Filming Shot Twenty-Seven with Tom

Filming shot twenty seven took some time to get right, as my cast member was trying to think of different ways we could shoot the shot. We decided to stick to my original idea; I have embedded the walk through which I did with my cast member. I talked my cast member through what I wanted him to do and say. 

However, when it came to filming my idea, I couldn't tilt the camera up and zoom out quick enough without the filming looking scruffy. I continued to try, nevertheless after practicing four times my cast member and I came to a conclusion; instead of him standing up to say "Man I can't get a lie in any day" he was to sit on the edge of the bed, then walk away from the camera. This shot didn't look too bad, however I will have to re-shoot due to the setting being a girls bedroom, and I'd shut my bedroom door which was a daft idea - I realised this whilst filming - as my cast member when he was to walk away, couldn't walk out of the framing completely. I have embedded the first shot I took of me trying to film my original idea, and I have also embedded my 'final' shot until I re-shoot.  

Filming Shot Nineteen with Tom

Filming shot nineteen didn't take too long to do once I had set up the tri-pod and camera in an efficient place. I originally wanted to film this shot by creating an over the shoulder shot, however due to the placing of my cast member I couldn't do this, not only was my cast member in a difficult position, I couldn't move enough furniture around in the living room to achieve the space I needed. I then tried to film from the right hand side of my cast member, but once again this couldn't be filmed. After moving the camera around decided to shoot the footage by tilting the camera down. Shown in the image to the right. 

Although filming was difficult as I had to stand on a chair and hold the tri-pod so I could get the decent shot. I think this shot is quite good, and I may not need to re-shoot this, although it depends on how it looks on my first draft. 

Filming Shot Twenty with Tom

Filming shot twenty was very easy to compile. My cast member Tom played on the PlayStation for the lyrics "Or if not I'll be on PlayStation." I have embedded the video below. 

Filming

Tomorrow (30.11.12) I am going to be filming with shots 19, 20 and 27 for my music video with my cast member Tom Card. These shots are considered to be easy, however they some will take more time to film than what others will do, due to the positioning of camera and whether my ideas for the shots will work. 

Filming Shot Eight

During the filming for shot eight I had to make some music notes to be above my stereo. To do this I used A4 black card from WHSmith and some metallic embroidery thread from Boyes, I drew music notes on the card lightly which I then cut out; once I'd drawn all the music notes I needed and cut them out I used to different coloured threads, a white metallic thread and a plain white thread to see which thread would reflect better of the black wall which I had chosen to film on. However this wasn't such a good idea, although the metallic thread was slightly hidden (the plain white was too noticeable), the music notes themselves were lost within the background. 

As I was filming in my room, I had to move my whole bedroom around just to move the stereo onto a white wall. However this caused some disruptions as my bedroom is quite small, therefore I had very little space to actually film or put the tri-pod. As shown in the image to the right, there was only about two foot for the tri-pod to fit into, therefore I had to push the tripod up slightly, and due to having uneven floors in my bedroom I had to change the height of the legs on the tri-pod to gain an even and balanced surface. 

Previously when I planned to film on a black wall, the surface which I originally had the stereo on was at a good height for me to film, and enabled me to not have much trouble when it came to filming. Nevertheless, due to my issue with the black wall, I had to move everything off my 'floating' shelf to put my stereo on there. This could have potentially been a hazard due to the shelf not been manufactured to have heavy material on it, however I filmed quickly to ensure a hazard didn't occur. Although filming on a white background provided a better shot, the thread was hidden easier and music notes stood out more, even though there were shadows this cannot be changed unless I use a studio light which I may use if I need to re-shoot. 

I filmed in both darkness and light; when filming in the dark I used the light from my video camera, whereas filming in the light I used my bedroom light for lighting. To get the music notes flowing, I blew them with my hair dryer on a low setting. After viewing both shots, I have decided that I may try to get some smaller lights to give better lighting, rather than have total darkness, and full light. Below I have embedded both videos of shot eight. 

Cast Update: Tom Card

Due to their being some personal issues occurring with my cast member Tom Card and my family, it has been slightly difficult to film some of the shots for my music video. I was contemplating on trying to find a new cast member to be the protagonist, but I believe it would be unfair on my cast member to make him leave the video behind when personal issues shouldn't be an issues with my educational work. 

Therefore after several talks, we have come to a conclusion that filming should occur when my family or his family aren't in the places where the filming is going to take place; this will enable the two of us to film peacefully without feeling a negative vibe around the location. Also, being able to film in a comfortable environment could and hopefully will ensure a positive vibe with Tom and myself, which also reflects on my music video. Such as, if Tom feels confident and comfortable he'll put more effort into the music video which then makes my final product look better. 

