Letter To The Free - Common -
Artist: Common ft. Bilal
Date: 2016
Label: Def Jam, UMG Recordings
Language -
Mis-en-scene -
Setting
- Derelict prison, connotes black stereotypes and lack of freedom
- Ironic, typically overcrowded prisons in US
- Isolated, dark, run-down - lack of respect, racism, segregation, discrimination
- Mostly indoors, closed doors and windows
- Final shot: outdoors, natural
- Contrast between two settings, signifies lack of freedom
- “No excessive noise”, idea of being silenced, oppression from ruling class
- Ruling class have the opportunity to create hegemony - marxism
- Dehumanised through lack of voice, links to black tile
Costume
- Simple clothing, adds to emptiness
- Dark colours - connotes sadness, hopelessness, unknown
- Casual clothing, ideologies / struggles faced everyday
- Traditional headdress - gele - links to culture
- Contrasts reflect traditional vs western - diaspora
- Double consciousness
- Drummer - barefoot - links to culture
- Bilal - Frontiersman hat - frontiersman fought native Americans - colonisation
- Lack of accessories, contrasts typical expectations of rap mv costumes
Actors
- Members of the black community
- Demographic
- Target audience
, Lighting
- Dark, desaturated
- ^ sense of hopelessness, loss
- Natural light from windows
- Shadows / silhouette of window, emphasises difference between outdoor and indoor settings
- Silhouettes of people, suggests disconnection to society, dehumanisation, loss of identity
- Links to prison identification - setting
- Black & white, creates contrast, polarised
- ^ historical, documentary style
Props
- Instruments - drum kit, trumpet, flute, piano, amp
- Trumpet, flute, piano - classical, jazz music - countertype
- ^ typically upper class
- Traditional African drums - djembe
- Basketball hoop - arguably young black individuals may need athleticity to be successful
- ^ typical prison setting
- Minimal props adds to the sense of emptiness and lack of freedom
- Fan, contrasts natural wind and freedom of outdoors
- Piled boxes in background
- Black tile - reflection, represents black community
- ^ potentially dehumanising
- ^ glass ceiling - links to limitations within society
- ^ reflection in black tile shows window frame, symbolises cross - angled as if looking up
- ^ final shot - black tile surrounded by white scenery, stands out
Representations -
- Cycle of representation: original image, media, audience, society, hegemony
- Representation process: who/what/where - how (+/-) - by whom - why
- Juxtaposition of media text and reality - empty prison in contrast to real overcrowding
- US prison overcrowding - 103.9% occupancy level - 120,000 prisoners
- Within media text, prison is almost empty, populated only by the black community
