As we prepare to head out to our woodland locations to film the majority of our music video next week, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on how our project is going so far and Friday's projection shoot. Since we've blogged about the latter already (see here) I'll try not to repeat myself too much. However, below you can see another behind the scenes video that Poppy compiled from Friday.
Overall, I'm really exciting about how our planning is coming together. The shoot that took place during Friday's lesson exceeded my expectations, with the footage filmed looking really professional in my opinion, despite the simple techniques we made use of (i.e. the projector and at one point we even used Microsoft Paint... but you'll have to wait until we upload our rough cut to see that particular outcome!)
For the half-speed base track, we ended up using a still image that we sourced online. I liked the outcome, yet in retrospect, it would probably have been a better idea to not have used the tripod for that particular scene, as the shot seems a bit too static for me. However, we felt the tripod was necessary for the rest of the projections, especially since there was a lot of movement already in the footage that was projected onto Poppy. In our future filming sessions we plan to utilize a hand-held technique for the majority of our filming, as shots in music videos are rarely still.
On Thursday we will be picking up our equipment from college and heading to Abney Park. Having contacted the representatives of this particular location on behalf of the group, I still haven't gotten a response, but I emailed them again yesterday so hopefully we'll get a reply soon. The reason for this is because when I visited the park/cemetery a while ago, I noticed that the chapel (where we want to film one of our base tracks) was locked up, so we need to get permission for us to access it. I'm also a bit weary of the possibility of it raining and hope our plans don't get spoiled because of something as trivial as weather, but I don't think this is too likely, especially since we have indoor shots to film and we can just reschedule the outdoor scenes if it comes down to it.
Saturday 22 October 2011
PLANNING: Equipment
To produce our music video, we need to take out various equipment to make production possible and to also help us during production. Below is a list of equipment we are taking out to record our music video and other pieces of equipment we may take out.
Video Camera
To record our music video, we will be hiring out this camcorder from the media department in our college. This camera is what we will be using to film every aspect of our music video and maybe even behind the scenes shots. The camera is capable of meeting all our requirements we need to record our video therefore making it perfect for the job. Its compact design means its easy to use as a handheld camera and can also be mounted onto a tripod.
Tripod
We will be taking out a tripod to help us record our music video. Although it will not be used that often as we need a lot of handheld camera movement, the tripod may become necessary. During production, we may have to improvise, and the tripod will allow us to create a few shots which would otherwise be difficult without it. Although in our storyboard, a tripod is not needed, we will still borrow one out from the media department just in case.
Camera Light
A camera light is a piece of equipment we will need during production. As we are recording some of our scenes in the dark, a light is absolutely necessary so we can record some of the scenes which may involve close ups. The light mounts on top of the camera so where ever the camera is looking, the light is shinning in its field of view. The light also has a dimming switch which allows us to change the intensity of the brightness.
Camera Spotlight
This is a camera spotlight which is another necessity we need to record our video. As mentioned, some of our shots will be in complete darkness and without a spotlight (few variations from the one shown in image), these shots would be impossible. The spotlight will be used in long and medium shots of the performer. It will also be used to light up the area in which we will be recording in so we can see what we are doing. The spotlight (which we will get from college) can be adjusted to focus on a specific spot, or be widened to light up a whole area. This will be useful as it allows us to play around with the lighting while recording.
Digital Still Camera
This will be used to consistently take images of our production as we progress. This will then allow us to see our progress and with the images taken on it, perhaps blog about it. The digital camera will be used to take images as proof of what we are doing, done and planning to do. It is our evidence of our production which we can later write about key events. We will hire this out from the media department in the college.
Portable Speakers and Music Player
Here is a portable speaker of mine along with my iPod Touch. This will be necessary to play the music in which we will be recording our music video for. The speakers itself can work either through the mains or with batteries. This will allow us to take it out with us and play music in a location where we may not have any access to electricity. The music player itself being either an iPhone or iPod will also be used to play the music through the speakers. As my personal portable speakers use a 3.5mm jack (a normal headphone plug), it can plug into any music playing device. Either me or Poppy will bring one of our portable speakers.
All the equipment mentioned above will be given to us to use by either the media department of the college or will be our own equipment. Equipment taken from the college will be hired out from Thursday 27th October and will have to be returned by Monday 31st October before 9:00am.