Plans to Re-shoot

After viewing some of the clips which I have taken for my music video, I have come to the conclusion that I need to re-shoot my first part of shot two. This is no fault of my cast member, but my own fault as I didn't properly plan how this specific shot would work. 

I decided that Helen should pop the party poppers one by one, but this looks awkward and doesn't look professional. Nevertheless the new decision which I have made is to pop all party poppers before the shot takes place, therefore Helen can hold all the confetti and throw bits into the air; this looks more professional and would then make this one clip look less awkward. 

Filming Shot Twenty-Six

Filming this shot was very easy, there was some washing to be done so I decided this would be the best time to film the shot. After watching this shot back I noticed I zoomed in too quickly when I wanted to do it slowly, and I didn't judge how long the water would take to show on the door. However after looking back at it I'm not too sure if I'll need to re-shoot or not. Below I have embedded the shot. 

Filming Shot Nine

The location in which shot nine was filmed was outside of my house, all the houses are the same except one person changing their white PVC windows to brown. Before I began filming this there were the local children playing on the green, I waited until they finished playing before I filmed. I did have a few issues when filming this pan shot, as immature adults kept walking in front of the camera and messing about which stopped me from filming several times. It wasn't until one of the neighbours came out and told them to leave me alone that I was able to film. 

Whilst filming shot nine, the children were about to come back onto the green to play but instead they politely waited behind me until I was done. Even though it took quite some time to film this specific shot, I got more than enough filming which can be cut down and edited. 

New Ideas for Filming

When I created my animatic storyboard I realised some of the shots were too long, and would be extremely boring to watch. Therefore I began to draw some ideas onto paper, so I would then be able to work from this. Also, when thinking of different ideas I came to the conclusion of sticking with a few shots which I'd originally planned however filming them from different shots to create a difference in the video. That way I still stick to my main idea however improve the shot material. 

Below I have inserted my new ideas, which I scanned into the computer using my HP Printer. Each new idea has the lyrics below them, and three of the new ideas have notes and time frames so I can follow my new ideas correctly and efficiently. 

Filming Shot Two with Helen

During filming the three shots of Helen I had to make some preparations to ensure when it comes to editing I had the correct spacing between each shot, that way I could pair them all up to create a split screen. 

To create the correct spacing I asked Helen to position herself to the left, centre and right side of the frame. I then placed tape on the floor to ensure Helen would be in the correct position for me to film; even though the space for filming was slightly tighter than I originally planned, the shots look OK  But I already think that maybe a re-shoot may be an option to ensure that the shot is exactly how I want it and not all over the place. Also, when popping the party poppers it was quite difficult to pop them without making it look too much of a cheap production; therefore I am already thinking of ways in which I can develop this shot more. To the left is an image I have taken showing the markings on the floor in my kitchen which Helen was to follow. 

When filming these shots, one of them consisted of Helen spraying party spray directly towards the camera. However after reading the safety precautions we made sure the party spray wasn't sprayed on any of the white walls, or white appliances due to the staining which can occur. Also, to keep things hygienic in my own kitchen Helen made sure the party spray didn't go anywhere near the counters or work tops, due to food being prepped on these areas. Therefore when Helen was spraying the party spray, we opted a direct shot at the camera which resulted in the tripod being covered in sticky party spray; an image of this is shown to the right. 

Below I have embedded all three shots which I had taken, they'll be embedded in the order in which they'll be split when shown on my music video. 

Cast Update: Helen McCarthy

Today I managed to find time to do some filming which involved Helen. In a previous blog post I stated that I was busy the majority of the time, and I needed to manage my time differently to ensure I could film. Today, I was able to film the shots which Helen featured in. Although watching back these shots I have noticed I could possibly need to reshoot, to ensure I receive the maximum quality and the right type of shot. 

Risk Assessment

I created a risk assessment which is based on the risks which could occur during the filming of "Our House Is Dadless." Creating this risk assessment has made me realise the potential hazards and what I can work around. 

Cast Update: Helen McCarthy

Helen has been really involved in the music video, however due to my own personal commitments it's been difficult in meeting up with her. But Helen herself is very understanding and accepts that the filming could spring upon her at any moment. Therefore she's being very committed and has been carrying her clothing with her all the time - I have seen this and was shocked at how committed she really was. 

This is showing excellent signs of commitment, it is now down to me to ensure I can get her in for filming. 

Cast Members: Helen McCarthy

My friend Helen McCarthy is going to be involved in my music video; she is showing signs of enthusiasm already and keen to help me as much as she can. Helen will be playing the role of the girl who appears continuously in my music video, she's portrayed as the sister of the protagonist (Tom Card). 

