Filming Session Three

Sunday 25th September 2011- 10am- 3pm - Narrative 
Charlie Kirk and Brad Evans

This filming went well in terms of getting all the shots I needed but in terms of quality of shots, weather and rush for time, it didn't go as smoothly as planned. I had planned to shoot a couple of shots before Charlie arrived however she arrived earlier than I anticipated meaning I had to shoot these with her watching which isn't a bad thing, it gave me more time to explain the story to her however I felt I was wasting the time I had with her. The shots of Charlie went really well due to her understanding of what emotions of hurt and abandonment I wanted her given character to portray. Even though these shots were well angled, the lighting let the shots down and even when I applied the white balance it didn't imporve the quality of the shot. This meaning I will probably have to ask Charlie to re-film parts of the this filming session to improve the quality of the shots. 


As I didn't manage to film a few shots before Chalrie arrived, I had completely forgot to film some of the shots which involved symbolism of how Charlie was feeling (Cut outs of words such as 'abandoned' and 'heart broken' that was meant to be placed around her head) I only realised this after I had finished filming with Charlie and when she had left. I really wanted to keep this shot and didn't want to ring Charlie and ask her to come back so I re-thought my idea and set up a mini set that night using a black piece of material and the cut outs then just shot mid shots of the words to insert into the beginning of the video. However when I re-film with Charlie I will remember to film my original idea and compare which one works for me and my video.

When Brad arrived, I hadn't finished filming parts of Charlie alone so my schedule was changed again and Brad was waiting a little bit. The weather didn't look great all morning and by the time we got to the outside locations it didn't hold out for me and started to rain. This weather worked well for Charlie being upset as it representaed her state of mind and her feelings at that moment (breaking up with Matt) however the weather got worse meaning the shots where Brad and Charlie were 'happy together' were filmed in the rain. I had tried to wait for the weather to settle however my actors had to hurry as time was running out and I had to finish my shots as I wanted to just have 2 filming days.

Many of my shots are not of great quality however some shots are quite good and can be used for the video. Some essential shots will need to be re-filmed at a later date to acheive the high quality music video I want to. 

Filming Sessions One and Two

Friday 23rd September 2011 
1. 12.30pm- 1.20pm- Narrative
Charlie Kirk and Matt Peall (Girl and 'The Ex')

This filming session went very well and even better than I imagined. I knew I needed to film on our college/school grounds but I needed to find a small, pretty and quiet area as I would be filming at a lunchtime and I wanted to avoid distraction from fellow school/college pupils. However I found the perfect place, just behind the media department where the greenary and path was just what I had imagined to film the shots I had planned. Also the weather was sunny and great for filming as it gave connotations of happiness which is one theme I wanted to portray in these shots. I was worried about getting all these shots done in this time period as I only had 50 minutes to set up and shoot 5-10 shots of Charlie and Matt. However with their help with setting up and co-operating well with me we finished in time and completed filming all the shots I needed.

After looking back and through these shots I had filmed, the lighting and angles are great. The acting from Matt and Charlie is done well as they portray the characters I explained them really well and in conclusion I am very glad to have chosen those two for this filming session because of their co-operation, acting skills and the friendship that they have anyway that helped them work well in these shots. 

2. 3.30pm-5/5.30pm- Performance
Neil Baker and Scott Doyle

This filming session went well, both Baker and Doyle arrived on time in costume that they wear to their gigs and works well with their star image (very similar to the images I have shown in 'Costumes' section) and the shots I got were the perfect angles for what I had imagined. However Nicole turned up from their band and I got a bit distracted by filming her aswell with Baker and Doyle, however the shots I needed more of was ones with just Baker and Doyle in them. In conclusion I may have to re-film some shots of the performance, just so I have a variety of angles and positions of shots of just Baker and Doyle. 


However even though I may have to re-film, I shot this filming sequence in one of the Drama departments rooms which worked extremely well due to the black walls and lighting system that I could use to my advantage to create an atmosphere that would fit well with the genre but also contrasting with the narrative of the performance. In the editing process I intend to make this contrast more obvious anyway as I want to make the colour tint black and white for this filming sequence.

Risk Assessment

The Risk	Who/What is at risk?	Level of Risk	How the risk can be prevented
In Performance: Damaging equipment	This is an acoustic track so Guitars	Low	The performance and filming of this will be taken in the Drama Department so equipment is safe in terms of Guitars being inside but to prevent damage inside, I will ask the performers to take care of their equipment by placing them on holders or cases when setting up.
Damaging/Losing  the camera whilst filming	Camera	Medium/ High	To prevent the camera from being damaged, it will always be securely connected to the tripod at all times of filming. However some shots I may need to use it handheld, in this case I will take extra care. I will be filming outside and in various different locations for most shots in the narrative so to prevent damage I will probably not take the camera off the tripod if I don’t have to.
Breaking/snapping Tripod	Tripod	Low	The tripod is very unlikely to break during the filming process as it is quite lightweight however to prevent any damage happening to it I will make sure that when I am using it, it is set up correctly and when I am not it is pack away or put upright.

