Audience Feedback for Rough Cut 1

On the discussions board of the facebook page there has been a couple of feedback posts.

'i like the silent bit at the beggining, and thinks its mysterious/intriging that you dont' see emily's face for a while. i like the bit at the end of the 30 secs with the quick bits of different musical instruments.
hope that helps in some way :s'

'I also like the musical instruements that looks awsome and so does the car doors openiing etc. Also I like the bit and how it looks like a recording studio. However, I think there is too much silence at the begining and I like the idea of her setting up but i don't think u need the huge walk. Also I didn't get the car radio bit you would be better to shoe that you are turning on the radio but the song u have chosen plays out and you flash between in the car and in the studio. I hope this helps.'

'Opening's great... exactly what the first comment says. Although the continuity of the car doors isn't really right... One of the back doors is open before the person opens it! And can you actually fit a whole drum kit in the back with someone?'

This helps me to gain a better understanding of what the audience does and does not like and therefore helps me to improve the rough cut with the rest of the group.

I am hoping to gain more feedback than this but this is a start to helping us improve our video.

Audience Feedback for rough cut

I have made a Facebook page to help gain fans for our video and band and also to gain feedback easily. I have uploaded the rough cut to this page and also created a discussion on the discussions boards for easy access to people's comments. I have then sent a message to friends to check out the page and video and leave any comments they may have on the discussion board.

The message i sent out was the following:
'Please visit the Facebook page 'Said The Hatter'
please watch the video rough cut 1 then on the discussion boardleave comments about it.
Does it make you want to continue to watch?
Which bits do you and don't you like?
Can you give us anymore ideas?'

Evaluation of Progress

As a group we have had our ups and downs with the issues with locations and cast. However I feel that we have worked through this powering along and keeping focused. Although still a little behind with our filming I feel (as the rest of the group do) that we have been successful so far with the filming that we have carried out. We have captured at least an hours worth of footage and have began editing this to create our final video.
A personal positive for me I feel has been keeping the group on track and focused. Once we have decided on a task I keep the others focused and motivated to complete that task - as once this is complete then we can move onto the next.
Another personal positive for me has been coming up with both location ideas and also mise en scene ideas to help us to get the best for our music video as well as indepth analysis of other artist's music videos.
A personal negative for me within the group has been having a full understanding of the meaning and the imagry within the track, however with the request of the meaning from the artists and also help from both Jonny and Henry I feel that I am gaining a better understanding everytime I listen to the track.

So far in this project I have personally progressed with the use of Final Cut Express. I have experimented with it and have learnt both how to use split screen and also the 'Bad TV' effect to create the CCTV camera image.
I have also learned how to use the new HD cameras and how to upload the footage onto final cut express.

As a group we still need to finish filming and also gain audience feedback. We have the very ending of our storyboard to write down, however we know what is going to happen, so for filming purposes the end of the storyboard is not required. - this will be finished in due course.

Artist Analysis for Music Video and Digipack

No Doubt: This image is something we should take inspiration from. This shows the band playing their instruments, all wearing suits (all tied
together by the theme of black and white).


Paramore: This image shows the four band members lying in the middle of the road. I believe this is something we should recreate as it encapulates the bare, abandoned, lonely feel that our video shows. The band members keep their individuality by the costumes they are wearing, however the lead singer catches the eye as she is nearest the camera and is the only one wearing white and therefore more visable.

Elements of both these photos can be used:

- mise en scene (both)
- location (paramore)
- sight lines (paramore)
- iconography (both)

Feedback

As part of my audience feedback i sent The Riot Tapes a facebook message asking them to check out our first rough cuts on YouTube and their response was:

'It's awesome!!!

More, more, more!!!'

This feedback from the artist themselves is important to use because it gives us the motivation and also shows us that we are on the right track and that the artist is please with what we have achieved so far.

Filming and Editing

Today due to the weather we have been unable to film all the footage which we set out to do.

After a rather long and lengthy upload we have manage to put a small part (around 30 seconds) of our video, a rough cut, on to youtube.

Click here or look below to see what we've accomplished and leave any feed back as either a comment on this post or on the video itself or in any other format such as a facebook message to one of us or an email.

We have sent links to our friends and asked for audience feedback on what they do and don't like and also what we could do to improve the sequence.

Filming

Today was a good day in terms of what filming we got done. We managed to secure the first small sequence and collected lots of footage. To do this we had to conduct ourselves with the care takers for we had to 'construct' a part of our set by removing a dividing board between rooms and setting up a 'sound deck' for use in our filming. These were the decks that were found in drama for use in this capacity.

The costume was revised to what we felt looked best out of the selection of clothing which we had.
This ended up being skinny jeans, a long white off the sholder top and vans.

The images below show some of the photos which Grace took while filming was going on.

