Filming Journal 1: Overcoming Issues With Locations

Filming Journal 1 - Overcoming Issues With Locations:

NORDEN FARM:

Initially, when discussing potential locations for filming the lip-syncing performance shots, the most desirable location was Norden Farm, a local theatre, that would adhere to the convention of indie music videos whereby bands are shown to be performing on a large stage in front of a crowd. I decided to email Norden Farm's Administration team asking if we could have permission to film within the theatre. However, after receiving an email from them, we found out that we would be required to pay a hiring fee of £90 and due to our limited budget, we would not be able to afford it. Below is the email correspondence between myself and Robyn (Education Leader) and the Norden Farm Admin Team.

CALL SHEET:

This is the Call Sheet I created for the first day of filming; fulfilling the role of a First AD. The call sheet includes the unit call and wrap times, locations, our base in case of emergency, the cast being filmed and which shots are being filmed in what order. This was sent to the cast in advance to ensure they knew the where it was we were filming and at what time. We initially planned to film in the Drama Studio. 

DRAMA STUDIO:

We then discussed the option of using our School's Drama Studio. The practicalities of using this location meant it was an incredibly viable choice to use for the close-up lip-syncing shots, as due to the predominantly tight framing you wouldn't be able to see the majority of the studio; thus concealing the fact that it has been filmed in a school. The studio was also very appealing to film in as:

• It gave us the ability to utilize the spotlights and floodlights within the studio. This would increase the aesthetic professionalism of our video, as the clarity of the actors within the frame would be increased, highlighting the passion in their faces as they perform. From studying Real Media Artefacts, light motifs such as bright lighting or LED lighting are frequently used to create high-key lighting within the mise-en-scene of the dimly lit sets used within videos such as 'Soundcheck by Catfish and the Bottlemen'. Therefore this is a convention that I believe is important to adhere to.
• Due to the proximity of the Drama Studio on site, it would be easy for us to collect the instruments and transport them to the Drama Studio. 
• The black background of the studio connotes the rebellious and dark colorations typically used in the indie genre. 

Exemplary footage from the Drama Studio

LOG CABIN:

We decided to film the lip-syncing cutaway shots first and I created a call sheet, that was sent round to our actors, to ensure we knew exactly what we were doing on location to maximise our time. We decided contacted our actors using social media, Whatsapp in particular, to ensure they were aware of when we were filming and the required costumes. We also sent Ben, our lead singer the lyrics so he could learn them prior to the shoot, increasing the quality of his performance. However, we faced an immediate problem as despite having permission to film in the Drama Studio, we could only stay there until the closure of the school. This left us a very limited amount of time to film and therefore we didn't capture enough footage, nor coverage shots. To overcome this problem, our lead actor offered us the opportunity to film in his log cabin. This was a highly lucrative solution, as he lives within close proximity to the school and was able to use his car to transport the instruments from the Drama Studio to his house. We managed to film extra coverage shots as well as the basis tracking shots we had on the storyboard. The shots included various tracking shots and a long shot of the entirety of the band performing to the song. We played the track through a loud-speaker which increased the atmosphere and morale within the crew due to the infectious upbeat rhythm which we all danced too. This was helpful after setbacks we faced previously, as it slightly diminished overall mood. As a Director and First AD, I strove to keep a highly positive attitude and instill enthusiasm, which I believe was effective. 

Exemplary Footage from the Log Cabin

• The Log Cabin was a lucrative location as the wooden texture in coherence with the prop instruments within the mise-en-scene, makes the video appear to have a homemade feel to it; looking as if the band are rehearsing in their own space. This links to the convention that indie music videos focus on the authenticity of their bands and the passion for the music. The high-key warm toned lighting casts shadows on the walls.
• This location was less than a five minute walk away from our first location and our lead singer kindly offered to load the drum kit into his car and drive it to the location, whilst the rest of us walked with the remaining instruments. This saved us a lot of time and meant we could maximise our filming time within the new location. 

