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Sunday 12 December 2010
Monday 6 December 2010
Explain What 'Find Your Tribe' Implies About The Concept Of Identity In Todays World
After going through the findyourtribe quiz numerous times, a number of factors about identity become clear. With the explosive rise and flourishing of these tribes due to such factors as growing urbanisation, new tecnology and stemming of new sub-genres of arts such as music, film and fashion it is difficult for the multiple choice question website to easily differentiate their questions to cover these new 'tribes', which forces, as a result, the quiz must adopt a stereotypical attitude. An example of this generalised attitude occurs with the 'whats in your bag?' question, with one possible avenue to delve further into the quiz being a 'crappy old phone so I don't get jacked too much' which implies an attitude that the user is afraid of being attacked on the street rather than (a much more feasible occurence) the user simply not having much intrest in new technology or having better things to spend their money on.
It is with this generalised attitude that findyourtribe proves ineffective, the user may listen to Nirvana, for example, but that does not mean that he/she "automatically appreciate an artist after they passed away." These fixed taglines and attitudes fail to take into account the concept of fragmented identities which are much more feasible than the tribes included, which in many instances seem to be plucked out of thin air.
The ideas of Michael Maffesoli seem to apply in many aspects, who talks of mass culture in his book 'The Time of Tribes.' In his book Maffesoli argues that modern tribes are not permanent groups, but shifting and always changing and qualify non-permanent membership; this ideal seems to reveal the shallow way young people, who are forming an identity, seem to move from one group to another by observing what is the most popular style depending on what is shown in front of them or around them, whats in the magazines or in the group of people around them. Another concept of what Maffesoli calls 'identity politics' stresses the faux-importance of identity in competition with one another and reveals the hollowness of modern identity in this tribal enviroment, the idea that someones identity, taking in factors of style and attitude, can be superior over anothers is pathetic. Maffesoli underpins this hollowness, who states that social existence is conducted through fragmented tribal groupings, organised around the catchwords, brand-names and sound-bites of consumer culture, this argument reveals how social existence, just like consumer culture, is forever changing and that a persons fashion, music taste and even speech may be influenced by what is stylish at the time, for example slang such as 'safe' or 'phat' has broke into consumer culture from West-Scene rap into British society within the 'chav' tribal grouping, with lower-class youths attracted to the glamour of rap music organising their social existence to these sound-bites.
This changing consumer culture and its impact on the apparatus of a persons lifestyle is represented in findyourtribe, whose multiple-choice questions may be shown to emphasise a 'pick-n-mix' tribal lifestyle, which gives all power to the user to determine his/her identity. However multiple run-throughs of the quiz say differently, as soon as you pick an establishing question in the beginning of the quiz (for example saying you enjoy guitar music) thrusts you into a stereotype which findyourtribe pushes you further into, which makes it impossible to be labelled a chav or a clubber- thus reflecting the flaws in the multiple-choice structure which findyourtribe attempts to use to create appeal.
It is with this generalised attitude that findyourtribe proves ineffective, the user may listen to Nirvana, for example, but that does not mean that he/she "automatically appreciate an artist after they passed away." These fixed taglines and attitudes fail to take into account the concept of fragmented identities which are much more feasible than the tribes included, which in many instances seem to be plucked out of thin air.
The ideas of Michael Maffesoli seem to apply in many aspects, who talks of mass culture in his book 'The Time of Tribes.' In his book Maffesoli argues that modern tribes are not permanent groups, but shifting and always changing and qualify non-permanent membership; this ideal seems to reveal the shallow way young people, who are forming an identity, seem to move from one group to another by observing what is the most popular style depending on what is shown in front of them or around them, whats in the magazines or in the group of people around them. Another concept of what Maffesoli calls 'identity politics' stresses the faux-importance of identity in competition with one another and reveals the hollowness of modern identity in this tribal enviroment, the idea that someones identity, taking in factors of style and attitude, can be superior over anothers is pathetic. Maffesoli underpins this hollowness, who states that social existence is conducted through fragmented tribal groupings, organised around the catchwords, brand-names and sound-bites of consumer culture, this argument reveals how social existence, just like consumer culture, is forever changing and that a persons fashion, music taste and even speech may be influenced by what is stylish at the time, for example slang such as 'safe' or 'phat' has broke into consumer culture from West-Scene rap into British society within the 'chav' tribal grouping, with lower-class youths attracted to the glamour of rap music organising their social existence to these sound-bites.
This changing consumer culture and its impact on the apparatus of a persons lifestyle is represented in findyourtribe, whose multiple-choice questions may be shown to emphasise a 'pick-n-mix' tribal lifestyle, which gives all power to the user to determine his/her identity. However multiple run-throughs of the quiz say differently, as soon as you pick an establishing question in the beginning of the quiz (for example saying you enjoy guitar music) thrusts you into a stereotype which findyourtribe pushes you further into, which makes it impossible to be labelled a chav or a clubber- thus reflecting the flaws in the multiple-choice structure which findyourtribe attempts to use to create appeal.
Wednesday 1 December 2010
How Does Nirvanas Video 'Heart Shaped Box' Convey Themes Of The Genre?
Nirvana are a much celebrated band that are seen as the pioneers of the grunge movement in Seattle in the early 90's. 'Heart Shaped Box', taken from their last album 'In Utero', was directed by Anton Corbijn and conveys many themes of the grunge genre, isolation, alienation and a fragmented existence that was set to destruct at any given moment.
