Filming #2/Meeting #10

Today we filmed the first of our eras: the 1950s. We dressed up for the occasion, and went into Frank B's near closing time, which allowed us to film in a virtually empty restaurant, giving us free rein to capture the shots we wanted. 

We stuck to the storyboard a lot today, getting the exact shots we had planned down on camera. This wasn't something that happened when we filmed for the first time, and after reviewing the footage we decided that if we wanted to experiment with different shot types, we must also ensure to get the ones we storyboarded too.

Our shoot went extremely well, with us only spending 45 minutes in the diner in total. We also think it looks quite authentic, which was our main worry regarding our complicated video.

______________________________________________________________________

COSTUME:
To ensure that our scene looked authentic enough, costumes were absolutely essential. We put such careful planning into our individual outfits, and we think they came out well in the scene. 

 

Filming #1/Meeting #9

We started filming our very first scene, which was set in modern day and contained relationship and break up scenes. We tried to do typical boyfriend/girlfriend scenes such as feeding each other, reading a paper together in bed, watching a movie etc. We really wanted it to be overly cheesy in order to show how close the couple were: this was essential as the moral of our video is how true love beats all.

I'm quite proud of how our filming went, and I think we got some quite good shots. The only concern I would have is the break up scene, as while filming we forgot that we needed to transition through to the next scene, and I'm not quite sure we have the appropriate scene for the continuity edit. However, we will see in post production if it works and we can always reshoot as, luckily, the scene wasn't that complicated. 

_______________________________________________________________________

COSTUME:Due to the complicated nature of our music video, we had to make sure every detail was right when we filmed. Because of this, we had to carefully plan our costumes in order to make sure that it looked professional and authentic. For example:

Our bedroom clothes consisted of a dressing gown, pyjama bottoms, a casual tshirt and tracksuit bottoms. These are all comfy clothes that we would gladly sleep in.

Our clothes for the evening, when we go out, were typically smart. I wore a knee length navy blue dress and navy coat, and Connor (lead male) wore a suit. As we did not show where we were actually going for the evening, we thought this was generic enough to show that we were going out for the evening without mentioning where we were actually going. 

For our last costume change, we decided that we only needed to wear everyday clothes. For practical reasons, Connor wore the same suit jacket with black jeans, but made it clear it was a different outfit by changing the shirt and putting a jumper on underneath. I wore I black shirt, jeans, a hoodie and a jacket as this is something I wear everyday, and by not dressing up is how we could get it to be the most authentic.

_______________________________________________________________________

As well as costumes, we also had to consider many other aspects of our music video. For example:

LIGHTING:

We tried to control our lighting as much as possible in the scenes. For example, in this scene we loved the dappled light, which was perfect for the typical 'waking up in the morning' situation. We used completely naturalistic lighting, but were careful to not put the sunlight directly onto us as it made the image hard to make out. 

MISE-EN-SCENE:

Our mise-en-scene was also particularly important in our scenes as each one is so drastically different in concept that we need to ensure they come through as drastically different on camera too. One way we controlled the mise-en-scene was in the coffee shop: we put some pamphlets on the table, as well as glasses. This made it evident that we were in a coffee shop, but didn't distract from the idea of the scene. 

Meeting #8

Today we got several things done., the first of which was contacting Costa Coffee in New Malden for permission to film there. We needed this as our second location for the break up scene, and the coffee shop were immediately happy to let us film there. We plan to go this Friday. 

We also kept on storyboarding and creating our shot list as filming was fast approaching and we needed it done beforehand. We filled out a planning sheet for our next few filming dates, and then went to our media technician in order to book our relevant equipment. We have booked a camera, tripod and lights for our first three confirmed filming dates, and plan to book the rest as we go along.

Meeting #7

In today's lesson we got on with several tasks. We went online to look up different costumes, considering the possibility of getting a flapper style dress of eBay for a cheap price, and also considered contacting charity shops to see if we could borrow clothes in return for a small donation.

We also continued with the storyboard, which is close to finished. This was good as our filming begins on the 23rd, and we aim to have the storyboard completely finished before then.

A third thing we did was touch up our blogging: we'd spent so much time discussing our work and planning our shoots, we had ended up getting slightly behind on our posts. As soon as we got the necessary planning discussions of the day done, we ensured that our blogs were up to date, helping each other where necessary.

Shot List/Meeting #5/#6

Today in our meeting, we decided to verbally storyboard: create a shot list. We talked through each scene together, imagining it in our heads so we knew what shots we wanted to take, from what angles, and of what subject. We spend most of our lesson doing this, and plan to continue it on into the next lesson.

As well as our shot list, we also got in contact with Frank B's diner in order to find out the possibility of us using their restaurant to film. After contacting the manager of the diner, we were redirected to the Operations Manager of the entire Bentalls Shopping Centre (where the diner is located), who gave us permission to film there. As he did not want other customers to be disturbed, he also offered us the diner after ours, which is perfect as it means we can fill it up with people in 1960s dress and do near to anything we want without having to worry about disturbing other people. 

We also talked more about the costumes, especially in regard to the diner scene. 

History of Music Video - Timeline

History of Music Video on Prezi

Scene List/Meeting #4

In our group meeting today we wanted to firmly narrow down our list of scenes before storyboarding, so we could book our actors and equipment ASAP. We wrote down the location, the cast needed and the story of each scene so it was clear and concise to us all what we wsere shooting for each era, and who we needed. Our next step now is to draw up a call list and then begin storyboarding. 

We also tried to think about extras in each scene: we decided that we could repeat the same extras in each scene, purely for practicality. We've come up with a list of our friends we can use: Georgia Batemen, Ella Baker, Evie Forte, Poppy Cunningham, Robyn Stuart, and our own group and class members. 

