This is America
What is the overall message or connotation of the video in relation to the events, issues, individuals and social groups represented?
The video of "This is America" which is performed by Donald Glover is a non-conventional Hip Hop video as there is no stereotypical elements such as money, champagne, women in scantly clad clothing etc, this video has none of that as it is a way to criticise the tropes that we have made ordinary and also criticise how Black musicians are treated as simply performers that dance for our entertainment but are still discriminated against in their day to day life. The narrative of the video is non-linear meaning there is no progression in the story (no beginning or end) this may to be highlight the chaos of the judicial system of America that stereotypes black people in terms of sentencing but also just the chaos in America in terms of political climate and racial biases.
There is a lot of intertextuality featured within the music video such as one could draw parallels between the poses that Donald Glover does during the video and the minstrel shows and Jim Crow which could highlight how that people are happy to have black people and cultures performed for them but that is all they are to the rest of the world, performers and second class citizens. The video also features 17 seconds of silence when he mimes a gun with his hands around the children performers which could relate to the parkland shootings were 17 people were tragically killed. In his lyrics we also find the words, "This a celly, That's a tool"this could relate to the fact that a young black man was shot by the police as he was trying to reach for his phone. However, this could also be interpreted as how cellphones are being used to document the brutality that people suffer every day but not necessarily doing anything about it or it could relate to the cell blocks and the system that keeps black people in a constant in just cycle of going to prison. The use of Gun violence throughout the video is a prominent motif throughout this is seen in where he guns down a church choir which relates to the Charleston church shootings in America which were discovered to be racially motivated. Which helps to further emphasis Donald Glover's message behind the video of how Black people are being mistreated in America during today's society.
Juxtaposition is key throughout the "This is America" music video this is in order to shock the viewers into understanding Donald's message behind the video. This is similar to the Kuleshov effect where if you play the exact same video and then cut and splice it with another video it can create a different meaning. There is a lot of juxtaposition throughout such as at the beginning of the video where the man is playing the guitar and the music is all up beat and almost cheerful and then the tone shifts with use of the gunshot that cuts through the happiness of scene to the harsh reality of the America that Donald Glover wants to portray to the audience. There is also a lot of juxtaposition present throughout the video in its entirety such as the chaos raging on in the background while him and his dancers "distract" us from the reality of the scenario. However, the choreographer of the video itself that the dancers are there to contrast the chaotic, violent actions happening in the background of the music. The hooded man in the background could also be related to the idea of the four horsemen of the apocalypse which could convey the message to the audience that America is coming towards its demise as foretold by the prophet that is Donald Glover.
The video itself can be considered as being very politically charged as there is a lot of references to the crumbling state of America and how black people are being misrepresented and mistreated by the law etc. This can be inferred to be by Donald Glover's request as he is very outspoken about his views of racism in the media and the under representation of black people in films, for example on the widely known american TV show Saturday night live (SNL) he ran a joke that consisted of having a meeting for the black people in the Star wars universe where only 3-4 people attended which was clear attempt to bring to light the lack of representation of black people in popular film franchises that no one has ever really questioned before. The overall message of the video is to highlight the problems of racism and gun violence and abuse that has become all too common in America in recent years due to an increase in school shootings gang related crimes and racism not only by the average man but also by those who work for the state such as the police most commonly.
The video of "This is America" which is performed by Donald Glover is a non-conventional Hip Hop video as there is no stereotypical elements such as money, champagne, women in scantly clad clothing etc, this video has none of that as it is a way to criticise the tropes that we have made ordinary and also criticise how Black musicians are treated as simply performers that dance for our entertainment but are still discriminated against in their day to day life. The narrative of the video is non-linear meaning there is no progression in the story (no beginning or end) this may to be highlight the chaos of the judicial system of America that stereotypes black people in terms of sentencing but also just the chaos in America in terms of political climate and racial biases.
There is a lot of intertextuality featured within the music video such as one could draw parallels between the poses that Donald Glover does during the video and the minstrel shows and Jim Crow which could highlight how that people are happy to have black people and cultures performed for them but that is all they are to the rest of the world, performers and second class citizens. The video also features 17 seconds of silence when he mimes a gun with his hands around the children performers which could relate to the parkland shootings were 17 people were tragically killed. In his lyrics we also find the words, "This a celly, That's a tool"this could relate to the fact that a young black man was shot by the police as he was trying to reach for his phone. However, this could also be interpreted as how cellphones are being used to document the brutality that people suffer every day but not necessarily doing anything about it or it could relate to the cell blocks and the system that keeps black people in a constant in just cycle of going to prison. The use of Gun violence throughout the video is a prominent motif throughout this is seen in where he guns down a church choir which relates to the Charleston church shootings in America which were discovered to be racially motivated. Which helps to further emphasis Donald Glover's message behind the video of how Black people are being mistreated in America during today's society.
Juxtaposition is key throughout the "This is America" music video this is in order to shock the viewers into understanding Donald's message behind the video. This is similar to the Kuleshov effect where if you play the exact same video and then cut and splice it with another video it can create a different meaning. There is a lot of juxtaposition throughout such as at the beginning of the video where the man is playing the guitar and the music is all up beat and almost cheerful and then the tone shifts with use of the gunshot that cuts through the happiness of scene to the harsh reality of the America that Donald Glover wants to portray to the audience. There is also a lot of juxtaposition present throughout the video in its entirety such as the chaos raging on in the background while him and his dancers "distract" us from the reality of the scenario. However, the choreographer of the video itself that the dancers are there to contrast the chaotic, violent actions happening in the background of the music. The hooded man in the background could also be related to the idea of the four horsemen of the apocalypse which could convey the message to the audience that America is coming towards its demise as foretold by the prophet that is Donald Glover.
The video itself can be considered as being very politically charged as there is a lot of references to the crumbling state of America and how black people are being misrepresented and mistreated by the law etc. This can be inferred to be by Donald Glover's request as he is very outspoken about his views of racism in the media and the under representation of black people in films, for example on the widely known american TV show Saturday night live (SNL) he ran a joke that consisted of having a meeting for the black people in the Star wars universe where only 3-4 people attended which was clear attempt to bring to light the lack of representation of black people in popular film franchises that no one has ever really questioned before. The overall message of the video is to highlight the problems of racism and gun violence and abuse that has become all too common in America in recent years due to an increase in school shootings gang related crimes and racism not only by the average man but also by those who work for the state such as the police most commonly.
Comments
Post a Comment