Issues with the location and cast

We have had many issues with our coursework due to problems with locations, cast and also lighting.
However we have overcome these in many ways and anything that becomes a problem we have taken as it comes.
The location Grace suggested as a replacement for the drama studio we feel will not have the same effect so if we can we will use the drama studio, however if there are problems with this we will resort to using Grace's location.

Lighting

I have been thinking about lighting. Lighting is vital to our video as it creates atmosphere and also helps for the images within the video to be seen.

For the recording studio scene I think that the artificial ceiling lighting should be effective in this scene because in recording studio this is the type of lighting that is used.

For the Street scene we can use car headlights and also hopefully the street lights will give us enough light to help if we film when it is becoming dusk.

For the performance scene we need bright light to light up the band and also reflections of light off of the metal on the drum kit and guitar will create interesting effects.

For the silhouette scene we will need lighting from the font onto a white sheet of which we can then film.

For the car scene - this has already been filmed and with the natural lighting of the sun this created enough light to capture the car.

For the bar scene, the spot lights in the ceiling should light Emily at the bar and also the natural lighting from the window should create light on her face and illuminate her expression.

Cast

Unfortunately as Sean is now unavailable when we are going to be filming we have decided it would be most convenient to use Grace's brother, Joe, due to his availability. So due to him not having good knowledge of the track Jonny will be play the drums and Joe will play the keyboard.

Filming Schedule

Due to issues we have been having we have had to again revise our filming schedule.
Here is our new plan:

Thurday Afterschool 21/10/10
15.30 - Emily in Recording Studio

Friday Afterschool 22/10/10
15.30 - 16.50 - Skate Park - Joe, Sam, Jonny - Costume needed
Getting picked up from school in 6th form car park.
Pick up at 15.10 outside sixth form. Going to Great Dunmow - hour filming at skate park
Drive back to Newport

17.00 - dusk/18.30
Filming in Newport - Emily in shoot
Same costume needed, following on from earlier
Emily in shoot

Half Term
(TUES 26th - WED 27th)
Any and all shots of Emily alone, outside of recording studio/performance scenes

After Half Term
Organise shooting for silhouettes and performance scenes

"Said The Hatter" Artist Logo

When we were thinking about our artist's image and digipacks today, I also drew up a logo for our artist (albeit very basic). I was basing it on the Arctic Monkeys logo from their album Favourite Worst Nightmare, which has jagged edges and is quite wacky:

 I am aware that mine is not quite so good, but I still want to have our band image/logo/iconography to have a colourful, weird and random aspect to it - to conform to the independent 'indie' genre. Here is my initial idea for "Said The Hatter", even if the logo is weak, the principles it draws upon could be taken into account:

DigiPack Planning for our Artist

We have been discussing how to present and represent our artist "Said The Hatter" in our digipack. It is at a very basic at the moment but we hope to expand on these ideas further once filming is underway. Here is a spider diagram of the ideas we came up with:

The ideas discussed here although basic, help us to create an image for our band and also help the audience to see the reasons for using this title.

Audience Feedback

I have started to collect some audience feedback on our song, as it seems as though this has been missed out during our planning stage.
Though Facebook I haveasked for (and received) audience feedback on the song, specifically:

• Whether they personally liked the song
• There genre preference
• What age group would listen to the song / the target audience
• What gender (if so) is this song aimed at
• Would it make any difference to sales if the band were to become signed

DigiPack Analysis and Research

Due to problems regarding the cast being unavailable to film and certain props and locations also being unavailable, I have decided to look ahead and start researching into what is included in an album package or digipack.


Here are three examples of digipacks/albums presented by artists within the music industry, which I will look into (ahead of putting together our own digipack):

• Linkin Park  (Alternative Rock/Nu-Metal) - Meteora - Enhanced CD for the same reason as Oasis
• You Me At Six (Alternative Rock) - Hold Me Down
• Oasis (Brit Pop) - Time Flies 1994-2009 - Special Digipack, made for those fans want something extra other than the conventional CD of the 16 or so hits

Linkin Park - Meteora

Front Cover: This album cover shows a young man (subtle hint about target audience) with a graffiti can, which has connotations of layering paint. This is just like the heavy levels of sampling and production that were involved in the sound of this album. The scaffolding in the album art may represent the ‘music in the making’ similar to buildings, as they also have to be constructed.

Middle Cover (within CD case): This image shows a close up of several spray can tops, continuing the theme of this image (prop) being shown throughout the digipack. Exactly like the front cover, this image helps to portray the large amount of sampling involved in the sound of the album because of the purpose of this item.




Back Cover: Tracklist on the left hand side. It also shows that this particular CD is ‘enhanced’, equipped with bonus features that were not present on the original version of the album. This allows the audience to get ‘closer’ to the band as they are allowed to see how the album was constructed, it also gives them the feeling of exclusivity i.e. not everyone will hold this album with these particular features. By the artist releasing this CD and allowing the audience to get ‘closer’ to them, it strengthens the relationship between them. This relationship would be proven as audiences will feel more obliged to go to their concert or purchase merchandise or further CDs, improving sales numbers for the artist.

