Photos from Today's Shoot

Photos from Today's Shoot

 

Today I went out in Durham to film with Charlotte and Callum and to finally get the few shots I have been looking forward to film since I first went location scouting way back in October. The scenes I captured show the couple taking a lovely walk by the river and watch the sunset on the bridge. The second scene was shot outside the public toilets on the way into Durham. Here are some screenshots from today's successful shoot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These shots were inspired by these scenes in music videos from the dance genre.

 

 

 

 

 

(screenshots taken from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zMMfrtTa64)

 

 

 

(Screenshots taken from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17ozSeGw-fY)

 

 

Call Sheets

Call Sheets

 

Here are the call sheets from the days I have completed shoots for my music video over the last few months. I will add more call sheets as I work out a schedule with my cast. I will keep my blog updated.

 

 

 

Technical Difficulties

Technical Difficulties

 

As nothing is ever simple in my life of course my computer has completely broken the day after Christmas I am in a panic because I will not struggle to complete as many blog posts as I had planned to and I have lost the mock up front covers I had created on Photoshop. I am going to send my laptop away to try and get it fixed on monday but I am unsure when I will have it back. Until then, I will complete my planning for my print media pieces on what ever devise I can whenever possible but there may be a slight delay.

Digipack Inspiration (Original Images from Pitch)

Digipack Inspiration (Original Images from Pitch)

Way back when I delivered a pitch to the class about my media project as a whole I briefly touched upon some examples of CD covers and single covers that I particularly liked and would be able to draw inspiration from. Here are the covers that I liked:

This cover was inspiring to me as it is for a song which features a female recording artist and a DJ/producer, however the cover only shows the singer. This likely to be because many artist collaborate with DJ's and each individual track is with another artist so each cover would be different. The cover links to the song as Rihanna is styled in smiliar way as to how she is within the music video for We Found Love however here she is not wearing an outfit that appears onscreen during the music video. Her body language in the shot represents her character as angry and bad tempered. Her shoulders are pointing away from the camera as well as her feet. It suggests that she is in despair and her mood featured on the cover is linked to the lyrics. For example: 'Turn away 'cause I need you more Feel the heartbeat in my mind. The cover includes a large version of Rihanna's logo and does not include her name. This cover inspired me to experiment with editing my images for my Digipack into black and white. The background is also interesting here because usually the cover image would be taken in a controlled environment where as this one is taken in the street which is clearly a public place which makes the background unpredictable which could represent their relationship as it can also be wild and unpredictable.

Again the female singer is the only artist out of the two to feature on the cover of the song. The cover is an image of Florence Welch sat in a chair in the same clothes as seen in the video and also in the same location. This is popular for CD covers as it is more easily recognisable to the public. Although the image on the cover focuses on Florence the DJ/Producer's name is the main attention grabber and focus of the cover as it is the largest item on the cover and the light and dark contrast draws the audiences eyes to the typography across the cover. I thought this want interesting and I could use this style when I create my own.

This is not the official cover for the single for Break free but I found this image on Google and  I really liked it as I could use this kind of style on the front of my Digipack as the pixelated image repeated behind the prominent image could work well with the title of the song I have chosen which is 'Clarity'.

This cover is for a remix of We Found Love. This cover features an image which is taken from the music video but I think it works well. You can feel the emotion from the image which also makes you want to watch the video to find out the story behind the image. I'd like to capture emotion like this in my Digipack.

I like the colours and the filter applied over the top of this cover for Sweet Nothing as its fun, interesting and a bit unique.

Similarly to the cover for Break Free I like the blurred background and this has inspired me to do something similar. This cover was used as a teaser which was released to get people talking about Gorgon City's new album. I thought this was a interesting ideas as it is aimed at their fans more than anything as they would instantly recognise their logo.

Digipak Front Cover Inspiration

 Digipak Front Cover Inspiration 

I have created a Pinterest board of CD covers of some of the world's biggest female artists and a couple of DJ's. This gives me an idea of the codes and conventions of a usual CD covers for my genre of music.

Here are a few examples that were available on Pinterest.com:

Follow Zöe's board CD cover inspiration - Media on Pinterest.

Music Video Editing Update

Music Video Editing Update

As the deadline for the music video has been extended it gives me the opportunity not to rush the project and to create something more professional and something I can be proud of. So I am currently editing the footage I have filmed successfully over the last month and where there are gaps in my editing timeline I am creating temporary titles to indicate where different shots will eventually appear. This helps me to focus and to create a more clear vision of what my end product will be. I am so relieved I have the time to shoot extra scenes over the Christmas break.

Decision to Shorten The Track Length

Decision to Shorten The Track Length

 

Due to the limited time frame I have available left to shoot my music video alongside completing the editing process I have agreed with Sir that I should cut down the song from around 5 minutes long to just over two minutes. I made this informed decision as the song has a very fast continuous tempo and as I have been editing to the beat the time it takes to shoot footage of different scenes and the time consuming process of fast pace editing would have been to much to do in such little time. I am happy with the compromise however, it does limit the amount of lyrics in the song which means there will be slightly less performance clips included along with the narrative side of the music video. I could say this was the shorter 'radio edit' as many DJ's release shorter tracks to play on TV and Radio and also release 10 minute versions of the same song so that their fans can hear how the original sounded.

