2. Lily Allen - LDN
LDN is a perfect example of when the lyrics dictate
the music video. Lily is walking through the streets
of London as she tells a story.
3. “A fella looking dapper, but he's sittin' with a slapper
Then I see its a pimp and his crack whore” When she says these lyrics there is a two-shot of a
man in a suit and a women in a dress, there is a wipe transition across the screen that reveals
them in tracksuits and the man is pulling her hair. The colour of the shot goes darker. This
combination of mise-en-scene and editing helps strengthen the message Lily Allen is trying put
out.
“There were people from the city having lunch in the park” When
these lyrics are said there is a long shot of two men sitting in the
park eating lunch. Extremely simplistic.
“There was a little old lady, who was walkin' down the road, She was struggling with bags from Tesco…Then a kid
came along to offer a hand but before she had time to accept it hits her over the head, doesn't care if she's dead
cause he's got all her jewelery and wallet” When she says the first part the colour is bright and the kids looks
innocent, but when she says the next part the wipe transition comes on and the colour gets darker and kid
suddenly looks like a thug.
The effect that these shots have is the meaning behind the song, that at first glance we may see a
version of the world but at second glance we see the actual version. The simplistic style of having
shots that match exactly what the lyrics say helps strengthen an artists message.
“When you look with your eyes everything seems nice, But if you look
twice you can see its all lies” This is the chorus of the song. Although the
links don’t directly dictate the shot word by word its still the same
concept of at first glance there is a nice version of the truth but at
second glance we see the nasty truthful version. This is Lily Allens
opinion of the city of London
