Music video: theory

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


The This Is America video meets a numerous amount of key conventions of a typical music video. Throughout the music video there was performance element used as Childish Gambino was singing. Furthermore, he was also dancing. The use of mise-en-scene made the music video more interesting to watch and the narrative was being told in a very unique way. The music video used a variety of camera shots in the video. From long shots to tracking shots and close ups.

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

The music video is telling us a message and the message is that there are a lot of things that are wrong with American culture, from gun violence to police brutality and racism. The fact that Gambino used the gun in the video clearly portrays how easy it is to get hold of a gun and kill someone.

3) Write an analysis of the video applying the theories we have learned: Gilroy, Hall, Rose and Dyson. 

Gilroy - Gilroy is especially keen on dark diasporic personality – the sentiment of never fully having a place or being acknowledged in western social orders even right up 'til the present time. Gilroy proposes that dark music expresses diasporic encounters of protection from white entrepreneur culture. As appeared in this video, Gambino endeavors to raise the issue of prejudice, and how they have basically must be accommodating to white individuals in America. Gilroy has additionally examined the idea of "twofold awareness", this is simply the thought individuals have see through the eyes of others-as a rule a white commanded media, this could associate back to the issues brought up in this video about bigotry, and how it isn't followed up on, also this connect to the white-ruled media, and how they reject any sorts of prejudice in the public eye, particularly of an alternate ethnic gathering.

Stuart Hall - Essentially, Stuart Hall recommends that crowds regularly obscure race and class which prompts individuals partner specific races with certain social classes. He recommends that western societies are as yet white ruled and that ethnic minorities in the media are confused because of fundamental supremacist propensities. BAME individuals are regularly spoken to as 'the other'. This connections back to one of the qualities he trusts that is in the american media, 'the comedian/performer', it could be contended that this video of Childish Gambino, could be identified with that, as in this video it could be deciphered that he an entertainer, and to specific individuals they can locate his acting and moving in humerus, and not looking for the more profound importance to this video.

Tricia Rose - Rose recommended that hip jump at first gave gatherings of people a knowledge into the lives of youthful, dark, urban Americans and furthermore gave them a voice (counting engaging female specialists). Nonetheless, Rose has since reprimanded business hip bounce and recommends dark culture has been appropriated and abused by private enterprise. In this video, Childish Gambino is endeavouring to give the crowd a knowledge of how it resembles living in America if your dark, and through this he is attempting to bring issues to light, and as Rose stated, 'give them a voice', as watching this video you can see Gambino is attempting to demonstrate to you what's going on with the American culture, as express as could be expected under the circumstances, to give an understanding of youthful, dark, urban Americans.

Eric Dyson - Dyson recommends that political hip bounce during the 1990s didn't get the credit (or business achievement) it merited and this prompted the rap music of today – which can be conspicuous, sexualised and glamorizing criminal conduct. Dyson states: "Hip bounce music is significant accurately on the grounds that it reveals insight into contemporary governmental issues, history and race. Getting it done, hip bounce offers voice to peripheral dark youth we are not used to got notification from on such pundits. Unfortunately, the illuminated parts of hip bounce are disregarded by commentators who are out to fulfill resentment against dark youth culture… " This can be connected back to Childish Gambino and how a dark rapper, is making a melody with such an amazing message and video to bring issues to light, indicates how powerful hip jump music can be, this demonstrates a difference the thing Rose has recently said about Hip Hop music.


Read this Guardian feature on This Is America - including the comments below.

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

1. He's playing Jim Grow.
2. He's duping us with dance.
3. He's taking on the police.

5) What alternative interpretations of the video are offered in the comments 'below the line'? 

One 'below the line' comment that was made is "It's just music"