Filming day 2

In our second filming day we shot the still images we need for the "photo album" segment of the video as well as the "love interest" narrative based scenes. I feel filming went well once again and we got a good amount of the footage we needed. One thing we did change is that rather than filming the singer (Henry) outside the love interest's house to having him gaze at her phone number to the lyric"think about you wonder what went wrong". before then deleting the number to show moving on. Overall I'm happy with what we have and I really enjoyed the work.

 

Additional changes to the cast list

Unfortunately we have had to change the cast list again for our music video "Summer of 69".
The changes occur during the "band" scene where:

Jordan Chilvers was going to be lead guitar and:

Jenni Rayner was going to be the drummer.









Now though due to  these actors being unavailable they have now had to be replaced:

Dani Burns will replace Jenni on the drums.

For Jordan's replacement we decided that our singer (Henry) will double as lead singer and lead guitar.




The reasoning behind this is that often in rock videos you see the singer as lead guitar as well. This is extremely common in Bryan Adams' videos. the videos to "Run to you" and "Everything I do " for example.




                                 

Editing day 1

In our first editing session we uploaded the footage from our first day of filming and began to piece together the opening for our music video "Summer of 69". After varying which rushes went where we decided that some shots may need to be re-filmed, this view was shared by the people offering feedback.

One point that was made is that during the opening sequence and the performance scene footage we also shot, I'm seen playing an acoustic guitar. 

The problem some people found with this is that on the actual track it's not an acoustic guitar you hear but an electric one.

   

In response to the feedback, the reasoning behind using an acoustic guitar as oppose to an electric one is because of the song's lyrics. One of the key themes for both the song and our video is nostalgia, one of the best examples of this is the opening lyric of the song "I bought my first real six string" and was the foundation of the video's opening sequence, which consisted of the camera panning up the guitar and then having me pick it up. As for the performance footage with the acoustic the lyrics again heavily influenced what we shot. In this case it was the lyric "sometimes when I play that old six string" so in that respect using an electric guitar would be inappropriate, also the performance footage was shot so the video had a backbone and we have something to fall back on if need be. Therefore there's no guaranteeing that all the footage will be used. However one part of the feedback about the performance footage I do agree with is that I wasn't passionate enough during the performance and more energy is required from me and this I feel is the main reason we may need to re-film as if my acting's better then the mise-en-scene will be improved and by extension so will the finished product. 

     

Change to cast

Unfortunately due to a clash of schedules we've had to make a change to the cast for our music video "Summer of 69".

Dani Burns was originally going to play the video's "Lover interest" now she's being replaced by Holly Furniss.




 however mise-en-scene and storyboards should remain unaffected apart from Dani's house will no longer be a location, as she's no longer part of the project.

Analysis of a student video

The student video I'm going to analyse is for the song "American girls".


The song is by the band Counting Crows and I feel it's relevant to our group as they are a rock band and the student video like ours will be a rock song.

What I like:

I like the use of photographs and still images, for example when one photo is burned and another is projected on the bedroom wall of one of the characters.;

One of the reasons I like the use of stills is that we are also using them in our music video "Summer of 69".

I feel that using them adds an extra depth to the video and they are also a clear, creative way of showing flashbacks. Also both "American girls" and "Summer of 69" both have themes of nostalgia and regret. Also the use of still images gives the actors something to work and react to, thus improving the mise-en-scene of the video, as it helps the acting and shows creative thinking in terms of props.

I also like the use of locations, notably the performance scenes on a rooftop, which is a convention of the rock genre and the use of reflections in the dance studio.

I think that the rooftop was a good idea as it shows a decent amount of background research into the genre to know that rooftop performances are a convention. Also in using an outdoor location you also have natural lighting, which I think works in the performance scenes as filming in the sun has connotations of being upbeat which the performance scenes are. This is again similar to our project as we plan to film performance scenes outdoors. In regards to the use of the dance studio because the wall is lined with mirrors meaning that the people involved can work with the idea of reflection. Something they use to great effect I feel because it gives a clear view of the actor's facial expressions and the emotions they are portraying. It also means the actors have to work hard as they are less likely to get away with a slip up when being seen from two angles simultaneously, this improves the acting by extension, the mise-en-scene and ultimately the video overall.

Finally I like the use of a fade transition to show the passage of time.

Here its used to speed up the woman's journey across the street. We are using a similar idea in our "Summer of 69" video, but were fading out people to not only show the passage of time but also how distant the characters became as their lives went on.

What I don't like

I feel there's a lapse in continuity in one of the final sequences as in the video the two lead males are the singer:

and a heart broken man:

The lapse occurs because the final sequence is the heart broken man singing to his reflection from various angles, however he has the same voice as the singer. This may have been intentional but for me it doesn't work and may have lost marks and affected the project's overall grade.

I also feel at one point during one of the performance scenes the drummer is put in slow motion for one movement before moving back into real time and the video carries on as normal. This affect feels like it's their for the sake of having it and doesn't really add anything to the video.

Overall I really like this video and would grade it as a high level 3 (B) 

Editing software

Here is a screen shot of the new editing software we will be using to make our music video.

Mise-en-scene of our music video

Here is a prezi showing the mise-en-scene for our music video "Summer of 69".