Video Camera
To record our music video, we will be hiring out this camcorder from the media department in our college. This camera is what we will be using to film every aspect of our music video and maybe even behind the scenes shots. The camera is capable of meeting all our requirements we need to record our video therefore making it perfect for the job. Its compact design means its easy to use as a handheld camera and can also be mounted onto a tripod.
Tripod
We will be taking out a tripod to help us record our music video. Although it will not be used that often as we need a lot of handheld camera movement, the tripod may become necessary. During production, we may have to improvise, and the tripod will allow us to create a few shots which would otherwise be difficult without it. Although in our storyboard, a tripod is not needed, we will still borrow one out from the media department just in case.
Camera Light
A camera light is a piece of equipment we will need during production. As we are recording some of our scenes in the dark, a light is absolutely necessary so we can record some of the scenes which may involve close ups. The light mounts on top of the camera so where ever the camera is looking, the light is shinning in its field of view. The light also has a dimming switch which allows us to change the intensity of the brightness.
Camera Spotlight
This is a camera spotlight which is another necessity we need to record our video. As mentioned, some of our shots will be in complete darkness and without a spotlight (few variations from the one shown in image), these shots would be impossible. The spotlight will be used in long and medium shots of the performer. It will also be used to light up the area in which we will be recording in so we can see what we are doing. The spotlight (which we will get from college) can be adjusted to focus on a specific spot, or be widened to light up a whole area. This will be useful as it allows us to play around with the lighting while recording.
Digital Still Camera
This will be used to consistently take images of our production as we progress. This will then allow us to see our progress and with the images taken on it, perhaps blog about it. The digital camera will be used to take images as proof of what we are doing, done and planning to do. It is our evidence of our production which we can later write about key events. We will hire this out from the media department in the college.
Portable Speakers and Music Player
Here is a portable speaker of mine along with my iPod Touch. This will be necessary to play the music in which we will be recording our music video for. The speakers itself can work either through the mains or with batteries. This will allow us to take it out with us and play music in a location where we may not have any access to electricity. The music player itself being either an iPhone or iPod will also be used to play the music through the speakers. As my personal portable speakers use a 3.5mm jack (a normal headphone plug), it can plug into any music playing device. Either me or Poppy will bring one of our portable speakers.
All the equipment mentioned above will be given to us to use by either the media department of the college or will be our own equipment. Equipment taken from the college will be hired out from Thursday 27th October and will have to be returned by Monday 31st October before 9:00am.
PRODUCTION: Test shot
Here is a test shot we recorded as we began production of our music video yesterday, Friday 21st October. In the video, you can clearly see from Poppy's movements and our squeaky voices in the background that the speed in which it is being played at is doubled.
While recording, Poppy and Nick had a great idea that we should record Poppy singing the song at half the speed. This was because the idea was to give Poppy an abnormal and fluid style of movement, while still keeping her lips in sync with the song when we double the speed of the video on the Mac, which is the outcome below.
The song is initially 3 minutes and 35 seconds long. This shot however took over 7 minutes to record as the song was played at half the speed. Poppy had to lip-sync at the same speed the song was being played at to ensure it all matched up when we increased the speed.
PRODUCTION: Preparation
Here is a little video Poppy recorded as we began to prepare recording our music video for the projection scene. Poppy and Nick go on to explain further in the video our accomplishments we had made in recording so far and some of our thoughts.
PLANNING: Weather forecast
For us to have the best opportunity to record our music video in our slotted time, we need the weather to remain consistent and preferably dry. As we are recording most of our video outdoors, we need to weather to remain dry for the benefit of us and the equipment. If it rains while we begin to record, this will cause us unnecessary disruption as we would need to prioritise protecting the camera equipment before we continue to record. As the camera is the most important piece of kit we have (and also the most expensive), we need to ensure the camera stays dry as with the other equipment.
Also, as we are recording most of our scenes in the woodlands, the introduction of rain can make the recording very messy! The rain may cause us to become very muddy and could hamper our recording plans. This is why we will be equipped with an umbrella and maybe even a towel at all times, so we are ready for the worse. As Poppy's house is not too far from the location we are recording in, if worse comes to worse, we can easily go there and wait until the weather improves, clean ourselves up or even record one of our scenes there.
