ER: Music Video Analysis 2

Lily Allen - The Fear (2008)



Media Language
The message and purpose of this video is to make people think about how society idolises celebrities and the way the media can can influence and manipulate people's lives. It constructs a social message abut how young girls in particular are taught through the media to go after fame and money and that looks and scandalous behaviour are the only way to go about that.It portrays a realistic view of a vast amount of society's mindset, how people obsess over material objects and getting their "15 minutes of fame", while intelligence and wit is seen as unimportant. The video portrays a spoilt girl who has got everything she wants without working for it, the "dream" in today's society. We can see this by the way she moves quite slowly and spends a lot of time sitting down to show that its unlikely that she's worked hard for her lavish lifestyle.

Visual techniques are used to show this through camera. All the shots are mostly long or mid shots in order to make sure there is always props and set visible to exaggerate her riches. Low angle shots are used to show that with money comes power, giving her a high status, but high angle shots are also used to show that while she has money, she is quite lost in a world of getting everything she wants. The cutting rate starts of slow when she appears to be living in a caravan to match the mood of living such a low quality life, possibly a signifier of how she used to live before she gained fame, but it gets faster as she enters the mansion to represent her "living in the fast lane". The caravan scene shows her to own few possessions, which contrasts greatly with her life in the mansion. Her bras hanging out on the washing line for all to see to emphasise her shamelessness. Mise en scene is used heavily through props, costume and set, to highlight further the stereotypical image of a spoilt girl who has more money than sense.

There is some intertexuality and reference to the fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland", shown through costume, props, location and character blocking. The dress she wears is an immediate signifier to Alice and the way she walks as if in a dream, reminds us of the classic story. The Alice in Wonderland reference is there to highlight how lost she feels even though she has everything she wants. The props remind us again, for example the dancing presents are quite a mad aspect that wouldn't be out of place in Alice in Wonderland.