This is America - analysis of a music video

This is America - Childish Gambino 

Music videos are used by artists to create a 'star image'. Music videos focus on promoting reasons which make a band or artist a star, which will attract an audience or certain age groups. By using the Dyer Star Theory this video creates a 'star image' because it portrays what Childish Gambino feels strong about and this video is being produced and consumed based on the strength of their meanings. This music video is about a worldwide issue but mainly focuses on the issue in America. This music video addresses multiple different political messages and deeper connotation. This music video is laden with metaphors and issues about race and gun violence in America. 

Throughout this music video the issues and controversial topics that were covered were: race (ethnic minorities and cultural racism), guns in America - stabbings and murders and this message also highlights the dangers of guns being so normalised and legal in America. After gun shots were portrayed through this video they followed the lyrics 'this is America' - highlighting that this behaviour and the killing of individuals is the norm and the 'classic in America', the gun is also provided with more protection and more safety than the victims and this highlights the thoughts behind gun violence and that guns are more valued than human lives. 

After gun shots are portrayed throughout the video there is a shift in the musical genre, from being light and joyful to intense rap, which creates the idea that the individuals who end up being shot / killed are just living their lives and minding their own business, when they then get caught up in racial abuse and racism and this is out of their control and only due to their race. 

In this video there is a sense of moving on and not looking back at victims as after gun shots and people being shot throughout the video, the video just carries on and moves away from the victims. This portrays the idea of no one really caring or doing anything about racism and people just forget about it - the ones who don't face racism on a daily basis. At one point in the video there is a group of teenagers being shown holding their phones up and their mouths covered by a white cloth. This emphasises on the message of cell phones being used to document brutality and people hiding behind their phones and social media without a voice and just watching and letting it happen. As the lyrics say 'this is celly, thats a tool'. This could also be a reference to the mass amount of viral videos of police brutality and racist encounters that tale place. Another reference that this clip may link to could have been the March 18th police shooting of Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man holding a cell phone. The use of the white cloth covering their mouths could be a metaphor for white people taking power over black people and reducing their freedom, will to live and life choices and many more. 

At the closing of the video Gambino is running away and this links back to the tradition of black Americans having to run to save their lives and it links to the idea of black Americans having to constantly run away from situations in order to save their lives as they are being chased and/or threatened. This ending clip also creates intertextuality with the film 'Get Out' as this involved inherit racism and links in with the same themes and imagery to 'This is America'. These are only a few of the different issues and controversial topics which this music video covers. 

Throughout this video symbolism is portrayed. Every time there is a gun shot in the video the police are then showed in the following clip, this highlights one of the main issues of police officers being the main culprits to racism and causing the most harm - where the irony is that they are meant to protect people and people are meant to feel safe around them, this is not the case.

The video portrays a shooting of black choir members in a church and this links to the 2015 Charleston church shooting when a white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine black people in a church. After this shooting occurs in this clip the gun is then handled with care and safety and the video just carries on which further highlights the normalisation of all of these shootings that take place within the black culture.

The use of the dancers being portrayed throughout this video is thought to be a distraction to distract the viewers away from the main issue - racism and racial abuse - in the same way black art is used to distract individuals from the real problems and issues plaguing in America. The dancing may also be interpreted as a method of survival, as the dancers who are dancing with Gambino are never injured which further relates to the idea of America applauding black culture but ignoring and turning a blind eye to the real issues. 

The hooded person riding the white horse in one of the clips is seen as a biblical symbol for the apocalypse and symbolises the idea that 'death rides on a pale horse with hell following behind'. The hell following behind is represented by the police - further highlighting the police's role and contribute to racism and police brutality.

In this music video there is a reference to Jim Crow who was used as a reference in shows in the 1800s, where white/Caucasian actors would perform in blackface and act out black stereotypes. Jim Crow was the representation of how Caucasians during that era perceived the African-American culture and community. In the 1870s there were different segregations laws announced and legal rights and access to public facilities, most of these laws became known as the 'Jim Crow Laws', from this the term 'Jim Crow' became a derogatory term for African-Americans. Gambino's link to Jim Crow portrays the sense that Jim Crow is still alive within the American society, and still affecting people and people still in the 20th century, see Jim Crow as a clear representation of the African-American culture and community. 

