Re-shooting parts of the music video and last scenes

Following today we have now filmed all clips following our timeline and storyboard and roughly put it together. However, throughout editing we have noticed problems in the filming such as:

- seeing each other in the film

- Lighting

- the actors laughing/ smiling

...as well as a lack of clips in certain scenes. We also planned to make the film quite fast-paced to fit well with the music, however, discovered that it is more common in music videos and attractive to add many short clips.

Problems we faced

One of the original public locations was unavailable to use.

We needed a lighter to set a photo on fire but did not have one.

Not having the coat for the actress

Overcoming these Problems

New Location

While filming we used a castle ruins in Eynsford but today when we went to re-shoot scenes there was a sign saying it was closed for health and safety reasons and we therefore had to find a new location. Luckily, we don't need to re-shoot any of these scenes and so just had to find a similar, rural location and so went down a country path near where I live. We believe it will fit in with the original location, however, as they are both quite basic and appear to be in the country.

The Lighter

To set a photo on fire, we originally used matches, however, believed it would be more realistic for the girl in the music video to carry around a lighter and so Zoe and I went into a newsagents on the way to the location and bought one.

The Coat

As Sarah could not come to the filming session due to work we could not get her coat. However, we found out the location of her friends house and I drove there with Zoe to collect the coat. The picture shows us using the AA journey planner website to figure out how to get there.

Re-filming

The main factor to consider when reshooting these scenes was ensuring the scenes and actress looked exactly the same as before so the new and old clips will link in with each other and flow well without it being obvious they were filmed separately.

Zoe changing the bed sheets to pink to match the colour in the original clips.

I did Ellie's make up to ensure she looked the same as she had before; we made sure of this by watching our current footage back.

We took pictures from a range of different angles to make up for the lack of clips we had before.

Zoe covered the light which shone through the banister as it lit up Ellie's boots in a strange pattern.

Safety
Lastly, while burning the photograph we had to take into consideration safety issues as it could cause something to catch fire. Therefore, I stood outside of the camera shot with a bottle of water ready incase Ellie could not put the fire out, while Ellie ensured she didn't wait till the picture was completely up in flame to put it on and stamped on the paper to make sure the flames were put out.

Filming the Flashback Scenes

Today was our third day of filming at the third location: Sarah Brushett's house. We have already briefly filmed here, outside but have followed on from these shots to show the girl entering the house which make up the final scenes of the music video.

The house is also used in the flashback scenes which show happy times as the girl reminisces which also star our protagonist male, Harry. We organised for him to meet at our school at 2 o'clock when we finished and then Zoe drove us all to Sarah's. Before leaving however, I designed a schedule to show what scenes we had to do and what outfits and settings were needed for these.

SCHEDULE
Before filming I made a schedule so we knew what we have to film and who we would need etc.

Filming

Positioning the lights and camera to avoid shadows on the actors or darkness which could prevent them from being seen easily.

The actors getting comfortable with each other and into character.

 Positioning the camera differently for particular angles/ shots.

Shooting from different angles, including inside and outside the house to get all the correct angles.

Problems when filming and how we overcame these
1) limited time: Harry had a limited time to film and so we had to be well organised in order to shoot all of his scenes in the time we had. We overcame this issue by creating the schedule (above) which let us know everything we had to do.

2) No Charlotte: Charlotte could not come due to her performing arts lesson and so her part in the filming was not possible. Sarah, however, stepped in and took the role on so we could film all scenes.

3) Camera running out of battery: The camera ran out of battery ten minutes before we finished so while we charged it for a short time we packed up things we did not need, such as lights (as the scene was an outside one) and outfits.

4) Harry's shirt: Originally, Harry was wearing a plain white t-shirt but when we began filming, we realised the white background in the Kitchen blended into this, making him hard to see. Ellie therefore borrowed a purple, similar styled t-shirt from her brother which could be seen a lot easier. 

Digi-pack front cover

Following our photoshoot at the weekend, each of my group edited some of the pictures of our actress, Ellie, using photoshop which allowed us to familiarise ourselves with the tools and experiment with different options.

Zoe edited an image which we had thought would be ideal for a CD cover:

This image shows the transition between the original and edited pictures. In the first the hair and skin are quite plain colours, blending into the background, while the second shows these features have changed colour, separating them from the backdrop, while also emphasising certain features such as the red lips and blue eyes. 

Following this edit, Charlotte began the digipack front cover taking into consideration our ideas and previous font research.


(click to enlarge)

Adding Text

Charlotte experimented with different font colours for the artist name using colours which can be seen in the image. However, we decided on black as this stands out most against the background. We wrote the artist name first in the top corner in a large font as from our research into CD covers, we found the artist name is the main text focus of the product.

We then added the song name 'Ignorance' as this is often shown just below the artist name. However, once again after considering a few colours we believe the red (the shade of the lips) effectively keeps the text consistant with the image while standing out well but also not blending in with the artists name.

Cropping
The current image is not the correct dimensions for a CD cover and so we cropped the picture to make it square. However, this would involved cropping part of the girls face and so we decided to move the name and song title to the top left hand corner and then crop slightly into the girls hair. This means the face almost completely covers the CD cover, with the little bit of space being filled with the text.

Digipak cover

Here are a few digipak fron covers. They all clearly show they are different but mainly use close up or mid-shots of the artist. In addition the artist is portrayed as glamorous and attractive on them all which we will incorporate into our own products.