When we arrived at the log cabin our actors also kindly helped us to set up the instruments and move furniture out of the way. To ensure we were following our risk assessment, we made sure that everyone knew how to safely lift furniture and checked no one was lifting anything too heavy; this meant we successfully worked together to ensure everything was safe. Our actors also helped us set up our lighting, which can be evidenced below.

Shot List

Shot List:

Our shot list was subject to change on the day after we tested out various shots which were not always as desirable as we had originally thought. We also filmed extra coverage. Due to the notion of the lip-syncing shots being handheld, we decided not to constrain ourselves to specific shot types and therefore, on set we created our own shots spontaneously giving the band members warning that we were going to track between them. This made the shots more natural.

‘New Religion’ Shot List:

1)    INT LIP SYNCING LONG SHOT

2)    INT LIP SYNCING TRACKING CUTS

3)   LONG SHOT OF WILL WALKING INTO FRAME.

4)    OVER THE SHOULDER TRACKING SHOT FOLLOWING WILL DOWN STREET, EXTRAS IN BACKGROUND.

5)    MID SHOT PAN OF BAND MEMBERS

6)    MID SHOT TRACKS FROM FACES OF EXTRAS TO WILL AS HIS HEAD TURNS ROUND.

7)    OVER THE SHOULDER STATIC SHOT, BACKGROUND AMY SPINNING IN FOCUS.

8)    EXTREME CLOSE UP OF WILL.

9)    MID SHOT OF AMY

10) MONTAGE CLIPS, INC HANDS INTERLACING, RUNNING DOWN STREET, CLINKING GLASSES AND LEANING AGAINST WALL.

11) HIGH ANGLE SHOT OF MALE PROTAGONIST WAKING UP

12) CLOSE-UP OF INTERTWINED LEGS

13) MONTAGE STEADICAM STYLE SHOTS OF COUPLE (15+ SHOTS, TRACKING +STILL)

14) CLOSE-UP OF FEMALE PROTAGONIST GETTING OUT OF BED

15) MID-SHOT OF FEMALE PROTAGONIST FINDING MEN

16) EXTREME CLOSE-UP OF FEMALE PROTAGONIST WRITING ON POLAROID

17) EXTREME CLOSE-UP, WITH SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD AS SHE WALKS DOWN THE STAIRS.

18) MID-SHOT OF MALE PROTAGONIST SITTING ON THE BED HEAD IN HANDS

19) CLOSE-UP OF POLAROID IN HAND

20) MID-SHOT OF MALE PROTAGONIST STANDING UP

21) BEGINS AS CLOSE-UP OF AMY POSING AND QUICKLY PANS/ZOOMS OUTWARDS TRACKING TO THE LEFT BECOMING AN OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT AS WILL ‘TAKES THE POLAROID’.

22) LONG SHOT OF MALE PROTAGONIST EXITING INT

23) TRACKING PAN TO THE LEFT FOLLOWING WILL WALKING WITH WALL IN BACKGROUND.

24) CIRCULAR TRACKING SHOT AROUND WILL AS HE LOOKS ROUND.

25) TWO SHOT, MID SHOT OF EXTRAS COMING INTO THE FRAME AND HANDING WILL CLUE.

26) ZOOM PAN OUT FROM EXTREME CLOSE UP OF THE CLUE.

27) STILL MID SHOT OF WILL.

28) STILL CLOSE UP OF WILL LOOKING AROUND.

29) STILL, LONG SHOT OF THE TRAIN GOING PAST AND AMY DISAPPEARING.
30) CLOSE-UP OF LEAD SINGER ENDING SONG.

I believe we have a very diverse ratio of different shot types. This will aid us in creating a highly dynamic video that will hold the attention of our target audience. 

Risk Assessment

Risk Assesment:

A Risk Assesment is a crucial document that must be created before filming to determine any potential hazards that could arise during our filming process, and how these can be prevented to minimise negative consequences. Within the risk assessment, we wrote down the potential hazard, the person in danger, the severity, likelihood and the rate. We then made measures to ensure all activities were as safe as possible. None of our rates exceeded 1 (Moderate Risk), which meant our shots were deemed safe enough to perform. 