Overall there were multiple different hidden, visible, shocking and eye opening messages throughout this video. This music video was more than a music video and it was more a message and a statement that something needs to change in terms of America and the racism that circles America. This music video received a mass amount of feedback and reached a large number of platforms as everyone was so shocked and amazed by it. The official video received 764,716,351 million views on youtube and Childish Gambino was then asked to take part in multiple interviews and then won the 2018 Grammys award for the best music video of the year.

A few websites I looked at to gather more information and discover deeper connotations behind this music video: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/05/07/this-is-america-breaking-down-childish-gambinos-powerful-new-music-video

https://youtu.be/9_LIP7qguYw

https://youtu.be/iTYbdZRfWRE

https://www.wired.com/story/donald-glover-this-is-america-protest-music/

https://www.insider.com/this-is-america-music-video-meaning-references-childish-gambino-donald-glover-2018-5#another-part-of-this-is-america-also-resembles-black-or-white-4

Band/Artist Logos

What are logo's 

A logo is symbol or graphic mark that is used to promote an artist / band. 

Band and artist logos are huge and create a large business. 

Logos are not just on album artwork, they are on websites, different types of merchandise, can be drawn on lampposts and can easily become a cultural thing.

How are they used 

- Promote public identification and recognition

- Logos are a huge part of the identity of a band/artist

- Links and helps sell the merchandise 

- Sells the artist / band

- Can convey the genre and ideology

- Can become iconic

More simple logos often receive more recognition, for example the ACDC's logo is just letters in a lightning bolt, this just makes it much easier for printing. 

Another example of a very simplistic logo that we all recognise is The Beatles. 

7 Types of Logos:

- Abstract Mark

- Mascot Logo

- Combination Mark

- Emblem Logo

- Lettermark

- Pictorial Mark

- Wordmark 

From looking at the logo from the band the Sex Pistols, the font and colours provide information which enables us to identify the genre and ideology of the band. 

From this logo we can tell the genre of this band being a rock / punk band, and the ideology which is being portrayed is anti-establishment, black and white, aggression, masculinity, loud and violent. 

My Logo Design

This logo I created is able to provide information that this artist's music genre is rock, due to the colours I used, which are red and black. From this logo we are always able to establish that this is an artist not a band - due to the singular / solo name.

I used the website: https://www.canva.com/en_gb/ to help design my logo.

Feedback on my first *draft design album artwork

From completing my first album cover artwork I received feedback from my class, negative and positive. 

The feedback I received was: 

By having the single artist on the front it was easy to identify that this was a solo artist not a band, and the name being 'MrsRus3' as it is not a band name, it is a singular name.

The genre was easy to identify as a rock genre due to the drum kit, the colour scheme (blood red and black and white), the font and the parental advisory sticker. 

The back image highlights a sense of femininity by the use of a flower. 

But using a red rose or red flower would have been more symbolic and would have worked better with the colour scheme and the genre. 

The name of the album counting down and the fact that you have to read it counting down worked really well and added a nice touch.

The use of spacing and the layout on the front cover draws more attention and fills the negative space as there is different things going on and attracting the eye. 

The image on the back cover does not have the same connotation to it as the front cover does, the front cover portrays a rock genre and the back image makes it harder to identify the genre. 

Instead of using three different fonts on the front cover it would have been more ideal to stick to one font.

If I stuck to the same font I used for 'MrsRus3' it would make it much more clean and work better as a whole. 

By adding 'Juliette Lily' (artists real name) it destroys the illusion of this being a real album cover as it provides information that is unneeded - no music artists use their real name.

My *Draft Designed Artwork

Genre - Rock 

Artist - MrsRus3

Album name - Counting Down 

Digipak - Front cover 

Digipak - Back cover 

Conventions of Album artwork

What has to be on an album and why?

