Thursday 29 May 2014

Analysis of Music Videos: The Man - Aloe Blacc



This video, featuring the solo artist Aloe Blacc, is an obvious example of a narrative video which is set in the late 1960s and has connections with Martin Luther King and the Black Power/Black Pride movement. Unlike most solo pop artists, there is a scene in which a member of his band is playing the trumpet which is not typical of the pop genre.

As this is a narrative video, there are many people in it creating the story of black pride in the 1960s which means they are using intertextuality in order to convey this story. An example of this is at the very end when all of the African American men join arms in Selma at a peaceful protest. This type of message is effective because it shows that Aloe Blacc has something to say about the civil rights movement in America. As this is designed for a current audience, this is a positive impact because it makes people remember what happened and that it wasn't that long ago.


As in his music video, Aloe Blacc is presented in this picture as very wholesome which is because of his management making sure that all of the pictures they put across come across this way to Aloe's target audience. Even whilst wearing this brown shirt, he still gives off the impression of being smart and intelligent whilst still keeping back with his old-fashioned/retro style which he shows in this video.

Everyone is wearing old-fashioned suits and most women have afros which was stereotypical of the time. This use of intertexuality enforces the image that Aloe Blacc is a strong and independent African American who cares a lot about his past. This creates a positive star image as he is shown as proud but still peaceful.

This is a fairly typical type of video to accompany a pop singer as he wants to come across as accessible to a wide audience. Nowadays, the civil rights movement is looked upon in an embarrassing way for White Americans and a proud moment for African Americans therefore suggesting that if anyone had a problem with this video, they would be part of a negative niche.

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