Thursday 24 November 2011
Outtakes and Test shots
The outtakes and test shots from our day of filming on Monday, 21st of November 2011 are all in this video.
Monday 21 November 2011
21/11/2011
The big day had finally arrived, we filmed for our music video! OK, so we had some serious potential problems which could jeopardize our shoot and we had some actual problems which we needed to overcome.
To start with though, we contacted our lead actor Thomas Woolstoon and asked him to arrive at 12:30 PM so that we could begin filming with him before the problem of lighting which I will get on to later in this report. Our other leading actress, Lauren Gallagher would not be available until after 03:00 PM due to educational commitments (lessons). Therefore we decided that we should film Thomas' solo scenes first, then film the scenes with Lauren later on in the day.
We also enlisted the help of two of our peers in the sixth form in filming our video. Zeinab Jobber let us use her house nearby where we were filming to shoot the scene of Thomas inside the house, and also him leaving the house. We also got help from another student, Matthew Nguyen, who agreed to help us shoot our video due to having good experience with the camera we was using, the NIKON D90, and also having a lot of good previous knowledge in filming.
We finished filming our music video around 4:30 PM, in which we completed a huge majority of the scenes apart from the close-up guitar scene which we would film at a later date.
Now for the problems we faced.
Firstly, the weather could of been a problem. We, however did check the weather forecasts before hand and no rain was predicted, and thankfully the forecast was right. However, because we are shooting our video in late November, lighting could very well of been an issue because it gets very dark at an earlier time in the evening. Therefore we shot as much as we could outside before it became to dark to viably continue shooting our video outside. Me and my partner considered to continue filming in a nearby train station, however we decided against this due to potential problems with security issues. This meant we decided to film in a nearby tunnel which had more than sufficient lighting
Our first main problem came though when we discovered the tri-pod we was using did not work properly, so our footage would not be steady. My partner in this project also does Art, so he knew he could go to the art department in our college near to where we was filming and obtain another one. Moreover, we were told at late notice we could not use a dolly for our filming, so instead we had to just carry the camera ourselves when shooting tracking-shots. This may work to our advantage though as it gives the video a more realistic and grittier feel which suits the song we are making the music video for.
We also had to be aware of the amount of times we played the song out loud because the docking station we used to play the song used battery's, which we knew could run out and we didn't have any spare battery's on us to replace if we needed to. The battery on the camera we was using was also running out, so we had to be careful about the amount of shots we took.
We used the Nikon D90, iPod touch for the song, iPad for our storyboard and a tripod. We came to the conclusion that we were going to have to shoot the guitar close-up without Tom, because he didn't really know how to play the guitar. We asked Tom to actually sing, so that the negative lip synching mannerisms did not creep it, which worked really well, apart from the last scene.
Equipment: Tripod, Nikon D90, Guitar, Coins, Guitar Case, iPod, iPad, Docking Station, Mobile Phones and Coffee Cups
To start with though, we contacted our lead actor Thomas Woolstoon and asked him to arrive at 12:30 PM so that we could begin filming with him before the problem of lighting which I will get on to later in this report. Our other leading actress, Lauren Gallagher would not be available until after 03:00 PM due to educational commitments (lessons). Therefore we decided that we should film Thomas' solo scenes first, then film the scenes with Lauren later on in the day.
We also enlisted the help of two of our peers in the sixth form in filming our video. Zeinab Jobber let us use her house nearby where we were filming to shoot the scene of Thomas inside the house, and also him leaving the house. We also got help from another student, Matthew Nguyen, who agreed to help us shoot our video due to having good experience with the camera we was using, the NIKON D90, and also having a lot of good previous knowledge in filming.
We finished filming our music video around 4:30 PM, in which we completed a huge majority of the scenes apart from the close-up guitar scene which we would film at a later date.
Now for the problems we faced.
Firstly, the weather could of been a problem. We, however did check the weather forecasts before hand and no rain was predicted, and thankfully the forecast was right. However, because we are shooting our video in late November, lighting could very well of been an issue because it gets very dark at an earlier time in the evening. Therefore we shot as much as we could outside before it became to dark to viably continue shooting our video outside. Me and my partner considered to continue filming in a nearby train station, however we decided against this due to potential problems with security issues. This meant we decided to film in a nearby tunnel which had more than sufficient lighting
Our first main problem came though when we discovered the tri-pod we was using did not work properly, so our footage would not be steady. My partner in this project also does Art, so he knew he could go to the art department in our college near to where we was filming and obtain another one. Moreover, we were told at late notice we could not use a dolly for our filming, so instead we had to just carry the camera ourselves when shooting tracking-shots. This may work to our advantage though as it gives the video a more realistic and grittier feel which suits the song we are making the music video for.
We also had to be aware of the amount of times we played the song out loud because the docking station we used to play the song used battery's, which we knew could run out and we didn't have any spare battery's on us to replace if we needed to. The battery on the camera we was using was also running out, so we had to be careful about the amount of shots we took.
