Equipment Available

I will be filming my video using equipment borrowed from my school fortunately my school has a wide range of equipment available to me, here is a small video of all the equipment is available and that I may be using to shoot my video, doing this also allowed me to become more familiar with the types of cameras and equipment for when I film:


Here is also the link to the video - http://animoto.com/play/xs65w9vndCttfS97imSSJQ

Nikon JVC Camera: The Nikon JVC Camera is what I am planning to film my music video with, it is a very small and easy to use piece of equipment that produces very high quality footage.

Tripod: The tripod is something I will be using in my filming to create smooth and steady shots, the tripod is a very simple piece of equipment that can greatly effect the quality of a video.

Boom Mic: Because I am creating a music video I will not be requiring a boom mic as no sound will feature in my video because the chosen song will be placed on top of it. The boom mic however is a fantastic piece of equipment that would be useful for E.g. the trailer brief as it creates very good sound quality and can pick up and amplify most sounds.

Nikon SLR: The Nikon SLR is on I have previously used in my AS Work and photography for my digipack and magazine. It is a very good piece of equipment and will produce very high quality and high resolution photographs.

Go Pro: Described as the most versatile camera, they can be used for the most extreme cases of filming such as underwater or extreme sports, and as such are a very useful piece of equipment to have access to. With fairly good quality footage and the ability to undergo a lot of hardware the Go Pro camera is one i hope to use in my video to produce the best footage possible.

Steadicam: The Steadicam is a very handy piece of equipment, allowing for very smooth footage, even while running or on an uneven surface.

Researching Filming Movements

Before I start filming and editing my video, I have brushed-up on my knowledge of camera movements and editing transitions, so that I am fully prepared when out filming.

Pulling focus: is a technique where the focal point of the images is adjusted to shift the audience’s attention from one part of a screen to another.

Static Shots: A director may decide to keep the camera still and move the characters within the frame.

Pans and Tilts: When the camera head makes a pivoting movement from side to side it is described as a pan. When the camera pivots up and down, it is described as atilt. A very fast pan is known as a ‘Whip Pan’.

Tracking: A movement, which takes its name from the tracks, similar to railway tracks, to take the wheels of the dolly on which the camera is mounted. The use of tracks ensures a very smooth movement, but a ‘tracking shot’ may be any travelling shot in which the camera is moving along with the action. In terms of representation – allows the audience to follow the action.

Reverse Dolly/Zoom (zoom/reverse zoom or track out zoom in): A technique whereby the camera pulls back away from the subject whilst simultaneously zooming in on it. In terms of representation, this helps position the audience by drawing attention to particular objects, or letting them see the bigger picture.

Filming Book

I have written up all of the information I will need from my previous posts into a small notebook, so that I can take this with me when I am filming, this will help me remember exactly what needs to be done as I am out filming.

Props Needed

There are various items I want to include in my music video that I may have to specifically get for the video as they are either not something I already own or are something I intend to break or damage and will need replacing:

·         Newton’s Cradle

·         Photo

·         Letter

Newton’s Cradle

I intend to feature a Newton’s cradle within my video, the main character of my video will be shown staring at the cradle in various clips, so I am going to have to purchase one before I start filming. The reason I am using this item in my video is I feel it symbolic for time passing and the character staring it will imply she is thinking about her past experiences shown throughout the video.

Photo

I intend to have my main character of my video shown burning a photo, this will have to be a prop I am able to damage and destroy so may have to take the photo and have it printed before I film.

Letter

The main character of my video is going to be showing writing this letter throughout the video, through various shots, and at the end of the video and brief shot will reveal the content of the letter, so before I begin filming I will have to make this prop ready for use when filming.

Equipment Needed For Filming

Day 1: 6-9PM. Dark. Outdoor Scenes.    (Camera, Prop - Photo)

Many of these scenes are going to be handheld, as they are going to  be tracking the main character as she walks the streets and lays down in the middle of the road. There are no scenes for this set of shots that I will require a tripod.

Day 2: 6-9PM. Indoor. Desk Scenes. Waking Up Scene.  (Camera, Tripod, Prop - Pencil)

For these particular scenes I will require a tripod, for example the desk scene will require a steady long shot of the main character. The other scenes will be handheld, such as the waking up scenes which will be shot in a bird's eye view, and the mirror, and eye close up scenes will also be handheld.

