Critical Investigation Task #1

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

How and why does the representation of black youths differ from the representations of the older black generation in contemporary historical dramas such as the The Butler and Straight Outta Compton?

Primary text

• The Butler (Older Generation representation).

Media forms:

• The beginning of this film is based on Cecil Gains past life. The opening is of his childhood years (between 9/10), the colour is bright and vibrant which can suggests the ignorance at such a young age, or the happiness he had as he was shielded from all the racism going happening. However as he approaches his teenage years the colour becomes darker. This low key lighting can suggest the overwhelming he is going through to to his realisation of this new cruel world he was shielded from.  
• The facial expressions during his teenage years are content and show anger, this was shown due to the content and extreme close up of his poorly lighten face, most of the light looked like it came from inside a bakery shop he soon breaks into, long shot is used to show his body language and the anger he is facing.
• the setting is in an area that looks poor therefore showing the struggles of poverty the black individuals went through.
• Mostly voice overs were used to show anger and loss of hope associated with the younger generation;

"a white man can kill any of us at any-time and not be punished for it..." 7:57 The Butler film

"Law was against us..." 8:06 The Butler film

"i was hoping all the time..." 8:29 The Butler film

"i didnt know i was going to get home alive..." 1:19:04 The Butler Film

"i didnt belong in this worls..." 1:19:16 The Butler Film

"the whole world was changing and i dint know where  fit in..." 1:19:20 The Butler Film

• he wore dark casual colours, which the audiences would associate with recklessness and youth, the clothes were dirty to show struggle which may have fueled his anger.
• The camera work and the constant close ups of his injury or his crying face, or the long shots to show the environment he is in/ sleeping in, as well as showing the mistreatment of the black people (lynchings). creates the mood and atmosphere for the audiences, suggesting that these representations/ issues help the audiences empathise. therefore the representation of youth differ to show sympathy and the extent of change.
• The editing is showing the age and attitudes of "ceicel gains" changing as he grows up, the editing is really fast to speed up the story line.
• Most of the sound is contrapuntal as the focuses of this film is about the violence faced by the black people, during the civil rights movements. however it can be argued that it is parallel as the music sound sad as-well as peaceful and that is the point the film is trying to create. 

Media representations:

• The younger generation in The Butler presented as reckless and looking for trouble. this is evident in the opening scene where young ceicel breaks into a bakery. when ceicles older child joins extremist groups, in order to create change. his son also joins the black panther a a civil rights group which thought the only way to be heard is through violent acts.
• These actions are shown as reckless due to the constant visit to a jail house. furthermore these representations are associated with the younger generation, as this film shows only young people acting violently, therefore negatively representing the younger generation.
• the accuracy of this representation can be questioned, as there is evidence to show the civil rights movements were not mostly concentrated by the younger generation.
• However this representation is created as research suggests that the younger generation are more likely to have impulsive actions than the older generation. 
• the main reason for the negative representation of those youth, was a way of showing social change and america(and its people) getting wiser with age.

Narrative:

• These negative representations if the younger generation is creating a foundation for the story like, ordered to show social change.
• the narrative is organised by following a protagonist throughout his life, and as he gets older the older and wiser the people in america get also. 
• this chronological structure helps the audience understand as well as empathise.
• although there is no clear distinguished between hero and villains because it shows situations from multiple different perspective. for example most of the black people blamed the president for their mistreatment however this film shows there was a limit to how much the presidents can do, and when they exceed those limits there are bad consequences such as being shot (J.F kennedy) or being forced to resign. 
• it showed that that time was a difficult time for everyone living in that society. the main heroes were the protagonist, non violent protesters and to some extent the political leaders. the main villains were the traditional white people which refuse or change to take place. Making the villain/ hero the people of america no matter what race.

Views and ideologies:

• Richard dyer says that genres are pleasurable because it offers escapist fantasies into fictional worlds
• Antonio Gramsci developed the idea of hegemony, which means that one's viewpoint becomes accepted by the public opinions common sense, making it difficult for opposition groups to make an effective challenge. this can be applied to the representations of black youths, because the media sees them as reckless therefore the public accepted those viewpoints making it difficult for them to be seen in a different light. 

