating to sports 

black eyes peas - pump it 

- tung and cheek, unrealistic 

- references fast and furious

- intertextuality 

MGMT - when you die 

- psychedelic, trippy 

- genre - indie pop/rock 

- later teens and 20s 

- graphics being the selling point 

- not a narrative video 

- however some elements fit with the story "im gunna eat your heart out"

- high of the trip and then the come down