Ghost Town CSP

 Background and historical contexts

1) Why does the writer link the song to cinematic soundtracks and music hall tradition?

Because it doesn't reinforce any political views.

2) What subcultures did 2 Tone emerge from in the late 1970s?

American pop, Jamaican rocksteady, punk,mod

3) What social contexts are discussed regarding the UK in 1981?

The social contexts that are discussed regarding the UK in 1981 were the riots that occurred in urban areas.

4) Cultural critic Mark Fisher describes the video as ‘eerie’. What do you think is 'eerie' about the Ghost Town video?

The setting is abandoned and secluded. The atmosphere feels empty.

5) Look at the final section (‘Not a dance track’). What does the writer suggest might be the meanings created in the video? Do you agree?

The writer suggests that this song brought young people together as it became a protest song. This is because more people felt connected to the song as they felt like it represented them and they could easily relate.

Now read this BBC website feature on the 30th anniversary of Ghost Town’s release. 

1) How does the article describe the song?

The article describes it as an "old angular song."

2) What does the article say about the social context of the time – what was happening in Britain in 1981?

There were many young people unemployed due to the industrial decline.

3) How did The Specials reflect an increasingly multicultural Britain?

There are white and black members which represents the rising multiculturalism in the UK.

4) How can we link Paul Gilroy’s theories to The Specials and Ghost Town?

This links to Paul Gilroy's theories as the music video seems to mirror the black diasporic identity.

5) The article discusses how the song sounds like a John Barry composition. Why was John Barry a famous composer and what films did he work on?

John Barry was a film composer and he prevously worked on the James Bond franchise.

Ghost Town - Media Factsheet

1) Focus on the Media Language section. What does the factsheet suggest regarding the mise-en-scene in the video? 

The Ghost Town music video's low budget shoot and political background both perfectly mirror the codes and conventions of the film genre.

2) How does the lighting create intertextual references? What else is notable about the lighting?

There is a dim light used when the band members are in the car which successfully encapsulates this uncanny feeling.

3) What non-verbal codes help to communicate meanings in the video?

When the members are singing with no expression on their faces and with limited movements.

4) What does the factsheet suggest regarding the editing and camerawork? Pick out three key points that are highlighted here.

. The band is generally shot as a group, emphasising the relationship between them.

. The video ends with a long-cross dissolve of the tunnel lights to the stone-throwing shot, which creates an unsettling feeling.

. One scene is cut like an action sequence of a car race

5) What narrative theories can be applied to the video? Give details from the video for each one.

Todorov: The whole music video could be viewed as the disequilibrium where the members are searching for the new equilibrium as the protagonists. 

6) How can we apply genre theory to the video?

Repetition and difference (Neale) is presented through their costumes and their blank facial expressions - repetition of subcultures.

7) Now look at the Representations section. What are the different people, places and groups that are represented in the Ghost Town video? Look for the list on page 4 of the factsheet.

.Masculinity

.Race

.The urban youth

.The city

8) How can Gauntlett's work on collective identity be applied to the video?

The bands' diversity and genre unites many people which creates a new sense of identity.

9) How can gender theorists such as Judith Butler be applied to Ghost Town?

Judith Butler referred to these as a "performance" because these artists seem to be "performing" the structures of patriarchy.

10) Postcolonial theorists like Paul Gilroy can help us to understand the meanings in the Ghost Town music video. What does the factsheet suggest regarding this?

Black musicians had less control in self-representation as most of the music industry in the UK was controlled by white people.