Music Video Analysis- Lily Allen- Smile

Aspects Of Performance/Mode Of Analysis

Lily sings to the camera at various points in the video and this is direct. It becomes indirect when she is seen getting revenge on her ex boyfriend and starts to act and show performance. The artist herself plays the main role in this music video



Narrative

The narrative is non-linear at the beginning as she is seen sat on her bed upset and then there is a flash back of her and her ex boyfriend when they were happy and cuddled up in bed. The rest of the video follows a linear narrative as the beginning is clear from when she is upset. Then the middle when she is getting revenge and finally the end where she has broken her ex down and he is relying on her.


How Does The Video Create An Image For The Artist/Band

It makes us see her as normal and not very celebrity like as this kind of thing happens all the time to regular people and we generally dont think it happens to celebs. She comes across as powerful and independent as its showing that no-one messes with her and gets away with it and that she can cope on her own. It also puts her across as being a bit spiteful.


How Do The Visuals Relate To The Song

The visuals amplify the song as the song is about her being cheated on and breaking up with her boyfriend and taking revenge and in the video we see exactly this.


Mise-En-Scene

It is first set in her house as she is sat on her bed singing to the camera. She then meets a guy on a street corner and hands him some money obviosly to do something dodgey as we can tell he is dodgey from the way he presents himself and the way he dresses in scruffy clothing. The man then talks to some chavs and gets them to beat up her ex boyfriend while some of them trash his flat. All these places are seen as normal places and shows us that Lily is just a regular person like us. She also has her trademark dress with trainers combo and gold earrings.



Use Of Camera

In the bedroom lots of andles are used including lots of closeups to show her face when she is singing. Also mid-shots are used to see her sitting on the bed and pannings around her room. Flashes of quick camera angles changes are used when the chavs are trashing the flat. A long tracking shot is used to show her walking at the end down a street.


Editing

Shot reverse shot is used when her and her ex boyfriend are in the cafe having a conversation and also when she is in the street talking to the man on the corner. The editing is fast paced as it changes camera regularly and changes back and forth to different scenes.



Representation

Lily is seen as a regular person as everyone has to go through a difficult break up. When she seeks revenge on her ex she is seem as spiteful but also as powerful as she is doing something to get back at him for hurting her.




Special Effects

No special effects are used in this video.


Genre

The genre for this music is pop.


Audience

Teens to young adults.