Inlay:

Picture of Band Members: The picture is divided into six: one space/image for each band member. This allows them to showcase their different personalities but also showcases the band’s solidarity as the six images are still only shown as one whole one.

Lyrics and Comments: This shows the lyrics to the song, something which is repeated for all others on the album. It also writes about the constructing of the song in one paragraph, so the audience feel more attached to the work of the artist as they now have a deeper insight into the lengthy processes of making it.

Middle Page: Montage shot showing ‘snippets’ of what it is like being in a band, making the artist have power and become the envy of the audience. This helps to show the band’s position, illustrating their success. It can also personalise the band so that they are more accessible to the audience.

You Me At Six - Hold Me Down

Front Cover: This image on the front cover includes an explosion of colour coming from the centre (of looks to be a person) possibly signifying pouring their heart and soul into both the record and the
relationship (on which the album’s music is based). It shows a man posed in the crucifix position with arms out wide, showing he may be giving up, however this could also depict an angel (as his saviour). It looks as though a female is placed by his left shoulder indicating she was his inspiration for this album. The artist and album name look as if they have been written on a piece of scrap paper and held up by some tape. This may illustrate the state of mind of the lead singer about this relationship,  that the bare minimum has been done to hold the paper up i.e. he is just about surviving (linking back to him in the crucifix position). It is interesting to note that the front does not show an image of the band, but this band are not from the indie genre so different conventions may apply.

Back Cover: The track names have been written on scrap paper and held up by tape once again, showing a thread of consistency and theme throughout the album (from front to back)


CD: It continues with the main colour theme of green from the album as well as the image of roses. A hatching effect has been added to this image in order to please the audience as it is now more aesthetically pleasing but also to show that (the rose – signifying that love is blossoming) his love has been tainted and is no longer pure.

Inlay:

First Page: The first page continues theme of love/loss with images of red roses placed on the end of the pages, possibly signifying the start and end of a relationship which is further eluded to by the music on the album

Second Page: The second page shows a picture of the band in the centre of the page (on the centre page of the inlay). It gives the audience to visualise the band and start to build a personal relationship with them. All the band members are looking straight forward to (you), the lead singer is shown slightly off-centre possibly conforming to a music stereotype.

Oasis - Time Flies 1994-2009


This album is different from the usual presentation of an album or digipack as it is a greatest hits collection; it comemerates the existence of this band for the duration of the 15 years they made music. 

Front Cover: This digipack is presented as a special digipack for those who paid extra for additional on the album like: the music videos of all 27 singles on the album, the band's last ever live gig recorded as well as the 2-Disc album of songs itself. Therefore the digipack is presented as a box and not as a conventional CD (to differentiate between the two editions but to also give those fans who bought this edition something extra) however the front cover design does not differ from the original edition to the extended edition.
It illustrates the band's iconic iconography in the top left hand corner, which has appeared on the majority of their previous studio albums. This helps to identify with and please their (built up) fanbase as this has almost become an expectation of this particular artist. It shows the crowds at a packed out Oasis gig eagerly awaiting their arrival (similar to the person who bought this record eagerly awaiting to hear the music). It helps to convey the size of the band within the industry, it is a bold statement playing on the reputation of the band and does not even require any images of the band members on the front cover.

Back Cover: The back cover's image is the reverse of the front cover - where audiences were waiting to hear the music, now the gig (and album) has finished, it demonstrates the clear up at the end of the concert. This may also indicate to audiences that the album is supposed to be presented as a live performance (in as much as the presentation and track listing, not the sound). So the theme of a concert has been started and ended as we 'journey' through the album. This is something I would want to consider when creating our digipack.

CD: The CDs are contained in pockets. On these, there are audience members shown at an Oasis live concert, maintaining the strong theme of celebrating this band's work and it being illustrated as another gig.

Inlay: The digipack is also sold with a booket, inside it shows quotes from fans of the band which again enhances the status of the band. On the first page (important as as introduction) there is a picture of a fan holding a Union Jack flag indicating this global band's origins, something which they are proud of and (obviously) want to illustrate.

All of this may have been done to 'preserve' the band's legacy in years to come.

 

Locations and Lighting

As we were informed yesterday that the drama studio lights are out of use we decided that we were still able to use the drama studio but bring in some of our own lights instead. However, as the lights have not been saftey tested we are unable to use these to do this.
However, I think I may have come up with another solution although I will have to consult the group on this. This i think could work in terms of making it a performance space.

Storyboard

Below is a video of our storyboard. It is not to time as each poststick note represents a shots so some of these will be under a second in length.
This is not entirely finished. We have the last chorus and also the closing scene to add to this (we have been writing on poststick notes for 5 days!) but we are aware of what is going to happen in this for filming purposes, so will update this asap.

