Using Media Language, Explain how representations have been constructed in the music video 'ill manors Plan B.
The first shot in 'ill manors' is an establishing shot of a council estate of London, it shows a rough looking area to set context for the song, this is repeated throughout the protest song. To show this song as a social commentary Plan B brings up many social issues that people are facing at this time. This constructs the basis for the music video. He refers to the government as eco-friendly by preserving their 'natural habitat' this represents the view on the government by the youth how the government don't care about improving these areas and then Plan B attacks the fact they built an olympic village next to these estates, which would of cost millions. It almost makes the reader think that the government is mocking the working class people that live in these areas taunting them with this olympic village. The government is also represented through the music video, being mocked by being eaten by a dog and excreted out shows the hatred towards the government for not helping the youths get out of the situations they are in.
The costumes of actors in the video are supposed to represent what older generations see the youth as, many wearing hoodies and using hats/bandanas to hide their identities and it could also allow the youth to identify with the actors therefore giving a preferred reading. He may of used this as during the London riots this is why most rioters wore, this song has clear connections to that riot as it tries to show why the youth acted as they did not like how the newspapers like the guardian that said the hoodie is a 'criminal cloak for Londons looting youth'. The average age of a guardian reader is 48 and middle class, according to the guardian, therefore they don't understand the reasoning behind the riots and will believe the youth to be criminal looters.
The run down areas, create a bleak atmosphere and after the establishing shot of a bad estate his first lyrics following this is 'let's all go on a urban safari, we might see some illegal migrants' refers to middle-aged middle-class people who go on safaris and there views on migrants, it refers to migrants as the animals they see on safaris which shows us that the better off people look down on migrants and how judgemental they are. The focus on location never changes in 'ill manors' it is often always a backdrop of an urban, council estate setting. The estates are in the foreground and in the background is the tourist hub that seems to be a distraction from the reality of London, the mid ground of smoke creates a divide between the two different sides of London. The political message of this video is shown through the location being in London which the political hub of England and where the political decisions takes place and throughout the video images of Nick Clegg and David Cameron are shown, in a very . Much of Plan B's audience may live in London therefore directly relate to what he is rapping about creating a very powerful message to the viewers.
When the beat gets more intense jump cuts get faster and more frequent to emphasise the violence. This could represent how the older generation believe the riots and even use the youth in general was just an excuse to be violent as this is how the newspapers often depicted it , as previously mentioned saying it was a 'criminal cloak'. There is also a reference to how people set cars on fire during the riots as during the music video a car is exploded which could also suggest that the government is almost fuelling these riots by not helping the youth and improving the bad areas.
In conclusion, Plan B has purposely made representations in the music video to show his view on how the government don't do enough to help improve deprived areas. For example he represents the youth as violent as that is all they are shown as in the media and if the government helped these areas they wouldn't be exposed to as much violence. I believe thats his message he wants to portray because of the representations he has used in the music video.
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