Editing and Filming Decision

Editing and Filming Decision

I am currently editing the footage I have collected over the last month and aiming to create a successful music video to the best of my ability. Whilst editing I have gaps large gaps and sections where I still have not filmed the content I had intended to. I have addressed the issues I have faced with scheduling as it has been difficult to find times where the cast and I are available at such a busy time of year. I do have the majority of the video filmed there are just sections that need filling. I have them on storyboards so I know what needs to fill the empty sections of my video currently. I discussed my situation with Sir this morning and he suggested that I aim for a rough cut of sorts by the weekend where I have sections with a title explaining what will go there eventually and then put my main focus on the Digipak for now and keep trying to find time with my cast to film short sections of my video in various different location. This will take some weight off my shoulders and allow me use my time more wisely and effectively.

Tonight's Shoot

Tonight's Shoot

Earlier this evening I met up with Charlotte and Callum straight from school to quickly shoot the few shots I did not manage to get last night before the camera ran out of battery. It was difficult to organise as last night when I filmed it was pitch black outside of the window. As some shots were filmed with the curtains open like this for example:

Considering the sunset time and the limited amount of time we had to shoot until Charlotte had to go to work it was challenging to avoid continuity errors.

To avoid this issue I used tactical camera angles to avoid the continuity error. I captured Charlotte with a close up so you could not see out of the window.

I firstly tried this shot but you can still see in this shot that it is considerably lighter outside than it is in the above screenshot from last nights shoot.

I then tried this shot and I still accidentally managed to get a small section of the window in the top left corner.

Despite showing more of the window in the first 'close up' I believe that out of the two the first was more successful as the focus of the shot, as in Charlotte is more central and just works better.

Here are some screenshots from the short shoot tonight:

However, I made a huge mistake whilst caught up in the rush to get the shoot complete in time for Charlotte to get ready for work. The still from the shoot below shows Callum screaming at Charlotte captured with a P.O.V shot. Only when I reviewed the footage at home I realised that Callum is wearing his costume from the 'loved up' scene and not the negative side. This shot was supposed to follow on from the shot underneath. I could possibly try and fix this problem by increasing the scale when I import it onto Premier Pro. This could cut out his shoulders so the audience would not notice the mistake or I might just have to fine the time to re-film that particular shot at some point.

Today's Shoot

Today's Shoot

Today I was shooting with Charlotte and Callum. I was re-filming a scene were the couple violently fight with each other in Charlotte's bedroom. The shoot was successful and I got most of the footage I needed. However, the camera ran out of battery so I need to meet with them tomorrow night to get the last couple of shots I missed.

I filmed a romantic scene and a violent fight between the couple. 

Here are some screenshots from the shoot:

Shoot This Afternoon

Shoot This Afternoon

This afternoon I am going to reshoot the scenes I previously shot in Charlotte's bedroom. The footage I shot last time was too grainy as I used the Practika Camera. I have made the decision to improve this as it looks unprofessional and would not be seen on a professional music video.

Here are examples of the footage I got last time that need to be improved:

Rough Cut Music Video Teaser

Rough Cut Music Video Teaser

Here is my impromptu music video teaser for Clarity. It's not great but it's the best I could do with a lack of footage and Windows Movie Maker. Anyway here it is:

Rough Cut Deadline Compromise

Rough Cut Deadline Compromise 

As I have had a lot of issues with my music video shoot so far I have not yet got to the stage in editing that I am able to upload a rough cut of my music video so I have decided to create a music video teaser as many artists with a large fan base do to increase the hype around the song.

Here are a few examples:

This will be uploaded by the end of the day tomorrow.

Casting Dilemma

Casting Dilemma

Charlotte and Callum just found out when they are working this week and they are not free to film at the same time so I am currently trying to think of an alternative thing to do. Perhaps show the lives of two couples and use me and my boyfriend Niall as the other couple and show the good side to a relationship with one couple and the negative with the other.

Yesterday's Shoot Problems

Yesterday's Shoot Problems

Yesterday I got to Durham with Callum at three o'clock, the time I had arranged to meet Charlotte. However, when I rang Charlotte she was having food in a restaurant with her mum so we were delayed slightly. While we waited decided to get food too. Once Charlotte had finished and met up with us Callum was still eating so we were delayed slightly again. By then it was already starting to get dark slowly and it was still foggy. So filming by the river and on the bridge was not a good idea. So improvised and decided to film them as a couple walking through the park but when I have reviewed the shots you can see just how quickly it was getting dark but I can hopefully save this by altering the brightness and contrast.

I this scene the couple are walking through the park. It was getting dark quite quickly which limited the amount of filming we could do.

Filming in Durham Today

Filming in Durham Today

Today I am filming with Charlotte and Callum in Durham. Callum finishes work earlier than usual at 2 pm and we are heading into town to finally film in the daylight! However, it is looking quite foggy outside so I hope it clears as the shot I really want to get is the sun setting over the bridge. Hopefully it will all go to plan.