Risk Assessment

I have looked at the different risks of our filming and understand the dangers involved along with the safety of our actors and ourselves.

Transportation between locations:
The methods of transportation will be by car
This will be driven by myself as I have passed my test and have access to a car with full insurance, MOT and tax.

On location during filming, issues that may arise for actors are:
Injury or falling ill. Falling or tripping is the most likely source of injury during our filming process due to the location.
For both of these possible problems the way of dealing with them is to assess the injury by on site first aider. If injury needs treating locally (ice pack, cold water style treatment) then this will be seen to.

The actors are aware of what they are doing and will be asked to view the storyboard when posted so they have a full understanding of which parts they are involved in.

On location during filming, issues that may arise for crew are:
Injury or falling ill. Falling or tripping is the most likely source of injury during our filming process due to the location.
For both of these possible problems the way of dealing with them is to assess the injury by on site first aider. If injury needs treating locally (ice pack, cold water style treatment) then they will also be seen to.

However, at the skate park and also using the staging blocks within the drama studio there is the added risk of falling from a height and therefore great care must be taken when working at a height.

All members of crew will have a phone so that when moving between locations there is always contact in case of emergency.

Although not much of our video is outside if we end up in a situation with rain we will have access to rain coats and umbrellas to protect the cameras and equipment.

We should not have a problem with the theft of equipment because this will be kept on us at all times and most areas which are being filmed in there will be no one about but the cast and crew.

The main risk within our music video is the car scene because our lead cannot drive, however since this is shot at a distance, myself, having a licence, am able to drive in this scene and also since this is being shot on the farm we are able to do this safely away from busy roads which would out the rest of the crew at risk.

Another small risk is the use of industrial lights. However, we can control this risk by keeping an eye on how hot they are getting and taking breaks when they are getting hot.

Final Costume Choices

Here is a list of final costume choices for our music video decided on as a group.

Lead Singer - Emily
Costume 1 (Recording Studio)

• Denim Skirt
• Sleeveless Top
• Scarf
• Plimpsoles
• Ruffled hair style but refined to a point

Costume 2 (Performance)

• Black leggings
• Long top - white with logo
• Black pumps
• Neat, side parted hair (wavey or straight)

Costume 3 (Out and About)

• Skinny Light colour jeans
• Plain bright orange t-shirt
• Jacket (possibly leather style)
• Vans
• Ruffled hair

Guitarist - Sam

• Black Shirt
• Bright Yellow Tie
• Dark Jeans
• Smart shoes

Drummer - Sean

• Checkered Shirt/ Striped Shirt
• Dark Jacket
• Dark Jeans
• Trainers (Vans)

Keyboard - Jonny

• Yellow t-shirt
• Waistcoat (black)
• Grey Jeans
• Pointy Black shoes

Band

I was the one given responsibility to find the band members that would be needed to star in our video. The original 'line-up' was:

Emily Williamson
Jonny Beer
Sean Smith
Dan Atlee

Unfortunately it was recently brought to my attention that Dan is not going to be around for half of the filming. Due to this he has been (for want of a better word) replaced, by Sam Higgins. The line up now looks like this:

Emily Williamson

Jonny Beer

Sean Smith

Sam Higgins

Due to Sean's limitations however he is only available before Monday of half term. 

Location

Today we received rather unfortunate news of one of the locations we are planning to use. The lights in the drama studio which we were going to use for a part of our music video are not operational. This is due to the lights and lighting rig not being "pat-tested" to check the safety of the equipment.
We do however have a possible solution. This would involve using Grace's small industrial lights to light the studio. It may be possible to attach 'shields' on the lights as well as gels to change the colour and focus the light on certain subjects.

Also, due to the drama studio being booked out at lunch times and immediately after school by drama students we can only use it after 1630.

Storyboard

After much deliberation as a group we managed to out line a story board toward the end of last week. Since then I have been refining it to the point where it progresses for the most part shot by shot. To do this I have been in contact with Grace and Henry for reference and extra ideas. On top of this, at the weekend we spent some time working on it as well as filming.

Hopefully, it will be entirely finished with in the next few days.  

Car Practice

The video below is a practice of what we will be doing with Emily as the lead.

The only problem with this is that the sunlight is reflecting off of the window making it hard to see inside. Also if you stand directly in front of the window then you can see the camera's reflection in the video. The way of getting around this issue would to be to have the window down while this is filmed.

Filming

On Sunday we started our filming and below are the driving clips which we are going to use in our video and also the radio tuning which we are also going to use in our video. These are the original captured clips with the sound cut out - as the sound in these will not be used.
The driving clip where the car is driving away from the camera rather than towards the camera was a test as we were unsure whether or not this was going to work within our music video.

