Costume & Props: ideas & connotations

The costumes the actors wear in the music video are extremely vital in contributing to the mise-en-scene. Everything down to the nail polish syas something about the character and carries connotations throughout the music video.

I made this mood board to illustrate my collective ideas for Mimi's costume and make up. She'll have a simple white dress that was once clean but is now slightly ripped, a faded leather jacket and some scruffy converses. Her eye make up will be very heavy and dark with plenty of eyeshadow, mascara and eyeliner with two streaks down her cheeks where the make-up has run to show she's been crying. Her hair will be loose and in a kind-of bed-head style. This costume should indicate her beginings (the dress), her current situation (the leather jacket and the shoes), and how she got there (the rips and the running make-up). All these things are relatively easy to obtain and we're planning on doing some costume tests, along with the screen tests, to see how the costume works on each actor, if they are able to move in each costume and whether any changes needs to be made.

As I've previously mentioned, icons such as James Dean and Bob Dylan were major sources of insiration when it came to Daniels costume. A mixture of soulful artistry and simple but sharp black shirts. Daniel wearing black on the beach will be a nice contrast to Mimi's white dress. In some ways Daniel is embodying Billy Joel as he is the artist in the video. During the begining he will wear some Bob Dylan- style shades to create a bit of mystery around him. His main costume will compile of a Black shirt, black trousers, black coat and a scarf in the scenes outside. We want it to be smart but not stuffy and make him look a little older than he really is.

The child will be dressed up. The dress will most likely be in pink. She'll have ribbons in her hair, which will be in tight ringlets. Even though she'll be about 10, she'll have a mother who dresses her like a 6 year old going to a wedding. Her face will be free of any make up as she will then smear her mum's cosmetics onto her face.