Primary Text:

• Straight Outta Compton (younger generation representation).

Media Forms:

• The denotation shown in the trailer is 5 young black individuals acting violently and causing much rebellion and controversy with their music. however the connotations/ the deeper meaning to their music is trying to create social change for the young people in compton who are abused by the police as they automatically assume drugs and illegal activity.
• The significant connotation is this idea of social change, therefore they need to rebel in order to have their voice heard.
• Their gestures are mostly bold and explicit especially when they are preforming 'F**** the police'. a song to show their level of anger they have for the police. The facial expressions look intimidating/ dangerous this effect is further created by the low key lighting through out this trailer, showing the reason the police are acting this way is due to they way they present themselves (justifying their misstatement to some extent unconsciously). The costume/clothing they wear makes them look dodgy due to them wearing nice clean clothes although coming from a poverty area.
• there are allot of references made to guns drugs and violence suggesting that although these younger generation don't want to be associated with these things, they are still involved in it.
• the mise-en-scene is used to show the success of these young 'artists', the change in the color of the setting at their local area of crime poverty and drugs, to when they earn money and they have big houses/ attractive women (the color becomes more vibrant and happy)
• the dialogue are harsh and what they see as honest, to describe their experiences as second class citizens;

"speak a little truth and people lose their minds..." 2:21 Straight Outta Compton trailer.

"i got a women and a baby man... its hard, but everybody can't do what your doing" 0:13 Straight Outta Compton trailer.

"you have a chance to change the situation..." 0:53

"we are witnessing history in the making..." 1:02

"our art is a reflection of our reality.." 1:23 

"rap is not an art..." 1:30

"are you harassing my clients because of what they look like..."1:33

"yo, dre i got something to say.." 2:26

• Dialoge between police and ice cube; Straight Outta Compton trailer.

P: "where do you think you're going"

IC:"man i'm just tryin to get home"

• The language used is mostly slang and explicit, word we would associate with with young black individuals so reinforcing their stereotype, this can further represent them as aggressive do to the aggressive language they use. 
• the dominant representation is aggression and violence as we witness some deaths and fights, reinforcing what is expected of them.
• the camera work is used efficiently in order to create these effects, they use the handheld camera effects to show their adrenaline as they run away from police, and close ups of facial expression to show the sadness they are going through, when they lose friends/loved ones.

Media Representations:

• The younger generation are being represented as the turning point to social change, through their acts of aggressiveness/ rebellion. this can inturn creating the representation of young people acting violently in order to get what they think they deserve.
• These representations of violence drugs and sex are mainly present in the black youths in america and these perceptions remain permanent and automatically associate those actions with those youths.
•  The representations tend to be accurate although the aim of this film was to justify those reasons for those representations in order to relax the harsh representation of the black youth, due to the desire to show social change they need to show corruption as a result showing a significant change when it does occur. 
• The main reason for the negative representation of those youth, was a way of showing social change and america getting more successful with age. However this representation is created as research suggests that the younger generation are more likely to have impulsive actions than the older generation.
• The aim of this film was to show how successful individuals can be if they had a true aim.

Narrative:

• Todorovs theory can be applied to the trailer, the trailer starts of at the main characters living their mundane lives in their houses, them there is the equilibrium made obvious byt the police sirens and individuals running away. the climax is made even more apparent by the parallel music suitable for the occurring events. The new equilibrium is shown by the showing pools big houses and naked girls showing success.
• this makes the audiences envy their lifestyle as well as making is achievable. this also helps the audiences create that attachment/relation as they experience their ups and downs with them(securing that bound)   
• the main villains in this are the older generation presented through white police. they tend to be the cause of mistreatment for black youths whether they are successful or not.

Views and ideologies:   

• The miss representation of black individuals exist but more on youths rather than the older black individuals. influencing some parts o the community to be afraid because of them being presented as dangerous and a threat to society.
• Giving them no choice but to live the crime life in order for them to survive, creating fear in other members of the community. 
• The extent to which the increasing violence of of black youths shown/described in the newspaper being a moral panic can be questioned. some research shows that crime rated by young individuals as fallen in the last year suggesting that the obsession with black youths being violent may just be a moral panic.