Final Filming Schedule

Unfortunately due to problems with both the drama studio and regarding which days Emily can make this week we have had to rethink and reschedule our times and storyboard.

In the drama studio due to insurance purposes we cannot use the lights however we are researching into using our own industrial work lights to create the effect.

Here is a revised filming schedule:

Monday 18th October

Lunch - N/A

Afterschool - N/A

Tueday 19th October

Lunch - N/A

Afterschool - N/A

Wednesday 20th October

Lunch - Practice silhouette

Afterschool - Go to skate park to film band members arriving and film perfoming - also instruements into and out of the car - Sean, Sam, Jonny needed

Thursday 21st October

Lunch - Drama Studio to film all band performing - Emily, Sean, Sam, Jonny needed (Emily appears from shadows part) - possibly running into period 5.

Afterschool - Film Recording Studio Scene - Emily Needed

Friday 22nd October

During half term

Sunday 24th October

Emily and band members out and about - Probably in Saffron Walden

If hasn't been filmed already then the skate park scene

Wednesday 27th October

Between approx. 11am-12pm film bar scene at Greenman

Lunch - Band Silhouettes - Sean, Sam, Jonny needed

Afterschool - Any extras that need filming before we leave for half term

Filiming Schedule

Monday 18th October
Lunch - Silhouette effect practice in drama studio with the band members
Afterschool - N/A

Tueday 19th October
Lunch - N/A
Afterschool - Film Recording Studio Scene - Emily Needed
P4 - set up the recording studio scene/ clear music 6
Jonny is cleaning but will be around

Wednesday 20th October
11-12 noon - Possibly film Greenman Scene if we can schedule it into timetable
Lunch - Drama Studio to film all band performing - Emily, Sean, Sam, Jonny needed (Emily appears from shadows part)
Afterschool - Go to skate park to film band members arriving and film perfoming - also instruements into and out of the car - Sean, Sam, Jonny needed

Thursday 21st October
Lunch - N/A
Afterschool - Emily and band members out and about - Probably in Saffron Walden

Friday 22nd October
TBC

Final Location List

• Drama Studio - for recording studio and performance
• Music Suite - for recording studio
• Dunmow Skate Park - for band performance
• Dunmow Car Park - for band arriving
• Track and Fields - Grace's house - car from a distance
• Bar (Greenman Resturant - Great Easton) - bar scene
• Inside Car - Tuning Radio
• Saffron Walden - town scenes
• Field

Final Props List

• 3 Lighting boards - drama
• 1 sound board - drama
• 1 studio style mic - music
• 1 stage style mic - music
• 1 mic stand - music
• Drum kit - Grace/music
• Keyboard - Grace/music
• Guitar - Sam
• Amps - music/Grace/Jonny
• Staging blocks - drama
• Radios x3 - Jonny/Miss Mapp
• Sliver coins
• Car - Grace

Industrial lights to light up drama studio

Achievements from today's time as a group

Today we have accomplished the following:

• Finalised the list of locations
• Finalised the props list
• Have written a filming plan
• Have been able to fit in filming the car scene
• Have visited the pub and spoken to the owner who has said he would be happy for us to use the bar however we only have certain times which we are able to use it and therefore need to find out from our lead Emily whether or not she will be able to make these times.

Unfortunately we have not yet been able to finalise the costume list because the time ran out but this will be finalised tomorrow.

We have test filmed a few sequences but we plan on doing this during the upcoming week before the official filming of the scenes.
We are still working on the storyboard however we hope to have this filmed and uploaded by Tuesday.

Also we have had some issues with out cast but fortunately we have been able to resolve these. While texting Dan to let him know when we are filming he told us he was not going to be available next week which meant that we had to find a new band member. After thinking about which guitar players we knew we were able to contact Sam Higginson, who fortunately is able to take Dan's place and works to the same time scale as Sean and so is available when Sean is.

Looking at the weather our filming plan fits to the weather which is beneficial because natural sunlight helps to make the detail within the scene stand out and helps with less of a need to artificial light.

Meeting 5 - Things to accomplish

Today we need to

• Finalise the storyboard
• Finalise locations
• Finalise props and costumes
• Write a filming plan
• Test Film in locations
• If time film car scene and visit pub

Locations

As part of our music video we have the need to film in a bar.
Unfortunatly I have not yet had the chance to visit the pub while it has been open so instead I have decided to email them.
Here is the message which i sent. - I will try and visit the pub in the next couple of days. Maybe we can do it as a group on Sunday while test filming and finishing off the details.
This location is vital to our storyline as it will be used to illustrate the lyrics and amplify them in the music video.

Costume for Our Music Video (Possible)

Here is an initial list (will be added to once our whole group has met on Sunday - 17/10/10) of the costume of all the cast of our music video. This will provide a lot of the mise-en-scene within the video however it will also be added to by: the editing e.g. special effects and lighting.

