music video: ghost town media lang+rep Flashcards
cultural context: ska and two-tone
the specials were part of the two-tone movement. the movement was known for its anti-racist ethos, bringing together white and black youth at a time of racial tension. ska music is a genre that blended punk and reggae.
cultural context: youth culture
the early 80s saw young people grappling with a lack of opportunities. ska and punk were genres that resonated with young people looking for an outlet for their frustration. the video resonated with young people as there weren’t any artists that really talked about the issues they too were facing
social context: economic decline
in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the uk was undergoing economic challenges e.g high unemployment and industrial decline. areas like coventry, where the specials originated, were hard-hit by deindustrialization, with factories/jobs disappearing. this creates a sense of despair and anger in working class communities, which the music video captures
social context: urban decay
the imagery in “ghost town” reflects the sense of decay in British cities. the song talks about the feeling of emptiness, where once-bustling areas were now deserted. this was a reality for working-class communities. the ‘ghost town’ metaphor speaks to the sense of abandonment that people felt
historical context: Thatcherism and operation swamp 81
the song was released during the early years of Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government. Thatchers policies led to mass protests and strikes. Stop and search laws (named operation swamp 81) in 1970s-80s highlighted police racism and discrimination - police stopped people if they thought they looked suspicious, black and asian communities were angry about the abuse of these laws
historical context: riots
in the early 1980s, there were widespread riots in Brixton, where there were protests against racial discrimination and economic inequality. these social tensions are reflected in ‘ghost town’, which speaks about the alienation felt by minority communities
political context: racial tension and organisations
Mainstream media e.g newspapers and tv place the blame for crime, poverty and unemployment on immigrants - in particular young black men - caused friction within britain, lots of racism - The National Front organisation encourages the racism which meant the racial divide in britain increased, protest turned violent. the lyrics “bands won’t play no more, too much fighting on the dance floor” were drawn from personal experience as their gigs were disrupted by the National Front
media language: what is the impact of the low angle, establishing shots? what is the impact of the tall buildings and the unwide streets?
they help set the scene as being London - recognisable to audiences. the tall buildings are dominant and overpowering which makes the audience feel trapped and the not wide streets also add to the trapped element. there is an intertextual link to German Expressionist Films.
media language: what is the impact of the empty and derelict streets?
they create enigma for audiences and make the town seem desolate and sad which is unusual for London
media language: what do the siren sounds add to?
add to the horror genre and eerie atmosphere - also suggests crime
media language: what does the green traffic imply?
implies cars an go freely around the city which is ironic because green is a colour of go or movement but no one can in this city
media language: what does being crammed in the car suggest? camera angles?
suggests they have a close friendship - using a camera placed on the bonnet of the car allows us to see the members equally, representing the diversity and equality of the group despite living in a society full of discrimination
media language: what is the significance of the vauxhall cresta car and the old style suits?
the music video was influenced by the 60s and it links to British realism which makes the idea feel raw and real
media language: what’s the significance of the lyrics “all the clubs are being closed down”?
reflects how they have to perform in their car because everything in the town has been left
media language: what’s the significance of the erratic, hand held camera movements in the car?
make them seem wild and rebellious. the scenes create a dangerous, thrilling and potentially exciting tone for the audiences who might identify with wanting to break the rules
media language: use of colour
“boomtown” - when London was more exciting and filled with people/jobs - the colour grading (warmer tones) create a binary opposite between the moments when they’re singing about the past vs what London looks like now. so the warmer tones add to a sense of nostalgia when they’re singing about how Britain used to be
media language: what is the significance of the members being in conflict with each other in the tunnel? what is the use of the shadows?
could be argued to foreshadow the brixton riots which happens after the video was filmed.
the shadows act as a semantic code to suggest that Britain is a shadow of its former self - all that’s left if the ‘ghosts’ in the ‘ghost town’
media language: what does the excited look on their faces signify?
signifies they aren’t afraid and instead they are so tired of the dismal state of the country that they enjoy the dangerous thrills - they’ve been worn down and beaten by the town they are just tired
media language: what does them throwing stones in the river add to the idea of?
add to the idea they they are bored, and feel there is nothing else going on in their lives and there is a lack of job opportunities. allows us to question if there is any hope for a future in this town or if it have been ruined by society
media representation: ghost town reflects what and how does ghost town represent racial tension?
ghost town reflects the anger about unemployment, crime and poverty at the time but instead of representing the racial tension and division, it shows racial harmony and diversity. it shows there was more of a racial political party to blame rather than a racial group
media representations: how are men represented?
men are represented as angry and frustrated but not violent in this video as a result of the political decisions that were being made at the time
media representation: what does it show about them mixing music genres and not producing mainstream music?
reflects the fact they aren’t a mainstream band and that’s why there is a mix of ethnicity/culture/music
theories: todorov narrative theory
most narratives follow a structured pattern: equilibrium, rising action, climax, falling action, re-equilibrium. ghost town does NOT follow this narrative structure. the video starts in empty streets which is not an equilibrium. there can be argued to be rising action all throughout the video as there is an eerie sense which puts the audience on edge all the way till the end of the video. the ending is not a re-equilibrium as it makes the audience question if there is any hope left in the town.
theories: Barthes - 5 narratives codes
- hermeneutic code: mystery in the text, causes intrigue (empty streets, derelict buildings, dark lighting)
- proairetic code: focuses on the action which creates suspense (siren sound, fighting in tunnel, chaos in car)
- semantic code: connotative/suggestive elements of the text, adding layers of meaning (green traffic light, lyrics, shadows)
- symbolical code: focuses on the symbolic structures and meaning (diverse mix of band members, being together in the car)
- referential code: elements that refers to external knowledge (dark lighting refers to German Expressionist Films, horror genre)