FRONT

- The name of the artist or band - the name is always the biggest and stands out the most as this is the main selling point. The album name or the band name or the artists name is often the primary design element for the cover. 

- The title of album - smaller than the name of the artist or band but also easily visible and clear to identify. 

- And if necessary the Parental Advisory logo - legal requirement in the UK - signifies that there is explicit content that may be inappropriate for children underage. 

Straight away we can see this is a band / group of 3 people as there are 3 people present on the front cover. The band name is clearly visible and so is the album name, and it is very simple and simplistic so it attracts more attention. 

Fugees, The Score album - 1996.

Frank Ocean's, channel orange album - 2012.

Amy Winehouse, Back to Black album - 2006.

BACK

- Track list - numbered and in order (the font and track names will also be key conventions) often minimum at least 6 tracks - and the name of the album or artist name on the back cover but it does not need to be so noticeable. 

- Legal information - the studio and key legal people - not too visible and out there but it is there.

- Barcode.

Arctic Monkeys, AM - 2013.

The Beatles, Please Please Me - 1963.

Adele, 21 - 2011.

Digipak/Album Artwork

Why is album artwork still important?

- An album cover / artwork can sell its self and the product on its own.

- Show the genre and style of the music it may be using conventions and attract target audiences.

- Helps to create and maintain the artist / band's image (Dyer Star Theory).

- Can become iconic and well known and a USP.

- Show the ideology of the band / artist.

- Sells the physical music.

The album artwork provides information of what the listener / audience may expect from an album and possibly what type of artist the artist actually is. Strong and bold album covers make a statement, the imagery / artwork provides an opportunity to make the right first impressions and let those impressions stick.

Artists who create album art are providing the listener with an extra dimension through this additional media. Album covers and art work can stand out and make an imprint in someones mind. For example this album cover: 

Straight away from seeing this album cover, we know this is Pink Floyd and the album is The Dark Side Of The Moon. Strong album covers leave an imprint. 

More examples: Arctic Monkeys, Album - AM.

The Beatles, Album - Abbey Road.

Travis Scott, Album - ASTROWORLD 

Bob Marley, Album - Legend 

Justin Bieber, Album - Purpose 

Music Videos In The Age of YouTube

Music videos started out being live performances on TV and you used to only be able to see them on TV.

How have music video's changed due to their platforms?

Shows like Top Of The Pops and MTV had very specific guidelines and things which they had to do and had to follow.

Top Of The Pops was an early evening show which meant they were unable to show any inappropriate, rude or violent images so music videos had to be kept very minimal and PG. 

Spice Girls - Wannabe - 1996

MTV had advertisers which they had to keep satisfied and happy but were easier with what people could post compared to Top of the Pops, this meant music videos during this time all developed a certain look and certain way they came across.

The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star - 1979

In 2005, YouTube was created and not soon after Top of the Pops was off air and by this point MTV had created their own reality TV shows. 

One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful - 2011

YouTube Opportunities and the impact

YouTube provided everyone with the same distribution deal no matter their importance or status. This platform joined with cheap and high quality camera equipment and very good editing software which led to an explosive number of music videos which were being produced. These new music videos that were being made seldom followed the rules and laws which were laid down by the videos before. 

To make your videos stand out there had to be something unique and special about it

How videos are now used to sell the artist / band more than the song

There have always been the artists whose images and videos link with their music and lyrics. But overtime YouTube has created artists that are solely only linked to music videos and you only know them for their music video. This created the idea that YouTube was seen as a device not to help sell the single and album but instead producing work which generates money from views on YouTube and this has further led to more sensational and unusual music videos which only exist as pieces of art.

Nowadays people don't buy music for the same reason they used to. Music videos now focus on promoting the reasons which make the band / artist a star, it is more focused on aesthetics which will attract an audience or certain age group and make them stand out, based on their looks and how they act / come across. 

An example of this is Maroon 5. They are a talented, trendy and cool pop band. Their first music video which was very low budgeted and low quality enabled them to sell the band more than the music they were promoting. They were putting themselves out there and labelling themselves as 'this is who we are and what we do'.