Recording will begin on Thursday 27th November. As the date is still a little too far away to get a reliable prediction of the weather forecast, Nick has found out what the possible weather could be in the image above.
As the days go on, we will consistently check the weather forecasts to update ourselves and plan on possible actions we can take if the weather is not what we hoped it will be.
Here, I have the latest and most reliable weather forecast for next week. As it is still too early to get an accurate prediction of the weather, we can only see up to the day before we are recording what the weather is going to be like. At the moment, it looks like the worst outcome will pass us on Tuesday, which could give way to a few dry days ahead. Wednesday looks promising so hopefully the days following will be just as good.
Also, as we are recording most of our scenes in the woodlands, the introduction of rain can make the recording very messy! The rain may cause us to become very muddy and could hamper our recording plans. This is why we will be equipped with an umbrella and maybe even a towel at all times, so we are ready for the worse. As Poppy's house is not too far from the location we are recording in, if worse comes to worse, we can easily go there and wait until the weather improves, clean ourselves up or even record one of our scenes there.
Recording will begin on Thursday 27th November. As the date is still a little too far away to get a reliable prediction of the weather forecast, Nick has found out what the possible weather could be in the image above.
As the days go on, we will consistently check the weather forecasts to update ourselves and plan on possible actions we can take if the weather is not what we hoped it will be.
Here, I have the latest and most reliable weather forecast for next week. As it is still too early to get an accurate prediction of the weather, we can only see up to the day before we are recording what the weather is going to be like. At the moment, it looks like the worst outcome will pass us on Tuesday, which could give way to a few dry days ahead. Wednesday looks promising so hopefully the days following will be just as good.
Projections filming day.
This is a shot of one of the testers that we did a few weeks before we began to film the real thing.
This is a shot of one of our official base tracks that we had slowed down during the filming and then in the editing, we sped it up to be in sync with the song.
Backstage video. :)
Planning - Make-up and Costume
Before we begin to film, we need a clear idea of what type of make-up and costumes we are going to have. Having decided on having our performer wear dresses for most of the video, we have been exploring several possibilities for this attire. Here are a few images of the make-up and costume ideas:
 |
| This make-up is to make our artist's eyes bigger as well as make her face colorful and different. This specific make-up was inspired by our mood board with one of the images having a girl (aka artist Bat For Lashes) crying colourful tears. We hope to get the colourful tear effect from food coloring. |
 |
| This make-up is inspired by the idea of 'wolf like' eyes, defined by the dark lines outlining the eyes. |
 |
| This was just a thought/idea. Out of all of these, we may not use this one, but it is an idea of what one of the shots could look like, with the face all smudged as if she was just crying. This matches with the lyrics to represent sadness. |
Costumes:
 |
| This dress to be possibly used for the woodland scenes. |
 |
| This could either be used for the woodland scenes OR the fairylights scene. |
 |
| This could be used for the fairylights scene because of the sparkles that would glimmer in the light of the fairylights. |
 |
| Possible crown for the woodland scene. |
 |
| Another couple of possible dresses suggested by Charon. |
Friday 21 October 2011
Planning - Production Schedule
Because of the uncertain weather over the first two days that we plan to shoot in our locations (see above for latest weather update) we cannot be sure where we will be shooting when. However, if the weather holds out and doesn't interfere with our filming, we plan to stick to the first schedule below. If not, our schedule will look more like the second.
Planning - Getting ready
We have been doing plenty of things in preparation for when we start filming on the 27th November, and I'm very excited! I've looked at the weather forecast and feel a little nervous about filming as the main three days we are set to film there are scattered or light showers.
The weather says it'll be raining, and this was a risk assessment we had thought about and we decided we will be very careful with the equipment and although it may limit our shots we can use the rain to our advantage!
The fact that it's raining both days could be very useful in our work and it might even create a better effect if the shots of the artists and wet and muddy.
The fact that it's raining both days could be very useful in our work and it might even create a better effect if the shots of the artists and wet and muddy.
Production - Projection Testing and Base Track
Today we officially began the production of our music video! Below you can see one of the base tracks we filmed testing our idea, which was inspired by the chorus in Alex Winston's video for Velvet Elvis. We did this by having Poppy lip-sync to a half speed version of our track. In editing we then sped the video up by double, so that Poppy's lip-syncing is in sync but her body movements are faster. We plan to use this technique again when we film in Abney Park.