Shooting Schedule

Day 1: Filming Baker and Doyle

When: Friday 23rd September 2011 

Location: Drama Department at George Spencer Academy

Time: 3.30 - 5/5.30pm 

Weather: (In case of taking pictures) Partly Cloudy

Cast: Neil Baker and Scott Doyle
Props: Guitars and Stools

Aim is to film both Baker and Doyle performing the song. I will be playing their song whilst filming so they can play along to it, this helps when it comes to the editing stage and connecting footage to track and making sure lip syncing is correct. I will need them to repeat parts of the song so I can use a variety of different shots to make this video look professional and original. In this session, my friend and also one of the actors in the narrative Brad Evans will also be taking some pictures of Baker and Doyle for my Digipak and Magazine Ad that will be made at the same time as the filming/editing process.

Day 2: Filming Narrative

When: Sunday 25th September 2011

Location: My House, Garden and Street (Westerlands)

Time: Day of Filming, 10am start

Weather: Partly Cloudy

Cast: Charlotte (Charlie) Kirk, Matt Peall and Brad Evans

For this filming session, I have much more filming to do in several different locations so I have to make sure that I manage my time well and also make sure the actors are happy with what they're doing. I will film the inside scenes first such as the shots in my bedroom and my Garden then I will take the equipment and cameras outside to shoot shots on the top of my street and maybe on the little roundabout at the top of my road. Before this filming day I will inform the actors of what they will need for the day in terms of costume, because even though we're filming the narrative all in one day, the narrative is set over a matter of weeks so several costume changes will have to be done to show this passing of time.

Camera Angles and Positions

I have taken a few still images of shots that I think I am going to experiment with and explore for when I film my video. I want to shoot a variety of simple and complex shots to give my video an unique edge for a simple storyline/narrative. These are a few shots I have taken:

This is a long shot image of my street from outside my house, even though this was taken very early in the morning, this road is normally quite peaceful and not a busy road at all, meaning that this would be a good location to film in as the dangers of busy roads is definitely reduced and the look of the street is middle class and is the type of representation I want to subtly show within my video. However, like I said this shot is taken very early in the morning and the effectiveness of this image might be the sun light that highs the road and reflects of the car windows. For the filming day I am hoping for nic weather, like it shows in the image, so this effect could be repeated for my video.

This is my favourite still shot I have taken. I had the idea of this shot for a more artistic and creative view on the girl ripping up a picture of her ex. The camera would be steadily placed my bed to capture this type of shot. I didn't want to make this video cliched in terms of using normal shots and locations of breakup/love songs but use a variety of different shots that will look impressive however put across a lot of meaning in the video.

This shot was inspired by Ed Sheerans 'The A Team' video and the shots that consist in that video when the woman is putting on makeup and getting ready. I thought I could use a mid shot like this to show Charlie's character upset and wiping away tears and sorting out her face as I plan to use mascara that has run to show the emotion I want to portray and the dramatic difference in her state from the beginning to end. I have to be careful with this type of shot as it is a mirror; I will have to place the camera carefully so that the mirror wont pick up any shadows or reflections whilst getting the right angle and position to shoot Charlie and emotion that needs to be shown.

I will also be using Close ups and extreme close up's to show emotion from Charlie, such as ECU of eyes and tears portraying her sad, depressed emotion. I will be using mid shots and two shots to establish a close relationship with both Matt and Charlie and then Brad and Charlie. From this, a variety of shots will be practiced and used to not only make it look professional but most importantly to build the narrative and connect certain shots to meanings.

My ideas and Drafts on Digipak and Magazine Advert

Costume and Props

 Costume

Neil Baker and Scott Doyle: For the performers costume I want it to bring a indie style and fibe such as clothes like dark skinny jeans and shirts or t-shirts with other exsisting band logos on them. I was thinking of this sort of look to develop the bands 'star image' however when I had a meeting with Neil Baker he said that is the type of costume that they wear to regular gigs. This was good for me as not only do I want rock/indie style to come across in the video but I want their orignality to come through whilst being comfortable.

This is the type of costume/clothing that I have seen the band wear at the gigs, a comfortable look however it does reflect an indie/rock fibe that I want to come across for the band/artists for 'star image'.

Charlie: My ideas for Charlies costume was for her characters image to change throughout the narrative, connecting to the song and story. The story beginning with her being alone and miserable so costume would be dark, baggy clothing showing that shes not really interested about anything,m and visually showing her emotion then during the end finding someone new and being happy so costume would change throughout from baggy clothing to pretty clothes such as dresses and tops in brighter colours.

Matt: Matt won't be much of the video however has to have a different look to what Brad will be wearing as the other character so I want Matt to wear dark jeans and a hoodie or top that shows colour but not much. I want an arrogant type of character to come across also so instead of a casual look I may ask him to look a bit too casual and not bothered with his appearanceto perhaps show that his and Charlies characters have different personalities and standards which has led to the break up.