Audience Feedback of the Pitch

Audience Feedback of the Pitch:

After delivering our pitch we received feedback from our peers on ways in which we could improve our Music Promo and Ancillary Tasks in order to create the best product possible. This was incredibly helpful, particularly because the feedback we received was from our peers, who are within our intended target audience, therefore their responses were very relevant and told us how we could adapt our product to suit this audience.

I created a short Animated Video to reveal the feedback we received:

Pitch

Pitch:

We utilised Prezi to pitch our narrative concept video to our peers who represent our target audience. 

Final Storyboard:

Final Storyboard:

This is our finalised storyboard. It includes the exact timings of each shot in comparison to the music, as well as the shot type and any camera movements. 

• Our final music video concept includes 36 shots and 4 different locations.

PAGE 1:

PAGE 2:

PAGE 3:

PAGE 4:

PAGE 5:

PAGE 6:

PAGE 7:

Animatic Storyboard:

We also created an Animatic Storyboard to visually display how the shots will appear in time with the music. The first draft was edited by Amy on Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017. However, after watching it, I decided I wanted to create a second draft of the Animatic, as the first attempt doesn't include any transitions or effectively display the panning shots. This was improved on the second draft I edited, which includes a quick cut to a montage of Carters Steam Fair clips that I have already filmed, as well as all of the transitions that will be within our video. This makes the video appear as more of a realistic representation of our final video.

Draft One:

Draft Two:

Cinematography at Fairgrounds - Research:

Cinematography at Fairgrounds - Research:

When deciding to use 'Carter's Steam Fair' as a possible location for the shots whereby the protagonist was chasing the girl, I had a vivid vision in my head of our actor following the girl round a fairground at night, where the multicoloured LED lights of the rides shone and glistened with a shallow depth of focus. I believe that filming with these lights will provide the music video with a dreamlike quality/mise-en-scene, and in particular the visuals could match the audio as this resonates with the lyric 'somewhere there's a light.' If I captured shots of rides spinning around in HD, I could reduce the speed of the visuals using optical flow, which would look particularly captivating. The following images depict what I envisaged shots of the lights to look like:

For research I watched two short films that were primarily shot at fairgrounds to decipher how they framed their shots and utilised the lighting:

'ANNA':

The first film 'ANNA', included several low-angle shots of their protagonist's on a spinning rollercoaster, from behind the scenes photos it is evident that they strapped their camera to a rig on the ride. However, as we do not have the budget or technology for an expensive rig to protect our camera (limited means), if we were to film on a ride we could use a GO-PRO. Go-Pro's have many accessories, including a durable head-strap; this could be placed on the head of our DOP who will sit opposite to the protagonist on the ride, filming them. This close-up shot would be more personal and disorientating, allowing the viewer to believe they are too on the ride. This may be particularly engaging for our young target audience who are commonly referred to adrenaline seekers, who enjoy rollercoasters. This could be evidenced by the concept that the prime customers of the nearby theme park, Thorpe Park, are young people aged 17-25. Many of the close-up shots have a primary focus on the actors and a shallow depth of focus to display the bright fairground attraction lights in the background. This is a feature I would like to incorporate into our music video, as displaying these bright LED lights would adhere to the convention of iconographic LED lighting usage in indie music videos, whilst appearing aesthetically pleasing and almost dreamlike to the viewer. At the beginning, there was an out of focus long-take shot of the disorientating lighting.

'A NIGHT AT THE FAIR':

The second film consists of time-lapses of the fairground and its hub of activity. From this I have deciphered that I would like to include several establishing shots of crowds of people, in particular POV left to right pan shots of the crowds, to display that the protagonist is unable to find the girl in and amongst the crowd of people. A quick pan from left to right with a quick cut of a pan from left to right shot of the lip-syncing band would also make the perfect transition between a shot of the fairground to the lip-syncing shots. I like that throughout this video, the frame remains static, whilst activity occurs within the frame.

