“War on Drugs”

1. Visually, I think this video is intriguing. At first I was not sure how I would feel about all of the drawings that were happening, but it surprisingly made me stay focused on the message. I think the drawings were effective because they are edgy and something that you would not really see on an everyday video. It also visually appeals more to our own generation, as it catches your attention, and makes you focus more on the message being portayed. I found myself waiting for them to keep finishing each of the drawings, and it essentially left me waiting and wanting more.
2. Aurally, I think this video was effective. Having Jay Z narrate it, makes people automatically more interested, and more likely to respect the content being given. However, one of my favorite things that they did aurally in this video, were the sound effects. The first time I watched the video I did not pay as close attention to the slight sound effects, but the second time I watched it they were almost all I noticed. I feel like the sound effects complemented the visuals shown, in a positive manner. For example, the jail doors closing and the police sirens were two that correlated with the visuals well while at the same time placing a stronger focus on whatever Jay Z was talking about. The mood of the background noise/sound effects matched up well with the level of seriousness that was trying to be portrayed. For example, I heard a faint serious background noise during the part of the video where Jay Z was stating facts about how many people were in jail, like how it used to be 200,000 and now it is 2 million. I also think that the sounds helped me stay on track because the visuals could get overwhelming if it was just that and Jay Z talking.
3. This medium establishes the message in a different way from what we have seen before. It is based on opinion, but I also think it is specifically catered to a younger audience. This medium gives a new, inovative way of looking at serious issues. It is something that people would stop and watch, and not just scroll through on their timeline. It looks visually appealing, it is fast paced, and the length of the video in its entirety are all factors that contribute to how this medium is effective to viewers. As a result the message is changed because of this new wave of media.