Video Analysis 4 - 'Devlin - Community Outcast'

This track has alot of meaning which is clearly portrayed through the lyrics. Devlin is trying to give a voice to those who are forgotten about such as single mums, elderly people and homeless people. The track itself is all about how the Government has let down those who live in 'the slums'. He is giving them a voice telling people about the harsh realities that is being brought up on the streets.
There are very obvious conventions within this video, such as the mis en scene used. The clothes that are worn are clearly his own clothes as they are a Nike round neck jumper and jeans. These are stereotypical conventions of the grime industry. The video is shot in his home town of Dagenham in the UK. I think this works well because the song is about showing the streets for what they are doing to people and what better way to show it than to shoot the video on the streets.
One of the shots that i noticed in the video was the point of view shot at 1.47. The camera is looking at what Devlin can see and then the guy coming towards the camera barges past and then the camera cuts to Devlin again. I think this works well and would hope to use this is my music video as i think that it represents how people are on the streets and that they don't care.
Throughout this video, still images have been edited into it when the track says something that needs to be emphasized. For example at 1.49 in the track the lyrics are;
'I represent single mums,
all alone on there own trying to put food in the mouth of her two sons
and the fathers gone
Theres no cash flow, lack of income.
But thats just the way it is
She counts 15 needles
pushing her pram on the way to the lift
This is where Brown says its safe to raise kids.'
Images of a pram, a woman with a baby and a toddler and also a writ of car. These images are there to inforce deeper meaning to the lyrics which i think is very effective.

Most of this video is of Devlin rapping to the camera but there are also lots of other shots of people that enforce meaning to the lyrics, I dont think that they thought alot about mis en scene in this video because it doesnt appear that people are carefully selected to go into the video. I think that they just wanted to shoot on the streets and not stage anything so that it was as realistic as possible. Devlin does mime most of the lyrics throughout the song but i think that this works well.

The narrative in the song is strong but the video shows no real story. The audience for this song would be people who can relate to the music who were also raised on the streets.