“Frances McDormand wins Best Actress (Links to an external site.)”

Discussion of the Theory

Semiotics theory can be used for the analysis of the video “Frances McDormand wins Best Actress.” The theory assumes that people are interpreters of signs, and they will draw different meanings from the content. There are three factors within the analysis of content within Semiotics theory which define and influence how the content is perceived. These include

1. Designative – this is the analysis of the material with attention to a specific object.
2. Appraisive – this is the analysis of the content concerning qualities and qualities that have been portrayed in the media content
3. Prescriptive – these are the attributes within the content that lead to different forms of behavior within the target audience.

Human action is linked to signs and meanings. People draw meaning from different contexts at three stages. The first stage is the perception stage, where an individual becomes aware of the various symbols in their environment. The second stage is the manipulation stage, where an individual will interpret the different signs within the content differently and respond to it differently. The final step is the consummation stage, where the individual meets the material he has been exposed to. The application of the theory to the analysis of the media content will improve the overall understanding of the video. It will enhance the meaning drawn from the texts and further develop knowledge and understanding.

Discussion of the Structure

The choice of presenters to give the awards has played a fundamental role in shaping how an event organizer elicit various emotions. Jodie Foster and Jenifer Lawrence are the presenters, and they both represent different themes to the target audience. Jodie Foster is a renowned award-winning actor who is currently producing various content. She is one of the few artists who represents success in the golden age of actors. Jenifer Lawrence is an actor who was the highest-paid actor in 2015 and 2016. Her films have grossed over $6billon, and she represents success in the new age. By bringing the two actors together, the event organizers have structured the event to be encompassing all types of people. The organizers have ensured that both age groups are represented in the script. The presenters have captured both the old generation and the young generation. This transition helps to resonate with a broader audience group since the old and the young are both represented. The message will be more appealing to all people who are different in looks, height, age, and character.

When Frances McDormand wins the award, her actions resonate with the argument of prescriptive semiotics theory. She does not accept the prize as her success but dedicates it to the other women who have also labored in the film industry. The producers, scriptwriters, editors, cast members, and other nominated actors. She turns the entire award from personal achievement to an industry full success for all women in the film industry. Different people in the audience can be seen appreciating the gesture, and despite not winning the award, the action of Frances to make them feel like winners encourage different behavior from the audience. This changes the entire meaning of the prize and the media clip.

Dominance, as a valuable connection, has been presented in the video when Frances takes over the event and goes against the norm to bring out different symbolism. She changed the traditional way of delivering an acceptance speech and dominated the events. She directs people to follow her instructions and controls the system. This act of control changes the entire message and communication being sent out by the event organizers. Instead of a single award, the nomination turns to be a recognition for all women in the film industry. All those who help in the sidelines towards meeting the success of films. She admits that if it were not for them, she would not have won the award. This single act of recognition and kindness proves that her dominance changes the general meaning being communicated in the video.

For the different people in the auditorium, the speech by Frances serves different meanings; there are those who draw the essence and promise of future employment. She encourages some of the people with projects that need funding in the room to seek alternatives. She helps those who fear that they may never win the award to feel like part of the success from the background. Her speech reaches out to different individuals and has different meanings for all the parties concerned within the context.

As part of the meaning drawn from the script, Jodie comes on stage with crutches. This is one of the most powerful messages that can be drawn from the content by people with disabilities. They feel a sense of power and control when they see someone with clutches at some a big stage. It sends out the message of inclusivity and recognition of their presence in the film industry. It gives them the message of hope that they will someday excel also to scale similar heights.

Langer has been one of the scholars who have made advances in understanding the symbolism theory. Langer argues that symbolism surpasses all human understanding and knowledge. Symbols are termed as the drivers for the understanding of objectivism, and it is integral to use them to understand the presence of varied instruments. In the argument, Langer argues that symbols are interlinked with various objects, and the analysis of that object with be critical to drawing out diverse meanings. Discursive symbolism is a language that is adopted on learning and thoughts, it is based on emotional sense, and its use influences different forms of art and their representation (Oregon State, 2019).

Using the approach given by Langer, it is then evident that the symbolism that has been shown in the video is a form of communication. Every aspect of the presenter and Frances has been structured to achieve a specific set of emotions in the audience. It has further employed to influence the audience towards specific outcomes, and by acting the way they work, they have improved the delivery of the message. They encourage the audience to connect with the information in a different light, which increases the overall delivery and communication (Oregon State, 2019).

In conclusion, Frances talks about two words, “Inclusion writer.” This is one of the emerging issues in the development of contracts for writers. There has been an increase in demand for diversity, not just in the casting of a play but also in the backstage. This also sparked a broad spread of interest among different viewers at both internal and external levels. Following her speech, there was a surge in Google search for the phrase showing with her desire to leave the people in suspense achieved the interned objective (BBC News, 2018).

Essay 2 – “Lil Nas X – Old Town Road (Official Movie) ft. Billy Ray Cyrus (Links to an external site.)”

