Day 7
After editing my footage yesterday, I decided that it would be a good idea to go out and get footage of Chloe and Max.
For this I wanted to capture the memories they would have had as a couple before it all went wrong in the story. It also meant that both Chloe and Max could act naturally around each other without worrying about what they were doing and without thinking about the camera being infront of them.
When I began to film I just focussed on Max who was smiling and joking around, this was good for me to capture as it shown him in his happy state. The clip shows Max to be dancing and performing to the camera and by not having Chloe present here it looks as though she could be filming him, this worked exceptionally well when Max sang to the camera as well as coming right up to the lens.
I later got both characters to sit together and it was here that Max began to make Chloe laugh, showing them to have nautural body language when they are around each other. It also worked well as there were different shots that I have used including a zoom and close up which means I will be able to seperate these shots when I am editing my video.
I have also got different footage of Chloe and Max apart from each other which again in parts looks as though one or the other has filmed their 'partner'. This works well as the video is all about them, making it more personal and the video more effective. Shots I have used here have been close ups and medium long shots. This can be seen more when I have focussed on Max playing pool.
Saturday, 14 December 2013
Friday, 13 December 2013
Editing
Editing
Today during my media lesson I decided to re-visit my music video after focusing on my print artefact's during previous lessons. When looking at it I realised that I needed more footage to fill in the blank spaces and to do this I planned to film with Chloe and Max to create their memories and I also want to get some more footage of Casey who would be performing the song.
Screenshot of the original footage. |
When looking at some of the video footage that I already had of Casey I decided to see what it would look like in my music video. This clip shows Casey side on looking in front of her.When positioning this, I didn't think that the way she was facing worked well enough to be included along the timeline and this is why I have only included a small portion of this footage.
Edited Image. |
The next thing I noticed when re-playing the video was that there was a beat that would drop everyone so often, this was something I had to think about as many music videos follow this convention. The clips I placed on the timeline in these places were of Chloe and Max which meant I could flash between them and the performance which meant I was effectively linking the footage. I like how this has worked as I have been able to bring the video together.
Max. |
Chloe. |
Throughout my video I have also incorporated the use of black and white. In the music video I have used this technique as a way of showing the memories my characters Max and Chloe had.
Monday, 25 November 2013
Creating Print Artefacts
Over the last few lessons, I have been creating my album cover and magazine advert.
Before coming up with my final idea I came up with three different album covers as I wanted to make sure it was as successful as it could have been. In this case I wanted to make sure the colours I used were suitable and that they worked together as well as making sure the images I had selected worked well as a cover.
My album cover. |
For the back cover I then chose an image that showed Max, Chloe and Jack to be positioned at the opening of the alley. Here Jack was stood leaning up the wall out of the way, whilst Max and Chloe were in the foreground of the image. When editing this image I made it black and white and then added a filter layer to it which enabled me to add grain to it. At first I had only put the bar code on the image and had it centralised on the page. Then realising I had more to add if I wanted to follow the codes and conventions, I added the track list for the album which you will see in the middle of the image and I later added the record label and copyright information to the back.
For the third image, I used another photograph that I had taken with a slow shutter speed, but changed this to black and white. I then copied the lyrics to the song and pasted them on the left hand side of the image. This was then accompanied by screen shots from my video which I have placed on the bottom right hand side of the image, showing both Chloe and Max.
For the inside of my album cover, I decided to stick with the black and white colour scheme as I think the images I have chosen to use look more effective. When deciding on what images to use, I looked at using screen shots from my video however they were blurred and didn't work well together. From the image below you will see that I have used two images and a piece of text with a plain background. One of the images shows Chloe to be stood to the right, looking off to the left and the other shows Jack and Max. The text I have used here is information on the album which again I think has been quite effective as I am giving the audience more of a background story to the album, which if released would be interesting for a fan.
I then went through a similar process when deciding what photos to use for my magazine advertisement but in the end I wanted to make sure the images I used were familiar but at the same time effective. When creating the advert, I joined the image of both Chloe and the boys together. I then added a layer to both of the images and this allowed me to posterize the image. When looking at the text you will see that I have included a quote from Rolling Stone Magazine and the name of the album and band. I have also added the price of the album which can be found underneath the album cover image. In the top left corner I have also included the iTunes logo as this is where the album is available from and in the bottom right hand corner I have added an image of the album so that my target audience knows what it would look like.