For the projection, we took inspiration from Imogen Heap's Lifeline (as mentioned previously in this blog post). In the video, Heap is painted white, with her body and face acting as a canvas for images that were projected onto her. We attempted to recreate this but we didn't have enough face paint, so we compromised and Poppy applied most of it around her eyes, which we still thought looked great. Below you can see some behind the scenes photos and footage taken by Nick during the filming process.
For the projection, we took inspiration from Imogen Heap's Lifeline (as mentioned previously in this blog post). In the video, Heap is painted white, with her body and face acting as a canvas for images that were projected onto her. We attempted to recreate this but we didn't have enough face paint, so we compromised and Poppy applied most of it around her eyes, which we still thought looked great. Below you can see some behind the scenes photos and footage taken by Nick during the filming process.
Thursday 20 October 2011
Research - Roles of Social Media
A few weeks ago I talked about the current climate of the music industry and touched on the positives of social media for the marketing of music (also see my viral campaign post). However, I neglected the fact that, like most things, there are negatives too. I'm mostly referring to illegal file sharing which, since the rise and fall of Napster (the first peer-to-peer file sharing platform that was introduced in 1999), has increased dramatically. Yet it is no new discovery that illegal downloading of music has meant a serious decline for the music industry.
Nonetheless, the industry is divided when it comes to file sharing. Artists like Ed O'Brien and Dave Rowntree, from well-established bands Radiohead and Blur respectively, argue that file sharing is a positive thing - it allows a new generation to access music that they otherwise may not have been able to. In turn, this encourages a new revenue stream from the purchase of merchandise and concert tickets. These musicians, who are part of the Featured Artists Coalition ("a not-for-profit organisation set up to protect the rights of featured musical artists, particularly in the new digital age"), say the government should be focusing on developing new business models to encourage legal obtaining of music.
However, on the other side of the spectrum is Lily Allen, who disagrees and says that file sharing "is having a dangerous effect on British music". She argues that music piracy may have its positives for successful artists that are already established, but there's a negative effect on new artists trying to breakthrough, as labels cannot take risks anymore and thus will only sign acts they are sure to earn money back from. Yet singer-songwriter Kate Nash explains her experience with file sharing and social networking site MySpace which helped kick-start her music career: "My career started through file sharing [because] I put my songs up on MySpace; somehow a buzz was created just through the internet and file sharing [so] people would come to my gigs and it was the labels then that came to me to sign me".
Whilst Kate Nash is a positive example of the effect of social networking, big name musicians (and even lesser known acts) are troubled with the prospect of their music "leaking" onto the internet. This is when certain songs or whole albums from artists are made available to the public before their official release date, which understandably has a detrimental effect on sales. For example, take the artist of the song we've chosen for our music video - Florence and the Machine. Their latest album, Ceremonials, scheduled for release on the 31st October, made its way onto the internet yesterday. Leaks like these are worryingly becoming common, and once they hit file-sharing sites they spread like wildfire.
A simple Google search of "florence and the machine ceremonials download" now yields a result to download the said leak within the top results, in addition to countless others as you scroll through the rest. Of course, that would only affect those actively scouring the internet for these downloads, right? Wrong. News of the album leaking spread through social networking sites like Tumblr and Twitter in no time, with direct download links inviting fans that otherwise might have purchased the album (either digitally or physically) on release day to opt for an illegal download instead.
Because of this, it is no surprise that many releases end up underperforming in sales (we'll have to wait to see how Florence's second record fairs in light of its leak). In other cases, labels are forced to push releases forward, for example, the Lady Gaga single Judas was released four days earlier than planned back in April. This is all just one of many different contributors that are having a negative impact on the music industry. It is no wonder that the industry is in crisis concerning how to adapt to the ever-changing digital climate.
