Costume

Costume

Peter Pan:

Costume is an important element to consider for my music video. As I will be portraying a well known character, I have to ensure my actor is dressed in the appropriate clothing so the audience can identify the link between him and the narrative. 

Peter's costume will be kept the same throughout the video. This will establish his character with the audience and keep the engaged with the story throughout. Although there has been a predominate style for Peter Pan over the years in different plays and film adaptations, I have decided to take a twist on his appearance. Instead of dressing my actor in tights, I will be incorporating modern items of clothing inspired by the original look. My inspiration from this has come from the music video 'Give me Love' by Ed Sheeran as he too has taken an old Green myth and included those themes in a modern day scenario. 

'Ed Sheeran - Give me Love' Cupid

By doing this, I will create something which stands out from other existing products as well as inviting an old traditional genre into a new world of mainstream music. 

Initial Ideas:

These are my first initial ideas for the costume. I want to choose items which are modern in today's society, but still resemble the image of Peter Pan. The shirt is still similar to Peter's original look with the ripped sleeves and collar, however the other items are slightly different. For example, I like the idea of using a baseball hat instead of the cap used in Disney's version as it would be more fashionable for a child to wear in today's society. I will also think about using camouflage trousers as an alternative to tights and shorts. This will give the persona a more current look which again would be something a child would wear in this era of time. The bow and arrow set is used to show Peter being adventurous and independent, but still allows the audience to know he is a kid having fun in his 'Neverland'.

Preparation:

To complete my protagonist's look, I have added little extras to establish the theme of Peter Pan. For example, I have sewn on a red feather to the cap my actor will be wearing. This makes reference to the Disney's version which again will help the audience see a connection between the character's clothing and the well known image of Peter Pan . I have also re-designed the t-shirt my actor will be wearing. Instead of leaving it untouched, I personalised it by cutting into the sleeves of the sleeves to make it appear old and worn out. This also relates to the stereotypical image of Peter Pan, however also can be seen as a child being clumsy and care free whilst playing outside. These adjustments are only small, however they will make a great impact on the character's look. They are also affordable and cheap to do which fits in with the post production element of Indie/Folk music videos being made on a tight budget. 

 Final Outcome:

This is the outfit that my actor is going to wear during my production. I have tried to stay close to the theme of Peter Pan, however added new elements to make the outfit more modern and current for a video set in today's culture. It gives my actor the appearance I had planned and will help the audience identify the character's relationship with the song and narrative I am trying to tell. I will need to ensure I bring all elements of the costume along to filming days as missing pieces will ruin the accuracy of the representation. 

Wendy Darling:

Like Peter, Wendy's costume is important in establishing her character. It will make the audience identify her persona and believe her involvement in the video. I want to keep her outfit the same throughout the production as I believe an outfit change will distract the audience from becoming familiar with her image as the main focus will be on Peter. In addition to this, Wendy's outfit never changes in the books or movies as she only spends one night in Neverland with Peter. The outfit I want Wendy's character to wear will be something light and girly which will fit in with the settings and context of the video. This will also portray the correct age of the character and be a more accurate representation. 

Final Outcome:

I have dressed my actress in a light pink dress, accompanied by a flower crown and white pumps. This represents her character to be dreamy and young, just like Wendy's character. It will suit the settings well and ties in with the whole indie/folk look which makes me feel confident that her costume will help portray her character well.