1) How does the This Is America video meet the key conventions of a music video?
Song
This Is America applies a lot of the key conventions of music videos. The main convention that is included is the use of sound - particularly the actual audio of the song. By using the song in combination with the diegetic sound (e.g. of the gun shots etc) it enhances the entertainment aspect of the video and also promotes the song, as well as Childish Gambino's music.Additionally, the peaceful chanting and singing (0:10-0:52) may be symbolic of the fact thatblack people have often turned to music as a form of release; a chance to escape the pressure of reality - for example: how slaves often sang whilst working.
Performance element
Throughout the music video, we follow Childish Gambino as he performs in several different ways. In this video, Gambino includes various different moments where there are sections of choreographed dances. For example, from 1:10 until 1:40, we are positioned to focus on Gambino's dancing and the group of young people around him following his lead, and doing dances that have been trending on social media etc. We have been positioned to focus on Gambino's performance, in order to reflect the fact that as consumers, we often focus on what is directly in front of us, rather than trying to find the deeper meaning behind the things we are shown.
2) What comment is the video making on American culture, racism and gun violence?
This Is America draws attention to the issues associated with American culture, particularly racism and gun violence. At several points in the video, Gambino suddenly shoots innocent people and then proceeds to walk away in a nonchalant manner. For example at 1:58, Gambino shoots a church choir, throws the gun and leaves the scene. Gambino's causal body language is reflective of the fact that America is still relaxed and fairly lenient with their gun laws and restrictions, despite all of the murders;school shootings and lives that have been lost in recent years (such as the 2017 Texas church shooting). [Intertextual reference] This is reinforced by the way that the gun is constantly cradled and caught in cloth whenever it is thrown away by Gambino. The cloth and the way that the gun is held has connotations of a newborn child. The fact that the gun is being held in such a caring way is symbolic of the pride that Americans take in possessing gun collections etc - even though they pose such a threat.
Gambino anticipates Thug’s studied narcissism. “This is a celly,” he raps, “that’s a tool, my Kodak.” Even if you miss the shout-out to yet another Southern MC (Kodak Black), this is a tight cluster of images. We are reminded that a camera-phone can be used for something other than Instagram: it can become a tool for exposing murder. But there’s another thread lurking here. The camera can also be (wilfully) mistaken for a tool – a handgun – as it was earlier this year, when Sacramento police fatally shot Stephon Clark, a young black man who was ‘armed’ with what turned out to be an iPhone. [Intertextual reference]
Additionally, at 0:52 when he shoots the guitar player, Gambino deliberately copies the pose of Jim Crow. This is a direct reference to the segregation and racist social conventions associated with the 1800s. Jim Crow is a manifestation of the racist attitudes and tendencies that were present in America at this time, therefore, by making a reference to this character in 21st century society, Gambino highlights the fact that these same racist motivations are the same ones causing problems in the present day. [Intertextual reference]
3) Write an analysis of the video applying the theories we have learned: Gilroy, Hall, Rose and Dyson.
In this video, Gambino adopts the characters suggested by Hall's theory of representations in the media. The main representation that is played on is the idea that black people are typically portrayed as the "clown or entertainer" figures. This is depicted throughout the entire duration of the video, where Gambino is shown singing, rapping and dancing directly to the audience. Gambino has deliberately played upon this stereotype/idea in order to draw attention to the way that black people (e.g. musicians) are often presented in a comical way in order to increase their entertainment value. Additionally, the shot of Gambino blindly running into the darkness - away from the group of white people - is a reflection of the struggles that slaves went through when they attempted to escape the plantations etc. This also subtly links to Gilroy's theory that the slave trade has had a "huge cultural influence on modern America." The fact that the video focuses on the idea of gun violence and the difficulties experiences by black people in America, is symbolic of the fact that although there has been a great deal of progress, there are still things that are done by White America in order to replace concepts of segregation etc. In the background of the video, there is also a lot of violence and conflict happening. This may be symbolic of the inner conflict that black people may be enduring, due to the feeling of "never quite belonging or being accepted in Western societies." I think that this music video is a perfect example of hip hop music can "shed light on contemporary politics, history and race", as suggested by Michael Eric Dyson. Childish Gambino draws upon his knowledge of current events and also reflects on the cultural-political history of America. This is reflected through the parallels between This Is America and examples of police brutality/racially motivated murders that have happened in recent years. This is a prime example of how music can be used to promote certain messages, as well as focus our attention on the reality of the events occurring around us.
Read this Guardian feature on This Is America - including the comments below.
4) What are the three interpretations suggested in the article?
He's playing the character of Jim Crow, he's duping us with dance, he's taking on the police
5) What alternative interpretations of the video are offered in the comments 'below the line'?
"It's just music"
"I'm surprised that this movie isn't 30 seconds long, with him walking on set and then some police shooting him. That would be a more accurate description of the US."
"Great video and music. I think it's quite obvious what the song means. Not much 'satirical' about it. Pretty literal to me. Being black in America is deadly."
"Music is the perfect medium to highlight the wrongs in society."
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