The next setting comes in at 15 seconds into the video and is only the forth shot in, the slow editing emphasising the sombreity of the verse and, in turn, the genre itself. The theme of morality using religious imagery is again apperent with the use of the crucifix, symbolising death alongwith judgement. The use of mise-en-scene in that the crucifix is wooden embellishes the bleakness and harshness of the image alongside the fact it is included with the connotations of immorality and death with the crows and a ladder which makes it apparent that the victim must create his own demise- emphasising the bleakness that comes with the image. The endless barron location of the desert also reveals the desolation of the video whilst the adjusted vibrancy of the colours makes the location seem much like a dream-world, which envokes the idea of oblivion and escapism which is common within the genre. The imagery of an emaciated old man also reinforces the desolation of the image, stripped of everything he has except for a santa hat: ironic in the warmth and happiness the image would usually convey and, with the red colour imagery, instead connoting pain and death. The use of the colour red also fits with the poppies on the floor, which as well as emphasising the imagery of the hat also hints at the use of heroin: used for escapism and numbness in seperating the user from the real world which makes it widely affiliated with the grunge movement- it is well known also that Cobain himself was a heavy user of the drug.
The music video displays a moral ambiguiety throughout, a battle between good and evil. This is displayed by use of binary opposites, a common opposite within the video are the aspects of black and white. The most reccuring example of this are the use of the white (above) and the black (bottom) KKK outfits, which is an extremely strong case of moral ambiguiety considering the actions of the KKK, who were incrediably prejudice towards African-Americans and are infamous for their white outfits, the inclusion of a black outfit sets a mass of confusion and ambiguety, especially as a child is wearing it, whom looks remarkably like Cobain.
The video also effectivly uses narrative structure to convey the themes of the genre, using non-linear and abstract scenes which are slightly different from each other and linked only by mis-en-scene, which creates the sense of disconnection and escapism alongside a moral emptiness which comes with the fact that we are not, as an audience, invited into the video.
Grunge as a genre is radiated throughout the video, the elements and themes of escapism, isolation, alienation and moral destruction very apprent by use of mis-en-scene, camera shots and imagery within the video.
This establishing shot (above) sets the scene very strongly in envoking a sense of morality, a theme which is dealt with throughout the video. This is achieved with the colour imagery of the black curtain and cross, the curtain creating a sense of being surrounded by the immorality the curtain connotes. The cross conveys a religious aspect to the scene which is reinforced by the birds-eye camera shot: together combining to emphasise an aspect of judgement from a higher power, which empowers the sense of morality within the scene alongside the stream of light breaking through which is positioned onto the band, strengthening the aspect of judgement upon them which fits into the sense of purgatorty that comes within the mis-en-scene of the chairs. Alongside the black and white the only notable colour shown within the setting is red, connoting violence and rage which is a theme of the genre.
The next setting comes in at 15 seconds into the video and is only the forth shot in, the slow editing emphasising the sombreity of the verse and, in turn, the genre itself. The theme of morality using religious imagery is again apperent with the use of the crucifix, symbolising death alongwith judgement. The use of mise-en-scene in that the crucifix is wooden embellishes the bleakness and harshness of the image alongside the fact it is included with the connotations of immorality and death with the crows and a ladder which makes it apparent that the victim must create his own demise- emphasising the bleakness that comes with the image. The endless barron location of the desert also reveals the desolation of the video whilst the adjusted vibrancy of the colours makes the location seem much like a dream-world, which envokes the idea of oblivion and escapism which is common within the genre. The imagery of an emaciated old man also reinforces the desolation of the image, stripped of everything he has except for a santa hat: ironic in the warmth and happiness the image would usually convey and, with the red colour imagery, instead connoting pain and death. The use of the colour red also fits with the poppies on the floor, which as well as emphasising the imagery of the hat also hints at the use of heroin: used for escapism and numbness in seperating the user from the real world which makes it widely affiliated with the grunge movement- it is well known also that Cobain himself was a heavy user of the drug.
Once the performance shots incurr, the setting changes dramatically, in place of the yellow and blue is red, which connotes the rage and frustration which is intertwined within the dynamic of the song and with the genre itself, which becomes much more louder and ragefull as the chorus begins, the editing also becomes more fast and chaotic: consisting of variations of an extreme close up of Cobain, which strengthens the sense of anger. The backround consists of blurred and distorted images of the previous setting and of the rest of the band, which connotes the aspect of alienation and seperation from reality and society which is a theme of the genre.
The music video displays a moral ambiguiety throughout, a battle between good and evil. This is displayed by use of binary opposites, a common opposite within the video are the aspects of black and white. The most reccuring example of this are the use of the white (above) and the black (bottom) KKK outfits, which is an extremely strong case of moral ambiguiety considering the actions of the KKK, who were incrediably prejudice towards African-Americans and are infamous for their white outfits, the inclusion of a black outfit sets a mass of confusion and ambiguety, especially as a child is wearing it, whom looks remarkably like Cobain.
The video also effectivly uses narrative structure to convey the themes of the genre, using non-linear and abstract scenes which are slightly different from each other and linked only by mis-en-scene, which creates the sense of disconnection and escapism alongside a moral emptiness which comes with the fact that we are not, as an audience, invited into the video.
Grunge as a genre is radiated throughout the video, the elements and themes of escapism, isolation, alienation and moral destruction very apprent by use of mis-en-scene, camera shots and imagery within the video.
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