FEEDBACK AND TARGETS:

• Editing needs to be much quicker – at the moment, it drags on too long and it doesn’t quite have the anarchic feel that ska requires
• Narrative parts need to be linked much better as some things remain confusing and questions have been created. The contract with the demographic has not been fulfilled.
• The camera relies too much on the mid and long shots. Close ups are required on the instruments, especially the saxophone, as they are the basis. The point of a video is to show talent.
• Our setting and our costumes are on point, as such it is unnecessary to fix these.
• The video needs more dynamism.

Our shoot on Tuesday 4th October was for performance, and it lasted approximately three hours. We began to set up forty minutes prior to the shoot, and this left us 2 hours and twenty minutes in which to film. Our cast was ready in costume and all instruments were set up by the time we had to film. However, we lost some time due to the fact that Simon’s camera ran out of battery almost immediately, so our three cameras dropped to two, thus leaving us with less footage and in turn, less angles and shot variety. In terms of mise-en-scene and setting, we had all that we needed. The band had their costumes on, and constant referral to our production meeting agenda meant that we could get straight into our recording, and so time was used wisely. Our location had been left free for us by the faculty beforehand, and our only constraint was that we finish by the time the First 11 team needed it at the end of the day.

WHAT WENT WELL?

• Referral to official documents was great. By reinforcing the importance of the meeting agenda to both cast and crew, we ensured that time consumption was immaculate, and we used it to the best of our ability. This is due to the fact there was no rushing around to find or replace items that had been forgotten, and timings were expressed thoroughly.
• For a first shoot we got a good variety of shots and an expanse of footage. Our crew filmed parts that may have been deemed unimportant at the time, but came in really handy for the draft. We were experimenting with the environment and I feel this gave us a dynamic, anarchic fun feel.
• Not only was our Mise-En-Scene bought to the shoot in its entirety, it looked effective and really reinforced the blueprint of ska, and thus the contract with our target demographic. I don’t feel it has to be improved, except perhaps link the aspects together in the narrative.
• Communication was excellent. We were able to effectively use the period because we could talk to one another without debating or talking over one another. Furthermore, it allowed us to book our location a week in advance by talking to members of staff in the school, and our cast were organised through various channels such as instant messenger, and E-mail.

IMPROVEMENTS?

• Take spare batteries/cameras. The loss of a camera right at the start was a huge hit because it was an extra ten or so shots and angles that we could not have on film, and this was detrimental to the draft 1.
• Despite how quickly we managed to transfer equipment from the Media room to the pavillion, it could have been done much more efficiently. We used a lot of manpower, of which was voluntary. We were fortunate this time, but next time we should load up vehicles owned by the cast and crew to drive stuff around. This way, we can cut down preparation and have even more shoot time.
• Working on a day that doesn’t have a school sports fixture after school should be considered. The fixture really pushed us to move stuff out and I felt this made some of our product rushed and unloved. Losing the constraints would improve the quality.
• Acting was left to be desired. Our guitarist was at times out of time with the song, and looked really out of place because it was evident they were confused. At times, our drummer lacked variety in their playing and it looks robotic. This being said, our lead singer was immaculate, and the sax player was in time with the song, and his dancing made him look authentic.

Our Production Meeting Agenda details the essential aspects of our Performance shoots on the 30th September and 4th October. We have detailed narrative and perfomance ideas that we must capture to make our overarching theme of vanity and confidence in how you look apparent to the audience whilst keeping the sarcastic ska humour intertwined. We have cast our band members in it too, and assigned responsibilities for props, and costumes. Simon, Kit and myself have assigned who will film each section on our shoots. A copy of our official planning document can be found below.

Side 1 

Side 2

My group and I watched three songs from The Beat’s discography. They were, in order, ‘Too Nice to Talk To’, ‘I Confess’, and ‘Save it For Later’. The aim of the task was to find four shots from each song’s video to aid our own ideas for filming. This formed what is known as a reverse shot list. Research from this task concluded that some conventional shots include close ups (in order to portray the skill and emotion of the performers, with love of music being key to ska), and wide shots that allowed the whole band to fit in shot, and work with one another in view of the audience; one element of ska is the love for others, and relationships with all people regardless of who they are, and wide shots clearly visualise all the feelings of the members for one another, and the mutuality of these feelings. From this, I can summarise that we will be using two shots, wide shots, close ups and extreme close ups to provide flavour and a mix of shots to create intrigue and to keep the video interesting and engrossing.

