Filming - Art session backstage video/pictures

la gente esta muy loca

Made on Windows Live Movie Maker

filming part 1

Recently we've filmed the scene in the art room, I think it went pretty well considering the variety of shots we got, from different angles etc. I'm pleased with our work, and can't wait for another filming day! 

Resize images

more planning

I had a look at some forums and websites about planning a music video, and here are some advice I found useful: 

• Do multiple takes of the band from different angles, close ups etc. Pre-record the music and have the band mime playing as you play the recording on set. 

• Think about the entire music video in your head, visualizing all the shots. i.e. play your music video in your head.

• Write that all down in a storyboard. There are various templates on the internet I believe. From there, make a shot list. Or do a shot list beforehand. This is so you don't get confused when you shoot the music video out of order. Had you shot the video chronologically, you would find yourself moving the camera back to where it was earlier. Instead, you can just shoot all the shots for one camera setup and move on to the next setup.

• The more planning you can do before hand the quicker you'll be able to shoot. If you're renting gear, the quicker you can shoot the less it will cost you, and if you're relying on favors, people will be more willing to help again if you keep the hanging around to a minimum.

• Brainstorming is usually done in a group, but you can brainstorm by yourself as well. The main rules of brainstorming are:

-Come up with lots of ideas, the more the better-don’t critique or eliminate ideas as being too impractical, difficult, strange, expensive. Just let
your
imagination run free. You can critique the ideas later.-look for unusual ideas-link and combine ideas to get even more ideas

• Think about the mood of the video: edgy, funny, sexy, sunny, stormy, happy, silly etc.

• Think about the location: urban, rural, carnival, playground, high-rise apartment, loft, warehouse, gym, dancehall, bar, etc.

Research - The John Peel Lecture

I saw this lecture advertised on television on behalf of BBC radio 6 so I decided to do more research about it. I found it quite interesting and was intrigued as it was about the state of the music industry. This will be broadcast live on 6 music on Monday and will be a great way to find out more about the state of the industry, especially by listening to it on the radio which young people do not do often. However it was advertised on television and will be available online so it can be easily accessed to.

Planning - Analysis of influential music videos

Olly Murs - Heart skips a beat

0.06 - Skateboarding and graffiti
0.13 - Skateboarding trick
0.17 - Dancing (break dance)
0.20 - 0.21 - Camera moving with Ollie as he moves
0.35 - Ollie with skateboarders
0.51 - Bikes - Wheels - Oversized vinyl record spinning, makes a reoccuring circle/spinning theme
0.54 - 0.56 - Back and forth transitions going along with the drum beating
0.56 - 0.58 - Camera spinning at a high angle
1.02 - 1.05 - Circles - Hula hoop and football
1.04 - 1.05 - Clip skips itself when 'skips' is mentioned (repeats)
1.35 - Drums - Circular
1.43 - 1.44 - 'repeat' - repeats itself
2.01 - 2.04 - 'spin' - spinning, dancing with lady, and dancers 'hold' by grabbing with their hands
2.22 - 2.24 - backwards transition of dancer and Ollie
2.39 - 2.40 - 'skipper' is mentioned then a skipping rope is seen
3.15 - Confetti
We liked the overall theme of the skating, with activities happening around it, music was also linked.

Black Eyed Peas - I gotta feeling

0.12 - Slow motion with the slow paced introduction, leads up to the fast paced chorus
0-1.21 - Shows everyone getting ready for going out.
1.27 - 1.31 - Jump cut of girls getting out of cars
1.30 - Everyone starts jumping along to the chorus, as the pace picks up
2.00 - 2.01 - Jump cut/skip/repeat of Will.i.am going along with the stuttering lyrics
2.03 - Slow motion of people toasting their drinks, emphasising celebration
2.11 - 'Shut it down' - Lighting drops on command of Will.i.am's hand movement
2.21 - David Guetta cameo!!! (Another DJ/artist)
2.30 - Slow motion jump - we want to create something similar in the dance scene. This is different as people are still moving in the background and we do not have the advanced technology or effects to do this.
2.42 - Fergie in slow motion, looks frozen and with hair flowing looks really cool!
3.00 - Glow in the dark UV paint. We considered using this but had no way of linking it in with the theme. It would be difficult to film in terms of lighting as it could be too dark and would need a lot of UV light which is expensive
2.48 - Jump cut - repeats- 'rock' is stuttered and so is the effect
3.52 - Liquid is sprayed - jump cut to create more dramatic impact
4.16 - 4.48 (inc. 4.18,4.20,4.23,4.33) - Everyone ends up on the floor as the song ends.
Everyone getting ready starts the journey of the party, and it builds up to the actual party until it has to end, hence the end of the video.

