Representation in “Bikes” by Lucy Rose

Brontë Vickery

Camera Work• At the beginning of the video, there is a close

up shots of the artist’s boots, representing Lucy Rose as mysterious and dramatic in a parody of the establishing shots typical of a western film ; this leaves the audience to question whether Lucy will be presented as the ‘hero’ or ‘villain’ of such a scenario.

• This is followed by a close up shot of Lucy slamming down a note on the bar, representing her as demanding and headstrong, perhaps parodying male behaviour. This is drawn attention to as it is done in time with the beat.

• There is frequent use throughout of close up and extreme close up shots of Lucy’s face, establishing her importance. In the beginning scene, she is presented to be very fierce, verging on insane, to create the impression that she is very strong whilst adding a comical element. This would indicate to the audience that she does not take herself too seriously and has a sense of humour, thus representing her in a manner that is likeable and relatable for the audience

• A combination of both low and high angle shots are used. The low angle shots represent her as very strong and admirable, whilst the high angle shots re-establish her as relatable and less intimidating than she is represented as throughout the majority of the video. These shots emphasise the artist’s small frame, representing her as more vulnerable and stereotypically feminine.

• With regards to framing, Lucy is usually in the foreground and centre of the frame, again establishing her importance and representing her as the “leader” or a “heroic” figure. This also represents her as very dominant, which supports the aggressive character that she plays in this video.

• This aggression and strength is reflected by the frequent use of direct address which gives the impression she is challenging her audience.

• The use of tracking shots again represent her as being dominating and of central importance , encouraging the audience to view her with admiration as some type of icon or even idol.

Editing• During the first scene (in the bar/saloon) there is

use of subtitles. This is more effective than diegetic sound as it does not interrupt the song. The subtitles are used to add a humorous effect, representing the artist as being funny and also quirky or strange, as she demands “milk”. The subtitles are also used to establish the message of the video of the strength of women, as one of the male actors refers to her belittlingly as “kitty”. This may be a reflection of the objectification of women and represents Lucy as being against this.

• Lucy, playing her character, responds to this with shocking violence which is emphasised by the use of slow motion, representing her as being very strong, defensive, and aggressive; someone, in short, that one would not want to ‘mess with’.

• Shot-reverse-shot is used to emphasise the male character’s reaction to her. This is presented at first to be very ridiculing and condescending, yet this quickly changes to fear, creating a comical effect and representing her as powerful.

• However, the video sticks to conventions as the artist is represented through the video as being more soft and feminine through the use of cutaways to the scenery and twinkling lights, creating a whimsical atmosphere.

Mise-en-scène • The other actors who accompany Lucy in the

video are fairly old, tough looking men who form a biker gang. The men who are against her are presented in the same way, representing her in standing up to them as strong and fearless.

• Lucy herself is represented as being part of this ‘gang’ and is dressed in a very masculine, stereotypically “biker” outfit, with her image including tattoos. This represents her again as being fierce and subverts the image of women conventionally found in music videos, as female artists are usually represented in a glamorous, feminine and sexualised way. The fact that Lucy goes against such conventions could represent her as being potentially feminist to some degree.

• Within the group, she has the biggest bike, a quad bike which dominates the road, representing her as a strong authority figure.

• The artist is shown to be participating in typically male activities- lighting a fire, sawing wood and even winning an arm wrestle (against a male character). This represents her as very strong and again challenges the conventional view of omen, particularly in the music industry.

• The setting for the video is varied but none of the scenes are glamorous, and are mostly outside. This represents the artist as being very down-to-earth.

• There is an American flag in one of the scenes which emphasises the “western” theme. Lucy is British so the foreign location for the video may represent the artist as being adventurous.

• The lighting starts of very dark, representing her as mysterious and adding to the atmosphere of the room. The scenes of the bike trips are brightly and warmly lit suggesting that Lucy, or at least the character she us playing, is happiest doing that.