Friday, 22 November 2013
Filming day 6
18th November 2013
On Monday the 18th November, I went out and re-filmed the beginning and end to my music video. The reason I did this was to make the video fit together more as there wasn't really a story to why both of my characters had started to fight. In my lesson that day I was trying to come up with an idea that would be able to explain why a gang appears in the video at the end and from watching a variety of TV programmes the idea I had was to tie this group in with drugs. From looking at stereotypes and how this idea would work, I have been able to look into people like Al Capone who was a well known criminal in the 1920's, leading to him being investigated by the police at the time for the illegal sale of alcohol. Expanding on this I was then able to see that my video could work.
The first scene we filmed that night was the gang scene. This went well as I was able to take photographs for my album cover as well as filming the ending to the video. When filming Danny and Lewis who made up the gang stood off to the side and spoke to each other, whilst Jack took the lead along side Max and Chloe. The idea here was that Max was trying to stop Chloe from getting herself into trouble, ending up with it being him fighting for his life. Even though I think it went well, I want to get some more shots of Max and Chloe at this point, so I will be arranging to film some additional shots including just the two characters, but it the same place.
The other scene I had to re-do here was part of the start where both characters fall out. This worked a lot better this time round as there was more of a story as to why they were arguing, in this case it was the drugs Max had seen Chloe with. I also liked the fact it was more natural this time around due to both characters interacting when Max came into the house. In this case it was with each other and with the dog.
The photographs I took were also successful as I only had to direct one person at a time once they were in position. From the image you will see that I had to make sure Max was looking away from Chloe when she was looking at him. And I had positioned Jack in the background as he wasn't the main focus, however he can be seen.
This image later became the back cover to my photo album.
On Monday the 18th November, I went out and re-filmed the beginning and end to my music video. The reason I did this was to make the video fit together more as there wasn't really a story to why both of my characters had started to fight. In my lesson that day I was trying to come up with an idea that would be able to explain why a gang appears in the video at the end and from watching a variety of TV programmes the idea I had was to tie this group in with drugs. From looking at stereotypes and how this idea would work, I have been able to look into people like Al Capone who was a well known criminal in the 1920's, leading to him being investigated by the police at the time for the illegal sale of alcohol. Expanding on this I was then able to see that my video could work.
The first scene we filmed that night was the gang scene. This went well as I was able to take photographs for my album cover as well as filming the ending to the video. When filming Danny and Lewis who made up the gang stood off to the side and spoke to each other, whilst Jack took the lead along side Max and Chloe. The idea here was that Max was trying to stop Chloe from getting herself into trouble, ending up with it being him fighting for his life. Even though I think it went well, I want to get some more shots of Max and Chloe at this point, so I will be arranging to film some additional shots including just the two characters, but it the same place.
A screen shot of the fallout. |
The other scene I had to re-do here was part of the start where both characters fall out. This worked a lot better this time round as there was more of a story as to why they were arguing, in this case it was the drugs Max had seen Chloe with. I also liked the fact it was more natural this time around due to both characters interacting when Max came into the house. In this case it was with each other and with the dog.
Original image. |
The photographs I took were also successful as I only had to direct one person at a time once they were in position. From the image you will see that I had to make sure Max was looking away from Chloe when she was looking at him. And I had positioned Jack in the background as he wasn't the main focus, however he can be seen.
This image later became the back cover to my photo album.
Monday, 11 November 2013
Filming Day 5
11th November 2013
Tonight I filmed my final scenes for my video, but it didn't go to plan due to the fact I was missing Max as the lead. However I still managed to get some footage as Chloe was there and I had managed to get a group together to play the gang.
The footage I collected shows Chloe to be walking back towards her house, to then show three people walking out of an alley to surround her, to then showing one of them to kill her.
There were some parts that worked here, including the death, however it wasn't as successful as it should have been because no one really seemed confident in what they were doing and I think the story really needed Max to be present for it to make sense within the video.
