Leaves

Although it wasn't in our original plan we decided to add Ana throwing leaves at the camera as part of our music video, the reason for this is because we was in the trees and thought this would help add to the wintry theme that our music video was heading. Although this wasn't our original plan i think it will benefit us when we edit our music video as we could add some special effects to the shot. Below is some pictures before and after Ana had thrown the leaves.

I feel we will benefit greatly from doing extra shots that wasn't part of our original plan as it will be extra footage and as the balloon shots weren't successful we will need more shots to fill in the gaps, therefore doing shots like this will make our music video better.

Balloons..

When we me and Alice was researching and planning the shots that we would have in our music video we really like the idea of balloons in the background whilst we was singing. Not only would this look good but it would also fit in with our pop theme and therefore appeal to our target market. On the day that we filmed the weather was dry but was too windy for the balloons, however we didn't realise this until we had pumped them all up. Here are some of the photos we took on the day of us attempting the balloon idea.    

                               

Here is Alice and Ana blowing up the balloons, yes we used a pump it would have been too difficult blowing up 6 3foot balloons by ourselves!

Here is Alice and Ana trying to hold the balloons still once we had blown them all up

The balloons were impossible to control meaning we couldn't get the shots we wanted to for our video, this may be a problem when we edit our music video as we might not have enough footage. I am glad we tried the balloon idea however the weather wasn't suitable for it and so if we was to do our music video again i would have made sure we filmed on a day where there wasn't any wind or filmed in doors to avoid this happening.

Weather on the day of filming :(

On the day that we filmed our music video we was a bit unlucky with the weather . In the morning when we was filming all of our field shots the weather was bit cold but nothing terrible and it stayed dry. However once it got to the afternoon it rained and made everything very muddy. This was when we was meant to be filming the shots for our video in the trees. Me and Alice found a nice area that we thought would look good for one of our shots in the video, little did we know that the mud was thick and a bit like quick sand due to the rain which is when i sunk into it and got very muddy. Below is the pictures we took after my traumatic experience of sinking in the mud!

Evidence that our work is our own..

On the day of filming i took some pictures of Alice filming Ana for our music video, this is evidence that the work we have produced is our own. This picture is taken just before Ana throws the leaves at the camera which we have incorporated into our actual music video.

This is a picture of me and alice with the camera we used to film our music video. As you can see it was very cold on the day of filming hence the reason for the coats and hats!

This is Alice and Ana posing for the camera, the setting behind them is what we used for some of the shots in our music video.

I think it was beneficial to take pictures of us filming just to prove that the work me and Alice have done and filmed is our own.

Day of filming

On the day of filming i picked Alice and her sister up at 9 o'clock, we then went to McDonald's to have some breakfast and then set off to High Beech. During the morning the weather stayed dry which was beneficial because we got a lot done, working our way through the shot list we created. As we decided to film during half term we thought it would be busy which was one of our concerns however there wasn't many people there on the day. This was an added bonus because we could film where we needed to without disturbing anyone or anyone getting in the middle of the shot, therefore speeding up the day.

We got to around 12 o'clock and realised the battery on our camera was going to die, we was only half way through filming the shots we needed to and so i started to panic a little bit! There was a pub just next to High Beech and so we thought we could ask to charge our camera whilst we had some lunch, although this was a set back because we could have finished filming a lot earlier if we hadn't have gone to charge it when we did we would have had to have come back  different day. Whilst we had lunch it rained but it had luckily stopped by the time we was ready too start filming again.

In the afternoon we filmed the shots we needed to in the trees, this was a benefit as it covered us from anymore rain that might have fallen. By this time High Beech was dead quiet as everyone would have wanted to avoid the rain, we manged to film the shots in the trees a lot quicker then before lunch. Once we had done to shots in the trees that we had planned to we took some pictures of us for our ancillary tasks,l we also need to create a website and didipak this was difficult as we had to take the pictures on self timer on the camera meaning we was limited to the type of shots we could do.

Once we had completed the shots we needed to in the trees we then went back to the field and took all the picture shots we needed to for our video, this was part of our original plan and so i had scheduled this into the day. We took 360 degree shots of each of us and shots of us walking towards the camera. Once we had took these we also took more shots of us for our ancillary tasks. Again these weren't as good as they could have been if someone had been there to take them.

Overall the day was successful we managed to complete our music video all in one day and managed to get some photos for our ancillary tasks. We only had one issue on the day which was the battery life of the camera and this didnt affect us majorly. We worked well as a team, by creating a shot list and filming schdeule it made the day much more organised and we knew what shots we needed to do and in what order.

Health and Saftey

Health and safety is something we are going to have to consider when we film for our music video. This is because we are planning on filming our music video all in one day and so need to ensure we get there safely and are safe once we are there. By doing this the day of filming is more likely to be successful.

