Jamara Royle

Good Enough by Jussie Smollett (Empire)

Characters

Sexuality is represented in this video as the male artist is a gay man; he subverts the stereotype as he has a 'macho' look about him where as most people expect gay men to be more feminine. The video shows a stereotypical black family living in the suburbs in what seems to be the poor part of town which is a stereotype of people of a black ethnicity. The father in the video I believe to be a patriarch and believes a man should provide for a woman not a man which is why this gay man want to be good enough to be his son but doesn't get the respect he deserve which is shown in the video when he was child he gets thrown in the bin by his father for wearing his mothers clothes. The theme here is acceptance and a little about love which is a archetypal of the R&B and Pop genre.

Iconography

The high heels the boy wears in the video is quite iconic because it represents that stereotype of gay men being feminine and wanting to wear heels; the colour of the heels is also quite feminine adding to the stereotype creating a subversion of female iconography. However this could challenge that stereotype as what child hasn't tried on their parents clothes especially their mothers despite whether there male or female. Another iconic scene would be when the father puts the boy in the bin. It infers how close minded people are and how there are still people who don't support the whole same sex relationships however the mother represents the few who doesn't label and are not bothered by her sons sexuality and loves him anyway.

Narrative

The video is part narrative and mostly performance as the narrative sequence is flash backs used to show the father being upset about his gay son. The main narrative is about acceptance as this man wants acceptance from his father; he wants to be treated like an equal. The lyrics say 'I'll never be big enough to pay your dues, but I keep trying and you just keep making me jump through hoops, what do I got to do?' which implies the father makes him do things to prove his musicality but still does not love him the same as his other sons. Masculinity is represented as this man wants to prove to his dad he is in fact 'good enough' and is just as masculine as he is; 'See it doesn't matter what you think, I'm still a man. Look at me, open up your eyes, can't you see that I'm good enough'. He just wants his father to be

Jamara Royle

proud which is what most men want to hear from their fathers. The fact they contrast so much in the video applies Strauss’ theory of binary opposition as there is not just contrasts between age but generation as the father seems to have traditional views compared to the sons modern view.

Setting

The video has two settings one is in a suburban home based in a poor part of town which is a stereotype of where most black people live. Especially since black families are shown to be poor this is shown in the house scene where there they used candles for lights. The other one is in a bar where the artist is expressing his feelings, showing the audience his pain evoking a sense of sympathy as the audience will feel sorry for him.

Technical codes

There were many longs shots and mid shots used to establish setting and show the artist performing. Most of the mid shots were used to show the artist expressing himself showing his expression sad and angry; showing him wanting his father's love and acceptance. There is low key lighting adding to overall sadness feel of the heartbreaking story told making the story more depressing than it already is. The lighting however is a bit brighter in the flashback scenes to allude to the audience that it is a memory. The flashback scenes are also softer than the performance scenes; the softer edges juxtapose the harsh memory trying to make it seem like better times but it was just as bad. There also seems to be a slight tint and blurriness to infer to the audience it is a flashback.