1) Lead Singer (Emily)

Outfit 1
(Start - recording studio - journey from rehearsal to "making it"?)
Skiny Jeans
Indie Pumps

Outfit 2
Colourful Dresses (influenced by those from "Alice in Wonderland")
Red Lipstick (Add to the vintage representation)
Nail Varnish

Outfit 3
(Going Out)
Sparkly Dress (Black?)

2) Guitarist (Sam)

• Waistcoat - portraying a fashionable, smart, clean, crisp look which could be imitated by fans/audience 
• Ripped Jeans - provides a good contrast of smart and casual in combination with the waistcoat
• Shiny Shoes
• Smart Shirt / Logo(ed) T-Shirt 

For Example:

  This image will smarten up the genre and then the video he is shown in.

3) Drummer (Sean)

• Chequered Shirt (Coloured) Sleeves rolled up
• Jeans
• Vans

4) Keyboard (Jonny)

• Bright T- Shirt / logo(ed)
• Grey/Dark Cardigan (I do not have this item of clothing, so I have asked a friend to supply one for the purposes of this video)
•  Hat (Trilby)? - I do not want to overplay the costume as it will not seem believable but a small item like this may add to the band's indie (therfore independent and individual) image. Also, if I told the same person to wear a hat and a waistcoat it may seem to contrived. However, if these pieces of costume are given out equally to the band members then it may seem more natural - as if the band themselves have chosen their costume for the video.

Props and Equipment

To film our video we will need to following equipment to create meaning and also bring the lyrics to life in the images:

• Video Camera
• Tripod
• Lights and coloured gels
• Digital Camera - to take the promotional pictures

In every scene to keep the continuity throughout we are going to need a radio - modern and vintage

For the recording studio scene of the video we will need the following props:

• Drop Mic
• Sound/ Lighting Board
• Headphones
• Radio
• Amp?

For the scenes with the band we are going to need:

• Drum Kit
• Microphone
• Keyboard
• Guitar
• Radio

For the bar scene we will need:

• Glasses
• Drinks Bottles
• Bar Stools
• Radio

For the desert road scene we will need a car.

Lyrics Video

Using final cut express I have put together the lyrics and the song into one clip so that it can be easily viewed.
As a group we can now annotate this video adding ideas and information to it.

Final Cut Express Practice

Below is a video of some techniques that we are thinking about for our music video that Ii have been practicing. Also carrying out this task has allowed me to familiarise myself with final cut express again.

Costume

Although Henry is doing costume for next time we meet Ii have had some ideas and wanted to note them before they were forgotten.
Costume is important to our genre as it helps to portray the genre and also gives the mand members a type of character - in our case the smater image. It is also important as it has an influence on how the fans dress.
As we plan on having three band members (all male) as well as Emily as the lead singer I think that each band member needs to have a different type of outfit to protray the indie genre. If their outfits are too similar their individuality will be lost within the music video.



This image is an example of individuality. Each band member is wearing something different.
Shirt and Tie
T-shirt
Shirt
Lead in sloganed t-shirt

The outfits for the male band members should include:

1. Waistcoat, Bight T-Shirt, Jeans, Pointed Shoes, Some sort of hat
2. Plain T-shirt e.g. white, Leather Jacket, Jeans and Vans
3. Checkered Shirt, Tie/ Scarf, Jeans, Trainers

These images will allow the artists be represented and remebered by the fans and the audience who are likely to take the band image into account.

Emily as the lead, having to be part of different scenes, will need more than one outfit.

• Night out Outfit - dress/ skirt and nice top - sequins
• Recording Stuido outfit - denim skirt, sleveless top, boots
• Performance outfit - Skinny Jeans, Slogan t-shirt, flat pumps

This can all be linked back to one of my previous posts on indie dress - http://nfgspuma.blogspot.com/2010/09/indie-dress.html

Current Chart Positions

I was searching for the current chart positions (for singles). This image shows the top 16 at this moment in time - what I note is that with the exception of No. 7 "Kings of Leon - Radioactive" there are no songs representing the indie genre. Even then, Kings of Leon are more rock based, so it could be said that indie is not popular at with any audiences at present.

If you look at the artist that are there, you have Travie McCoy, Eminem/Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Taio Cruz and Tinie Tempah that are all seen as artists from the RNB/Rap genre. This is overwhelming preference in terms of genre, this maybe because record labels are 'cashing in' on this wave that is currently going on. Indie is not representated by an artist there possibly because the music is more "independent" i.e. underground and not mainstream and appreciated by a band's fanbase and not general audience members.

Storyboard (possible shots)

I (Henry) was researching similar artists and videos to see what shots were incorparated into the video and how this was done. I also kept an eye on the mise en scene for indie based bands such as "One Night Only":

The song "Just For Tonight"  provided me with research information about the camera angles, editing and mise en scene used.