From saying this, having everyone together that night gave me the opportunity to try out album cover ideas. For this I had Chloe positioned in the foreground looking off to the right, while Kirsty, Lewis and Courtney were stood in the background all grouped together. This image worked well as the lighting was just right and enabled you to see everyone. It was also successful as the photograph was taken in the same setting as the filming, allowing the viewer to make connections between both. But again it was unsuccessful as Max wasn't there, but it means when he is, I will be able to take the photograph again.
Tonight I filmed my final scenes for my video, but it didn't go to plan due to the fact I was missing Max as the lead. However I still managed to get some footage as Chloe was there and I had managed to get a group together to play the gang.
The footage I collected shows Chloe to be walking back towards her house, to then show three people walking out of an alley to surround her, to then showing one of them to kill her.
My final scene. |
There were some parts that worked here, including the death, however it wasn't as successful as it should have been because no one really seemed confident in what they were doing and I think the story really needed Max to be present for it to make sense within the video.
My first take on my album cover. |
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
Filming day 3 and 4
Tuesday 5th November 2013
Today I filmed the performance part to my video. For this I was trying out different camera angles and camera positions to get the best shot of Taylor who I had asked to perform the song. Using the green screen, I first asked Taylor to stand in the middle of it so that he was centralised on screen. Then as he was singing I asked him to perform towards the camera which worked quite effectively.
I then stood to the side and asked him again to perform facing forward, however in the next shot he stood side on again looking to the camera but this time he was positioned to the left of the screen leaving space to the right. The reason behind this was for editing purposes so that I could put the footage of the actual characters on the screen next to him.
As Taylor didn't know the lyrics we had to have the original track playing in the background. This wasn't an issue at first but when I was listening back to the footage you could hear the track in the background taking the focus away from Taylor. Other issues I also had was when I was Trying to put Taylor's voice over the original soundtrack so that you could hear the music, this again didn't work as Taylor was out of time with it. This is when I decided I would try a different way of recording the track.
Friday 8th November 2013
Before filming again, I decided to download the backing track for How To Save A Life so that I could use the music with the only voice being that of the performer. As Casey has performed the song before and Taylor's recordings didn't work, I decided to ask her to help me during my media
lesson so we went and filmed in the music rooms.
After her practicing singing along to the backing track I was trying to figure out where I wanted to position the camera so for the first take I was stood to the left looking at Casey from the side. This didn't really work as you couldn't see her emotion, however in the next shot, this worked better. In the next shot I positioned the camera in front of Casey and had her performing to it, this worked well as you could see the emotion in her face.
When editing this footage with what I already had, it didn't all fit together. So I have decided to record more of the performance aspect to my video with Casey in a different setting. But I am also going to try to shoot from many more positions.
Taylor. |
I then stood to the side and asked him again to perform facing forward, however in the next shot he stood side on again looking to the camera but this time he was positioned to the left of the screen leaving space to the right. The reason behind this was for editing purposes so that I could put the footage of the actual characters on the screen next to him.
As Taylor didn't know the lyrics we had to have the original track playing in the background. This wasn't an issue at first but when I was listening back to the footage you could hear the track in the background taking the focus away from Taylor. Other issues I also had was when I was Trying to put Taylor's voice over the original soundtrack so that you could hear the music, this again didn't work as Taylor was out of time with it. This is when I decided I would try a different way of recording the track.
Friday 8th November 2013
Before filming again, I decided to download the backing track for How To Save A Life so that I could use the music with the only voice being that of the performer. As Casey has performed the song before and Taylor's recordings didn't work, I decided to ask her to help me during my media
lesson so we went and filmed in the music rooms.
During the editing process I added a lens flare to the clip making it appear brighter. |
When editing this footage with what I already had, it didn't all fit together. So I have decided to record more of the performance aspect to my video with Casey in a different setting. But I am also going to try to shoot from many more positions.
Saturday, 2 November 2013
Filming day 2
Filming Day 2
After filming for a second time, I feel that it has gone better as I was only working with one of my actors for the first few shots that I needed. The footage I collected here shows Chloe to be looking through her photos of her and Max. This worked better as I consulted with my storyboard more, sticking with the story line I had already created which was again better as I knew what I needed to achieve and I knew what I wanted.
