Critical Investigation: Task #1: Textual Analysis
TASK #1 TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
Clip Analysis 1: 1:25 - 1:55
There is a dominant representation in showing the judgement towards people of a certain race as we could see in this clip. The only thing that is alternative is the race that this is happening to. This segment of the music video focuses on the representation of the actual victim that suffered police brutality, 12 year old Tamir Rice, and an audience are able to recognise the codes and conventions of the scenario due to the explicitly focusing on detail. The use of subverting the race of the victims in this scene provides a different viewpoint towards non-African Americans and highlights the circumstance as this has happened to a young boy. This may evoke more empathy within another race.
Genre
The genre within this clip is identifiable as an audience are able to witness the rapper T.I and him rapping the lyrics throughout. He provides social expression for subordinate groups to speak about their exclusions, injustices and lack of power which is replicated through the events that is happening within the clip.
Narrative.
Audience
An audience viewing this specific clip of any ethnicity may feel more empathetic as this is happening to a young child. It is notable that during this clip, the young child was innocently playing with his toy gun but became a victim of police brutality in a short space of time. As role reversal is used, there would be better understanding of why African-Americans are so bothered by police brutality which is more significant as it could be seen happening to a child. This would therefore make an audience even more taken back by what has happened.
Mise-en-scene.
Costume: The significance of the costumes that the young actor is wearing emphasises the realism of what is happening and gives the video a sense of reality. In addition to this, rapper T.I dresses in a non-eccentric way (everyday clothing), this makes more significance as he shows that he is apart of what he believes in and the video instead of their being separation between him as a rapper and the actors/actresses - it makes them seem as a whole in this situation.
Location: The locations signify everyday life and normality of what people do day-to-day. The use of a park location for the young actor emphasises his youth but also shows that he is secure and accustom to his environment. As he is murdered in this environment, it makes the situation more brutal as this is supposed to be a place of happiness and childhood but that has been evoked from him.
Actor/tress: The significance of this is that the protagonists are deemed as innocent through their facial expressions mean whilst the police officers are quite aggressive showing that they are unruly and ignorant. The actor's facial expression and body language shows that he was not in a threatening manner which goes to show that he wasn't aware that he was doing anything wrong and just enjoying his life, however, the polices instant stance and shouting out to the young boy indicates that he had no thought towards what he was doing and just based this young boy on his skin tone instead of investigating the situation. In addition to this, the rapid use of the gun also shows that there was no morality or thought in approaching the situation in a calm manner. Prior to getting shot, the young boy's shock makes it more significant as it shows how quick things happen, the boy didn't get a chance to react or justify himself and his actions. Rapper T.I whilst rapper seems agitated by the situation which highlights to the viewer the unjust of the situation and emphasises his lyrics whilst rapping about the situation.
Make-up: The make-up of the actors/actress' are very subtle and is significant as again this portrays normality and realism. No make-up is notable through this clip which, again, shows that this is a situation that could happen in everyday life.
Props: The props used like the toy gun and the actual guns are significant as the toy gun is blatantly a toy making the actions of the police officers more unjustifiable. In addition to this, the real guns used show the harsh reality of what is happening and also explicitly explores what is happening in society between police officers and people of colour. The use of the police car pulling up shows the urgency to the situation as the audience are able to witness the dust unravelling once the car pulls up. This shows how quick the car arrived in order to act upon the situation based on their judgements instead of approaching in a calm manner. When the police officer is expanding the tape around where the young boy was murdered it shows the audience that they didn't check to see if they boy was alright and therefore illustrated that they were careless about the situation and un-bothered for the youngsters well-being.
Setting: The settings are very natural and day-to-day settings. The lighting used is high-key lighting conveying more sense of realism.
Sound.
The sound used throughout this music video is non-diegetic. This is because the audience are able to see the action that is going on throughout the video but are unable to hear the sound effects of this. Instead, the audience are able to hear the soundtrack (T.I - Warzone). This would have been added after the sequence and music video was shot and edited. The music is parallel to the footage.
Cinematography.
The cinematography used within this 30 second footage hold some sort of significance as it draws close attention to detail in what is happening. The camera framing at 1:25 - 1:36 presents alot of detail so that the audience could become accustom and knowledgeable of everything within that frame. For example, the close-up used when the police car pulls up makes it very clear to a viewer that this is a police department/car located in Atlanta, there is an insight of the location that this incident happened in. Also, having the young victim in a medium shot and the frame before the police car pulls up indicates that he was unaware of the situation and that the police car has disrupted the tranquility. The close-up used when the camera is located on the police man exposes his facial expression and dialogue clearly revealing to an audience how he is saying this word and the intensity of his actions. The big close-up used for the victim when he realises the police man and the gun pointing towards him strongly displays his shock and innocence in the situation. It is notable that the alternation between close-ups and big close-ups between 1:37-1:40 is significant for a number of reasons: how rapid everything happened, the different expressions between each character within this time-frame, the probable thought process that each of them experienced and the lack of communication between the two so that the situation could have been avoided. Thereafter, the different types of shots to show the victim such as a big close-up on his hand and the gun, then a medium shot of him laying on the floor, then a big close-up of his hand again and after a medium shot of him on the floor emphasises the cause and effect of being a certain ethnicity, the judgements that are placed upon you and the effects that this could have in the treatment towards you. Also, this indicates that he is actually dead, it shows the realism and severity of the situation.
