Africa Shox

Leftfield

Narrative Structure
Afrika Shox is a closed text music video, as it has a clear narrative that entails a definite ending. It concludes with the protagonist being hit by the car, which leaves little if any imagination to alternative endings. It follows Goodwins theory, as it uses match on action to enforce a strong sense of story telling and mainly contradicts the song lyrics. The recurring lyric Africa contrasts with the urban and western setting, which seems to reference the roots of the black protagonist; emphasising a sense of alienation.

Mise-en-scene
Some may argue that the protagonist is a metaphor for slavery and colonisation of America. This is reflective of his ragged and somewhat zombie-like appearance, which suggests he is a second class citizen. Furthermore, the protagonist seems to be discombobulated and lost amongst the bustling City skyscrapers, which may infer that either we are all slaves to capitalism. Alternatively, it could be referencing the moment that slaves were introduced to western civilisation. Not only is this reflective of the dubstep/electronica genre, as it originated from slaves on plantations, but it is also similar to the poem Limbo by Brathwaite as it reflects the same state of uncertainty that the protagonist feels, as well as referring to the exercise limbo that was used on slave ships. This is a negative depiction of black people, as it implies that they are all subhuman and outcasts in society, which is not true and suggests that they are a more vulnerable demographic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlEfhim_36U Also, he wears a dog tag which seems to be representative of the Vietnam war; depicting him as somewhat of a hero. The fact he is ignored and somewhat mistreated highlights the deliberate ignorance within American culture and encourages the audience to empathise with the protagonist. This is similar to the Deer Hunter, where everyone begins to sing God bless America in tribute for Nick. In the same sense to Afrika Shox it is ironic, as the both the dog tag and the national anthem are somewhat signifiers of American culture, which are both used to highlight the reality of the Vietnamese warhttp://www.anyclip.com/movies/the-deer-hunter/eating-togetherafter-funeral

Mise-en-scene
Leftfield use aspects of mise-en-scene to criticise a selfish and unjust society. For instance, one of the main locations in Afrika Shox is the underground car park, which is an unglamorous and somewhat claustrophobic space. This is a generic convention of techno and dub step genres, as it targets a younger demographic, who tend to be more streetwise. Furthermore, the car park is tucked away, which could be metaphoric of youths and second class citizens being hidden away from society. On the contrary to this, they use New York streets as a main location for Afrika Shox as the bustling streets are open planned, which makes the protagonist even more vulnerable. Alternatively, New York is one of the most iconic Cities in the world as well as one of the biggest business capitals, so the fact that the protagonist is left to fend for himself not only belittles him, but highlights the aloof nature of the City.

Leftfield furthermore criticise capitalist ideas (such as looking out for oneself). At about 1:49 in the music video, there is a man with a newspaper staring at the protagonist after his arm is shattered. The fact he is reading a newspaper implies that he is socially aware yet ironically he does not help the protagonist, but instead ignores him.

Camera Angles
Low angle shots are used frequently throughout the music video. The first shot of the protagonist is a low angle shot which on one level indicates that he is an untrustworthy character. However, it is clear as the video goes on that the protagonist is in fact the victim, so Leftfield may have used the low angle to illustrate some of societys negative preconceptions and stereotypes of black people. At the beginning of Afrika Shox, low angle shots are used again, as there is a panning shot of a multi-story skyscraper. This highlights New Yorks (and Americas) vast power and wealth, emphasising its supremacy. On the other hand, the low angle shot depicts New York as a menacing and somewhat dangerous, which immediately indicates to the audience that New York is a dystopia.

Lighting and Sound

At the beginning of the music video, Leftfield use diegetic/ambient police sirens in order to immediately establish a sense of danger. This sets the scene as an edgy dystopia, as well as immediately establishing the electronica/dub step nature of Afrika Shox genre. This effect is also used in the opening of the film blade runner, where they use police sirens as a sound bridge. Like Afrika Shox, this not only builds tension and apprehension but it enhances the videos unglamorous and authentic feel to it. The binary opposition between the ambient sun and the noir protagonist seems to be another reference to slavery. As the slaves got off the ship, one of the first things they may have seen was the sun, which ironically tends to represents hope and freedom. The protagonist however is trapped in an estranged City, which again is reflective of a slaves feelings when they would have reached the shore. Leftfield use chiaroscuro lighting in the underground scene which connotes to nightmare and surrealism that depict the city as a dystopia. Alternatively, this emphasises the protagonists disorientation and confusion, which encourages the audience to identify and empathise with him. Throughout the music video, there is a slight blue/grey filter which makes New York seem somewhat grimy and unpleasant. This not only emphasises the urban feel of the city, but it is a generic convention of the genre, as it targets a younger demographic who tend to appeal to urbanism.

Editing
The predominant transition used in Afrika Shox is quick cuts, as it builds a fast pace and keeps the audience enticed. On one level, it links to the heavy and fast beat nature of the dubstep and electronica genre. On another level, it demonstrates the bands anger at a selfish society, as the fast pace builds up tension and reflects a somewhat aggressive tone. Leftfield use Claude Levi Strauss binary opposition between the black protagonist and the typical ignorant white collared citizen through shot reverse shot. On one level, this reinforces a comparison between the two groups, which emphasises the difference between Caucasian, powerful capitalists and vulnerable black people. On another level, shot reverse shot highlights the conflict between the two social groups, which again emphasise their differences.