old town road csp

• opening wipe transition


  makes video appear cinematic while also a little old fashioned
• Title,logo and small print

  add to the feeling that we are seeing a movie. creates a narrative
• Spaghetti western genre symbols

  - serif font

  -yellow/sepia colour palette in most shots

  -establishing shots of grass, cowboy hats,horses etc
• symbolic codes


  e.g dollar symbol on bag, make it easy for the audience to understand the narrative and character
• freeze frame on each character

  with the accompanying sound effect and superimposed names, is also a feature of several western movies
• what might the freeze frames be a ref to?

  modern movies Tarantino and Guy Richie
• how does OTR challenge typical genre conventions

  by having a mostly black cast
• spaghetti western movies lead roles

  made in the 20th century, typical for white men to be casted as lead roles
• unconventional in terms of time period

  western times 1800-1900s, historically black people given very little equality and freedom at that time
• how are black men shown in positions of power?

  wearing sheriff badges
• what does the unconventionality give modern audiences?

  A selling point- more inclusive representations
• Chris Rock


  brings in audiences, adds a sense of comedy to the mv
• role of white female

  stereotypical 'damsel in distress
• how is the girl depicted as vulnerable and needing an older male to protect her?

  shared facial expressions and her call to 'daddy
• Billy Ray Cyrus


  will also engage audiences who may know him as a country/western legend and/or Miley Cyrus' dad
• What else does Billy Ray Cyrus do?

  adds to the genre of OTR being a country and western song
• subtle wide angle track out

  reveals the white father sneaking up on them with a gun- adds comedy and irony
• girl positioned behind her father

  no weapon, suggests she is weaker. adds to the idea of her being weaker and passive
• juxtaposition of 'everythings gonna be alright' with gunshot


  adds humour and emphasises the danger they are in
• why is lil nas x and BRC an unusual collaboration?

  lil nas x-young,black,very new artist (rapper)

  Billy ray Cyrus- much older, white man, established musician
• how did the combination of lil nas x and billy ray Cyrus draw in audiences?


  added to the humorous nature
• everythings gonna be alright'

  reflects white privilege and racial assumptions as Billy Ray Cyrus suggests that as Lil nas X is with him they'll be fine
• whip pan transition


  follow by hand held tunnel adds excitement and drama
• trombone shots


  add a feeling of disorientation and fear
• binary opposites


  of little boy wearing modern clothing in a modern setting vs lil nas x who is old fashioned. emphasises the difference and makes the singer appear out of place
• boy calling out for his mother


  reflects the more modern context of mother being able to protect the family
• montage of slow motion long takes


  emphasise their shock at seeing him [lil nas x] and makes him appear 'other
• lil nas appearing othered


  reppresents him as not belonging and seeming exotic in comparison to the rest of the community
• breaking the 4th wall

  conventional for mv's
• tracking of shot following him and central framing

  connotes his importance and positions him as a kind hero on a quest
• shot reverse shot editing


  emphasises the people's stunned reaction to him and his dancing
• lil nas x and the girl dancing


  draws attention to the similarities and differences between the old and the new,the traditional and the modern
• race between car and horse


  adds further comedy
• narrative break with dialogue

  fairly unusual for mv
• girl dancing on the horse in the background

  adds to the surrealist postmodern themes. also adds humour
• costume change into black embellished cowboy outfit


  gives him a sense of power, and suggests he is starting to embrace a modern life
• modern world

  lil nas x can succeed as a black gay artist
• shot back at shop

  reflects ideas surrounding consumerism and life in small town USA
• expensive car speeding off


  more conventional of rap genre than country genre
• paradoxical concepts


  lil nas x and older white people adds to surreal feeling