Wide shot showing both characters in the frame. |
From the screen shot on the right you will see that Max is pulling Chloe back towards him as she was leaving. I think this worked as Max was annoyed and with the way he felt this was put into what he was doing, making the shot look more realistic.
Filming the memories also went well as there wasn't acting involved in the scenes and the only thing they both had to do was not look at the camera. The only bad thing here is the fact that they both looked a bit uncomfortable and it was like they didn't really know what to do when they were sat together and this is why I decided to use guitar and drums from the game Band Hero as it allowed them both to interact with something other than the two of them. When editing this footage I decided to change the clip to black and white so that it stood out from the rest of the footage as a memory.
The downside to this is the fact I haven't been able to stick to my filming schedule.
Friday, 18 October 2013
Filming Day 1
Filming Day 1
Today I had planned to start filming scenes 1 to 16 so that I could start to construct the opening of the music video. By consulting my filming schedule you will see that I have stuck to this plan, however, as it was dark by the time I started to film, it was not possible to film in the park due to there being no lighting but I managed to overcome this issue as I was able to film at the location mentioned on the storyboard numbered as one and two. By changing my original idea, I was still able to incorporate many of the scenes that I had came up with that were present on my storyboard, this included a close up of Max's character smiling at Chloe, as well as showing both characters to be sat on the left and right of each other, allowing Max to walk of to the left as the song says 'As he goes left and you stay right'.
Chloe and Max whilst filming. |
This is a screen shot from my music video where I have added a cross fade to the clip to make the walking shot shorter than it originally was. |
To begin with I filmed Max walking out of the park, to then be shown to knock on the door. This is different to my proposed storyboard as Chloe my female character was meant to be leaving her house to go and meet him. However when looking back at the footage, I think it was successful as there isn't a lot of walking involved and you are able to see where he is coming from and where he is going. As I was showing Max to walk up to the door, I decided that it could have been good to include a match on action shot and this was the next bit of footage I shot.
For this I stood back from the door with Chloe stood on the stairs behind. When we first filmed Chloe was stood in front of Max obstructing my view and this then enabled me to see where it went wrong and correct the mistake, it was then that I was able to ask her to stand to the side when opening the door allowing me to see Max and see him walk in.
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Friday, 4 October 2013
Information on the song
Song Information
From looking into the song, I have found out that it was inspired by a band members experience. Isaac Slade, lead singer of The Fray was once 'a mentor to a crack addicted teen'. Slade then went onto say that the song is about the man's life, showing 'his slow motion descent and all the relationships he lost along the way' (Quotes taken from http://www.thefray.com/us/biography).
As well as finding out the idea behind the song, I have found out that many fans have written to the band informing them of how it has helped them in their struggles. And I have also learnt that a non-profit organisation was set up. But not only this, their fan base is ever growing with shows such as Scrubs, One Tree Hill and Grey's Anatomy all playing the band's songs.
Originally on the album 'How To Save A Life', the song was listed as the third track. However it doesn't only feature here, the song is now part of the album 'Live at The Electric Factory Bootleg No. 1' and 'Acoustic In Nashville - Bootleg No. 2'.
Monday, 16 September 2013
Proposal
Final Proposal
Before deciding on the song I wanted to use, I listened to a lot of different songs to see if I could get any motivation from them. Two of the songs I thought about using were 'Clown' By Emeli Sande and 'Count On Me' by Bruno Mars, however I couldn't picture the video working. I then listened to 'How To Save A Life' by The Fray and straight away I had ideas. The reason for this is because I could picture what I wanted to do, for example friends falling out. The reason I chose to look into this was because I didn't want to storyline to be sad, but I still wanted to include emotion somewhere, so from looking at the storyboard you can see that I have made everything happen at the end. This is why I have decided to create a video for 'How To Save A Life'.
When looking at the broad range of music channels on the TV, I know that there are many that could show my video. This includes channels such as Viva and 4 Music, however by looking at the genre of the band, and the genre of the song, I think that MTV will be a more suitable channel to show my video as it's well known but also has many other channels such as MTV Rocks, MTV Base and MTV Hits. This is good for the video I'm producing as it falls under the Rock genre but at the same time, it opens it up to a wider audience.