TEST SHOTS:

After collating all of this information, I went to a travelling funfair and took a multitude of test-shots that will be used within the 'Bright Lights' at the funfair montage. I experimented with depth of field and in particular, took many shots with the foreground in sharp focus, but the twinkling lights in the background out of focus. I also took a POV shot on a ride.

Final Prop List

Prop List:

Below is the finalized prop list, containing all props to be used on set. 

Shooting Day One:

LOCATION: Interior Log Cabin

Instrument Props:

• Electric Guitar
• Bass Guitar 
• Drumkit 
• Microphone
• Amplifier

Equipment: 

• 2 X Canon EOS 700D with 50-80mm lens.
• 2 X Camera Rig's
• Tripod
• Softbox Light 

My partner and I have decided to bring both our cameras to each day of shooting in order to ensure we have a large number of coverage shots as back-up. This also provides us with a larger range of shot perspectives which we can incorporate into our final production. We felt it was particularly imperative to utilise two cameras when shooting the 'band cutaways', as we could efficiently maximize our time by recording a still long-shot of the band, whilst simultaneously the other camera is recording tracking and panning shots. This also ensured continuity between both sets of footage, allowing us to easily interlink the shots during post-production. 

Shooting Day Two:

LOCATION: Twyford Train Station and Windsor High Street

Equipment: 

• Canon EOS 700D with 50-80mm lens.
• Camera Rig
• Tripod

Props:

• Polaroid Camera
• Polaroid Image (to be taken during filming) 
• Polaroid 'Post-It-Notes'

Shooting Day Three:

LOCATION: Interior Bedroom

Equipment: 

• Canon EOS 700D with 50-80mm lens.
• Camera Rig
• Tripod
• Softbox Light

Props:

• Polaroid Image 
• Candle 
• Pen 
• Pillows

Props Research

Props Research:

For our Music Video, we require a limited amount of props. This, therefore, reduces the hazards that props can pose on-set and reduces the number of items we will have to transport between locations.

1) Polaroid: 

The entire concept of the music video is based around a polaroid that has been taken by the protagonist of the girl, and how the polaroid acts as a 'clue' to determine the girl's whereabouts. The Polaroid is captured live during the music video, therefore it is vital on our call sheet that this shot is recorded first, to ensure we have the polaroid for the entirety of the rest of the shoot. Similarly, we want to use an old Polaroid camera to resonate with the modern fascination that young people have with vintage items, as this would be highly relatable to our target audience, and would facilitate the vintage feel that indie music videos often have.

The Polaroid to the left is an example of what we are aiming to achieve in this prop. The text at the bottom will be handwritten to appear as if the girl was in a rush, but will include a kiss to allude that she is still interested in him.

2) The Polaroid Camera:


The Polaroid camera is used in the music video to take the initial polaroid used as a clue. It is a very vintage concept and one that is often associated with the indie genre due to it's ability to quickly capture reckless memories. 
The Polaroid camera to the right is an example of the type of camera we would like to use.
Despite this being a vintage item, it is highly accessible to our production, as I already own a replica vintage polaroid camera that I bought from a vintage store.

3) Leather Jacket

The leather jacket will act as a piece of the male protagonist's costume as well as a prop within the music video. The jacket will be strewn on the bed and displayed through a static close up shot of the pocket, which contains the polaroid; a phone will be laying nearby and light up after receiving a notification, which wills the male protagonist to turn around and discover the polaroid, string the jacket around his neck and go off on his adventure. It is also highly conventional of costume within the indie genre.



4) Post-It Notes:

Post it notes are used twice during our music video and are a visual representation of the clues that the female protagonist has left for the male on his quest to find her. In order to improve our editing and camerawork skills, I have decided to incorporate 3 self-made transitions, two of which include the post-it notes as a framed shot in which to transition to another location with. Below, is a diagram I created to display how the transition will work between each shot. We will use yellow post-it notes, as these reflect the colour scheme we have utilised throughout our ancillary task and will juxtapose the dark night background of the funfair.




