Richard Dyer's Representation Theory

1. Richard Dyer was born in 1945 and is an English academic who specializes in cinema.
Since 2006, he has been a Professor of Film Studies at King's College in London.
In 1979 Dyer released its first full-length book, Stars featured his concept that the
viewers' perception of a film is heavily influenced by the perception of its stars.
In fact Dyer's exact words were that "A star is an image not a real person that is
constructed out of a range of materials"; in this statement Dyer is comparing the so
called 'stars' to a piece of fiction, saying how they are created through the use of
advertising, magazines, films and music.
Dyer's theory revolves around the idea that stars are manufactured by the music
industry to serve a specific purpose. This is one of the purposes of Indie Music as the
institution and audience of this music believe that it should be more about the music
rather than the the image of the artist. Many people now believe that there is now a
'conveyor belt' approach to artists making them replaceable unless they become stars
like in Dyer's theory; Dyer believes that the way to become a 'star' is to create a persona
that is desirable to the target audience but in reality this persona is not a realistic
representation.

2. The lyrics of 'Shake it Out' fit with Richard Dyer's theory as they create the paradox that she is both
ordinary and extraordinary; they create the idea that she is ordinary through the meaning of the
song revolving around being hung-over which is a relatively ordinary state; in the same way she is
represented as being extraordinary due to her costume being glamorous and somewhat eccentric.
Her lyrics also connote that she is extraordinary in the way that they connote the idea that she is
empowered and has a desirable persona. The fact that she is desirable because of the fact she is
represented as being strong and empowered not only represents Richard Dyer's theory but also
Laura Mulvey's theory as it represents how she is seen positively by both men and women, rather
than simply being objectified.
Another way in which the video supports Dyer’s theory of the artist being both ordinary and
extraordinary is the fact that in the video, Florence is seen as being both isolated in the background
(being ordinary) and being the center of attention (being extraordinary). This shows her as being a
star as she can be both relatable to the audience but also alluring and fascinating to the audience.

3. Another way in which the lyrics represent Florence is
through the lyrics “And I've been a fool and I've been
blind, I can never leave the past behind”. These lyrics
represent Florence as being normal by showing how
she also makes mistakes like ‘normal’ people.
In the video, she is not only associated with being
‘ordinary’ but also associated wit being devil-like
through her costume in some shots. This is compared to
some shots where she is seen to be wearing
comparably more glamorous/ positively extraordinary
clothes such as long golden ball gowns; this represents
how she has her good and bad sides, in the same way
most ordinary people do.