Day 3: 1PM. Outdoor. Flashback Fight Scenes.  (Camera)

The scenes filmed on this day will not require a whole lot, because these scenes will feature hectic and rapid acting (fighting) (argument) I intended to film them using a hand held camera as this will enhance the feeling of the scenes, so a tripod nor any props will be needed.

Day 4: Indoor. Other Shots E.g. Knuckles, Tear, Newton's Cradle Etc.  (Make-Up, Fake Blood, Newton's Cradle)

Because many of these scenes are close up shots I will not be requiring a tripod, I will however need props such as fake blood, for the clenched knuckles shot, make-up for the tear close-up to create bruised effect and the Newton's cradle.

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Shots Needed

My music video will consist of a main set of video clips all in chronological order with various clips shown in-between that are intended to reveal information and memories about my main character as the main story line unfolds throughout the song. These various clips shown will be brief and only require a few seconds worth of film:

List of Small brief shots I need:

§  Over the shoulder shot of bleeding/cut knuckles.

§  Looking in bathroom mirror scene.

§  A close-up shot of a tear running down the main characters bruised face.

§  A shot of the main character staring at a Newton’s cradle

§  Main character sat at the top of the stair with her hand in her head.

§  Main character punching a wall.

§  Close-up of her eyes open

§  Same close-up of eyes with eyes shutting.

§  Shot of character staring out of the window, looking sad.

§  Shot of character shouting as if in argument.

§  Shot of character hitting someone.

§  Shot of character being hit, and falling to ground.

§  Character sat on bench, crying.

List of Main, longer shots I need:

·        Birds eye shot of her waking up

·        Shot of her sat on edge of bed after waking up.

·        Shot of her walking towards mirror and staring in mirror.

·        Long shot of her sat at a desk writing something

·        Over the shoulder shot of her still writing the letter

·        Back to long shot of her writing letter but getting angry.

·        Over the shoulder shot of her snapping pencil.

·        Long shot again back to her getting up from desk.

·        Close Up of her zipping up a jacket.

·        Long shot of her leaving the house and shutting the door.

·        As she shuts the door she walks towards the camera.

·        Mid-Shots of her walking in the street camera follows and tracks her from in front.

·        Mid shot of her stood at the edge of the road, looking left to right to see if the road is busy.

·        Long shot, she walks into road and lays down.

·        Birds eye view of her shutting eyes.

·        Long shot again of her laid in middle of road.

Blue indicate all need to be in same costume and same settings and weather conditions.

Timing Plan

Some scenes in my video are intended to be seen in chronological order, as if they are all happening on the same day, because of this I intend to film all of the shots for these scenes in the same day, this is to ensure good continuity, for example, with the costume of the character, if I film these shots on several different days, the costume will not be exactly the same, nor will the setting. If either of these changed in these scenes it would confuse the audience ad they would not understand that they were supposed to all be happening at similar times.

Also many of these scenes are going to be filmed outside, weather is a huge factor when filming outside, as it effects the continuity of the video, I must film these scenes on the same day so that the weather is the same throughout. Because I want my character to be seen walking the streets at night, in dark damp weather I plan to film these scenes in the evening, as it is winter, it becomes dark by 5 O' Clock so I plan to film these scenes anytime between 6 - 9 PM.

There are other scenes however to my video, such as the flashback, scenes that are intended to appear as if they are happening on a different day to others, to indicate this my main character will be in a different costumes to the main one, to also help indicate this I am hoping to film the outdoor scenes for this part in different weather conditions so that the audience will understand the time difference between the two shots. Because the flashback scenes are supposed to be happening at a different time to the main scenes I will film these on a different day.

Day 1: 6-9PM. Dark. Outdoor Scenes. Fire & Photo Scenes.

Day 2: 6-9PM. Indoor. Desk Scenes. Waking Up Scene.

Day 3: 1PM. Outdoor. Flashback Fight Scenes.

Day 4: Anytime. Other Shots E.g. Knuckles, Tear, Newton's Cradle Etc. 

Issues To Consider

There are many issues I need to take into account when filming my video.

Firstly, weather many of the scenes I am intending to film will be shot outside, and the weather could hugely affect the quality of my filming or more importantly the continuity. Weather can ruin continuity of scene this I something I need to be aware of on the day of filming. However weather could help when I am filming if it is to appear that some clips are at a different time to others the weather in each clips is something I can use to my advantage. Some clips of my video I intend to be shot in the rain, so this is something I am going to have to be aware of when I want to film these particular scenes, also I must be aware that certain weather conditions are not going to affect and damage the equipment I am using.

