Month: December 2017

Filming Day Two

Today was the first day of filming for my music video. My plan was to film all the interior shots at my Nana’s house in Hayes with my sister Sophie. As preparation for the day ahead I had already ensured that both batteries for my camera were fully charged. This would eliminate any chance of them dying which would cause the filming to stop. I also made sure that the SD card I would use was clear of any other photos or video from other previous projects as this would limit the amount of storage I had for my film. I additionally, gathered all the props I needed and my note book, storyboard and script for reference. Although I believed I was fully prepared for filming I realised that the tripod I was going to be using was missing the part that attaches the camera to it. This meant that I had to go out and by a new tripod which took off time for filming. 

Once we had arrived at my Nana’s house I immediately started setting up as I didn’t want to waste any more time. The first scene we shot was of my sister sat on the bed with her eyes closed listening to music. As the room was already very well lit it meant that I didn’t have to adjust any of the lighting. Personally, shooting this part was my favourite as the shot liked very professional. To ensure that my actor’s eyes opened at the right moment in the song I played ‘Golden Age’ through my phone and counted her down to the right moment. This allowed my actor to know exactly when they had to move.  

Filming near the window  in later scenes meant that I had to make sure that I didn’t film the street. This is as my exterior shots will be filmed outside of my house as originally planned. 

For continuity purposes I ensured that each room I filmed in was cleared of anything that looked out of place. Clearing the space also means that there will be less items in the frame for me to worry over if I do have to reshoot. 

Overall, day one of filming for my music video went well. I personally, think that although initially there were some inconveniences in equipment I was able to recover for this and carry on filming. The fact that I managed to film all of my interior shots in one day very smoothly is something that has helped me in terms of time. 

Change of Plans

Unfortunately, the actor that I had planned to be filming with for my music video has become unavailable two days before the planned filming day. This means that at this current point I have no one to star in my music video which is extremely stressful. Luckily I do have back up options for this scenario. My other idea for actors was my sister Sophie. Although she does not have as much previous experience with acting as Ellie does she is the ideal type of actor I am looking for. Furthermore, as my project is a music video she will only have to act with her body language. This may make it easier for her. 

My original idea to film in my own house has also had to change due to redecoration of the hallway and Christmas decorations in the living room. Luckily, my Nana has offered for my to film at her house as she isn’t decorating and doesn’t have as many decorations up. Although this change of location does mean that some parts of my storyboard might look different I am glad to have found a different location on such short notice. 

Both of these changes may mean that the outcome of my music video may look slightly different to how it was planned but I will try to stick to my original ideas as much as possible. 

Digi-Pack Planing and Mock Ups

Introduction:

When choosing the music video brief I understood that as well as making a music video I would also have to create a digi-pack. I, therefore, researched digipack in the indie-acoustic/folk genre. From my research, I discovered the typical layout (eg: barcode and copyright law on the back cover) of a digipack and some of the conventions of indie-acoustic examples (eg: bold and legible typography). I will try to replicate these ideas in my own work as I draft up some of my visions.

Mind Map:

With all this in mind, I decided to create a mind map using my research as inspiration. Once I had finished I marked with a green pen the top three ideas that I had and set to work creating mock-ups of them to see what they would look like. 

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Mock Up No. 1:

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My first idea was of my main character Emma closing her eyes and listening to music with her earphones in. This would be displayed in a mid-shot with blue lighting shining on her face. Above her would be the title of the album and the artist’s name. This is so the audience understands who the album is by. On the back cover, I have included the title of the song. As this is technically as single I have only put one song name on the back. I positioned it in the centre of the page so that it is clear and easy to read. Additionally, I made sure that the font on the back is the same as the font on the front as this creates consistency throughout the product. At the bottom of the back cover, I placed the barcode and copyright information as this is necessary but shouldn’t overshadow the song list. To ensure this does not happen I have also made the barcode and copyright information smaller than the song title. The background of the back cover will be the same as the front with a blue light and pattern. This will also continue on the inside of the digipack. For the CD I have placed the album and artist name at the top in the same style of font. I have also placed the copyright declaration on the outside of the CD. This was a feature I found a lot in my research stages of CDs so I decided to include it in my own to make my product appear professional. For the background of the CD, I have again used to the blue pattern that will feature throughout the digipack. Personally, I really like the way this idea turned out as I believe it conveys the music video’s themes and ideas very well. I also think that the layout is professional. 

Mock Up No. 2:

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For my second mock-up, I decided to draw the iPhone and headphones idea. I wanted to keep this idea pretty simplistic in regards to its colour scheme as I didn’t want there to be a colour clash. On the front cover I have included the phone that is featured in the music video. Having this on the front cover will create synergy throughout my ancillary texts and create a sense of professional consistency. The three colours I have used to build up this cover are white, blue and black, however, I have also used gold for the text as I wanted it to fit with the song’s title. On the back cover, I have drawn headphones and placed the song title at the top in the centre. This was a common feature I noticed when looking at other digipacks from my research stages. On the inside of my digi-pack I have kept the inside purposefully white as I wanted the overall product to appear simplistic. On the CD itself, I have made the background a black colour and contrasted this with gold text. However looking at this now I think it may have been better to have a white background as white is one of the colours used heavily throughout this digi-pack. 

Mock Up No. 3:

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My third and final mockup is of the sunset idea. This was inspired from the digi-pack for ‘Young as the Morning Old as the Sea’ by Passenger. When analysing that digipack I liked the use of colour scheme and the idea of having a silhouette in the foreground as the contrast between light and dark worked well. Similarly, I have also incorporated a sunset along a beach with a silhouette. This was done as it illustrates Emma’s desire to be somewhere exciting. The use of vivid colours also contrasts the use of a blue tint in my own music video. On the back cover, I have again used the same shades of yellow, orange and pink. To ensure the text stands out I have also used black for the text. This will make the information contrast the lighter colours and stand out. On the inside of the digipack, I have created a circular pattern using the same colour scheme as before. This creates consistency throughout the digipack which was something I noticed in professional digipacks. For the CD I have again used the same colour scheme with the same choice of black font for an easy to read experience. 

My Chosen Idea:

For my digi-pack ancillary, I have chosen the first idea. I liked this as I thought it gave me a good starting point to work with and was very original compared to the other two ideas. I also liked the use of colour scheme and images used. I next plan to create the first draft of this idea so that I can develop and improve the quality of the digipack.