The camera movement used when shooting within this time-frame is important in covering every aspect of the situation. The panning used from 1:28-1:33 is able to expose the connection between the police car and the police officer and is also able to show the continuity of the situation. The use of this shot also reveals detail but as it ends of the police officer, it highlights that him and his actions are the reason for the young boys death and an audience are able to make a straight link towards the police officer and the victim. 1:41-1:45 uses zooming out in order to expand what is in this frame to remind the audience of the environment that this has happened in and to uncover more aspects and viewpoints. Thereafter, the short use of tilting the camera up towards T.I whilst he raps the chorus uses the soundtrack and what is being said to relate back to the prior situation and again shows the severity of what is being said and what has happened.
Editing.
The use of slow-motion editing allows there for time for interpretation and better understanding of the circumstance.
The overall extract shows what had happened to Tamir Rice the day he got murdered and the events that took place that lead up to his murder.
Clip Analysis 2: 2:00 - 2:30
Representation.
The representation is very similar to the analysis of the first clip however, this is shown through a light of the victim Eric Garner. Here an audience are able to witness the events that had happened to him leading to police brutality. The use of race reversal again shows this situation through a different perspective which may make it more delicate for some who are viewing.
Genre.
The genre is also kept the same throughout the music video however, in this clip, T.I does not focus or mention the events that happened to Eric Garner but goes on to explore another episode of racial inequality and racism through Dylann Roof - a white supremacy supporter who shot several African-Americans in church. From T.I rapping about this, the theme and genre is still being withheld.
Narrative.
The narrative within this clip is explored as the events that built up towards Eric Garner's death is shown. It is significant in presenting what happened, the conversation between him and multiple police officers and how his death transpired. The justice system as a whole and the unjust of the situation is seen throughout this clip as multiple men are used in order to restrain/arrest one person.
Audience
An audience is similar in reacting as analysed in the first clip. They may be shocked to see all of those police officers targeting one person and agree that the situation was uncalled for and disturbing. The assumptions that could be made by the audience is that there was some sort of disagreement between "Eric Garner" and the police officers however, they are able to witness that the action taken out against him was not necessary as he wasn't in a manner of serious threat or misconduct.
Mise-en-scene.
The mise-en-scene is also very similar to the first clip that was analysed in showing the normality and realism of the situation through costumes, location, make-up, props and setting however, the use of the actors gives a better understanding of the situation. As seen in the clip, there is a conversation that happens between the victim and two police officers. The victim seems agitated and explanatory through his facial expressions and gestures. Also, when taken down to the floor and in a head lock, a viewer is able to see that he is saying "I can't breathe" multiple times however this is being ignored by the police officers. Through this, it is significant in showing the lack of reasonable actions, carelessness and to some extent, an intention to murder the victim. Also, the physique of the police officers shows that they were strong and muscular so the infliction on the victim would have caused a lot of damage.
Sound.
The sound is constant throughout the video - a non-diegetic soundtrack. As analysed in the first clip, the audience are able to see the action that is going on throughout the video but are unable to hear the sound effects of this. Instead, the audience are able to hear the soundtrack (T.I - Warzone). This would have been added after the sequence and music video was shot and edited. The music is parallel to the footage.
Cinematography.
The camera framing used to shoot this specific clip reinforces the idea of normality of the situation. The medium shot used at 2:08 reveals the setting to the audience as they could see that this on the street and also they could see who is in the shot (victim and two police officers). The close-ups used thereafter (2:10-2:16) plays close attention to detail. Here, an audience are able to witness the expression on the victims face, the masculinity and body frame that the police officers hold and the conversation between the two before the incident happens. An audience are able to see that the victim was trying to justify himself in the situation but was not in an overally threatening manner towards the police men. In addition to this, the physique of the police officers indicate that they are in a position to over power him but are still proceeding to take action. (2:17-2:20) uses a medium shot as it shows the reader the amount of police officers that have attended the scene to tackle the man which again reveals the unfairness of the situation as there is only 1 person compared to 4 police officers. The close-up used thereafter (2:21-2:30) shows the position that these police officers has taken against the man and shows that they have him in a head restraint, are applying pressure to him and are on top of him. In regards to the man, an audience are able to see that he is saying "I can't breathe" but the officers are not releasing him. This therefore shows the audience the unjust of the situation and the psychical events that lead to the victims death.
The camera movement (tilting) used at 2:12-2:13 reveals to the audience the psychic of the police officer as it pays close attention to his arm muscles which is later used to murder the victim. The tilting used at 2:20-2:22 shows the audience what the police officers are doing and the amount of police officers on top of the victim.
Editing
The editing used is similar to the analysed editing in the first clip. A straight cut is used. This brings the seriousness of the situation, and makes it more action packed in showing how these events have taken place. The use of continuity editing allows the audience to make obvious links via the different people within this clip and the different scenarios from multiple aspects (The police officers, T.I and the victim). From this, it conveys meaning.
The use of slow-motion editing also allows there for time for interpretation and better understanding of the circumstance.
The overall extract shows what had happened to Eric Garner the day he got murdered and the events that took place that lead up to his murder.
The editing used is similar to the analysed editing in the first clip. A straight cut is used. This brings the seriousness of the situation, and makes it more action packed in showing how these events have taken place. The use of continuity editing allows the audience to make obvious links via the different people within this clip and the different scenarios from multiple aspects (The police officers, T.I and the victim). From this, it conveys meaning.
The use of slow-motion editing also allows there for time for interpretation and better understanding of the circumstance.
The overall extract shows what had happened to Eric Garner the day he got murdered and the events that took place that lead up to his murder.
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