TEST TRANSITION:



I animated a test of this transition using Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017, a Post-It Note I designed on Photoshop and a transparent image of a hand which I superimposed onto footage I had already taken. I then exported the video and converted it into GIF form.

Instruments:

Within our music video, we have decided to incorporate performance aspects due to our genre. Therefore, it was imperative that we included prop instruments within our videos for our band members to mime to. Our band consists of three members, including a drummer, a bassist, and a lead singer. 

1) Drumkit: 

The drumkit we have chosen is black, which adheres to the monochromatic colour scheme of our music video. The kick drum (bass drum), in indie music videos conventionally feature the band's typographic logo on its drum-face, however, as the band we have chosen are a smaller less established band and do not have their own logo, therefore we have chosen not to include this on the drum we are using. The drumkit shows visible signs of distress and 'wear and tear' emphasising the passion the drummer possesses for his music. Within the mise-en-scene of our video, the warm-toned high-key lighting we plan to use will reflect beams of light off of the reflective casing/surface of parts of the drumkit.

2) Bass Guitar:




It is evident that there is a bass guitar within the track we have chosen and similarly, most indie bands feature a bassist; as exhibited in Catfish and the Bottlemen and Sundara Karma. The bright red of the bass guitar juxtaposes the monochromatic colour scheme, thus highlighting the consistency of the bass throughout the beat.






3) Microphone Stand:

In order for our lead singer to successfully lip-sync a microphone stand is imperative for the actor to use, as it allows him to become immersed in the role through interaction with the microphone.

Casting Research and Auditions

Casting:

Male Protagonist - Will Palmer:

• Why is he perfect for the role?: Will is perfect for the role as he has featured in several short films and therefore is highly aware of the level of naturalistic performance that is required when working in front of the camera. This previous experience placed him above our other candidates, as it proves he can perform with ease in front of the camera; unlike someone who has never done screen acting before. His skills can be evidenced by his GCSE Drama grade, for which he received an A. He also has extensive musical knowledge. 

Female Protagonist - Amy Green:

• Why is she perfect for the role?: Amy is perfect for the role as she is the real-life girlfriend of Will, therefore the on-screen chemistry between the two actors would appear more realistic and truly highlight the male protagonists pining for the girl. Amy has also taken GSCE Drama. 

Band Members:

Lead Singer - Ben Cox: 

• Why he is perfect for the role?: Ben plays the guitar and therefore would be able to mimic with ease the guitar chords within the song. He is also a very talented actor, who took Drama at GCSE. We felt he would be best as the lead singer as he is unafraid of looking silly when performing and would lip-sync to the lyrics to the best of his ability.

Bass Player - Zoe Whyte:

• Why she is perfect for the role?: Despite the real band being made up of four boys, we have decided to subvert stereotypes and include a female in the band as we believed this would provide a positive female representation within our music video. Zoe also plays the bass, which would aid her when mimicking the music. She is confident on screen and logistically is available on the dates when we are filming, which validated our choice. 

Drummer - Sean Franks:

• Why he is perfect for the role?: Sean is currently in a drummer in a band and therefore would be very effective when miming playing the drums, as he could easily establish the beat and drum along. This would increase the professionalism of our video, as the miming shots would appear more coherent. He also has a very indie image. 

Casting Interview:

The following video is the casting audition that we completed with each of our actors:

These are the questions that we have asked our actors. These questions will provide us with a greater understanding of the actors themselves, and allude to how we can work with them to achieve the best on-camera performances possible. 

• Full name: 

• Age:

• What previous acting experience acting do you have? 

• Do you have any experiencing performing either in front of a camera or performing in front of an audience?

• Do you play any instruments? 

• How will you channel this musical knowledge in your performance? 

• What is your strongest attribute?