Photo's from the Shoot

Photo's from the Shoot

Today I filmed a short section of my music video with both Charlotte and Callum. Again we got together straight from school so that we could get a few shots before the sun set completely. We were filming on a bench on the way to Durham City through the fields behind my house. We were held up a couple of times by a few dog walkers and people walking home from school but that was only briefly and I managed to shoot what I needed to before it got dark. Here are a few screenshots from the footage that I filmed today.

Rescheduling Shoot

Rescheduling Shoot

I had organised to film with Charlotte and Callum this morning before Callum had to go to work at 12. However, we have had to reschedule to tomorrow night after school as Charlotte's phone ran out of battery over night and resulted in her alarm not going off and she slept in. Here is a weather update for tomorrow night and the sunset times:

Problems During the Shoot

Problems During the Shoot

Yesterday whilst filming one thing that delayed the shoot slightly was that Charlotte kept forgetting the words to the song as soon as the camera started recording. The section of the song which was particularly troublesome to film was the part where it says:

Jotting down the lyrics for me to hold up next to the camera helped her to get through this part of the song more easily.

Performance Shoot: Bloopers

Performance Shoot: Bloopers

I compiled some clips from yesterday's shoot which did not go to plan but did make me giggle. I created a short video of bloopers from yesterday's shoot to show what went wrong and that I re-shot everything to ensure it was perfect. Take a look at the not so perfect clips below:

Kiera Black Shoot Preparation

Kiera Black Shoot Preparation

After getting some great advice on how to make a successful music video from the A - Z of Music Video masterclass at ASFF I learned that it is important to do a little hair and beauty so that the artist feels comfortable and confident to be on camera. So yesterday before I began the shoot I did a little bit of Kiera Black beauty prep.

Kiera Black's style is slightly edgy but still pretty. I chose tartan leggings to show her edgy more going style and to show the darker side for her personality and the white crop drop show a section of her stomach this represents her youth and shows she is trendy and also connotes the fact that she is revealing how she really feels in the song. White is associated with purity and innocence and shows the audience that she is not to blame in the couples 'toxic' relationship.

I painted her nails a blue colour which is fun and youthful as only younger people can get away with wearing a colour like this. It also goes with her leggings and the background.

I curled her hair with a large barrel curling wand to create a more natural and effortless curl to her hair. I think this look is girly and creates a more softer look for her. I also applied a deep red lipstick to her to represent her love and passion.

Shooting Performance Clips

Shooting Performance Clips

Today I am filming the performance element of my music video with Charlotte as Keira Black. I will be filming in my bedroom against one of my walls as they are painted blue. Blue is represents her understanding of the relationship and also connotes softness which represents her characteristics as she is innocent in the relationship. Also blue connotes calmness which represents the fact that even though they drive each other crazy she is happy and comfortable with their relationship. Hopefully everything will go to plan and I'll update my blog later with photos and clips from the shoot.

Shoot Cancellation

Shoot Cancellation

I had organise to shoot my the performance shots for my music video tonight but Charlotte is ill with a sickness bug and we have organise to shoot on Saturday lunch time. I will also maximize this opportunity and also complete a photoshoot for my Digipack.

Reshoot

Reshoot

 

 

Today I began editing the footage I have recorded over the past few weeks. However I have been using a Praktica camera which does not produce good quality imagery in low light. I thought that I may have been able to save the footage which was slightly grainy by editing with effects to make it look a lot better. This was unsuccessful and I have made the decision to re film the scene in Charlottes bedroom where the lighting was poor and resulted in the quality of the footage being reduced.

 

 

The clip on the left shows how grainy and unprofessional the footage looks. When I refilm this scene I will light the room better and I am going to borrow a better camera from the school tomorrow.

 

Questionnaire Results So Far

Questionnaire Results So Far

I have been collecting a number of responses to the questionnaire that I created in order to gain a better insight into who likes particular genres of music and what that demographic would like to see within a music video. I chose to create my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey.com as it was a more efficient way to collect responses as I was able to email the link out to my peers and family without having to see them in person to give them a physical copy of my questionnaire so it saved a lot of time and allowed me to get a higher response rate. However, not everyone that I emailed participated in the survey whereas they may have if I was there. This is a clear negative side to using a website rather than physical copies of my survey.

Here is an example of me emailing a selection of the people in my friendship group using the school's internal emailing system. Each of my friends completed the survey despite sarcastic replies from Hannah:

Another way I gathered results is by posting my survey on social media. I posted a link on Facebook.com to my friends. The aim was to reach a wider audience than my immediate friendship group and family. 

Using these two methods my survey was completed by 26 participants however I did not feel that this was enough responses to base my audience research on. The majority of the responses were from participants from the age group 15 - 18 and I needed to get a representation of the favourable genres of all ages.

                             

To collect a wider range of results from older audiences I got in touch with my older brother who is 28 and asked him if he would complete the questionnaire and if he could ask a few of his friends to complete the survey too. He agreed and said he would forward my email including the link around his office. I also rang my Dad and asked if he would ask people he knows to complete the survey too. This really boosted the amount of responses and so far I have 35 responses.

Here are the results so far:

(TO BE CONTINUED)