We used the Nikon D90, iPod touch for the song, iPad for our storyboard and a tripod. We came to the conclusion that we were going to have to shoot the guitar close-up without Tom, because he didn't really know how to play the guitar. We asked Tom to actually sing, so that the negative lip synching mannerisms did not creep it, which worked really well, apart from the last scene.
Saturday 19 November 2011
Thursday 17 November 2011
Storyboard survey results
Final storyboard
This is the final draft of our storyboard, we have created this final storyboard based on the results of our survey.
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Schedule
16/11/2011
Today I worked with Kay to ensure we completed our survey for our first draft storyboard, our final draft storyboard and also our schedule, and we are happy to say we have completed this.
Tuesday 15 November 2011
Thursday 10 November 2011
10/11/2011
Today Kay and I discussed what we did not like about our music video, and we have started mapping out what we think would work well, and what we think will not work well. Tomorrow my partner has educational duties, so he will not be in college. Therefore, the next time Kay and I will meet is Monday 14th November 2011, and we will continue our discussions and our lists.
Wednesday 9 November 2011
09/11/2011
Today we researched our Youtube video to see if there were any copyright issues, but successfully we have not come across any, and currently have 46 views for our first draft storyboard.
Tuesday 8 November 2011
08/11/2011
Today I have discussed with Kay the filming of our scenes in the music video. We gathered inspiration from the Ed Sheeran music video for the tracking shot, so we have decided we may incorporate something similar for the tracking shot. Below is a video of the behind the scenes of Ed Sheeran's Lego House video.
Monday 7 November 2011
07/11/2011
We have come across trouble with our music video, due to my partner undertaking an exam next week, and preperation for the exam this week, so we have decided to postpone the video-shoot for two weeks.
Friday 4 November 2011
04/11/2011
Today Kay and I have had a meeting about our video, we have come across the decision that we will use some of our friends in our classes to be pedestrians in the music our music video.
Thursday 3 November 2011
Evaluation of Planning
Andrew Goodwin is a theorist, and his theory highlights the key components that create a music video which consist of intertextual references, voyeurism and a relationship between the music/lyrics and visuals. My chosen songs lyrics are hard to decipher to an extent, but if you listen to it enough you understand that the song scripts the lead singer singing about a girl that he likes, this is illustrated in the fading of actors when they are about to encounter each other this forms a non-linear narrative. Amongst having a non-linear narrative we also have a solo performance from our artist outside, which also features him ‘busking’. The busking goes against the conventions of folk/rock music videos, as in those videos we traditionally see live performances or staged ones. The genre our artist belongs too is not too common amongst people, so there are very few known indie-folk artists, but some are Sufjan Stevens, Andrew Bird and Alexi Murdoch. There are similarities between artists that belong to the genre of my artist; such as they wear the same clothes that the average man would wear, nothing too extravagant, and nothing too expensive. Another similarity is that they often play the guitar, and most of their music videos are commonly from concerts, not much narrative within them. The main focus of this artist does not to seem too manufactured, but to give off a natural feel, so that the audience can connect to them, and listen to their music rather than focusing on the exterior of the person. We decided that our music video would consist of various different close-ups; so that the audience can capture emotion, as well as close-ups of the guitar to make the music video feel much more mellow. We have decided to filter the use of heavy intertextuality due to the reason we want a natural feel, and have the audience focus heavily on the music and the narrative.
Shooting schedule
We have planned our video shoot over the span of a week; we have already decided that our photo shoots will occur in the area of Shadwell. We are currently in winter and the weather can be unpredictable, so changes to the schedule may occur if it is a rainy day. We will check forecasts for weather reports.
Tuesday 8th November 2011
On this day we plan to take scenes of the environment, we have chosen to take scenes of the environment because of the reason that Tom will be very busy with his college schedule. We may also take scenes that we may be able to incorporate into our music video, such as establishing shots.
On this day we plan to take scenes of the environment, we have chosen to take scenes of the environment because of the reason that Tom will be very busy with his college schedule. We may also take scenes that we may be able to incorporate into our music video, such as establishing shots.
Thursday 10th November 2011
On this day we plan to take a majority of Lauren Gallagher’s walking scene , due to Tom being busy yet again. We may choose to add additional actors from the Drama department so that it could add a feel that is much more realistic, possibly have people shove her.
On this day we plan to take a majority of Lauren Gallagher’s walking scene , due to Tom being busy yet again. We may choose to add additional actors from the Drama department so that it could add a feel that is much more realistic, possibly have people shove her.
Friday 11th November
On this day we will choose to do the majority of the scenes that solely consist if just Tom. We will finish of a huge majority of the shoots.
On this day we will choose to do the majority of the scenes that solely consist if just Tom. We will finish of a huge majority of the shoots.
