This is america analysis
Music Video theory - blog tasks
Childish Gambino, the musical stage name of writer and performer Donald Glover, has just released a critique of American culture and Donald Trump with This Is America.
Racking up 10m views in 24 hours and already dubbed ‘genius’ and ‘a masterpiece’, the music video is a satirical comment on American culture, racism and gun violence.
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?
There is a performance, props and a story being told. You have the artist dancing which is an important aspect and the back up dancers which add to the entertainment.
2) What comment is the video making on American culture, racism and gun violence?
It is highlighting all the problems that have been going on in America by using the performance, especially the way black people have been treated and you can see this by the way multiple black people are shot in this video.
3) Write an analysis of the video applying the theories we have learned: Gilroy, Hall, Rose and Dyson.
Hall says that black people are portrayed as the clown/entertainer which we see a lot of in this video, and Rose says we can see how black music has been appropriated and exploited by capitalism because black people in the video are seen as non-hardworking peace disruptors.
Read this Guardian feature on This Is America - including the comments below.
4) What are the three interpretations suggested in the article?
He is acting like Jim Crow, He’s duping us with dance, He is taking on the police.
5) What alternative interpretations of the video are offered in the comments 'below the line'?
His own experiences, The way America accepts the violence going on.
Childish Gambino, the musical stage name of writer and performer Donald Glover, has just released a critique of American culture and Donald Trump with This Is America.
Racking up 10m views in 24 hours and already dubbed ‘genius’ and ‘a masterpiece’, the music video is a satirical comment on American culture, racism and gun violence.
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?
There is a performance, props and a story being told. You have the artist dancing which is an important aspect and the back up dancers which add to the entertainment.
2) What comment is the video making on American culture, racism and gun violence?
It is highlighting all the problems that have been going on in America by using the performance, especially the way black people have been treated and you can see this by the way multiple black people are shot in this video.
3) Write an analysis of the video applying the theories we have learned: Gilroy, Hall, Rose and Dyson.
Hall says that black people are portrayed as the clown/entertainer which we see a lot of in this video, and Rose says we can see how black music has been appropriated and exploited by capitalism because black people in the video are seen as non-hardworking peace disruptors.
Read this Guardian feature on This Is America - including the comments below.
4) What are the three interpretations suggested in the article?
He is acting like Jim Crow, He’s duping us with dance, He is taking on the police.
5) What alternative interpretations of the video are offered in the comments 'below the line'?
His own experiences, The way America accepts the violence going on.
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