Brad: My ideas for Brad were to make him look more casual than he normally does naturally. Brad tends to adopt a more smart/casual look however for playing this role I want him to change to a more casual look  so the character looks comfortable with clothing such as jeans and a t-shirt and maybe some light accessories like bracelets. Maybe looking very similar to what the performers will wear in the performance filming, to show a link between story and performance. I want Matt and Brad to look different to show the characters opposite personality such as I want Matt's character to look 'not bothered' as if he has grown tired of Charlie however Brad's character to show more warmth and combatibility to Charlies character.


Props: Overall, not many props are needed for my video as I am trying to focus the video on the characters rather than mise en scene. However I do know that mise en scene is very important to a video and the story and I have though about props and different locations for this. Props wise, for the performance I will only need the Guitars that the performers will be responsible for and Stools for the performers to sit on whilst I film them and these are available in the school so won't be too much trouble to get.

For the narrative not many props are going to be used. In my locationsm props like furniture are used but these aren't something that is extremely needed, this just adds to the location and scene I will shoot. I will need to use pictures of Charlie and Matt (Girl and Ex) for the days of filming so the shot of these 2 actors and pictures will have to be taken and sorted out before the day we film the narrative parts. I also plan to use a mobile phone is some of the scenes to show messages from 'the ex' and 'new guy'. These are the main props that will have to be sorted out before filming days and minor props will be ready for these days.

Actors

Name: Charlotte Kirk (Charlie)

Age: 16

Character: Main girl (no specific name needed) 

I have decided to use Charlie as the main female in my music video. This is because she has experience in Drama after studying it at GCSE and now at A-Level and this will be helpful in shooting the video as she will understand how to provide the emotion and facial expression I need without much help and guidance. I also chose her due to her striking looks; she has bright blue eyes and really curly hair and I think that her innocent, pretty look will work well with the type of character I have in mind.

Name: Brad Evans
Age: 17

Character: New Boyfriend 'Someone special'

I have chosen and asked Brad to play the role as the new boyfriend/guy in the girls life who makes her happy. He has had experience in performing and has been a part of the school production 'The Wiz'. I have also chosen Brad due to his appearance; he is tall, has brown hair and green eyes and this is the type of look I was going for with the 'New guy'. Brad has very strong facial features making him look good on camera also. I want the 'New guys' character to have that sense of innocense and mystery about him; I think Brad's look and personality can match with the style and need of character.

Name: Matt Peall

Age: 16

Character: The 'Ex'

I have chosen Matt to play the part of the ex as he looks very different to Brad and this is what I wanted to show; that the girl has moved on. Matt also has performing experience as he has done GCSE and now A-Level Drama. Even though Matt will not appear in much of the video, his appearence will be very important for the story and narrative. As said eariler Matt has a different look to Brad, he is smaller in height, dark eyes and lighter brown hair. Also his facial expressions are stronger in terms of looking more serious than Brad's and this will help with the character as the 'ex' is the one who has made the girl miserable.

Locations

Performance: Drama Room

have decided on using this location because the room has black blank walls and lighting within the department can be used to help create an atmosphere when the artists perform. This is a studio like setting due to the blank walls and no other objects and mise en scene to distract a viewer from the action of Neil and Scott performing. This studio look will also make the shots look much more professional. It creates a very dark, mysterious setting which is what I first thought when I pictured them performing in the room. This atmosphere would also connect with the bands rock/indie genre. I wanted this location to completely contrast with the other settings which it will as I will be using brighter and outdoor locations for narrative filming.

Narrative:

My House, Street and Garden

These are images of my own garden, for scenes and shots that include Charlie being alone and upset I wanted a calm yet pretty place to show the contrast between her emotion and the location. I picked this location also because of the greenery and the colours that would look very vivid on camera compared to the dark, slumpy, baggy costume ideas I have for Charlie and her character. I think a range of mid shots, close up's and high/low angle shots shall be used in this location as using long shots wouldn't work as my garden isn't big enough to create that sense of empty space and mise en scene would be difficult to change if I needed something out of the way.

My Bedroom:

I am using my bedroom for the beginning shots of the video that include Charlie. This will be the first location of the video so it was important for me to think about the representation and mise en scene as this will effect the first impressions on the character and indicates to the audience what the character trates are. For filming in my room, I will have to take down some of posters and decorations to fit with the character I want to portray however the colours of blue, purple and green fit well as I didn't want the girl character to come across as a very girly person but quite relaxed and a mixture between a girly and tomboy character. My main wall is decorated with blue flowery wall paper, this is good as it portrays to character to be delicate and the scene I have in mind of Charlie crying with the wallpaper behind her with words cut out behind her. Symbolising that her delicate personality has been damaged and that she is hurt.

Storyboard

Brainstorms and Ideas