Title Planning

In our music video we have titles appearing at the beginning, as it is typical within our genre and it is also adds an interesting effect. We have looked at an array of choices;

Myriad Pro 

 Adobe Garamond Pro (small and big)

 

 Adobe Garamond Pro (Italic)

Myriad Pro (transparent)

 

 Adobe Garamond Pro (gradient colour)

Adobe Caslon Pro

  Adobe Caslon Pro (bigger)

 

Birch STD

First Draft

For a first draft, we are mostly happy with the result as it is a strong starting point for development into our final piece. We have been able to achieve high standard footage with interesting angles, which helps to set the professional and more unconventional atmosphere that our chosen genre usually promotes. The shots are mostly cut on the beat, especially at the start when the main focus of the music is on the strong beat in the background, which helps to add to the impact of the music and helps to match the shots to the sounds. The titles are only used here as a placeholder as we have yet to decide what font to use/what to officially say, however they give a vague idea of what we are aiming to go for. We have begun to show the subtle narrative that we are trying to achieve as we have shown the contrast between the 'church' and 'urban' girl well with the use of mise en scene and costume, the setting is definitely a key part of this as it helps to set the atmosphere for the shots however we may need to feature some more establishing shots and cut-a-ways to improve this.

To improve, we think that some of the shots need to be retaken in order to achieve a better quality, fix the framing or simply to improve the shot, and we have already completed most of these. Some of these shots include more lip syncing with better framed shots than what we already feature, and more cutaways of the church which we will be able to use in gaps, especially at the beginning. At the beginning, some of the shots don't run together smoothly and they look to 'random', to fix this we may try to make each of the shots correlate with each other more in order to make them fit in more - this may be achieved through making it a short narrative style with her walking to an area etc.

As the performer: I feel i am lip syncing to the best of my ability having full knowledge of the songs rhythm and lyrics. This paid off seeing the shot and made it much easier for our group to edit. We have three additional filming shoots to undertake to improve and complete our music video fully.
I feel as a group and a performer gathering thee shots were done in a professional and respectful manner to both the public and members of staff that were letting us film.

Reviewing our progress

                                                                                                                                                                  

 

 Here are some favorite we have of some of the shots that were taken throughout the duration of our filming for our music research and planning.

For our first trip, we went to some of the churches we were thinking of using to see if they are suitable for the video and whether filming there would work in terms of time and distance. In this trip, we looked at the more local churches as we are aiming to chose ones that are easier to get to as it will make carrying equipment easier and means that we would be able to go back quickly if we decide we want more footage. This was a really helpful trip as we were able to see the churches in person, and take some photos of them to put into our locations shot, we were also able to take some footage to test some of our decided shots. This helped us to decide on the churches as it gave us a better idea of what they looked like and how they look on camera.


30/10/14

Today we went to Brick Lane to get some more location footage and film some of our lip syncing and 'graffiti/urban girl' shots for the music video. This was really successful as we were able to get a range of lip syncs with interesting backgrounds and angles. The settings that we did find were also successful as we were able to find quite grungy areas with layers of graffiti and posters in the background, most of them against brick walls which also helps to emphasise the urban feel. We have filmed in multiple settings and were able to do costume changes whilst there, so this was a strong start for filming as we have many of our main shots.

To improve, we may come back to this area, as we really like the look and atmosphere of the town for the video, and take some more 'casual' shots of the artist exploring the area with new angles and textures in the background.




7/11/14
After looking at the churches, and emailing to organise times and dates to film, we went to one of the churches to do some experimental shots with the Go-Pro and using a DSLR and take some of the main shots for the music video, included lip syncs and setting shots. This was a really successful trip as we were able to get the majority of shots that we wanted and we are really pleased with how the lip syncing shots came out as the lighting is natural, but strong, and the setting is exactly how we aimed for it to be. Additionally, going into the church and taking some more experimental footage was beneficial as we were able to see some problems, which we are able to cover as we have begun filming quite early so we are able to re-take certain shots. One of these included the tracking shot of the feet as we found that the lighting was too dark (as its on the floor) and that the dolly didn't move smoothly, so as a solution we are testing a way to attach a light onto the dolly or do it manually.


9/11/14
Today we went to Southbank to collect location footage and pictures to add to our post and to explore the area to search for potential filming places and analyse the areas we already have chosen. This was really useful as we were able to find new filming places, such as a bench along the bridge, which we didn't originally think of. Also, the footage that we took has also given us a clearer idea of what the atmosphere and look of the area is, and whether this will suit the music video. Furthermore, we tested the idea of using clips of street performers in our music video by filming a variety of different ones, we quite like how this comes out as it gives the strong sense of urban London as this is a tradition for the area. However, it has also shown us that we need to be careful with picking performers as it still needs to match the atmosphere and mood of the music and theme.





12/11/14

For our final locations shot, and to film some extra footage for the video, we went to Southbank again and then to Leake Street Tunnel to look at the legal graffiti area. As one of our main setting choices, it was really helpful to see the area as we were able to see the lighting, as when filming in a tunnel this would be one of the disadvantages. After our test shots with the adaptable camera light, we now know that we are going to need to use this when filming lip syncing shots as this will help the shots to be clearer - also, we will be able to experiment with the tints to add texture. This trip was successful as it showed us the area, where we could potentially film, and we were able to take some photos to document this. Additionally, we took some footage that would be able to be incorporated into our locations video and also could potentially use in the video as an extra settings shot to emphasise the urban setting.




14/11/14
As one of our final trips to Central London, we returned to Southbank to film some of the shots that we were missing, improve shots that we have already tested and take some more footage to fill into the video. This was really beneficial as, after already previously doing it, we knew what we needed to do and we were able to find the correct areas and shoot more shots including a lip sync, the extreme close up on the lips and other cut-a-ways. As we went during school time, we were also able to use the setting to our advantage more as the area's were emptier than on the weekends, for example in the skate park as this meant we were able to take some pans of the area.



20/11/14
In order to retake some of our footage, we went back to the church. Here, we re-did the tracking shot of the feet and improved the shot by using the light, as our previous shots appeared too dark and this made the shot itself grainy and distorted. These shots worked well and, as we had already tested it, the shots were much smoother. We were also able to re-take some of the other shots that weren't in focus or/and were too shaky which is really beneficial for us as it means that we can begin to put our final shots into the draft. Additionally, we were able to take some new footage of cut-a-ways around the church and another lip sync to fill in gaps in the music video and to replace some of the other shots that aren't as good in terms of framing, lighting etc.

Test Shot: Jump Cuts

For one of our main shots, we are aiming to create jump cuts as we feel these will add depth and an interesting effect to our music video. 

We are happy with the final result as the jump cuts are smooth and the effect distorts the movements well, giving the effect that we wanted. To improve, we want to do another test shot in the right setting and ensure that the shots are more in focus and framed well.