Mise-en-scene on Prezi

Risk assesment

The reason for this risk assessment is so everyone involved is aware of any possible dangers whilst filming and to make sure the people filming are safe.

Risk assessment

Location	Various-Pub Flat, Parks, Dani’s house School hall.	Risk-Assessment number	1
Project	“Summer of 69” music video	Names	Henry Inman and Charlie Bradley
Scene names	All scenes	Assistants	Will Davidson, Dani Burns, Jordan Chilvers and Jenni Rayner
Date Assessed	14th September 2012

What hazards have been identified?	What are the potential injuries or damage? Severity (1, 2 or 3)	What measures have been taken to prevent injury or damage?	Number of people at risk	What additional measures or actions are required?	Who is responsible for action?
Tripping (wires, wet grass, stairs)	1 grazes, light bruising. In extreme cases, sprains which =2	Watching where you walk and filming on dry days	5	None	Charlie Bradley
Lifting	2 crushing injuries, muscle strains	Lifting the correct way and taking breaks when necessary	2	Test weight of object before lifting	Charlie Bradley Henry Inman
Roads	2/3 fatalities Serious injuries	Make sure roads are clear before filming	2	Film when roads are quiet	Charlie Bradley Henry Inman
Falling (scene with the singer on a fence)	2 head injuries Back injuries	Making sure fence is steady/secure	1	Making sure fence is suitable	Henry Inman
Glass/Alcohol ( scene with spirit bottle and glass)	1 cuts Puncture wounds	Making sure the glass and bottle our safe to use	1	Making sure the props are away from the edge of the table to avoid spilling or shattering	Charlie Bradley

Final story board

1.

Shot type: Panning close up

Camera Movement: Panning

Notes: Mounted camera moves up the guitar

2.

Shot type: Closeup

Camera Movement: Zoom out then pan

Notes: A hand moves into shot then camera pans round to reveal singer holding guitar

3.

Shot type: Mid shot (Handheld?)

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: Shows the band practicing using effective lighting

4.

Shot type: Close-up and Fade

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: Band member faded out of shot on the lyric "Jimmy Quit"

5.

Shot type: Mid shot and Fade

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: 2 more band members faded out on the lyric "Jody got married"

6.

Shot type: Mid shot

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: All other band members are gone leaving just the singer

7.

Shot type: Mid shot

Camera Movement: Pan

Notes: Shows the singers looking through photo album

8.

Shot type: Over the shoulder shot

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: OTS shot of singer remenising about his summer with and old girlfriend

 

The changes we made from the orginal to the final storyboard is that we added a seperate storyboard showing the images from the "photo album" scene to the final storyboard. We also encorporated a tracking shot in to the final scene of the video but the difference is that it's now from two different angles. With one angle being the singer walking towards the camera and the over being the singer walking away. We have also added a point of view shot from the perspective of the love interest, this will be shot from the love interest's window and show the singer outside her house then see the singer walk away and there the tracking shots begin. 

Story board draft

1.

Shot type: Tilting closeup

Camera Movement: Tilting

Notes: Camera moves up a guitar at close range. No transition.

2.

Shot type: Close-up

Camera Movement: Zoom out then pan

Notes: A hand moves into shot then camera pans round to reveal singer holding guitar.

3.

Shot type: Mid-shot (possibly handheld?)

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: Mid-shot showing a band playing

4.

Shot type: Close-up and Fade (handheld?)

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: "Jimmy quits" band member fades out of shot

5.

Shot type: Mid-shot and Fade (Handheld?)

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: "Jody got married" 2 more band members faded out.

6.

Shot type: Mid-shot

Camera Movement: None (Tripod)

Notes: All other band members are gone leaving just the singer.

7.

Shot type: Mid-shot

Camera Movement: Pan

Notes: Shows singer looking through photo-album

8

Shot type: Over the shoulder shot

Camera Movement: Camera remains still

Notes: OTS shot of the singer reminiscing about his summer with an old girlfriend.

.

9.

Shot type: Extreme closeup

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: Camera focuses on one still of the couple. then the page turns and transitions into next scene.

10.

Shot type: Mid shot (Handheld)

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: Various angles of couple in love

11.

Shot type: Close up

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: Closeup of woman holding singers hand

12.

Shot type: Mid to long shot

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: Performance

13.

Shot type: Longshot

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: Henry stood outside danis house

14.

Shot type: Midshot of dani

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: Through window dani looking through window at henry

15.

Shot type: Longshot

Camera Movement: Still

Notes: Henry walking away from the house

16.

Shot type: Midshots

Camera Movement: Tracking

Notes: Henry walking towards camera henry walking away from camera.

Ideas for photo album scene...

1.

Shot type: Over the shoulder shot

Camera Movement: Remains still

Notes: OTS shot of the singer remenising about his summer with an old girlfriend

2.

Shot type: Still Photo

Camera Movement: None

Notes: 2 stills in photo album showing singer playing the other showing the singer and the love interest as a couple

Either 3/4

3.

Shot type: Still that transitions into a tracking shot

Camera Movement: Tracking

Notes: Possible idea of a photo coming to life and going from a still into a tracking shot of singer and the love interest

4.

Shot type: Still to extreme closeup

Camera Movement: Pan out

Notes: Possible idea of using an extreme closeup of a photo album page being turned to reveal the next live action scene.