This is America - Childish Gambino

My ideas

• There is a binary opposition between the group singing and the empty set, where only a chair and guitar are visible to the audience. This creates hermeneutic coding, as the audience wonder where the singing is coming from. 
• The mise-en-scene of the abandoned warehouse setting contributes to the cold tone of the music video, which is enhanced by the light-blue and beige colour pallet.
• The cinematography of the camera moving towards Childish Gambino, allows for the man sat on the chair to transition to having a bag over his head seamlessly.
• The mise-en-scene of the gun introduces the theme of violence, the sudden shock of the gun-sound could arguably be representative of reality. 
• The fantasy land of America being this great place is represented through the chorus singing, which includes the lexis of 'you' and 'we', introducing the idea of unison. This is quickly subverted by the loud gun-shot which represents the sudden reality that America is not a nice place. This makes this music video allegorical, as it is a social commentary on people coming to America, fantasising over it, only to be received with violence.
• The cast is all black, meaning this video represents the struggles black people endure.
• There are some conventional aspects of this music video, such as the dancing.
• There is a binary opposition between the wild group running and the unified dancers, once again introducing this idea of expectation vs reality.
• The mise-en-scene of the cars in the background are older vehicles, which introduces the idea of lacking financial stability. It could also be a reference to street racing, which is typically associated with gang-culture. This could comment on the stereotypes a predominantly white society, believe about black people.
• The singing scene in the middle of the music video answers the hermeneutic coding at the beginning. The singing is hopeful, and as Childish Gambino shoots them, this could be representative of their positivity having no hope of survival in America.
• The mise-en-scene of the police car makes reference to police targeting black people. The car door is open and the car is empty, whilst people charge around the car, perhaps suggesting the police are in the middle of the mayhem, perpetuating it.
• The lyrics binary oppose the action ongoing behind the performers in the music video. The lexis of the lyrics, "I'm on Gucci", "I'm so pretty", present the idea of privilege, which contrasts the violence of people being thrown from a height behind them, and the charging with weapon props.
• The colour orange is present throughout, symbolically representing fire. Fire begins somewhere, and spreads, perhaps referencing the movement against these stereotypes OR from a polysemic perspective, this could reference the hatred people have towards black people growing in America, which eventually becomes internalised racism.
• The people sat on their phones filming the whole ordeal shows how those witnessing racism are becoming bystanders, sharing videos to social media without any intent of helping or doing anything about it, despite having the resources and capability to do so.
• The shot of Childish Gambino running down the corridor positions the audience as the attacker, as the camera pans to follow him. This perhaps shows how this music video was targeted at a white audience to allegorically inform them of the damage they are implementing on a black society through their use of uneducated stereotyping, and disinterest to stop racism.
• For Gilroy culture has been deployed too often in an attempt to explain difference and division rather than unity or commonality.
• This demonstrates the vicious cycle in America. This song was based on past events, yet these events can still be seen today.

Class discussion 

• Gilroy - Post-colonialism - stereotype around black community - old, cheap cars and clear lack of wealth and status - students are in basic school uniforms - random inclusion of chickens - connotes a sense of uncivilized status - perhaps symbolising black people often being represented as wild and dangerous - nods o underdevelopment and lack of privilege

• Reference to police brutality -  in one point  he is walking to camera with someone chasing him - police cars, riots, chaos - reference to protest, the unstable relations in America

• Last scene - references ‘Get Out’ - thriller/horror film conventions - dark lighting, extreme close up of his face (crazed, petrified) - hunted, chased down 

• Duality of America - in the first scene he shoots someone and then dances away - almost like a game - trying to cover or distract from brutal violence/murder though exgerrated performance and dance - protagonist is symbolic of America - how it is violent and racist but tries to cover it up through Hollywood/entertainment 

• Dehumanisation of people - the man being shot very nonchalantly - every person/group shot is seen to be enjoying themselves (guitar/singing) before being shot - almost video game like in violence 

• Binary opposition between lyrics and visuals - I’m so Gucci, I’m so pretty’ - we see people being thrown off building/murdered -allegorical of the illusion of America - what is presents and what is the reality - inequality, gun violence, high murder, systemic racism etc etc. 

• Gospel music with hopeful lyrics - lighthearted and playful - sudden shift before he guns them down - reinforced through shift - changes to rap music with has connotations of violence, misogyny 

• When he shoots the gun - someone comes off screen to take the gun away - connotations of worship - red symbolic of power/status - character is almost bowing down when he takes the gun - very delicate the way he takes it - the idea of gun being put on a pedestal - so central to the themes - binary opposition with the man being dragged off screen 

• ‘This is America’ -the lyric during the shooting - presenting the true reality of what is happening 

• Distraction of dancing - hyper entertainment - trying to distract and cover up - 

• The dancing - teenage trends of dance movements - nene dance - references to youth culture - idealised place for youth and teenagers - the high school - postmodernism and hyperreality of teenage life - perhaps symbolic of the ignorance of some groups 

• Over exaggerated - contorting - the way he moves his body - black performance - ‘black man get your money’ - reference to performance, being a spectacle - OTHERING 

• Due to slavery - black americans having to create their own culture through dance, music - reference to culture and history being destroyed 

• The use of young children - group of children sat on the cars in the background - represents the indoctrination of young people into gang/gun violence - later see the same characters filming the violence - could reflect a desensitisation of violence - reinforced through brutal violence represented in a casual, throwaway manner

• White background contrasts with black characters - symbolic of white supremacy - police brutality - hegemonic mise-en-scene 

• Segregated setting - cut off - separate from world - symbolic of oppression? - black characters inside hanger - inside constricted, limited setting with no freedom - living in this chaos, having no escape

• Whole video is a comment on the reality of America - oppositional reading 

• Gun wrapped up - running away from the media - there is a pan away from it - symbolic of the media not showing the true reality 

• Camera movement way of producer of directing audiences attention - 

• Mise-en-scene - costume - man with guitar has relaxed clothes with no shoes - connotes relaxing mood - contrasts with violent shooting - despite the oppression and violence the culture has survived and it has been overcome - references to african music - postmodern - POLYSEMIC 

• Camera movement - constantly moving apart from significant movements - long takes, minimum cuts - UNCONVENTIONAL 

• This is America - walks to camera away from the chaos - perhaps symbolic of government/media ignoring violence 

• Moment of silence in the middle of the video - 17 seconds - 1 second for each of a victim? Silence being a moment reflection - encouraging to reflect upon what we are observing