• In your opinion, how will you as an actor convincingly perform/lip-sync to the song, in order to make it appear believable? 

• (Lip-syncing test, give them opportunity to read and listen to the chorus and then perform it, in front of the camera) 

Costume and Make-Up Research

Costume and Make-Up Research:

Female Protagonist:

The following mood board is a visual representation of the ideas we formulated for our female protagonists costume. We wanted her to be particularly striking in comparison to the bleak mise-en-scene and decided yellow was the perfect eye-catching stand alone colour. This also coherently works with the colour scheme of our ancillary products, which are centralised around yellow. Our mood board was created on 'Polyvore', a platform that is used by fashion designers to coordinate outfits. 

• We chose a yellow dress as the colour  juxtaposes the dark, night mise-en-scene, as yellow has connotations of light and happiness. This links to the concept of 'religion' as the light is often referred to within religion, with the light representing a divine and higher power that possesses a sheer importance over someones life; within the music video the girl is like a light in the male protagonist's life. The fact that she is wearing a 'flowy' dress, despite the fact that the extra's are wearing conventional skinny jeans and black clothing seen in indie music videos, makes her appear free and carless and proves that she is something 'new'. The dress must have the ability to flow in the wind, as our protagonist has to twirl. 
• The dark eyeshadow connotes mystery, and the dark colours surrounding her eyes makes them blend into the night which implies to the audience a sense of deviousness, as she is a strong female influence who is allowing a man to subdue to her. The glitter eyeshadow pigmentation will hopefully glisten when caught in the high-key artificial lights or streetlights, thus enhancing the dreamlike quality of the music video. 
• The rugged black or blue boots are archetypal of the indie genre, as the boots are designed for practicality and adventuring, which represent the aspect of exploration and rebellion in indie music.

What was included in the outfit?:

• Victoria Beckham Yellow Dress
• Gianvito Rossi Boots
• Glossier Make-Up
• Long Wear Lipstick

Costume and Make-Up Adaptations: 

However, when looking into the practicalities of using a yellow dress, we then decided that this wouldn't be the most lucrative option, as we couldn't find a suitable dress. Instead we decided to use a yellow off the shoulder top and jeans. We then asked our main actress to try on the top and practise spinning in it, as this is a key feature of the music video. The off the shoulder cut of the top made it appear 'flowy', particularly when spinning, and the colour successfully juxtaposed the black and white monochrome costumes worn by the rest of the cast. We also decided to adapt the makeup to create a more natural look for the female protagonist, as after trialling the dark glitter eyeshadow we realised that it didn't conform to our genre and appeared more of the pop genre. Instead we used a minimal amount of mascara and highlighter, that glowed in the dusk lighting.

Male Protagonist: 

The costume of our male protagonist is directly influenced by the costumes that I have evidenced within a variety of other indie music videos, including 'Soundcheck' - Catfish and the Bottlemen, which I deconstructed earlier on in my research.

• The costume will consist of black skinny jeans, white (plain) top and a leather jacket, with worn out boots. The black and white clothing, in conjunction with the black and white colour grading, will allow him to blend into the dark surroundings in the first scene of the music video in the street; which allows the viewer to focus more on the music for the first half of the song - as the ethos of indie music centralises on the importance of the music, rather than the artist. 
• Leather jackets could be seen as a motif of the genre (the indie genre encroaches into the rock genre.) as they are typically are seen to connote danger, rebellion and juvenile behaviour which come with the perception of an indie band on tour; similarly indie music often includes lyrics that rebel against social norms, and include crude references to sexual innuendos or drug/alcohol use, for example the lyric "Dealers and Buyers' is a reference to drugs. 
• These clothes also resonate with the adolescent fanbase that would stereotypically consume their media, as ripped skinny jeans are highly popular in today's fashion culture, with the leather jacket deemed 'vintage'. 

What was included in the outfit?:

Topman Mens Distressed Skinny Jeans

Mens Zipper Jacket

Mens Leather Work Boots

Mens Pullover Shirt