Ill Manors broadcast: music video analysis

Ill Manors broadcast: music video analysis

Media forms

How is it typical of a music video?

The Ill Manors music video can be said to be quite typical of a music video, in the sense that it uses a montage sequence throughout the video. Having scenes of Plan B on his own overlooking a block of council houses, others of quite notable controversial moments in Politics particularly regarding MPs interactions with the electorate and some of interactions between young people and the police, the video has scenes don't exactly have a sense of continuity all throughout its entirety. Not only this but these events can also be thought to link into Andy Medhurst's theory about stereotypes in that they're used almost as a way to tell the audience a lot in a short space of time (shorthand). With this the audience understands that the youths have feelings of animosity towards the police and it affects their interactions with them throughout their lives.

It is also typical in terms of what other videos in the music genre do from a location standpoint. Rap music videos are known particularly for having scenes set on the streets, and the Ill Manors music video doesn't stray away from this, with 00:35 being an example of this. With rap music usually having its origins in 'the street,' the video can also be related to Tessa Perkins theory in that stereotypes of rap music mainly emanating from the street are in a lot of cases true. This is in addition to the number of dance routines shown in the video, again seen at 00:35 make it also typical of quite a lot of (rap) music videos.


Media Representations

How does it represent the London riots/rioters?

The video represents the London rioters as being menaces to society and rebels. In the video, extracts are taken out from news broadcasts of the riots as they progressed with participants throwing things at the police and burning cars. With this they are presented as being mere criminals, only reinforcing the stereotype that young, particularly lower-class, people have as being uninspiring, mischievous people rather than challenging it. However at the same time, it could be said that this is only a 'closed-outlook' on the rioters and the complexity in the aspects that mean they're doing what they're doing, is reduced to a much more simpler picture as suggested by Richard Dyer. This being said, it's made a bit more unclear as to whether the rioters are just rioting for the sake of it or have a set of different reasons as to why they're doing it.

The video also represents the rioters as being of more of a lower-class background. With the connotations that clothing items like the hoodie have and the cigarette that one is seen smoking at 0:42 of danger and disregard, the rioters can be said to belong the 'Strugglers' section of society (Psychographics). Being heavy consumers of things like trainers, alcohol and junk food, the group is considered almost as being at the bottom rung of society. Not only this but as previously stated above, a sense of animosity is definitely present between the youths and the police linking into the binary opposition theory of Levi-Strauss. This is displayed particularly in 3:04 when a physical altercation between the police and the youth ensues, helping provide a sense of conflict understandable to the audience.

Media Audiences

What audience pleasures does the music video offer?

With audience pleasures, the video provides a sense of relatability to its intended audience. Although the audience are predominantly people who enjoy or are fans of Plan B's music who would tend to be members of the C bracket in terms of social grading, the video can definitely be identified to be targeted towards people from a much more lower class background and living in council estates (D/E group) evident in things such as the setting and the plethora of young people actually in it. This links in with the personal identification aspect of Blumler and Katz' Uses and Gratifications theory, with the people in the audience that do live in that environment, seeing parts of their own life possibly reflected in it such as the range of blocks in their community.

Another pleasure that the video provides possibly lies in the fact that the video has some things related to politics in it. With a number of references to politicians including the 'union' of David Cameron and Nick Clegg under the coalition government and also John Prescott throwing a punch at a protester who threw and egg at him, the video gives people interested in that kind of thing a sense of nostalgia as they look back on things that have taken place in the political world, giving a sense of diversion (Blumler and Katz) to them or just a general sense of entertainment.

Media Institutions

How does the music video help to promote the film?

The video helps promote Ill Manors by actually having actors from the film make appearances in the video. At different points in the video appearances are made from actors in the film such as Riz Ahmed and Ed Skrein who both star as main characters in it. Whether these are as simple cameo appearances with both actors already being quite notable figures in film, one appearing in Game Of Thrones and another in Four Lions, or reprising the roles of the characters they play is unknown (the latter more likely), however them making an appearance in the video alone provides a sense of synergy with the film as the audience get an idea of who they can expect to see when watching it.

Additionally the video helps promote the film by using things that were used in the promotion of the film in the video. The most notable aspect of this is with the fact that the actual audio track, was used in the trailer towards the end of it. This again adds to this idea of synergy, with a link being established with the film and the music video here, but not only in the sense that it's the same song, but also that the video gives them an idea of what to actually expect when watching the film whether this is the council estate environment or just the life of teenagers as a whole.


Ill Manors soundtrack research

• The record company involved with the release of Ill Manors, the soundtrack album, was Atlantic Records. As an American record label and a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, the project was backed by what can be said to be quite a major record label. However at the same time while taking this into consideration, it can be said the album should have sold a lot more than it did, will be detailed below, with the backing that it had from this institution, particularly with the popularity of its parent company – WMG being the largest American music conglomerate throughout the world 
• From a sales standpoint having released in July 2012, as of November in the same year album sales for Ill Manors had stacked up to 140,100. This could be said to be quite a number, particularly for a project which had the primary purpose of cross-promoting a film. Not only this, but the album also debuted with as a number 1 on the charts which alone, can be said to have been quite a feat particularly with it getting this position in the first week. 
• In terms of reviews, the album also did quite well scoring an 83 on Metacritic. This consisted of a 5-star review from The Telegraph and also 90 out of 100 on the Independent on Sunday, both quite particularly notable publications, saying ‘On a production level, this album is cutting-edge, on a lyrical level it is brutally brilliant. It will melt your ears and your heart’ and ‘This is one of the most exhilarating albums of the year’ respectively. 
• It can be said that users generally agreed/shared the same views as the reviews from it scoring an 8.4 on Metacritic in terms of user score with some people saying 'Perfect album. The production and lyrics are amazing. The album’s message is clear. The album was made to shock and it certainly did that' and another that: 'this album was worth the risk from Plan B. This album has a lot of relevant social commentary unlike his first album where he raps from the perspective of a misguided and violent young person.'