Ghost Town Flashcards
how long was Ghost Town in the top 10 UK charts?
3 weeks
who directed the Ghost Town music video?
Barney Bubbles
in what way is the music video a hybrid genre?
mix of conventions from performance (band lip syncing in car, shots change on beat) and narrative (story of band driving aimlessly though dressed for the weekend, ending by throwing stones in Thames)
comment on the significance of the performance within the car (4 points)
- eye contact shows direct mode of address
- chanting “this town is coming like a ghost town” shows unease in london
- wailing chorus = viewer should be frightened
- crammed into car = no place in the world, one member is kicked out
what is an alternate reading of the music video?
- band singing along to radio, providing soundtrack for the forgotten young people
- shows the specials feel the same way
comment on the symbolism of the buildings
- worms eye view makes audience feel insignificant
- flat grey colour of sky and concrete = uninviting society
- panning shots = disorientating and uneasy
comment on the videography in ghost town and its significance
- whip pans = disorientating, confusion
- camera falls off car at one point, chaos reflects emotional and economic turmoil of the time
when was ghost town released and how is this relevant
- 1981
- race riots were happening all over the uk with clashes between primarily black youth and white police officers (St Pauls riot)
comment on the change in the bridge section of the song
- turns to major key = happier when reflecting on “the good old days”
- one continuous shot unlike rest of video makes seem more harmonious
- band members dance in back, further shows days were better before
comment on the mise en scene during the songs climax
- darker allowing for chiaroscuro lighting (convention of horror/drama)
- shadows on walls (indexical sign) of people allow the audience to picture themselves in the situation instead of being shown
- abandoned vehicles = ghost town and horror convention
why is the final scene significant to the video?
- more realistic, relates the song to reality
- reach a new equilibrium (Todorov) where the young people are aimless
Apply Paul Gilroy to the music video
- the specials represent the complex identity of a new generation of black people in the UK, combining ska and punk rock (traditionally separate styles)
- specials = multicultural group bringing together genres and representing a more divers Britain
What is the message behind ghost town?
it is an attack on the dominant, right-wing, ideologies popularised by Thatcher. it comments on the unemployment rates “no job to be found in this country) and racial tensions “why must the youth fight against themselves” and police brutality (siren noises)