Institutional Research - Columbia

Scenes/Meeting #3

Today when we met, we ran into quite a lot of trouble. Our aim was to begin storyboarding but we didn't get around to this as we disagreed when discussing the scene list. We had now replaced the 40s dance with an air raid scene, and moved the dance scene to the 70s, but we discovered that this would pose a challenge too. On a limited budget, with such a specific need for somewhere containing 70s mise-en-scene we found that throwing a disco would be too hard for the time and money we had. Instead, we started looking at other options.

 

 

We realised after doing some research that there were quite a lot of iconic things happening in the 70s: namely, protests. We decided that instead of filming a disco we could instead film a march, with people protesting down a street filled with houses made in the 1970s. 

Potential Locations and Cast/Meeting #2

When we met today, we tried to get into greater detail about where specifically we would film. We decided that instead of having a dance for the 1940s, we would move the 'dance' to the 70s: to a disco. In order to have a party for the 70s scene and make it look realistic we decided that we should actually throw the party rather than asking people to be extras, as this would eliminate the need for good actors and instead just people that like costume parties. To do this, we would need to hire a hall and in this meeting we began searching up places to hire on a small budget and began emailing them.

While waiting for their replies, we started looking for places for the other scenes. We replaces the dance from the 40s with a scene in an air raid shelter: luckily, my shed is actually an old air raid shelter which we could use. As it is quite nasty inside, we decided we would film an establishing shot of the shelter and then film the scene by candlelight in a dark closet/room, therefore making it seem like the same place. Obviously, I would also try and get rid of all aspects that make the shelter seem modern.

We also decided that for our 50s/60s diner, we would find a restaurant that has kept the theme and ask to film there. After considerable research, we found Frank B's which is fairly close to us all and had a suitable theme. We have also emailed them about asking to shoot there.

  __________________________________________________________________

We also started casting for our video. For our male lead, we knew we needed someone who was good at acting, not shy and more of an external person. For this, we chose a friend called Connor Bingham. He is a drama and music student who plays guitar, piano and several other instruments as well as sings. This means that he would be perfect for our music video as he is used to being in front of a computer, handling instruments and singing.

  

 For the female lead, we decided that I would play her. We decided this as it's a lot of shooting work and we couldn't risk someone externally not being committed to the project and flaking out. I also know the male lead the best, which is convenient as it means when we are performing scenes in which we have to be close, there won't be any awkwardness and therefore it should hopefully look quite good. 

Initial Planning/Meeting #1

Today we met and decided to start planning our music video. We'd already come up with an initial pitch, and now it was time to start thinking about who we were going to get to be in it, where we'll film it and what specifically we needed to film. 

To do this we sat down and talked it through; we contacted some of our friends to ask if they'd be interested in starring in our video, and whilst waiting for replies we discussed 'what' and 'where'.  

First we narrowed down the eras: although we would love to do every decade in the 1900s, we are realistic and knew this would not happen. To combat this, we have decided to do every second decade, starting in the 1920s. We also thought we could throw in the 70s if we were having difficulties as it is so iconic.

We had mainly sorted the costume before this meeting, so it was just the setting to go. Influenced by the book and film 'The Great Gatsby', we decided to set the 1920s scene at a small party, as many of the books scenes are set that way. For the war era, the 1940s, we were thinking of having the girl dancing with a boy in war uniform to a dance such as the Lindy Hop as this was all particularly iconic of the time, especially with the damage done by WW2. For the 1960s we thought we could either shoot in a 60s style diner or throw a 60s themed party, but it depends on the budget and availability of certain people.  For the 80s; an aerobics class and finally, a house for present day. 

Applying Todorov & Propp's theories

Both Todorov and Propp studied film in detail and developed their own theories about the structure of film products. These theories can also be applied to music video, and we can change and adopt them in order to ensure our music video follows the successful, established structure. This is particularly important for our music video as we plan to have it focused mainly on narrative (although we will have a performance element).

To demonstrate how these theories work I have chosen the video 'Like We Used To' by A Rocket To The Moon (ARTTM).

 

TODOROV

Todorov's theory consisted of five parts, and talked about the structure of film products in regards to the narrative. The picture below shows these five steps. 

                

In ARTTM's video, these five steps are clearly shown. 

1. The equilibrium here is when the main male character and the main female character are together in a relationship  This is shown through a series of flashbacks, which is an interesting concept as it disrupts the chronology of the video. However, it is made clear that this part of the narrative occurred first, which saves
                                                                      confusion. 

2. Next comes the disruption of the equilibrium: this is when the main female character starts dating the other man.

3. Following that comes the recognition of the disruption. In this video, they use over the shoulder shots in order to show that the main character recognizes this change in the narrative; here, he watches the main girl and her second boyfriend together.

4. The attempt to repair the disruption comes fourth, shown by the main character trying to reconciliate with the girl. In this video she pulls away, which shows this attempt to be unsuccessful.  

5. Finally comes the new equilibrium. This occurs when the situation has been accepted, either through a successful or unsuccessful reparation of the damage. In this case, the main character has moved on and begins to create new memories with another girl. 


PROPP
Vladimir Propp developed several character archetypes that he says recurs throughout most film products. They are:

1. The Hero – a character that seeks something
2. The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest
3. The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties
4. The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message
5. The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims
6. The Helper – who aids the hero
7. The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots
8. Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

In this video, several of these are demonstrated, and some characters can even take on the roles of two different character types. 

1. The Hero – the main male character 
2. The Villain – the secondary male character
3. The Donor – not represented in this video
4. The Dispatcher – not represented in this video
5. The False Hero – the secondary male character
6. The Helper – not represented in this video
7. The Princess – the main female character AND the secondary female character
8. Her Father – not represented in this video