Another thing I need to consider when filming is my props, there are various props I intend to use in my video so I need to make sure I gather everything I need to use when I start the filming of my video. Lighting is also very important, good quality lighting in my video is essential, many scenes are going to be shot at night or in a rather dark setting, with this in mind I may need to consider using extra equipment.

One thing I must be aware of when filing is that I am filming where I am aloud, for example certain settings such as railways are illegal to film on or require a permit, I must also be aware when filming in a public setting for example a supermarket, if in public, I need to make sure I am not disturbing anyone or that I do not film without their consent. Certain scenes I am intending to film may cause distress to anyone unaware that I am filming so I need to always ensure any members of the public are aware of my intentions.

The safety of me and my actors is essential; some clips I plan to film could be potentially dangerous. It is my responsibility to make sure the actors are aware and ok with my intentions and more importantly that they are kept safe when filming.

As well as me and my actors, others I need to think about are the audience of my media product, my video is intended to feature some elements of violence, this could cause distress to some people that I must be take into account. I have previously looked in depth at various audience theories, for example the hypodermic needle theory states that content of a media text is ‘injected’ directly into the mind of an audience. Another is the effects debate this is the debate over just how much the media can affect not only our mind but our behavior e.g. a child playing a violent video game – results in child being violent. It states that we are a passive audience and are easily influence by what we see and take in, as my video is going to be including violent scenes, I must be careful they are not only suitable for the right age but that they do not have the effect to influence the behavior of my audience. 

Branding

I believe based on the fact i have used similar images throughout my products I feel the products as a whole would have the potential to be a brand. Especially with the used of a unique logo that could be subtly applied to various potential merchandise to help it become a recognisable brand logo. 

Costume Designs

With My main character chosen I began on my costume designs:

Costumes are very important when making a video, they can indicate a different time of each clip for example the a character wearing different sets of clothes indicates that each scene took place a different times, they can also portray the image and personality of the characters which then helps portray the story line.

When deciding on what kind of character I wanted to feature in my music video, I found that many music videos a similar sound a feel to mine often use male actors, I have decided that my main character is going to be a female in order to be different, I also think the overall story line of my video will work better with a female actor, and I feel more can be done with a female actor in order to portray their personality and image through their makeup jewellery, painted nails etc.

The character in my music video is very depressed and angry at various things happening in her life, this is shown through the various clips of her recent past, with this in mind I feel that her main costume needs to be rather dark and show a lack of caring for what she looks like. The main costume is what I intend her to be wearing throughout most of the video and for the more main scenes that are happening chronologically, the remaining flashback or memory clips will be using a different costume to show they were from the past but will follow the same theme as the main costume as being rather basic dark and dull.

Main Costume

Shoes

Many teenagers often wear very expensive shoes such as converse or vans, I have decide to have my actor in common black boots, this is to make her appear as if she either cannot afford or doesn't care about the more fashionable clothes.

Jeans

I intend to have my actor in very basic common jeans probably quite dirty and maybe with a few rips, to appear as if she wears them a lot and similar to the shoes cannot afford or isn't bothered about wearing high end jeans.

Eyes & Nails

Her nails will be painted in a dark colour most likely black, they will be slightly chipped. Stereo typically black nails paint shows a girl to be quite aggressive and miserable etc. Her eye makeup will also be dark, black, silver and blue.

Top

I will have my character in a dark typical hoody/jacket, possibly a band hoody, throughout the video she will be shown with the hood up, and looking very enclosed, almost as a 'stereotypical’ teen, hands in pockets, hood up headphones on, excluding themselves from the world. 

Actors

With my ancillary task now complete, I began working on the planning of filming my promotional video, starting with my possible actors.

Here are just a few of my potential actors, for my main character I would like a female actor, I will also need either 1 or 2 extra actors to be used for the fast arguing scenes. I Think it would be good to here use one male and one female actor.

Chosen:

Here is my main chosen actor, she will be the actor for the main scenes of the video, I have chosen this person as my main character as I feel she has the right look for the part, the song is alternative rock and the overall genre of my video is also alternative rock I feel out of my possible female actors she was the best fit. Also in terms of practicality this would be a wise choice as many of the other actors do not live near me or have busy schedules, and I must chose an actor I can rely on.