During our production meeting for our first shoot, we decided to shoot parts of our narrative and our performance. However when we got to filming we decided to only film our performance so we could focus on just one element and make it as good as possible. Over our first shoot we learnt a few tips about filming and creating atmosphere.

• Filming your basic (wide and close up) shots first so you have a base for your video.
• Film in an obscure place – on a few occasions we had to crop clips in the edit to get rid of joggers in the background.
• Singing along with your performer creates a less awkward atmosphere and makes the performer feel more comfortable.
• When filming more adventurous shots such as tracking shots, have someone stood behind the cameraman to prevent injury and keep a steady shot.

 

To capture accurate mise-en-scene, we made a Google Slide to plan how we wanted our stars to look. We collected images of stars from the genre that we wanted to replicate.

Throughout this project, organisation will be crucial so we sat down before our first shoot and organised the whole thing.

As we will be using copyrighted music for our videos, we messaged the band Kodaline through Facebook to ask for their permission to use their song in this way.

To continue planning for our initial performance shoot, me and Holly created a Google Slide and collected images from professional music videos showing the shot types we wanted to try and the impact it has.

 

 

As part of our preparation before filming our music video, we were asked to create a 20 second example of our performance shoot and looking at our first time filming and editing, I am very happy with the way it turned out.

• Before we started filming, me and Holly found a few video examples and tutorials of the types of editing we wanted to incorporate into our video. After following one of the YouTube tutorials, we managed to create a simple whip pan towards the end of the video.
• However some of our framing was a bit off. For example the shots against the brick wall were not totally straight meaning that the shot does not have the leading lines we were intending and the shot looks off. This has taught us to take more consideration when choosing backdrops and lining up the camera.
• Another point for improvement is to check the edit before exporting. Some of the cuts in this video were very abrupt and unintentional.
• Having a wider array of shot types would make our video more interesting and visually appealing.
• In contrast, the trial tracking, circling shot worked well and this may lead to further experimentation whilst filming.
• Finally I think that the video would be more exciting if the performer moved more and got into the song as it looks quite awkward.

After pitching our idea to Mr Gregson, we got a lot of new ideas for our video based on his comments. In summary, his feedback was –

• To experiment with using video effects, such as vignettes and filters to create a sense of time.
• Using dark edges to some of our brighter shots which would help create atmosphere.
• Making the storyline clear. For the narrative, having a talented girl in a relationship with the star then her, breaking his heart and leaving, using visual clues to hint at this.
• Throughout filming our music video, there are several conventions that we have to follow in order to get the most marks and provide our audience predictable pleasure however, our narrative contrasts the regular conventions as she is the one to leave.
• As our chosen song is sung by a band, we have decided not to use a band but instead have one male performer singing the lyrics to emphasise the emotions.
• Creating a clear contrast between the emotions in both the performance and narrative.

As well as this feedback, Mr Gregson also suggested that we watch “500 Days of Summer” as it has a similar narrative.

After seeing the similarities in the ideas we wanted to pursue, we decided to sit down and choose a song that we both liked and fit around our narratives. Me and Holly sat down together and created a collaborative Spotify playlist of songs we thought would fit. In the end, we chose the song Follow your Fire by Kodaline. This song allows both mine and Holly’s ideas to be used and the beat is upbeat but the lyrics have a deeper meaning.