Risk assessments are essential to any shoot as they identify key dangers that may occur during the shoot, and give key instructions on how to handle avoiding said dangers. Furthermore, they’re official legal documents to protect our shoot, and the people in them. They have been signed by each members parent or guardian for permission as we are under 18, or members of the school environment. As can be seen below, each member of our team has been risk assessed and given permission to film/be filmed and are now safe to go offsite and shoot our music videos. As our performance will be done on school grounds, a shoot specific risk assessment has not been drafted as the generic copy covers us on the premises.

Risk Assessment for Marcus Rees

An excellent way of seeing how much footage you will need is found in the form of a Narrative/Performance Timeline. Timelines are great ways to form the basis of our videos because they don’t need to be in any order. They can be disjunctive and out of sequence because it is essential to the video to just get ideas down that. By using post it notes, we are able to pick and move and discard ideas that don’t fit or work where they are. Furthermore, they allows us to fully distinguish our ideas into performance and narrative, and also visualise the ratio performance:narrative, thus confirming the type of music video it is, and how this can be adapted to pull in and entice more members of our target demographic.

Ideas that came about from our timeline included performers wearing masks of famous celebrities to parody how samey and manufactured their images are, smashing a mirror to promote breaking free from the cage of social media and being a slave to fashion trends, and the band being covered in make up to illustrate how make up makes people look like clowns. These ideas come under the thematic umbrella of ‘vanity, equality and confidence in originality’, of which is what we aim for in our video.

My team and I requested permission from The Beat through all media channels we could. This included contacting them on Twitter, and through e-mail. However, as a big band, it is likely they are too busy to respond. As such, we have taken this lack of response as a go ahead for they have not warned us not to do it, something of which they would have expressed avidly if they felt such a way. Finding permission is quintessential to our project as it will allow us to avoid any copyright infringements and flack legally from YouTube, and other media forums.

Tweet to “The Beat”

E-mail to “The Beat”

Star image is an important piece of research as it allows us to replicate the conventions of the genre. Conventions act as a quintessential part of the contract as they really tell the audience what they are buying into.

Key themes running through our Pinterest board were energy, youthfulness, happiness, equality, friendship and talent. These parts of the blueprint for star image all create the idea of fighting prejudice and creating harmony within society. This is the meta narrative of the ska genre, which shows the youth dancing and having fun, and challenging authority.The message is to enjoy yourself and be you, of which the members in the Beat are doing.

However, this creates the paradox of the star. The Beat are portrayed to be on a level with the audience, as is essential to the themes of freedom and diversity, but by being the band, they are seen to be above the audience. They are in the limelight, they’re famous, and they’re the symbols of a genre that is meant to dismantle authority and hierarchy. They are idols and heroes for the generation of the time.

Please click below to find my board.

Our song is Mirror in the Bathroom, a two tone ska song. This is a very niche genre as it was prominent in the 60s-80s, and as such most listeners are likely to be middle aged, working class citizens. However, younger people are very much into ska, through the popularity of reggae, and it is hugely popular in Asia.

This is Roger King, or Rudy to his friends. His Facebook page clearly identifies his social identity, of which is considered a ‘Mod’. He would be interested in our video because, as can be seen from his profile, he is very much into the whole mod scene. He loves his scooters, and avidly shows the fact he works with Vespas and Lambrettas in his interests. Additionally, his job, of which he has now retired from, was one of the working class whites in the 70s. His love of ska is accentuated by the evidence of him spending time with other skinhead friends in Aylesbury, 1974, in his profile picture. He also has his own saxophone, one of the most prominent instruments in ska.

Additionally, Roger is aligned with the Liberal Democrats, and this can be directly linked to the fact that many mods disagreed with both right and left wing ideals, due to how much Communism and Fascism had ruined global peace during his younger years. He is part of the “SHARP” group on Facebook, and as such he is a conventional ska fan, especially as it is constantly seen in our repertoire of elements that equality is a quintessential part of the genre.

These factors all indicate that Roger will be the prime target psychographic for our ska music video based on his love for the conventions of the genre and the message we are conveying (thus creating predictable pleasure), and he will be interested in the contract made between himself, and us as the music directors.