Underdog - Alicia Keys

Question 1

Alicia Keys - context

Answer 1

Was born in Hell’s Kitchen, a deprived area of Midtown Manhattan.
Keys has been awarded a raft of awards during her career.
She has sold over 90 million records worldwide, making her one of the world’s best selling music artists.
She was named by Billboard as the R&B / Hip-Hop Artist of the Decade (2000s).
She placed tenth on their list of Top 50 R&B / Hip-Hop Artists of the past 25 years.

Question 2

Visual codes - examples

Answer 2

Character positioning.
Colour.
Actions.
Object / props.
Setting.
Lighting.
Costumes.
Texts.
Expressions.
Iconography.
Gestures

Question 3

Technical codes - examples

Answer 3

Shot types.
Camera positioning.
Editing.

Question 4

Audio codes - examples

Answer 4

Diegetic sounds:
Background sounds.
Dialogues.
Non-diegetic sounds:
Music.
Sound effects.

Question 5

Iconography

Answer 5

The patterns of signs we associate with a particular genre.

Question 6

Intertextual references

Answer 6

The relationship between media products where one text references another text by reusing some its ideas and meaning.

Question 7

Iconography and intertextual references - examples

Answer 7

Clothes - “typical” clothes, streetwear.
Clothes reflect the working class background.
“Real” places; - food shelter / community hall, car park, home, taxi.
“Typical” lives - jobs, real people with real careers and real families.
Socially and culturally relevant.
Not a singular narrative.
Range of ethnic backgrounds.

Question 8

Underdog - title

Answer 8

Title of song “underdog” suggests audience should see these people as struggling and disadvantaged but good and deserving.

Question 9

Visual codes - Underdog

Answer 9

Positive facial expressions.
Natural lighting.
Bright colours.
Streetwear.
Focuses on many people - multiple types of characters.
Lyrics match characters “stories”.

Question 10

Visual codes - Underdog (setting)

Answer 10

The music video is filmed in real locations to create a sense of realism.
Locations include urban street scenes, domestic situations, and the market.
This establishes a sense of actuality.

Question 11

Visual codes - Underdog (colours)

Answer 11

The desaturated, earthy colour palette reinforces the sense that real life is happening, and this is juxtaposed with the bright, vibrant colours of the larger-than-life street dancer character.

Question 12

Visual codes - Underdog (expressions and gestures)

Answer 12

Individual stories are constructed through expressions and gestures.
For example -
The exchange between the young woman and the street seller is inaudible, but the meaning is effectively conveyed through the lyrics, gestures and expressions.
The upbeat atmosphere of the music video is reinforced by waving, smiling, and clapping, which are recognisable signifiers of positivity.

Question 13

Visual codes - Underdog (narrative)

Answer 13

The narrative focuses on the central premise that those that are underestimated in life can defy the odds and “rise up”.
The story is essentially positive and celebratory and refines the idea of the “underdog”.
The narrative shows that chance encounters with strangers can have an impact on your life and draws attention to different groups in society that may often be overlooked.

Question 14

Technical codes - Underdog

Answer 14

Close-up.
Extreme close-up.
POV shot.
Wide angle.
Establishing shot.
Panning.
Low angle.
Fast-paced editing.

Question 15

Technical codes - Underdog (close-up shot)

Answer 15

The use of close-up shots of the characters in the music video and their positive expressions creates an upbeat feeling and an engagement with the audience.

Question 16

Technical codes - Underdog (Low angle shot)

Answer 16

Looking at the sky through hands is repeated and is a visual representation of the lyrics “rise up”, connoting aspiration.

Question 17

Technical codes - Underdog (Establishing shot)

Answer 17

The shots of the urban milieu anchor of the narrative in a realistic setting, representing real life and experiences.

Question 18

Technical codes - Underdog (tracking shots)

Answer 18

Follows the characters in their everyday lives (the main on the pavement and the young woman on the bus), which involves the audience in their narrative.

Question 19

Technical codes - Underdog (slow motion)

Answer 19

The use of slow motion is a reminder that this is a stylised construction.
The editing cuts between the individual stories and the performance of the artist, establishing a clear link between the two; the young mother spinning with the child in her arms and the street dancer spinning on the table reinforce a sense of community through visual signifiers.

Question 20

Audio codes - Underdog

Answer 20

Repetition of lyrics - “rise up”.

Question 21

Audio codes - Underdog (lyrics)

Answer 21

The repetitive lyrics of the chorus reinforce the narrative.
The images are highly illustrative and often feature a literal interpretation of the lyrics.
Ideology gained from her own experience that everyone deserves a chance regardless of who they are or what their circumstances are.

Question 22

Meaning - Underdog

Answer 22

She wants to represent a community.
Many of the images illustrate the lyrics but connote deeper layers of meaning in relation to the more abstract notion of working to achieve success and “rise up”.
The use of iconography has become a symbol of social status.

Question 23

Performance music videos

Answer 23

Features a solo artist or a band performing to a camera.
The aim is to focus on the artists and convey them in a particular way to the viewing audience.

Question 24

Narrative music videos

Answer 24

Tells a story, logically or sequentially through a chain of events that are put together to run parallel to each other.

Question 25

Performance and narrative music videos - Underdog

Answer 25

This music video employs the codes and conventions of the narrative/performance form, cutting between the constructed narrative and the performance of the artist.

Question 26

Representation - Underdog

Answer 26

Constructs a version of reality using real locations and believable characters.
As a result, the representations are positive, challenging audience perceptions of the homeless and other struggling societal groups who need support and recognition.
Keys challenges the audience’s perception of particular social groups.
This music video deliberately avoids stereotypical representations and presenting marginalised groups as “others” and leads to more of a positive interpretation.
Keys has created a political music video which positions the audience to engage with the discourse around representation of gender, ethnicity and identity.

Question 27

Representation - Underdog (values)

Answer 27

The representations of ethnicity are also positive with the inclusion of cultural iconography and the blending of cultures into a cohesive whole through music and dance.
Positive messages and values are embedded in the representations and the director has created a world that positions the audience to view “underdogs” differently.

Question 28

Montage

Answer 28

Editing a concentrated sequence using short cuts or techniques such as dissolves to summarize a particular experience or event.

Question 29

Montage - Underdog

Answer 29

Allows the audience to see multiple perspectives on the same issue.
Links the characters stories.
Blends cultures.
To use time wisely.

Question 30

Director - Underdog

Answer 30

The video for Underdog was directed by Wendy Morgan, a Canadian Film Director.
Morgan said her aim in creating the music video to create, “a space grounded in reality…a joyful nature world for the video to live in.”