The genre of music my video will fit into will be Rock, however as the genre is now diverse it splits off into many sub genres and its within these genres that the video fits. The genre of the song 'How To Save A Life' is Piano Rock and Alternative Rock, which is more relaxed. This will fit with my idea of doing a Narrative/ Storyline based video as it won't have to be dark like a normal rock video would be, but it can include ideas from a lot of different genres, making it seem more kind hearted which will fit with the theme of the song.
The style of the music video I will be making will come together with the use of different camera angles, fades and dissolves. From looking at the storyboard I have created some of the shots I have decided on are:-
- Wide Shots - These will be used when the characters are in certain locations such as the park. The reason I will use them here is because more of the surroundings can be seen and in some cases, it allows you to see both characters in a space.
- Over the shoulder - I will use this when I am looking at a text that is being written and later in the music video when the gang appears.
- Close ups - I will be using a lot of close ups in my video as a lot of the time I want to focus on a characters face, or a certain body part such as a hand.
- Subject Point Of View - The reason I have decided to include this shot in my video is because it gives the viewer the chance to see what one of the characters can. In this instance, the shot will be from Max's point of view when Chloe comes to his door.
- Tracking Shot - I will be using a tracking shot as Chloe is walking away from the house. This allows Max to walk into the frame and for the shot to stop a certain distance away from the characters, still allowing the viewer to see the action.
- Zoom - I want to encorporate a zoom into the video as I think it will be good when uncovering Max lying on the floor. It also allows me to show Chloe in the shot as I zoom out further.
- High Angle - I wanted to use a high angle shot to show Max's character to be dismissive when he is lying on the ground with Chloe drapped across him. The reason I have decided to do this is because he is meant to be close to death, and I think this shot it able to show the seriousness of this.
As well as this, some of the footage will be taken as it starts to get dark, in this case the atmosphere will be important, but lighting will also be key here as I need to make sure the characters can be seen. Other things such as colour will be important as I think it will be good to see the surroundings for what they are, however the use of black and white could be something I could encorporate during the editing process. One more thing that I will be looking at will be the placement of the titles at the start and end of the video. This is usually seen in the bottom left hand corner of the screen, where people will know where to look, but at the same time, where it will be able to stand out from whatever action is going on when it appears.
Friday, 13 September 2013
Role Allocation / Casting
Role Allocation
The word 'Auteur' originates from France. Translated to 'Author' in English,the meaning of the word is said to describe a director whose creative influence and style has complete control over all elements of a production. In this case I will become the 'Auteur' as I will be taking on all of the roles throughout the project due to working by myself. The roles I will be taking on will be Director, Producer, Editor and Photographer.
Casting
As my video will be narrative based, I will be casting people for the different roles.
These are as follows:
Male Character: Max Colin
Female Character: Chloe Lander
Gang: Jack Marklew
Lewis Vickers
Danny Lander
Friday, 30 August 2013
Storyboards
Storyboards
Below I have created a storyboard to be able to show visual ideas I have had for my production. From looking at the first page you will see I have included the use of close ups, over the shoulder and even a wide shot. As well as this, if you look at number six, you will see that one of the locations I will be using is a Park. The reason I have decided on this was because it seemed like a peaceful place for the two characters to meet when talking.
When creating the storyboard, I tried to listen to the song so that I could get the timings on the different verses. The reason I have done this is so that I know what will be going on, and where I will be placing certain footage when I am in the editing process. Below you will see that I hope to get scenes 13-16 in from around 42 seconds to 1 minute.
During these scenes I have tried to incorporate a subjective point of view shot to enable the viewer to see what the character can. Again I have also included a range of close ups but I have also tried to include a tracking shot when my female character is walking away down the driveway.
From looking at the screen shot below, you will be able to see where I have planned on including fades from the different scenes, but that I have also planned to add in some flashbacks. The reason I wanted to do this was to show that the characters were once happy, and as the song asks how to save a life, these shots could show the answer.
Throughout the next few shots, the lighting of the scene is one of the most important things I need to look at as I will be filming as it starts to get dark and the only light source I will have will be street lights. It is here that a two shot will be used to show two of the characters in close proximity.
The last part of my production will be the main part, this is because the main focus will be on the male leads hand. For this, I want to try and match the action up to the last line of the song as it shows that the times ran out to be able to help the character.
