The world of the media has always fascinated me. As an individual viewing the world from an African perspective until the year 2012; when my mind was expanded with euro-centric and western perspectives of the world. Media and Communications as a course has made me aware of deeper meaning attached to everything around us. I consider film to be an art of self expression. It really amazes me to see ordinary people take their ideas from pen and paper, and transform them into something beautiful through the use of the digital media. Dueze (2012: 68) has made me understand that the media make us lose ourselves. When people listen to a favourite song of their’s, it is common for them to release themselves into an imaginary realm, where they feel anything is possible.

Music has played a fundamental part in my life and upbringing. I often wonder how artistes and producers communicate and deeply reach out to the heart of listeners through music. I like to define music as the art of story telling. Through the composition of different equipments and sounds, people are able to create meaning. This music video by ‘Rudimental‘ not only uses fundamental sounds in communication, but utilises visual artefacts for meaningful composition.

The narrative of this video captures how a pair of twins who grew up together later have to fight, due to the paths they chose to follow in life. Their mother also has to witness her sons fight brutally against themselves. This music video has been able to tell a story based on survival, dedication, passion, love and faith. Nevertheless, I often wonder if the media has a secret agenda for us; the audience. Bennett, Kendall and McDougall (2011: 22) critique that ‘ideas about unlocking the meaning of texts by perceptive critics are replaced by the ideas about meaning as action: how texts work for those who use them’.

Bibliography

Bennett, P., Kendall, A., McDougall, J. (2011) After The Media. Abingdon: Routledge.

Dueze, M. (2012) Media Life. Cambridge: Polity Press.