This long shot could be demonstrated in our video in a similar way than the one shown here. It shows the all band members walking away from the camera, however the lead singer is shown facing the audience. This could be seen as audience interaction - something we wish to illustrate in our video




This piece of editing could be shown in our video where the lead singer is seen walking on her own "Smoke words blend repeat". linking the narrative (lead singer) and performance (band) parts of the video.

This a generic convention of all music videos. This image also shows the artist wearing a black jacket (indie style) which is what is an item one of our band members could wear - 



This shot shows the four band members together in a mid shot. They have been shot from the front and then shown walking past the camera (before this image) when the camera tracks them from behind. The band are silouetted as they walk away as a group, showing their solidarity. It also gives the audience a sort of album shot within the video so they can appreciate them as a whole.  This is shot we could use as Emily walks away from the band, we can pan around showing the 3 male band members left behind.

I (Grace) have also been researching in techniques used in other music videos which could be used in our music video. The list on the following website (http://www.the-top-tens.com/lists/best-british-indie-bands.asp) shows the top ten best British indie bands. I have tried to look at these to see what effective techniques have been used that will help gain popularity with the band.

In the music video Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis, the image created at the start with the stage perfomance is similar to the image we want to create through performance near the end of our video, with the apperance of each individual band member. However in our video we want to have the instrument players in a silhouette and Emily as the lead artist appearing as they are playing.



The shot shows the three band members in the spotlights and as
described above we could use a similar technique in our video but with
the appearance of Emily instead of each band member. The shot also
shows the band members looking at each other and performing, having
fun, but also sightlines come into play here because they never look
directly at the camera.
Also again as an indie band you can see their individual style of dress through their performance.

In the same video they also use closeups of band members and their instruments which is a another technique we want to use in our video.



The image shows the main singer close up to the microphone
and although it is not a real CU, his hat and most of his torso is
cut out of the image.

Editors are another indie band who use a technique which we are going to try and put into our music video. The image below is taken from their track Papillon.



This image shows the artist running and this connects with the beginning of the track where the artist is running, both times down a road altough the setting is slightly different. Although we do not want to put running into our video, the technique used about linking the beginning and the end is what we want to put into our music video, where our video opens with Emily in the recording studio putting on the headphones and then closes with Emily taking off the headphones.

Although Take That are not exactly part of the indie genre, in their music video Rule The World they have a similar recording studio set up to the one we want to make for our music video.

This image shows the lead artist in a 'booth' style recording studio and the rest of the music video incorperates props that we wish to use in our music video for example the sound board. This video is about the band recording their track. Also towards the end of the video it shows the artists and the band playing within the small recording stuido space.

Band Image

I was researching into the band image (and mise en scene). I was inspired by this image for specifically the 3 guys in our band. This image shows 4 guys (from The Kooks) wearing fairly dark clothes, with the odd splash of colour (i.e. the cardigan and the long sleeve t shirt). One of the band members is also wearing a hat - which would conform to our band's artist image, taking inspiration from "alice in wonderland". This image illustrates how our male band members will look within the video, I was thinking of making their image more rebellious (i.e. cigarettes, shown in the picture). This could then work with the female lead singer adding the innocence to the band - and commercial element in order to sell. This would then make our female artist will the focus of the shots, she would add more of the colour to the whole band image

Reelclever

After having a play around with reelclever I feel that it is not going to benefit us to use this as we are unable to allow our work in progress to be viewed. I feel that it would be best to continue to work on the blog.

Creating the silhouette

As part of our storyboard it was mentioned that we wanted to create a silhouette of the band and their instruments. We can do this in the drama studio by using the projector connected to the mac laptop if we want an image behind them or by just simply using the white sheet avaliable and using a light to create the silhouette's on the white sheet.
An example of a silhouette can be seen in the music video Wow by Kylie Minogue, however in her video she only has one performer when the technique is being used.

Personal Progress

I feel that i have made good progress with the use of technology this year so far. I have learnt how to use prezi and improved my skills on photoshop.

I feel that I however need to improve my organisation (in terms of filming) and also continue with extra research.

By next time

We plan to meet on Sunday (17th) to finish any unfinished business and also put together a film plan as well as practice film to test the lighting and techniques.

For Sunday:

Write up storyboard - Jonny
Costume List - Henry
Props List - Grace

Plan of Action

We still need to:

• Finish Storyboard
• Costumes, mise en scene and props (lighting)
• Final location decisions
• Filming Plan

Facebook

I have been checking out the original artists facebook page http://www.facebook.com/TheRiotTapes and have left them the following message:

Images

On photoshop today i spent time changing the colour of the image below to make it fit more in with the image of the lyrics 'took the long road into the desert'. I have adjusted the colour balance to make the image more yellow however i feel that it has not created the effect that i hoped for.

