The document discusses the costume, props, and theory behind a music video being created. It will tell the story of a man who has lost a child. Girly outfits and autumn clothing will be used for the 10-year-old girl. Dark, dull colors and accessories like a watch will characterize the man's clothing. Props like a guitar, stool, polaroids, and tea lights will be used. The video will establish a binary opposition between love and loss through these elements and the narrative of the man grieving his lost daughter. Audience interpretation and codes like mystery, action, and symbolism will also be considered in telling this story visually.

1. COSTUME & PROPS
WITH THEORY

2. Narrative Section: Girl

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The girl in our video will be around ten years old,
therefore, the clothing would have to be
appropriate for her age.
As we are filming outside, I have chosen to
include similar coats, hats and scarves that the
girl will wear. The fact we are filming outside will
reflect our chosen genre as it connotes realism.
I have chosen fairly girly outfits as it connotes:
fun, innocence and a girly feel.
It is also Autumn, so I have chosen to incorporate
clothes that will fit in with the season and the style
of our music video.

4. Narrative Section: Man

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I have also chosen outdoor clothes for the man in our
video as the majority of the filming will be done
outside.
I have chosen for the clothing to be fairly dark and dull
colours. This is because the colours connote loss,
death and isolation, which is the theme of our video.
We have chosen to ask other people to star in the
video as it will be easier to direct them so that our
concept can come across more clearly.
I thought a watch would be a good idea for an
accessory because it symbolises time and our video
will feature flashbacks of the past.

6. Performative Section: Man

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To find a suitable outfit for the performative
section, I researched similar artist’s to our chosen
genre.
I found that people, such as: Ed Sheeran, wore
casual clothes in the performance section of the
music video. They seem to wear commonly wear
shirts and incorporate a hat or accessory of some
kind.
For our video, I have chosen jeans, a check shirt,
hat and a watch. The colours of these clothes will
be brighter in order to create a juxtaposition.

8. Props

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Guitar – the guitar will be featured in the performance
section of the music video whilst the artist is performing.
Stool – the bar stool will be used for the artist to sit on
whilst he is singing in the performance section.
Polaroid's – will be used in the flashbacks, for the ‘Dad’
to look at and focus on the memories. It will feature
pictures of his family.
Tea Lights – will be used in the performative section for
lighting purposes. It will make the performance seem
more intimate which is a common feature of that genre.
Camera – will be used in the same way as the
Polaroid's.

10. Levi Strauss: Theory
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The theory states, that in every media text there
are binary oppositions, or a conflict between two
opposites. The audience subsequently are aware
of who they should side with, and this technique
can also help create a political theme within a text.
For example:
Good & Bad
Rich & Poor
Eastern & Western World
Love & Hate
...

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However, the theme of our music video is love
and loss; I am going to establish the binary
opposition through the use of costume and props.
For example, the scarf that the performer carries
symbolises the loss of the child as he is holding
the scarf to remember her by. The Polaroid's will
also symbolise loss as they feature memories.
The tea lights represent love as there is an
element of warmth that they connote.

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The binary opposition of love and loss is also represented through the use of
our chosen narrative concept. The loss is symbolised by the performer being
isolated and lonely. This is also reinforced by the use of our locations; for
example, the woods will emphasise the loneliness. Flashbacks will also be
shown to establish what he has lost.
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The love will be established through the use of the photographs, which will
show loving memories. There will be a scene in our video where the
performer is seen to be carrying a scarf – a token of love. Towards the
end, the narrative concept will be resolved as the daughter is shown running
to her Father.
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The music to our video connotes sadness which will be illustrated by the
visuals. The music will represent the ‘loss’, however, the lyrics ‘comfort you’
will represent the ‘love’.
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As a group we have also decided to slow the pace of the walking, camera
movement and some scenes in the music video. This will hopefully reinforce
the binary opposition of love and loss. This is due to slow motion often being
associated with sadness, where as an upbeat/fast pace is associated with
happiness.

13. The Cultural Studies Approach to
Audience:
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According to Morley, audiences aren’t just passively affected
by media texts – they take an active role in reading a text.
The concept of our video is quite ambiguous. The preferred
reading we strongly want to get across, is that the performer
has ‘lost’ someone, which audience’s are later told is the
‘child’. However, the loss is not indicated to be death, but
rather a hidden meaning: separation through a failed
marriage.
The audience may read certain values and interpret them to
mean that the child is dead. For example, the significance of
the scarf.
A preferred reading may be, that the audience would find it
acceptable for such a heavy storyline to be used within a
music video, however, the oppositional reading would
disagree.

14. Barthes Theory:
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Barthes was a French semiologist who identified 5 different
codes by which a narrative engages the attention of the
audience:
The enigma code- the audience is intrigued by the need to
solve a problem
The action code – the audience is excited by the need to
resolve a problem
The semantic code – the audience is directed towards an
additional meaning by way of connotation
The symbolic code – the audience assumes that a character
dressed in black is evil or menacing and forms expectations of
his/ her behaviour on this basis
The cultural code – the audience derives meaning in a text
from shared cultural knowledge about the way the world works.

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The enigma code- in our video the audience will be intrigued
to know what has happened to the child, the unknown will
encourage the audience to watch the music video from
beginning to the end.
The action code – This will apply to our video as the
audience will develop different interpretations; therefore, they
will be excited or intrigued to see if they are right.
The semantic code – The audience will be directed to
interpret loss due to the locations and props which connote
loneliness and isolation. For example, the woods, and hill will
represent loneliness. The trees will also be going bare this
time of year, which could also represent loss.
The symbolic code – The symbolic code will be established
by the performer walking slowly through isolated places. He
will not be wearing black; therefore, death is not symbolised.