Introduction

Old Town Road is one of the best-case studies in the entertainment of 2019. The song which has been #1 in the US Billboard features Montero Lamar Hill, going by the alias Lil Nas20 and has attracted the attention of different critics. The song depicts how culture has evolved within the media industry to adopt a unique approach. This song illustrates how the future of the entertainment industry is changing. The growth of the artist represents a change a significance on how identity can propel and individual to increased growth and development. The artist bought the beats of the song from a 19-year-old and proceeded to compose the lyrics. The popularity of the song came when “#YeeHawChallenge” saw several people upload themselves with songs of the video.

Theory Application

The critical race theory can be applied in the discussion of the video. The approach has been fundamental in the study of how racism in postmodernism. Despite the widespread condemnation of racism and demand for an increase in social equality, there are still elements of racism that are being seen in society. The theory can trace its origins to American Law, where civil rights movements demanded equal representation in collective social recognition (Harris, 2015).

The theme of racism has been one of the major concerns in the recent past with people even questioning the presidency of Obama. The topic has also been widespread in the media industry, with new coverage showing cases of racial discrimination in different perspectives of society (LeDuff, 2016). In the music video, racism has been presented in various aspects where the compose uses innuendos and other stylistic devices to convey communication. The racism dates back to 1889, and in 2019, there are still signs that it is present. In the video, racism is in trace elements where the black community purely occupies an entire old town street.

Representation

The song has brought in the two sides of music worlds with Lil Nas representing the trap culture while Billy represents the country aspect of music. By coming together, the artists have made country trap music, which is a new genre of music, and it appeals to a large segment of consumers from both styles. The crossover also represents musical shock with its popularity proving that there are no bounds in the composition of music. The song also represents the emergence of a black artist in the country music scene. Traditional whites have dominated the country music sector, and specific styles and tunes control its performance. The song by Nas, however, went against all the fundamentals of recording country music.

At the end of the video, we see Nas taking a photo in the embrace of a lady. This embrace shows that the discrimination from the past had subsided. This further demonstrates the overall transition that society has undergone in the development of equality within the American social scene. The scene also shows the acceptance that whites have on blacks. The representation of the image of a cowboy has, however, not changed in the transition from 1889 to 2019. The song also represents the transition that the artist has taken from living in his sister’s house to becoming a prominent selling artist. He is communicating to the audience that he is on a journey that he will ride until he cannot ride it anymore. He tells the audience that nobody can say to him anything in the pursuit of what he is looking for. The song inspires the audience to believe in faith and further believe in their capability.

Identity

Billy and Nas represent the two different races of both blacks and whites. After outrunning the sheriff, Nas warns Billy that the last time he took a stop at the same spot, the host was not entirely welcoming. This serves to bring out the symbolism and identity that has been associated with the black man. Billy reassures him that he is with him, so there is nothing to worry about. During the 1889 period, the blacks did not enjoy many civil liberties, and the action of the host shooting at them is evident that there was no social equality.

The sheriffs also say that “when you see a black man on a horse going that fast, you just let him fly.” This could be interpreted to mean that black men were running away in search of freedom of identity, and when the sheriff stops chasing after Nas, he is allowing him to seek that freedom he seeks. This can be seen in the transition to modern-day Old Town, where the blacks now have more freedom and can easily represent their identity.

Agency

The genre of music was a topic of debate. When it was released, it was first placed in the country music charts billboards. It was, however, later removed from the charts following the argument that it was not country enough. This sparked widespread condemnation of the move with supporters calling for the reinstatement of the song. This was described as a representation of racism that exists in the music industry, further showing how black artists cannot excel in the field of country music. This questioned the fundamentals so of the music scene. Nas added Billy to the song to add some credibility to his song, but he would be discriminated against by the charts.

The production of the video shows the relationship that exists between different agencies and further shows the overall similarity between parties. The association has remained the same from 1889 to 2019, with people maintaining their identity while still maintaining their racial segregation.

Despite there being years of civilization and erasure of the age of racial discrimination, there are still elements of discrimination. The demand to remove the country trap song from the billboards is indicative of the continued whitewashing of country music. Very few blacks have ventured into country music, and very few have made an impact on the music. The general notion that blacks are not authentic enough for the country has impacted its performance and limited how many black musicians can resonate with the style of music. Following the increased demand for the song to be returned to the billboards, it is evident that different listeners also saw how racial discrimination was played out in the song. The production of the video also shows traces of racism in the message. There are streets that are purely owned by blacks, and there are games that are synonymous with whites. This further indicates that racial biases that exist in American society and furthers show that generalization that exists in the American market.

References

BBC News. (2018, March 5). Oscars 2018: Who or what is an inclusion rider? Retrieved from BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-43286515

Harris, A. (2015). Critical Race Theory. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 5(2), 256.

LeDuff, K. (2016). Critical Race Theory. Everything Old is New Again. The Routledge Companion to Media and Race, 77-86.

Oregon State. (2019, December 10). Semiotics. Retrieved from Oregon State: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/comm321/gwalker/semiotics.htm