Ghost Town Facts Flashcards
When was the music video produced and why is this culturally significant.
1981.
Margaret Thatcher was in power - racial tensions.
Produced on the year of the Brixton/Bristol Riots - a reference to it? An event of mass destruction and political unease.
What do the aesthetics of the video represent? & lyrics
- Socially realistic, a mirror of the political unrest experienced in Britain.
- London inequalities represented through contrast in filming locations.
- Unease of state of the nation - linked to thatcherism.
How does the architecture contribute in the mise-en-scene to the overall feel of the video?
The brutalist grey concrete and glass set against the flat grey sky helps connote the uninviting society which built this harsh landscape
How does the audience experience unease at the beginning of the music video?
The audience might feel a disorientating unease from the opening tilting and panning shots of these buildings.
Action/proeretic codes - what are they and give an example?
Something that signfies another thing will happen.
A gun is pulled out in a movie. This is a proeretic code, as it may imply a shootout.
Hermeneutic/enigma codes - what are they and give an example?
A code that hooks the audience, and makes them want to continue watching an advert.
example: Mirror - โfind out what this means for you and the world - turn to page Xโ. (Audience - I must open the paper to find out).
example: Tide - โWeโve got what women wantโ (Audience - What do women really want?)
Cultural/referential codes - what are they & give an example?
A code that is only known to audiences with cultural knowledge.
A good way of engaging PARTICULAR audiences. However, the majority wonโt have that referential knowledge - so some audiences feel excluded.
What 2 issues does Ghost Town highlight, and how is this done?
Racial inequalities: highlighted through the construction of their record label โtwo toneโ - a sense of white/black togetherness. Also, used to describe their fusion of Jamaican Ska & Punk-Rock.
Youth: highlighted lyrically โwhy must the youth fight against themselvesโ - advocate for the emerging generation of workers who had hardships imposed on them by Thatcherโs policies. Lyrics acted as a way of connecting with youth of Britain.
Who is the music video directed by?
Graphic designer Barney Bubbles.
What genres do the mise en scene reference and what for example does this?
Genre hybridity is evident: a mixture of social realism depicted through use of the dull filter, dysphemistic portrayal of Britainโs active stance against the youth and their culture.
Horror: evident through the genre convention of the โvampireโ, each band member is depicted as one. The lighting style portrays some band members as ghosts, with a harsh lighting emphasizing their faces.
