Explore how audiences can respond to and interpret the video to this is America by Childish Gambino. Make reference to media language.

 Explore how audiences can respond to and interpret the video to this is America by Childish Gambino. Make reference to media language.

This is America music video media language notes:

When Glover executes the guitar player, the gun is handled with care, whilst the man is roughly dragged off.

This could be connotative to America's relaxed manner upon gun laws, and the violence that spawns from that. (particularly directed at Black people)

as the man plays the guitar we see Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) appear from behind a post, this uses an enigma code to create an ominous feeling, as Donald Glover approaches he is standing and the man is sitting, presenting the unequal power dynamic.

the way in which Childish Gambino bends over to shoot the man with the guitar within his performance is an imitation of the Jim Crowe character.

American is represented entirely as a concrete jungle through the mise-en-scene set dressing and choice in location. There is no greenery at any given point in the video, we could infer from this an implication that nothing is natural about the situation in the US.

costume - backup dancers (implied kids) in uniforms, most low-income area school districts in America establish a dress code with the uniform.

Childish Gambino wears old confederate uniform trousers.

When the choir is gunned down this is a direct reference to the racially motivated Charleston church shooting in 2015.

None of the black people dancing with Childish Gambino, who are dressed more formally, are affected by the violence. People are made to ignore the problems happening in America.

Invisible gorilla test - The camera is constantly focused on Glover, so the audience is told to watch him, ignoring everything happening in the background, as a microcosm of America.