Viraj- Media Coursework Blog 2: Mr Halsey

1) Music Video: Introduction - factsheet questions 2) Music Video: Old Town Road CSP 3) Music Video: Postcolonial theory 4) Music Video: Ghost Town CSP 5) Music Video: Postmodernism and music video

  Media Magazine Theory Drop - Postmodernism 1) How does the article define postmodernism in the first page of the article? Postmodernism is making fun of authority to its face. It takes the concept of questioning traditional structures, representations and expectations and pushes things a step further. 2) What did media theorist and Semiotician Roland Barthes suggest in his essay ' The Death of the Author '? He challenged the tradition as he said that a writers opinions, intentions or interpretation of their own work are no more valid then any one else's. Readers are free to interpret messages in any way they want, irrespective of how the writer wants it. 3) What is metatextuality? Where a text draws attention to the fact that it is a text as it. It points out to the process of its own creation.  4) What is the repeated phrase on the cartoon on postmodernism on page 28? " Postmodernism is a cultural movement that distrusts all established philosophies and frequent...

1) Type up your feedback in  full  (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential). Total = 23 = B WWW - Q2 is hugely impressive: very close to top-level. Excellent knowledge of the CSP's and engagement with the question. Now the challenge is to match that level throughout a paper! EBI - Q1 holds you back a little - revise the postmodernism terminology (this was a tough question)   - In Q2, try and explore the other side of the debate/ideological positioning if you can. LR - see blog 2) Read  the whole mark scheme for this assessment  carefully. Identify at least  one  potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment (even if you got full marks for the question). Q1 Pastiche - when products imitates the style of another media work. Although the Kingsman poster is a parody of comedy, the poster suggests that is is serious. In parody, the audience are likely to expect a tagline that con...

Background and historical contexts Read  this excellent analysis from The Conversation website of the impact Ghost Town had both musically and visually . Answer the following questions 1)  Why does the writer link the song to cinematic soundtracks and music hall tradition? The music creates a "lyrical landscape" and also "reflects and engenders anxiety".  2) What subcultures did 2 Tone emerge from in the late 1970s? Mod and Punk subcultures. 3) What social contexts are discussed regarding the UK in 1981? Skinhead nights and riots were breaking out in urban area's. Deprived places were taken over by young unemployed black and white people. Places like London and Liverpool were a riot ground between these youngsters and the police. 4) Cultural critic Mark Fisher describes the video as ‘eerie’. What do you think is 'eerie' about the Ghost Town video? It sits outside of the pop convention s. It doesn't point its listeners to one specific political  v...

  Wider reading on race and Old Town Road Read  this W Magazine deep dive on the Yeehaw agenda  and answer the following questions:  1) What are the visual cues the article lists as linked to the western genre?  Cowboy hats, cow prints, rhinestone, fringed suede jackets etc.  2) How did the Yeehaw agenda come about?  Bri Malandro set up an Instagram page which functions both archive and celebration of black cowboy aesthetics in popular culture. 3) Why has it been suggested that the black cowboy has been 'erased from American culture'?  Wrangling cattle and riding horses etc. were all practiced by black Americans since the 1800's and the impact African American men and women have had on cowboy culture is not well known. during the civil wars, the slaveowners left to fight leaving all their work for the slaves and by the end of the war, black Americans were experts with 25% of cowboys being black. 4) How has the black cowboy aesthetic been reflecte...

Background and historical contexts Read  this Vox feature and podcast transcript on Lil Nas X and Old Town Road . Make sure you read the whole thing - including the podcast transcript - then answer the following questions:  1) What is the big debate regarding Old Town Road and genre? The debate of whether "Old Town Road" should be classified as a country song or not. In 2019, it was taken off the Billboard country chart and was moved to the Hot Rap Songs chart. Billboard representatives stated that "Whilst it  incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it does not embrace enough elements in todays country music to chart in its current vision." Billboard received backlash as to whether they were doing this due to Lil Nas X's race. 2) What do you learn about the background of Lil Nas X and Old Town Road from the podcast transcript? 20 year old rapper from Atlanta who joined soundcloud. He bought a beat which had country-surrounding instruments  to it ...