The location that me and Alice have chosen I have only been to once and the roads are quite small and confusing. To avoid us getting lost and then wasting our day trying to find the location I have asked my dad if I can borrow his satnav so we get there the quickest and safest way. This is going to be especially crucial as I haven't been driving long and am not as confident on roads I haven't been down before.

 

Another health and safety precaution we are going to need to take is around the location. As we are going to be filming when the ground is wet and it rain frequently we are going to need to ensure we wear suitable shoes. However we also need to make sure we where shoes that are going to suit our target market as big wellies isn't going to appeal to young girls. It is important to wear sensible shoes especially as we are going to filming down a hill and in tress in which there wont be a lot of grass and mostly mud. By thinking about these health an safety measures we are going to be more prepared and if anything bad was going to happen on the daywear will be prepared and know how to deli with it.

Pictures of costumes

Before we started filming for our video we decided on what our outfits should wear, this was done during the planning stages. We did this because we wanted to look like we was actually part of a girl group and by wearing similar outfits we could establish this. On the day we planned to change outfits so we still looked similar. However on the day it was freezing and there wasn't any facilities for us to get changed therefore we stayed in the same outfit all day. Because we couldn't change outfits we instead decided to make sure we looked the same by all having t-shorts on, all having hats on, all having scarves on etc. Here are some images that i have screen shooted from our music video of the clothes we was wearing on the day of filming.

 

 

 

Although we looked quite casual in the music video i still feel we looked girly, with our hair down, make up done and the majority of our clothes being quite bright. Something which is associated with pop music. If we was to do this again i would have made sure that we choose somewhere to film where we could get changed, this may have also helped improve how realistic our music video was.

Pictures of location

As mentioned earlier we have decided the location of our music video to be High Beech in Epping. Here are some pictures of the location, we are going to be using both the fields and the trees:

 

Here are the field's we are going to film in.

 

Here are the tree's we are going to film in.

Pictures of Actresses

The actresses we are going to use is Myself, Alice and her sister Ana. The reason we choose to use us is because we won’t have to rely on anyone else to set a time and date to record our video, which will be one less stress to worry about. As we are both in media together we can sort out times to film when were both free or use the media lessons to film which means we will have more time to worry about the editing of our music video and our auxiliary tasks. Below is a photo of me, Alice and Ana:

 

 

Filming Schedule

In order to make the day filming go smoother i came up with a filming schedule. By doing this we won’t waste time on the day and can get all the shots we need to be done in an organised way. As you can see we have done all the shots without anyone in it first, then the shots with all of us together in the field and so on, we plan to follow this filming schedule properly on the day so we won’t miss out any shots and therefore wont struggle when editing because we know we have covered every second on the song.

Shot list for video

In order to make the day of filming go smoother me and Alice thought it would be a good idea to create a shot list; all the shots that are similar, filmed in the same area and have the same people in should be filmed together, one after the other. By doing this on the day we will save time, won’t have to keep moving about and changing people in the shots just to keep in order of the song. We first found out of the technique last year when we was thinking about representation and I found it useful as there is more of a structure and it is organised. By doing this on the day we will also be able to refer to it when editing as we will be able to see what shots we filmed in what order and so this could help us.

Storyboards for video

Me and Alice together produced a story board for our music video, on each section of the story board we have put what section of the song it is on and how many second the clip is, what lyrics we are supposed to be singing in that clip, who is in the scene, where it is being filmed either in the tree or fields and what the movement is. We have done this so on the day of filming we know exactly what we need to do, we will be able to sort out a filming sheet so we film all the trees scenes together at once and then all the field scenes at once therefore saving us time. These storyboards will also help us when we edit our music video because we will know exactly what the order is and what each clip should entail. Below are all the storyboards we have created for our music video, in total there is 71 shots, however 2 of these shots are picture shots and so in the end we will have more then 71.

Costume ideas

When me and Alice was looking at Florence and the machine's video of Shake it out we loved the outfits and costumes she and the other were in and thought we could use some of the ideas she has in her video in our own, here are some of the shots we liked:

We liked the use of the masquerade mask as we felt that it made the video look mysterious, this effect could work in our video. However as we are a girl pop group we will have to be the ones wearing the mask. Also we are not sure if the mysterious theme will work with the idea of a pop video. We could always try it out on the day of filming and see if it fits in with the theme when we edit it.

We loved the long dress in this shot and as me and Alice have just had our prom we could use our prom dresses to be able to achieve this shot. This will also suit our target market because we think they will be girly and so will love the idea of prom and dressing up, therefore this may make them more interested in our video.

As mentioned in the above shot we liked the use of long dresses, we also liked the fact the Florence runs across the screen in this shot with her long dress flowing behind her. This shot could also work in our video, we could again use our prom dressess and so therefore maybe something we consider when we come to planning our shots.

