media case study

1. Echosmith – Come Together
Artist: Echosmith
Genre: Indie Pop
Director: Justin Coloma
Release: May 31st 2013

2. Genre Characteristics
• The genre of this track is indie pop. A characteristic of this genre is the locations used, for instance an
American High School where the band is seen in the corridors, in detention and performing in the gym. This
enhances the genre as it cuts to live performances and the artists are also seen being themselves having fun.
Therefore, they can be indentified throughout the music video and the audience can have more of an
understanding about their personalities.
• The costumes being worn are high street fashion – part of pop culture, therefore has now advanced into a
current characteristic within the music industry.
• The music video is of a low budget cost which is a big similarity within indie pop genre music videos.
• Additionally, the band use instruments whilst they are performing. This emphasises the common
characteristic of indie bands using live performances and instruments within their music videos.

3. Lyrics and Visuals
• The lyrics and visuals in this music video are made evident during the chorus. For
instance, the lyrics in the chorus are ‘we are gonna come together, we are going
to run together now’, whilst the visuals show the band running down the
corridors. This immediately insinuates that members band are being rebellious.
• The title of the song is ‘Come Together’ and when this lyrics are being sang, it
cuts to visuals of the band members performing in the gym, messing around
together in detention or just misbehaving together.

4. Music and Visuals
• The track sounds upbeat and fun as it has quite a fast pace when cutting to each shot throughout the song.
The music and visuals link very well together as the band are seen doing a live performance in the gym and
running around doing what they want – they have made their own rules. Therefore, this could insinuate that
the band are enjoying themselves and having the time of their lives, which can be associated very well with
the sound of the fast pace and upbeat music.
• The music video consistently cuts from the bands live performance to a narrative story. The beat of the
music is enthusiastic and lively and is well synchronised with the visuals. For example, in each performance
scene the band are dancing in time with the track. Similarly, the scene with the teacher carrying out a ballet
style dance shows the teacher dancing in time to the slowest part of the song. Additionally, when the beat
increases in rhythm, the band are running down the corridor in time with the music.

5. Close Ups
• There is a majority of close ups in ‘Come Together’, many of them concentrate on the lead singers face but
also her mouth and legs. This insinuates that she is very feminine which is a common element in music
videos where a female is the main focus.
• The use of her red lipstick could imply her beauty. However, it may indicate that others perceive her as
voyeuristic. This is emphasised by the shots of her mouth, legs and her owning a vanity bag, therefore she is
being represented as a sex object. Whereas, the males are reading in class. Additionally, at 0.51 seconds
there is a voyeuristic shot of the teacher “looking” at the lead singer. Thus, giving a negative representation
of gender.
• The music video also includes close ups of the males in the band, but these shots are giving attention to
their talents and their skills to perform, rather than their looks, unlike the female singer who is paid
attention to for her attractiveness. Therefore, the audience are more likely to recognise the males talent
than the lead singer as her looks are a distraction from her talent.

6. Intertextual References
• Goodwin’s theory consists of intertextual references used within music videos. The shot in ‘Come Together’ of the male
teacher seeing the female as a sex object could be a reference from the film ‘American Beauty’ where the older male is
fanatical over a young girl. Additionally, the lead singers bright red lipstick is a voyeuristic characteristic, alike to the female
character in ‘American Beauty’ as the female character could be seen as a re style of Madonna or Marilyn Monroe.
• Another intertextual reference could be a film called ‘The Breakfast Club’ which shows students at a school in detention
being mischievous and causing chaos. Likewise, in the music video ‘Come Together’ the students are being rebellious and
breaking the rules.
• Furthermore, the novel ‘Loilta’ sees a 37-to-38-year-old literature professor called Humbert Humbert, is obsessed with the
12-year-old Dolores Haze, with whom he becomes sexually involved after he becomes her stepfather. Again, this book
involves and older man being obsessive with a younger female, therefore another voyeuristic view towards young females.
In comparison, the music video insinuates this is how the teacher feels towards his female student.
American Beauty
The Breakfast Club
(Detention)

7. Comparison of ‘Come Together’ and ‘Africa Shox’
• The audience for ‘Come Together’ are likely to be aged from 14-22, white males and females who are perhaps students
themselves and from either America, Canada or the UK as these countries are interested in the indie pop genre, therefore
this music video would appeal to them. The lead singer is a female, therefore white females can relate to her. However,
because she is attractive, males may enjoy the music video due to this aspect. The band members themselves are fairly
young, therefore it attracts an audience of their age group who are likely to still be in education, so being students in the
music video relates to anyone who is a still a student.
• The demographic in ‘Africa Shox’ are likely to be aged 16-24, males and African American. This is because the protagonist
is an African American male. Additionally, the genre is more hiphop/dubstep which would mostly appeal to males.
Dubstep is now part of pop culture, which new generations are enjoying, thus the age range likely to be 16-24.
• The audiences for both music videos are unlikely to share any similar interests. They could be seen as binary oppositions
because the USA is represented in very different ways in both music videos. For instance, ‘Come Together’ is very fun and
upbeat and shows the performers having a brilliant time, therefore it appears as if they are living the dream. It also
portrays their lives as lively and energetic. On the other hand, ‘Africa Shox’, American is seen as a dystopia and living their
would be a nightmare. The black African American protagonist is treated in a malicious way. Whereas, the white American
female protagonist appears as very cheerful throughout the music video ‘Come Together’. Additionally, this music video is
bright and colourful, giving a positive vibe of America and insinuates that it’s a fun place to live. Alternatively, ‘Africa Shox’
is a lot darker and implies that white middle class have a problem with people they believe are below them, such as the
black African American protagonist. Overall, ‘Come Together’ indicates that America is a happy place to be, but ‘Africa
Shox’ shows the issues of living in America.