Original Image



 

Editied image



Cast

Here is a list of our cast:

• Emily Williamson - Lead Singer
• Daniel Atlee - Guitarist
• Sean Smith - Drummer
• Jonny Beer - Keyboard?

Filming Idea

Today at lunch i went to take some of the last photos in terms of location. While doing this I managed to find some potentially useful props: three old lighting decks and one very old piece of recording equipment. I was thinking that if we wish to create a sound recording studio feel then using these as a part of the shot would cement some of the vintage feel to the text. The fact that they are also rather 'old school' furthers this tailored vintage feel.

Filming Ideas

I have had the idea that if for any reason we are unable to take the board down between the drama studio and the music suite room there is the possibility of filming through the window in the lighting box and as the lighting box has much equipment for example lighting boards and also headphones this would be suitable to make look like a recording studio.

Meeting 4 - 13/10/10 (Location Scouting)

Today we went out and took photos of places that we thought may fit in with out storyboard. The images can be viewed on photobucket.

Grace had another idea for an artist name:
The Road to Nowhere.

We have still to take photos of the school drama studio as another location to film at.

Meeting 3 - 11/10/10 - (Storyboarding and ideas)

On Monday we spent time working on the storyboard and coming up with ideas for the lyrics and the overall video and also the techniques to use within the video. Please note that this is our first full run through of our storyboard.Ideas (and therefore shots) are still at an early stage and are likely to be changed before filming.

The images below show our work from Monday:


"Poured my head into the stream"
CU of Lead singer's (Emily) face at "stream"
Silouette profile shot looking up

"Shouted let me start again"
CU of Emily at "Let Me", MS at "start", LS at "again"

"Men of sin where does it end"
Emily in recording studio (Black and White hue?)
Overlay silouetted shot of other band members
(3- Point Lighting)

"I will give you all my dreams"
Other band members brought to the foreground (silhouetted)
Fill Light up, Key Light up

Reverb (at bridge)
Camera still ...
Drum and Lights up (performance)

"Smoke words blend repeat" (4x)
(1) Emily with the band, different shots of Emily (as the lead singer)
(2) and (3) Cycle through the other band members whilst performing (slow montage)
(4) Shots where the lyrics "words blend" are shown to audience, as they are sung by Emily

(Instrumental part of song)
Cycle through performance shots but intertwine this with shots of the band as a whole on a night out - exploring/doing something?

"God knows I want to go home"
Emily comes forward singing to camera: CU, MS, OTS Shot.

"With a bucket for my bones"
Emily walking away from group (LS / MS)
Shot of her looking towards the camera (smiling, interacting with audience through camera)
then look back to the group (OTS / shot of other members of the group laughing, joking)

"Money full of dry holes"
OTS shot continued
Two shot (MS) of some of band members
Single shot (MS) on the other face
(other band members - all boys - then catch up with Emily who is walking away)



(Duplicate - covered this in the above captions)



(Duplicate - covered this in the above captions)

"With a bucket for my bones" (line lasts for 4 seconds)
Emily arrives out of the studio (after rehearing her song)
Other band members arrive (somewhere)
4 shot montage at bands location, CU of their faces
Camera then tracks them focuses on fashion of costume (mise en scene aspect / "Alice in Wonderland - waistcoats, tophats, shiny shoes)
Emily is seen out and about, singing the last word "bones"

"Money full of dry holes" (3 seconds)
CU of money (silver coins - to try and catch the flickering effect on camera and can be found in mass numbers) falling through (a) hand (slow motion)
Emily standing arms out to her sides, shows a grin to the audience

"Left everything in the back of the car" (4 seconds)
Band's Instruments are in car, they go back to get them
See members of band (3) grab their instruments (guitar, keyboard, maybe drumsticks/snare drum to represent the whole drum kit) - CCTV Shot (voyeuristic, being watched) in black and white, aiming  for grainy effect

"Drank everything within the hour"
(in bar or walking alone - showing her depression/loneliness)
360 degree rotation (around Emily's face) then over her head / (High Angle) Over her head then 360 degree rotation (around Emily's face)

"Played the radio..."
LS of band (High Angle), Walking to the sound of the radio
Shot showing band member physically turning up the radio (vintage)
Follows in to guitar solo (band member shown playing guitar)

"Smoke words blend repeat" (4x)
(1) Emily singing in street on her own
(2) band performing with their instruments
(3) Emily singing...
(4) band performing, specifically focused on drummer (worm's eye view/low angle)

"Took the long road in to the desert"
CU/MS showing car driving on an abandoned track
ELS showing car going away with dust cloud behind it
LS then MS finally revealing the driver (Emily, the lead singer)

"Where I found a river fell beside it"
(shot of Emily walking beside river - depending on location(s) available)

The lyric sheets they we printed off containing notes on possible ideas in different parts of the song