Helen studied GCSE Drama throughout secondary school, and then again at Hull College. Even though she dropped out of both, she is still personally a good drama student and really gets into the role which she is to play. This for me is excellent as she will be able to act differently for different shots. 

Also, due to the first shot which involves Helen (shot 2) being tied to the lyrics "My house is a mad house" she's already picking clothing herself which can be reflected in this specific shot. We're working closely when discussing the different costumes, but I'm mainly leaving it up to Helen to decided what clothing she wants to wear, therefore she has had some input in the music video. 

Cast Update: Tom Card

This cast member has been thoroughly listening to "Our House Is Dadless" to ensure he understands the tone and pace of the lyrics, as this then therefore enables me to match up his lip syncing with the lyrics of the song when editing my music video. 

Recently I haven't been able to film any shots with him in it though, due to Tom having an illness and it's reflecting on his performance. As the director of this video I have told him I'm not going to be filming him until he's fit enough to perform, as it reflects badly on my music video and he could get worse, which would also be bad for both of us. 

Equipment Used to Plan and Create my Music Video

When planning and producing a music video a lot of equipment is involved. During today's society technology has evolved widely from previous years; sometimes when I think of ideas for my music video I can either type down my notes on either my Apple iPad 3 or BlackBerry Bold 9900 whereas previously these note takings would have included pencil/pen and paper. 

I have created a new board on my Pinterest account which shows all the equipment which I have used to both plan and produce my music video. I will be uploading more images throughout this production, to show the different technologies I have used. This is the link which I shows all the images of my equipment: Equipment and Software Pinterest Board

To show an example of what my Equipment and Software Pinterest board looks like I have print screened my board, and inserted it within the post. In comparison to how I inserted my example of Props and Costume Pinterest board. 

Cast Members: Tom Card

I have chosen a close friend to be my protagonist; Tom is a reliable cast member as he always shows up to any planned events, and even shares his own ideas for the shots which will include him. When deciding which costumes he could wear in the making of my music video, we worked together to see which pieces of clothing worked well and which outfit he felt the most comfortable in. Due to it being cold weather now we had to take this into account the amount of clothing which he would have to wear, ensuring he didn't catch any illnesses throughout the filming as this could ruin the rest of the filming. 

Working with Tom will provide a very easy and stress-free production, due to the two of us getting along and working as a team. 

My Audience - Audience Profile

The statistics I am using to find out my ideal target audience for my music video can be found on my blog to the right, (the polls). Each poll is helpful and will determine who I can target my audience to, also it will help me during my final evaluation as I will then be able to explain why my video is targeted towards this specific audience. 

I have inserted my audience profile; this shows the statistics in an easier way. By evaluating the audience profile, I can see that my music video will be targeted towards both male and females, however more towards females as they have a higher percentage of 66%. Overall, the music video will be tailored towards teenagers of an age of 16-19 living in the Hull area. Even though the statistics show that indie/ska isn't a popular choice of genre I am still going to use the same track for the small minority of people who like this genre, therefore my music video would be viewed by a niche audience who appreciate the lyrics more than a mainstream audience would. I decided to ask my audience what they are either studying or have studied, the options can be found on my poll to the right; after analysing my evidence I have found 50% study/studied media, creative writing and journalism; 25% study/studied science, health and social care; finally 50% study/studied teaching, sociology and psychology.

Overall there's a percentage of 54% who like the performance form to a music video, I have decided to use lip syncing as a form of my performance. There is some form of narrative, although I am aiming to be more performance formed. 

Researching into the cover of "Our House Is Dadless"

Every track which is to be released to the public has to have a cover; sometimes the cover isn't very interesting and it just has the track name written across it. Nevertheless I want to make mine look interesting but not too 'wild' as that could be seen as a contrast to the genre. 

The cover for the "Our House Is Dadless" track is slightly interesting, however to someone who has listened to the track before may not understand the imagery. The imagery reflects the lyrics and the meaning of the song; I have inserted the bands single cover to the left. The lyrics reflect how each of the band members have grown up without having a father figure or their real Dad in their family life. Therefore having a woman doing the 'female jobs' shown in the imagery it reflects the lyrics within the song.

Nevertheless the album cover "It Was This or Football: First Half" doesn't really reflect any of the tracks which are featured in the album. However not many album covers do reflect each individual track on the album, as it would cost too much to produce and the album cover may not look appealing nor interesting. I have inserted the album cover below the single track. 

After researching into different indie bands album covers I have come across a similarity within each album cover. Often enough the album covers feature one of three things: 

• A band or artist
• Image related to the album 
• Have the band/artist name of the cover 
• Quite vintage film lense on the covers

When it comes to me creating my own cover to promote the track I'll take into consideration the research which I have conducted, this creates verisimilitude towards to genre.