Monday, 26 August 2013
Demi Lovato Skyscraper Analysis
Skyscraper Analysis
When the video first starts an establishing shot is used. By using this shot, you are shown a desert setting in which you then see Demi herself walking forward. A forward tracking shot is then used showing the camera at this stage in the video moving slowly towards Demi and she is walking towards it. As the video cuts to the next shot a close up of Demi is used, here you see here performing to the camera. One of the significant things here is her body language, this shows her to be quite upset. A medium shot is then used, first of all showing her to be looking down and then Demi looks up into the camera. An extreme close up is then used solely focusing on Demi's face.
Showing the heart to be centralised. |
As this cuts you are shown another close up again showing Demi to be performing to the camera and this then cuts to a wide shot of the space showing a box with a heart in the middle of the screen. The camera is then focused on Demi and slowly moves to the right, the movement of which suggests the use of a pan. It then cuts again showing Demi on the left hand side of the screen, this shot is a medium shot, reverse track is then used moving out from her.
Low angle. |
Again a close up is used showing Demi to be centralised, again it shows her to be looking into the camera. Zoom is then used as Demi slowly walks and as this happens the zoom becomes quicker and focuses in on her. A wide shot shows Demi to be stood away from the camera, however the shot is out of focus. This then cuts to the next shot showing a piece of cloth blowing across the camera obstructing the view. This is then followed by an extreme close up mainly focusing on her hand. The next shot then shows her to walk out of the space revealing the box with the heart in.
Use of a crane shot. |
A medium shot is then used with the main focus being Demi's hands, one of which is wrapped in her white cardigan. This then cuts, again to a medium shot, showing Demi to be centralised within the space but this time holding onto a frame where her head can now be seen. Focus pull is another technique used in the video, here Demi starts out of focus and then you are gradually able to see her, this is where she then walks towards the camera. As the video cuts again a close up is used, but during this shot Demi walks backwards away from the camera.
The next thing you see is Demi holding onto the lens of the camera, here she isn't in focus however the shot used is a close up. In the next shot a close up is again used but in this shot more of the background can be seen. Another crane shot is also used, moving from the right to the left side of the screen, this shows Demi to walk towards the camera. Her body language here is quite serious as it seems like she's going to get her point across.
The next shot is a medium close up, again she is positioned in the center of the screen. As she then moves backwards the camera also moves back. As this then cuts, a medium shot is used showing Demi to be stood back from the camera but here you see that there is something over the camera like a piece of material. The next shot used is a wide shot, here you see the glass that is on the floor but this time you see red spots which when first seen make you think of blood but it is hard to tell what it is. These spots then disappear.
In the next shot you see a close up of Demi's face. In this shot she is looking down, the body language here shows her to be looking sad. A medium close up is then used showing the musician to be moving around in the story space whilst performing the song, as the video then cuts to the next shot you see a close up of Demi's face and as the video progresses she turns away from the camera looking into the distance.
Close up of Demi. |
A wide shot is again used, showing the broken glass in the foreground with Demi in the background out of focus. Here you also see her running after a bird. This then goes into a pan, starting from a long shot and moving round her. The next shot is a close up of the heart in the box, here you see the glass shatter. When the video next cuts, a close up is again used showing Demi to be holding onto the camera whilst looking into it. A pan is again used this time moving around Demi to the right showing her again to be performing. In the next shot you again see her walking backwards from the camera holding her white cover up above her.
Extreme close up. |
Crane shot. |
As the video cuts into the next shot, you see Demi walking towards the camera whilst singing, this again cuts and cuts into a pan of the scene and its here that the music picks up again as she begins to sing. The next thing you see is an extreme close up of her eyes looking directly into the camera. This then cuts again and focuses on her hand showing off her tattoo of a cross. When it next cuts the shot is out of focus however Demi can be made out.
Crane shot - This screen shot was taken as the camera began to lift. |
The use of reverse track - As the camera moves back Demi's hands are the only features that can be seen until the shot goes out of focus before cutting to the next shot. |
The broken box. |
As the music is now slowing down this is one of the last shots you see until it cuts into a close up of Demi stood looking into the camera. Here you see her positioned to the right. This later fades to black and is the last thing you see in the video.
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