How the digi-packs and adverts link

My group has carried out research into magazine adverts as we will be making one for our own music video. I have looked at artists from a range of genres in order to get a full overview into styles of magazine adverts, while also seeing how they link with the digi-pack.



This Jessie J album and magazine advert clearly use the same image and font, making them very different except for their purpose; one being to inform about the album and the other to hold the CD itself. Their similarities however create synergy through the products as the gold name and image of a girl with a black bob and fringe will immediately reflect this album. 

The 'You Me at Six' album and poster also use the same image on both products, although it is not a photo but a digitally made image. Once again, this image will allow the audience to immediately relate it to the band as it will be commonly seen on any relevant products.

The Rihanna 'Rated R' album and advert share the black and white image of Rihanna along with the capital 'R' in the top right hand corner, making all products about 'Rated R' consistant. 









This research has showed that it is very common to have the same picture on both the digi-pack and magazine advert as it makes the products consistent and allows easy recognition for the audience.

Final Fonts for the Ancillary Tasks

During the contruction of the digi-pack (the first of the two ancillary tasks we did) my group considered each of the fonts we had previously looked at, while comparing them to both the Kesha font which we thought would be good to base it on, our own song and the photographs we have taken for the products.

In the previous research, we decided one of these fonts, or a similar combination of the two would be suitable as it is quite a casual, not too fancy or posh font which we feel fits the style of the artist.

Using the photoshop fonts we eventually decided on this as it mixes the two styles above; bold black letters like the top font but not completely straight, with flicking out parts like the second:

'Viner Hand ITC'

However, we feel that two fonts would be better than just one as this is seen on many artists album and CD covers so for the second decided a more plain font would be appropriate so as not to take the focus off the artists name; the most important part of the cover.

'ConcursoModerne BTN lt'

The red colour was taken from the lips of our model so the colours are consistant and link well throughout.

Photoshoot 2

During the half term, Zoe and I took our second lot of photographs to be used in the ancillary tasks, using the research we have done as a guide.We used three different outfits as well as different accessories to make the photo's different to one another. We also experimented with angles, poses and lighting in order to gain a range of different pictures.

Carrying out Photoshoot 2

During the half term, Zoe and I took our second lot of photographs to be used in the ancillary tasks, using the research we have done as a guide.

Location: My house

To prepare the setting for the pictures we placed a plain white sheet over the wardrobe to act as a plain backdrop; we therefore do not have to cut out unnecessary objects behind the girl or do too much editing to background colour etc.

Preparing the setting

We placed a white sheet over the wardrobe to give a large, plain space to take pictures in front of. The books were used to keep the sheet in place.

Setting up the lighting

We then set up two lights to make the pictures bright and clear and to prevent shadows.

Taking Photos

To take pictures we used a canon EOS 7D with a large flash, insuring the pictures will come out flawless without shadows.

We took a lot of pictures in different outfits and using a range of shots and angles to provide us with a wide range of photographs for our ancillary tasks.

Experimenting with lighting

We experimented by moving the lights around, either side of and closer to the girl to get different lighting effects.

Adding effects

Using the resources we had in my bedroom, we added effects to the pictures. This involved using a hair dryer to lightly blow Ellie's hair back off her face. It makes it look quite casual and not as forced and perfect.

Ancillary Task Font Research

My group has decided to use the Kesha font as an idea to base ours on. We like the rugid appearance of it as it reflects the artist as attitudey and tough. Beneath is an image which shows one of Kesha's albums and the alphabet in this font, allowing us to see what the name of our artist 'Elle' would like like.

Our Font Ideas

Charlotte was given the task of font research within the group; using our previous Kesha research she has chosen eight similar fonts which she believes fit the style of our artist and song and will effectively given the correct impression of 'Elle'. I think each of these fonts are ideal for the digipack and magazine advert as they are all easy to read and in capitals which means they will stand out on an album or magazine advert well.

Whichever font we go with will be shown on both the digipack and magazine advert to make our products consistent; something which most artists do.



photoshop plan

This is a basic plan of our magazine advertisement for our ancillary task.It is very rough though and was mainly aimed at helping us to remember how to use photoshop and edit images and insert text.

However, we have included information that we will use on our final products, such as the artists name being the largest, main focus of the product with the songs name slightly smaller beneath.We have also included the date of release so the audience are aware of when they can purchase the album.

The Image

The image is effective at ensuring the artist herself is the main focus, with the background being quite simple. We also tried a 'blur' tool, using an effect called 'motion blur' however, we decided this is alightly inappropriate as the background in this photograph would not be moving and therefore does not make sense.

Character Clothing

After the initial research into the characters clothing, my group planned our characters clothing. Here is the main outfit she will wear.

Outfit 2

This outfit is for the flashback scenes, when Ellie will be filmed inside 'her boyfriends house'. The style is similar and links with the boots and the similar t-shirt style but the red lips give her face a different look, while making her look more cheerful.

Outfit 3 (Digi-Pack)

We feel that for the album we will have more of a glamorous look but so it still links with the familiar style in the music video. Many artists do this, such as Kesha who has a 'rolled out of bed' look in her videos but on her album covers looks quite glamorous.

The outfit links with the previous in terms of the lipstick in outfit 2 and the hair in the initial shots of the music video. However, the outfit is slightly more glamorous and more suitable for a CD case.