Nonetheless, the industry is divided when it comes to file sharing. Artists like Ed O'Brien and Dave Rowntree, from well-established bands Radiohead and Blur respectively, argue that file sharing is a positive thing - it allows a new generation to access music that they otherwise may not have been able to. In turn, this encourages a new revenue stream from the purchase of merchandise and concert tickets. These musicians, who are part of the Featured Artists Coalition ("a not-for-profit organisation set up to protect the rights of featured musical artists, particularly in the new digital age"), say the government should be focusing on developing new business models to encourage legal obtaining of music.However, on the other side of the spectrum is Lily Allen, who disagrees and says that file sharing "is having a dangerous effect on British music". She argues that music piracy may have its positives for successful artists that are already established, but there's a negative effect on new artists trying to breakthrough, as labels cannot take risks anymore and thus will only sign acts they are sure to earn money back from. Yet singer-songwriter Kate Nash explains her experience with file sharing and social networking site MySpace which helped kick-start her music career: "My career started through file sharing [because] I put my songs up on MySpace; somehow a buzz was created just through the internet and file sharing [so] people would come to my gigs and it was the labels then that came to me to sign me".
Whilst Kate Nash is a positive example of the effect of social networking, big name musicians (and even lesser known acts) are troubled with the prospect of their music "leaking" onto the internet. This is when certain songs or whole albums from artists are made available to the public before their official release date, which understandably has a detrimental effect on sales. For example, take the artist of the song we've chosen for our music video - Florence and the Machine. Their latest album, Ceremonials, scheduled for release on the 31st October, made its way onto the internet yesterday. Leaks like these are worryingly becoming common, and once they hit file-sharing sites they spread like wildfire.
A simple Google search of "florence and the machine ceremonials download" now yields a result to download the said leak within the top results, in addition to countless others as you scroll through the rest. Of course, that would only affect those actively scouring the internet for these downloads, right? Wrong. News of the album leaking spread through social networking sites like Tumblr and Twitter in no time, with direct download links inviting fans that otherwise might have purchased the album (either digitally or physically) on release day to opt for an illegal download instead.
Because of this, it is no surprise that many releases end up underperforming in sales (we'll have to wait to see how Florence's second record fairs in light of its leak). In other cases, labels are forced to push releases forward, for example, the Lady Gaga single Judas was released four days earlier than planned back in April. This is all just one of many different contributors that are having a negative impact on the music industry. It is no wonder that the industry is in crisis concerning how to adapt to the ever-changing digital climate.
Wednesday 19 October 2011
Planning - Weather Forecast
Now that we know the dates in which we will be filming (27th to 30th October) and since the majority of our shots will be outdoors, we must make sure to prepare for the weather (this is London afterall...) Below you can see the weather forecast for the next ten days in London.
The weather for the Thursday and Friday that we will be shooting on both seem promising, but we will carry on keeping a close eye on the weather for the next few days to see if there's any updates on those days, particularly the weekend. If it happens to rain on one of the days, we will resort to prioritizing the indoor scene on that day. If it happens to rain on all four days (not very likely but we've got to be prepared for the worst) we may have to improvise and film in the rain (we'd make sure to bring an umbrella to protect the camera). Plus, Queen's Wood is very close to Poppy's house so it wouldn't be too much of a hassle if we had to brave the weather... as long as we don't end up re-creating Jessie J's 'Who You Are'...
The weather for the Thursday and Friday that we will be shooting on both seem promising, but we will carry on keeping a close eye on the weather for the next few days to see if there's any updates on those days, particularly the weekend. If it happens to rain on one of the days, we will resort to prioritizing the indoor scene on that day. If it happens to rain on all four days (not very likely but we've got to be prepared for the worst) we may have to improvise and film in the rain (we'd make sure to bring an umbrella to protect the camera). Plus, Queen's Wood is very close to Poppy's house so it wouldn't be too much of a hassle if we had to brave the weather... as long as we don't end up re-creating Jessie J's 'Who You Are'...
Planning - Footage of Locations
Here is some footage Nick and Poppy compiled after our group's recent visit to Queen's Wood and Parkland Walk, two of the locations that we will be filming in (see additional photos from the visit here).
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Planning - Storyboard Draft
Here is the storyboard we produced a couple of weeks ago. To see a complete representation of all our shots, check out our animatic!
Planning - Presenting the Pitch
Today we finally delivered our presentation regarding the planning of our music video. We felt it went really well and you can watch it below! Next lesson (Friday) we will begin shooting our projection base track. Location filming will commence on Thursday 27th October and end on the following Sunday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)