An artists representation is essential within a music video because it allows the artist to portray themselves in a certain light. They can do this through acting a certain way in the music video or through the use of clothes, hair and makeup etc. An artist may want to be painted in a certain way because they would like to express themselves or appear a certain way, such as glamorous or down to earth. Artist representations also give the audience to opportunity to become more like their role model by imitating their style and acting like them as an attempt to buy into the artists lifestyle.
The first costume we discussed as a group for the artist to wear is the first outfit she will be seen in. This will entail of black and white pyjamas with love hearts and the word 'dreamer' printed on them with messy hair and minimal makeup. This will suggest that the artist has just woken up or has been at home all day being unproductive due to something being on her mind. This will be seen in the first shot of the artist when she is at home and decided to open the memory box. The hearts on the pyjamas are white which portray innocence and purity which the artist may have felt before and during the early stages of the relationship. The rest of the pyjamas are black and therefore hold negative connotations of sadness and mourning which suggest the artist is sad and almost mourning the loss of the relationship. The contrast in these colours represent how the relationship corrupted her innocence. This is conventional to the indie genre as strong emotional themes are common due to the fact that indie artists are known to write all of their own songs which cause the subject of most songs to be based upon personal experiences and emotions. The clothes connote these emotions that are being sung about and therefore reinforce the idea that the song is personal to the artist. The artist will be wearing minimal makeup with natural messy hair which will build a level of trust between the artist and audience as the audience will feel that the artist trusts them enough to see them in their natural state and setting. This further suggests that the artist is being completely honest and has nothing to hide from the audience. As a result this confirms that the lyrics being heard are completely accurate and honest about a personal life experience of the artist which will make the audience feel closer to her if they can relate to the song because they will believe that they are directly relating to the artist.
The second artist representation we discussed as a group was the one that would take place in the field setting scenes which will include the picnic scene and filler memories. The artist will be wearing an light coloured jumper with a green camouflaged jacket. On her bottom half will be denim shorts worn over black tights and on her feet the artist will wear creeper style shoes. Like before, her hair will be natural and wavy while her makeup will remain minimal. This outfit is conventional to the subject of my chosen music video because the green coat has connotations of jealousy which is a theme in this scene as the artist begins to show an interest in someone else which sparks jealously in her boyfriend. The black on the tights and shoes holds negative connotations which show the dark and troublesome times in the couples relationship which have started to form after this picnic scene due to the jealousy being formed. Again, the artists natural look in terms of hair and make up, portray her as honest about herself to the audience which reinforces their trusting relationship.
Another setting I will include in my music video is a garden setting whereby an outdoor cinema scene will take place. The artist will be wearing black leggings, an oversized, comfortable looking jumper and Doc Martens boots. The boots are black with pink laces and a pink floral pattern on. The artists makeup will entail red lipstick and her hair will be styled in plaits and decorated with flowers. The representations of this costume are conventional to the indie genre. For example, the flowers in the artists hair and the floral pattern on her shoes will represent nature and therefore represent her as down to earth and also girly. This will therefore suggest that the artist is modest and similar to the audience so they can build a relationship with her on the basis that they are similar. Also the flowers being girly help the teenage female audience to stay engaged as flowers are something that they would visually like. Furthermore the comfortable looking jumper will suggest that the artist does not prioritise her looks and image over what she is comfortable wearing which makes her appear unique compared to other artists in mainstream genres such as pop who would like to always appear attractive and glamorous so wear more flamboyant clothing which is more likely to be less comfortable. This makes the artist a good role model as she is suggesting that looks are not everything and that you should not care too much about what you look like. Another way in which the artist is portrayed as a role model comes under Dyer's theory and suggests that the artist is both ordinary and extraordinary. The artist is shown as ordinary through her representations of nature and being down to earth yet she is portrayed as extraordinary through her unique quirky style. This means the audience will relate to the artist through her being down to earth yet be inspired by her unique style and encouraged to express themselves and stand out.
Also in the garden setting a scene will take place that requires a different costume and artist representation. At a bonfire setting, the artist meets the male character for the first time. She will be wearing white clothes, preferably a skirt or dress, in order to portray her innocence. this will be worn with a denim jacket, long socks and boots as these clothing pieces are conventional to the indie genre. This is the scene whereby the couple meet for the first time and so will take place at the start of the music video. Meanwhile, at the end of the music video, a contrasting scene in the same setting will take place. In this scene the artist would have broken up the relationship and is now standing at a bonfire by herself, throwing items that remind her of their relationship onto it. Here she will be wearing a similar outfit to what she wore at the start to show the high contrast in situations. However, in this scene the dress/skirt will be black to portray dark times and corruption. This is conventional to the indie genre as the concept is that there is always good and bad in situations such as relationships and this is conventional because indie songs tend to be honest due to the fact they are written by the artist themselves who want to have an honest and trusting relationship with their target audience.
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| Indie artist Lana Del Rey wearing a flannel shirt |
Another image that I discussed with my group for my artist to have will take place in a kitchen scene whereby the couple will be making cakes with each other and throwing flour at each other etc. the artist will be bare foot with an ankle bracelet on, she will wear ripped jeans and a black top with a flannel shirt tied around her waist. The artist will have her hair tied up in plaits. This costume is conventional to the indie genre as it creates an edgy style which is typical of indie artists who like to look unique and quirky. The edginess reflects parts of the artists personality and represents the dark aspects of the narrative. The uniqueness of the image will help the audience to build a relationship with the artist as she stand out to them among other artists and therefore teaches them to be unique. The audience will respect this message that the artist is trying to get across about how it is not important to want to conform to mainstream expectations. This encourages and inspires the audience to express themselves. The flannel shirt is an item of clothing in which I have seen on several indie artists either in every day life pictures or in their music videos. This highlights how this item of clothing is conventional to the indie genre. The denim jeans hold connotations of damage due to them being ripped which may represent the damage done in the relationship and how it eventually breaks down. Although this is a happy memory, the ripped jeans foreshadow the negative event of the breakup that will soon occur. Her bare feet show her as down to earth and uncaring about her image as she does not care what she looks like constantly. However, the ankle bracelet is a unique accessory that not everybody wears and so portrays the artists quirky nature. 
The final costume I planned with my group is the costume my artist will wear in the pub scene which will signal the start of the artists breakup with her boyfriend. She will pay attention to another male character and this causes an argument between the couple. Again, the artist will be wearing ripped jeans but black - this time with a dark jumper, straightened hair and red lips. The ripped jeans will reinforce the representation of the relationship breaking down and the red lips will create connotations of both love and danger which portrays their dysfunctional relationship - the artist has feelings for the boyfriend but does not want to commit. The dark colours of the artists clothes create a negative atmosphere which portrays the breakdown of the relationship. The audience will be able to build a relationship with the artist as it is very likely, especially with the target audiences ages group, that they can relate to the connotations present in this image (a relationship breakup). in this scene the artist is represented as confused and not knowing what she wants which is reinforced by the negative connotations created by the image. This evokes sympathy in the audience which will help them to build a relationship with the artist as they understand the position she is in and may possibly relate to it themselves.
This planning post has helped me ensure that the image of my artist will be successful in what it portrays and suggest to the audience about the narrative and artist as a person. me and my group have made sure that the costumes are all conventional to the indie genre and relatable to the audience which will mean the image representations will be received well by the audience as they enjoy the indie genre and will be able to build a relationship with the artist as they fell as though they can relate to her.
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