Monday 14th November
On this day we will choose to film the final scene between Lauren and Tom, where Lauren fades away as Tom is still there, realising that the whole encounter was all a dream.
On this day we will choose to film the final scene between Lauren and Tom, where Lauren fades away as Tom is still there, realising that the whole encounter was all a dream.
Wednesday 2 November 2011
Casting/Actors
A main part of our music video was to have actors. We both knew that we wanted people who could really act, and people who were really reliable. Initially we had come across trouble finding an actor to be our lead singer within our music video, we were looking into the idea of asking the music department for someone who was talented at playing the guitar, but then we realized that since we had no solid relationship with any possible candidate; they may then be unreliable.
We soon after remembered that a friend of ours, Thomas Woolston, wanted to be in our group before he left our college, has music video experience and is also an actor so we asked him to be our lead singer within our music video, Tom gladly accepted the opportunity.
Soon after we had to find a female actress, to play the love interest. We had a really hard time trying to find the actress, but then we understood that the drama department had really good actresses, so we asked a drama student, Lauren Gallagher, to star in our music video, and she gladly said that she would help us.
I have now taken images of my main actors, in black and white. This will provide a brief preview and resume of them.
We soon after remembered that a friend of ours, Thomas Woolston, wanted to be in our group before he left our college, has music video experience and is also an actor so we asked him to be our lead singer within our music video, Tom gladly accepted the opportunity.
Soon after we had to find a female actress, to play the love interest. We had a really hard time trying to find the actress, but then we understood that the drama department had really good actresses, so we asked a drama student, Lauren Gallagher, to star in our music video, and she gladly said that she would help us.
I have now taken images of my main actors, in black and white. This will provide a brief preview and resume of them.
Full Name: Thomas Charles Matthew Woolston
D.O.B. 06/09/1993
Origin: London, UK
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Blue
Full Name: Lauren Gallagher
D.O.B. 30/09/1993
Origin: Doncaster,UK
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Hazel/Green
Tuesday 1 November 2011
contacting actor
My partner on this project used the social networking site Facebook to contact the actor who will perform in our music video. He did this to make sure he would still be willing to be in our video and what days and times he would be available to shoot.
Recce-further analysis
For the music video me and my partner is going to create, we have to decide the location, or locations, where we are going to shoot the video. We already had in our minds that urban areas, such as streets in East London, train stations, big buildings and graffitied walls was our desired location to make the video due to our narrative and interpretation of the lyrics of our song choice. So you can see in our recce that we took these types of photo's.
However we was also interested in incorporating greener areas as well in our video. We believe that it would make the video more unique and enjoyable to watch as we are not just shooting in one type of area. Again, though we also though that it would be good because it suits our interpretation of the lyrics and our storyboard as well. This meant we took some photographs of a park area in Bow where we might shoot part of the video.
However we was also interested in incorporating greener areas as well in our video. We believe that it would make the video more unique and enjoyable to watch as we are not just shooting in one type of area. Again, though we also though that it would be good because it suits our interpretation of the lyrics and our storyboard as well. This meant we took some photographs of a park area in Bow where we might shoot part of the video.
Recce
- Bow, Tower Hamlets, London
- Park- possible location for busking scene and/or where main performer and love interest meet.
- Potential problems: weather e.g rain could cause the location to be hard to perform in or dangerous.
- Bow, Tower Hamlets, London
- Park- same as above
- Potential problems- same as above
Photo 3:
- All same as above
- All same as above
- Stratford, Newham, London
- Public street- possible location for busking scene, typical type of place where people busk
- Potential problems- Local pedestrian interference e.g- may disrupt shot, interfere with performers or camera man. Possible hazard with busy traffic, accidents.
- Poplar, Tower Hamlets, London
- Public street- Possible location for busking scene, typical type of place where people busk.
- Potential problems- Local pedestrian interference e.g- may disrupt shot, interfere with performers or camera man. Possible hazard with busy traffic, accidents.
- Green street, Newham, London
- Public Street- urban graffiti is a good representation of urban london buskers and may also be enjoyable to look at visually for the viewers.
- Potential problems- again, local street so there is a danger of interference from local pedestrians e.g- disrupting shots, disturbing the performers and/or camera man.
- Limehouse train station, London
- Public street/under bridge- possibly a good location for the busking scenes because again this a typical location where buskers perform, adding to the realism of our video.
- Potential problems- Lack of light may make shots visibly bad quality, although this may be fixed by obtaining a generator and lighting kit to use. Passing, busy traffic may also be a problem.
- Stratford, Newham, London
- Public street- a much more quieter and calmer residential street. Therefore this could very well be a good location to shoot as we are less likely to be disturbed.
- Potential problems- primary school near by, so after 3pm it maybe difficult to film here as children and parents going home may disturb our shoot, so we'd have to shoot before 3pm to ensure that will not be a problem. Again the weather and passing traffic could also cause potential problems.
- Poplar, Tower Hamlets, London
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