Location Ideas

Now that we know what song we are going to use for our music video we need to decide where we are going to film it. In the actual Pure Shores video there are clips from the film The Beach as this song was featured in the film. As the film was called The Beach there are many shots of the beach in the music video. Me and Alice discussed where we would like to film our music video and these are the options we have come up with:

- High Beech in Epping, we liked the idea of this location because the fields there are really open and the backgrounds will be clear therefore not running our Mis- en- scene. As well as this it isn’t far away and so we wouldn’t have to travel far to get there. This will also be an advantage because if we find we do not have enough shots or something doesn’t look right when we film it first of all we can always go back another day to film as it is only a 20 minute drive. A final reason we liked the idea of High Beech is because not only does it have open field it also has a forest next to it and so we could film a variety of shots which would make us seem that we are in 2 different locations therefore making our video look more professional.

- Southend on sea, we also liked this idea of this location to film our music video because we would be sticking to the theme of the original Pure Shores video. As Southend isn’t too far from where we will we would also be able to get here pretty easily too. When we was discussing locations we thought it would be a good idea to get shots of the sun rising at the beach, however this would mean we would need to get up at 5:30am to be able to get this shot. I like the idea of filming in Southend as the beach theme would work however the beach at Southend is very shingly and I think it would make our video looks unprofessional and grungy. Something we don’t want as we are trying to produce a pop music video.

After discussing what locations would work better and why me and Alice decided that High Beech would work better, not only because it is easy to get to and we could go there at any time if needs be but because we can also film in two different settings which would make our video look more professional.

Balloon idea

When we did our research on Rihanna, we noticed the ballons in the background in some of her shots, which we feel helped estbalish that the video was pop themed. We liked this idea as balloons are always associated with fun and we want our pop video to be fun so it appeals to our target audience. As you can see in the screen shot we have took below the balloons are big and therefore stand out in the background. We liked the fact that Rihanna was the main focus but there was still something going on it the background. After talking about what kind of shots we could have in our video we decided to try out the ballons but not in the same way Rihanna has used them, to help establish that our video is pop.

 

 

This is the packet of balloons we brought of Ebay, they can reach a size of 3ft and so could be intresting to try and blow up on the day of filming.

Soft Focus idea

In media one day me and Alice was looking at other music videos on YouTube and came across Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans. In this video there is a couple of shots when the person at the front is out of focus but softly and the object/ person behind is in focus. We both really liked this shot and so searched on Google how it is achieved through IMovie as this is the program we will be using to edit our own videos, to see if we could achieve it in our own music video. Below is the shot we saw from the video that we liked:

 

This is the web page we found explaining how to use the soft focus effect on IMovie, when we attempt to edit our video we are going to try out using this effect in hope that it makes our video look professional.

Planning of the lyrics

As well as planning the different shots we could use from the lyrics me and Alice also planned out the lyrics, deciding who would sing what part of the song, we found out how long each verse and chorus went on for and how long each part of the song that didn't have any lyrics went on for. By doing this it would help us when we planned our storyboards because we know how long each part of the song went on for. This would also help us when we filmed because we knew what part of the song we would need to go to to be able to film a certain shot. Below is the annotations i made to my lyrics:

Planning of different shots in the video

Me and Alice printed off the lyrics to the song we have decided to do and annotated them with shots we could use that related to the lyrics. We have done this so our music video relates to Andrew Goodwin's theory through use of there being a relationship with lyrics and visuals. As you can see from below we have thought carefully about what we could include so that it does relate but isn't to extravagant.

When we plan the shots in our video we are going to refer to this sheet so we can get idea and incorporate the lyrics to the visuals. The types of shots we are thinking of doing in our music video is someones eyes scanning the horizon which would link with the lyric "I'm searching for more" another idea we had was someone whispering into someones ear to go with the lyric "What i hear". By already thinking about what shots we can use i feel that the day of filming will go smoother because not only will we have our story boards but also ideas that we have off this. This will also help when ediitng our music vidoe because we will know what shot is meant to go with what lyric as we have already planned it out.

Phase 1 of planning

Now that we have decided what song and location we want to use we can start planning the shots in our music video. Below is the first plans we had made, however as you can see these aren’t very detailed and so after completing the first page we decided to start again and make our plans much more detailed to help us on the day of filming.

 

 

Here is an over view of the first sheet we made with the shots on, this doesn’t look very neat and there isn’t enough deyail about the shot and how long it will go on for.

This is an example of some of the shots we came up with, however we don’t know from this what part of the song it is, how the shot it meant to look, where it is supposed to be filmed and how long each individual shot will last for it is very basic. In order for us to be successful we need more detail on these shots which will help us with both the filming and editing of our music video.

 

 

Again this shot is very basic and does not explain a lot about how the shot is meant to look, as well as that we planned this shot to be 18 seconds which is a long time and we may struggle to think of something to cover this time on the spot so it is best to plan out every second.

 

We liked some of the ideas we used in this original plan and plan to use them in our video, however it is important that are we specific with our planning especially after completing our pliminary task and finding that it was difficult to come up with shots on the spot. Therefore I would rather we prepared for the day.