Maroon 5 - Harder to Breathe - 2002 

Compared to one of their more recent and most popular music video:

Maroon 5 - Sugar - 2015

Goodwin Theory and examples

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin feels that there are there are 3 ways to tell a narrative through a music video. 

3 types of ways the song and video can be connected:

1. Illustration

2. Amplification

3. Disjuncture 

Illustration: When the video tells the story of the lyrics.

Artist: Bruno Mars

Song: Just The Way You Are

Album: Doo-Wops & Hooligans

In this lyric the artist says "Because you're amazing, just the way you are", this relates to what is being portrayed and we are able to see that the artist is speaking to the women that is shown in the video.

Amplification: The images amplify the lyrics as a narrative may be used to convey a deeper meaning that you wouldn't be able to see from the lyrics alone.

Artist: Katy Perry

Song: Firework

Album: Teenage Dream

In this clip the lyrics are "Let your colours burst" and it is amplifying the message of anything the firework could be.

Disjuncture: When the song and video have very little connection. The lyric / video contradict one another.

Artist: Yoke Lore

Song: Beige

Album: Goodpain

In this lyric the artist says "I don't want to see you smile" but the image that is being portrayed is of the artist and a polar bear in a forest. These do not relate with one another and have no connection.

Reflects the genre of music:

As there are different approaches to the narrative/non-narrative presentations within the video almost always follow a key tone/style and visuals of the genre. 

Dyer Star Theory

Star Theory : Richard Dyer

All big stars have something in common: 

- Youthfulness

- Rebellion

- Sexual magnetism 

- An 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.

Stars and Stardom 

Dyer Star theory "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".

The idea that they are no different than anybody else with a talent, it's just how they are marketed, sold and created, which is as a star. 

Richard Dyer 

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

- A star is only an image - not a real person. It is constructed out of a range of different materials, videos, artwork, performances and media appearances.

- Stars are commodities, being produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings. 

Dyer says, stars depend on a range of different subsidiary media (magazines, TV, radio, the internet) in order to construct an image of themselves which is then marketed to their target audiences and are attractive to their target audiences. 

The idea of selling a person rather than the talent. 

Iconic imagery 

Sometimes a record label can take it that step further and create a USP (Unique selling point) of these artists. By creating an iconic image that can you can easily associate with a star which further helps sell their star image. 

The star image can change over time as their ideology develops and over time reflects the change in their audience as the audience grow up or the attempt to find a new one. 

Richard Dyer's star theory suggests three main features that make a star:

1. The Star as a construction

Images of the artists that are portrayed through advertising, television, magazines etc, have all been created by their management.

2. The Star as a commodity

The star has been constructed in a way that appeals to their target audiences. Certain music magazines which feature bands or artists on the front cover as their image becomes the commodity that will attract the target audience to buy to magazine. Their image is controlled. 

3. The Star as an ideology

The band or artist actually representing the values and beliefs of what they are selling. They can make this fit the target audience to gain a larger audience. For example the Spice Girls, they represent girl power and friendships. 

Fundamentally Richard Dyer believes the star image is incoherent, it is incomplete and 'open'. Dyer says that this is due to be based upon two key paradoxes: 

1. "The star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer" - someone you are able to relate to but also look up to and ideologies.

2. "The star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer" - we know about them, who they are and what they stand for but we don't know enough to get sick of them. We will always want more, so we buy more music, watch interviews, purchase merchandise and see them live.

Social media

The biggest new impact on the star image. Used by record labels to provide the viewers / audience with a 'behind the curtain' and intimate look at your star. They are able to connect and share with you directly. This has a huge impact on how stars are built and constructed and how they sell themselves. 

Task: 

ARTIST: Travis Scott 

HOW THEIR STAR IMAGE IS BEING CONSTRUCTED?

- Went out the Kylie Jenner 

- Has a child with Kylie Jenner 

- Close relations to the Kardashian family

- Attractive 

- Target audience is teens and 20s

- Rap artist 

- Large social media platform 

- Dynamic performer 

- Used to date Rhianna