Costume is a very important part of pre - production, as there is a lot to consider:
- the costume has to keep with the themes and aesthetic look of the music video; for example, if I dressed my actor in an all black outfit, it would detract from the visual themes in the music video, which are light and colourful.
- the costume has to appeal to my target audience - the demographic for Nina Nesbitt's music is young adult, teenage girls. Fashion and clothes may appeal and be of importance to the target audience, and they want the video to be visually interesting.
- the actor has to be comfortable with the costume they are given to wear, as it may affect their performance if they are unhappy or uncomfortable with what they are wearing.
- it has to be affordable - although there are many costumes I would like to use in my music video, I have to be aware of their cost.
Option 1 - Selfie T-Shirt
As the title of the song I am producing a music video for is "Selfies", it would be appropriate to have my character wearing a t-shirt with the word "SELFIE" emblazoned across the front. I have searched the internet for websites that sell these t-shirts, and found they were popular and common.
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| I like this t-shirt because the font used and style of the shirt is quite feminine. It is loose, so it would be comfortable to wear for an extended period of time. Plus, it only costs £5.00 so it is very affordable. However, it is temporarily out of stock on the website - I will have to keep checking to see if it becomes available again. |
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| This t-shirt is very similar to the above one. However, this one has "INSTAGRAM" printed underneath the word "SELFIE". This is a nod to the social media elements of selfies, as many people share them on their Twitter, Instagram and Facebook profiles. However, the style of the shirt is not as appealing - the neck is too round, and the price of the item is too costly. |
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| Similarly to the second t-shirt, it references social media through the inclusion of the "#". The t-shirt is available in two colours; black and white. I would choose the white t-shirt over the black t-shirt as it is less drab and fits better with the visual themes. In addition, the price is desirable so this is a very viable option. |
Although all of these options are devoid of colour and there are concerns of the setting looking too white due to the inclusion of the white back drop, I intend to have my actor wearing bright red lipstick, and the pop of colour would be more effective if the rest of the set and costume was minimalistic. Plus, my piñata will be bright red, so having another colour on screen at the same time may detract the focus from the piñata.
Option 2 - Coloured Tops
Another potential option is to introduce more colour into the video through the costume. Therefore, I searched for colourful, affordable clothing.
After searching the internet and popular clothing websites where a lot of females shop, I found these two crop tops. They come in two colours; green and purple. The bright colours would be immediately eye catching to the audience as it would be a visual contrast to the white back drop. In addition, these tops are items of clothing that my target audience would most likely wear, so it creates an image for the audience that they can identify with. The cost is also desirable, as they are priced at £8. On the other hand, as I intend to have my actor wearing red lipstick, the colours may clash and distract the audience. Plus, the tops are crop tops, and my actor may feel uncomfortable or self conscious wearing it.
Option 3 - Meta T-Shirt
My final option and potential choice of costume for the scenes performed in front of the white backdrop is the concept of a meta t-shirt. I could not find many examples on the internet, but I found one involving the actors Ryan Gosling and Macaulay Culkin.
Above, is an example of a meta t-shirt. On the left, Gosling is wearing a t-shirt of Culkin as a child. On the right, Culkin wears a t-shirt with the photograph of Gosling wearing the shirt. In my video, I would have my actor wear a t-shirt with a photograph of their face on it - in the photograph, the actor would also be holding polaroids depicting themselves. This would be an amusing option for the audience and support the tinges of humour the video has. I would have to make the t-shirt myself which could be costly. Plus, it wouldn't be very realistic as it is not common for people to have photos of themselves on a t-shirt, so may come across as very egotistical.
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| Whatever option I decide, all t shirt will be paired with a pair of black skinny jeans. Black skinny jeans are a popular choice of clothing among the target audience of my chosen artist, and the t shirts will all look good paired with the black jeans. They are accessible and are sold in most clothes shops; in addition, they can also be bought for a reasonably low price. |
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To add elements of humour to the music video, I am going to include some red love-heart glasses and a novelty red wig. Throughout most of the video, the character is sad or angry, and the inclusion of these costume pieces will inject some fun and display the happy aspects of my character. The red colouring will also match that of the piñata and stand out brightly against the white back drop.
Costume No.2
My character wears two costumes in the video. The second costume is what the actor wears during the narrative aspect of my video:
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| There is a line in the song where the artist sings "Your favourite t-shirt on again". The t-shirt the character will be wearing is an oversized superhero t-shirt; these are associated mainly with boys and indicates that it was previously her ex's which she has decided to keep for comfort or has not yet returned to him. These are very popular and will not be hard to find, plus my actor will be comfortable wearing it as it loose and not restricting. |
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| In the video, the character decides to leave the comfort of her own bedroom and venture outside. When she makes the decision to leave, she pulls on her jacket. She will be wearing a black leather jacket, like the one depicted above. Leather jackets are very popular and a common item of clothing frequently worn by members of the target audience. It also reflects on the dark and negative mood the character is in through the narrative. |
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| When the character has decided to leave, there is a quick narrative of the process of getting ready. There is a shot of the character putting on her shoes, which will be a pair of Converse, most likely burgundy. For the shot, I want my actor to tie up shoe laces, which is why I chose the Converse. Similarly to the black skinny jeans and leather jacket, Converse are very popular with young females, and a person of my character's age would most likely wear a pair. |
Overall, I think I am going to choose option 1 for the costume to be worn against the white back drop - the Selfie t-shirt. I think it is the most appropriate choice as it not only references the major theme and title of the song, but it will appeal to my target audience and actor who has to wear the costume and it is selling for an affordable price.
Next, I shall continue to gather research for my pre-production tasks, all the while keeping in mind the influence and effect it will have on the artist's target audience.