DJ fresh ft. Sian Evans - Louder (features on Lucazade advert)

This music video is in convergence with 'Lucazade' a sports drink, and is shown as part of the advert. It became very popular as the skaters are really talented and make viewers want to learn how to roller skate! The music is also very modern as 'Dubstep' and remixes have become popular. DJs are becoming more noticeable when they work with a singer, so they feature singers as part of the song.

0.01 - Establishing shot of Miami
0.07 - Girl is on her own
0.09 - Close up of rollerskates
0.16 - Another girl joins
0.25 - Elision/Jump cut - moves location quickly
0.28 - High angle of skaters
0.35 - Slow motion - moving feet along with beat
1.33 - Music flatlines and shot is still but people skating are still moving, reflecting the tone and sound wave
1.38 - Skating represents how fast the music is going
2.05 - Slow motion jump as beat kicks in - elongated for dramatic effect
2.20 - 2.54 - Spinning theme introduced, pace is even faster, slows down and then speeds up to the song
2.47 - 2.48 - Skater filming himself (handheld) to make it more personal and make the viewer feel as if they are doing the trick too - something we could have done

Example - Kickstarts

0.01 - Close up of trainers and logo, both moving to the beat
0.04 - Same framing, only different feet
0.13 - Different sections of screen creating a typology of feet
0.30 - Jump cuts of different men
0.39 - Jump cuts of different women
0.46 - Close up in the corner - different angles of shot put together on one screen
0.51 - Cut sections of bodies and mixed and matched - an idea to use to combine the passion of the different talents
0.58 - Using objects to represent them
1.04 - 1.15 - Half cuts/close ups of faces and mixed and matched to give the illusion that it is one person
1.19 - Examples points down and sings 'down', giving the right moment for the command of the transition where the next shot is slowly dropping down to the beat and when 'down' is repeated.
1.23 - Out of focus to focus to convey emotion, and that example wants to focus on the girl in the shot and who he is singing about
1.33 - 'Noose' is mentioned and a spaghetti noose is shown for humour
1.36-38 - Jump cut of people sitting down at the table
1.46 - 'Eyes' - extreme close up of the girl's eye is seen
We liked Example's experimentation with effects and transitions.

The Ting Tings - Hang It Up

0.09 - They are based on the bottom of the skate rink

0.30-0.32 - Camera filming whilst on a skateboard going up a curve to a low angle of them looking superior

0.21 - Skating fails, represents failure and the song is promoting carrying on, which is similar to our message of carrying out passion what ever it is

3.12 - Different filter and contrast

3.16 - Credits director and skaters

Throughout the video there is tracking of the skaters. It is Japanese film inspired, and can be seen with the Japanese writing at 2.10 and the Japanese costumes and samurai swords at 3.09. We liked the overall styling which is very modern and urban, which translates well with the graffiti of the skate park.

Planning - Electro pop mood board

To start, I typed in 'Electropop' into Google images and this is where I found images for my mood board.

This is the moodboard I created using Photovisi.com. 

Art room filming

First day of recoding is done! still quite a lot to do thou, but we will handle it!

I am pleased with what we've done, however our actress had some problems with getting to us on time :) The other bad thing is that we had quite loose organization. I mean, even through we planned mostly everything, we were doing some other stuff instead. For example, we changed the final piece of art what was meant to be used like three times. Result? we have recorded our final piece on the background (MES). Awww :(

Anyway, there are some photos made by all of us, but GIF'ed by Ada :)

Planning - Analysis of original artist's website

This is the first thing you see when you enter www.Calvinharris.co.uk. Clearly shown is Calvin's logo, and his signature retro-techno font. There is also bright colours behind the title to portray his style and reflects the kind of electro music he makes. On the left hand side there are 4 sections labelled Twitter, Events, Newsletter and Tumblr. These update frequently and gives Calvin's fans and also people viewing the site a sense of his lifestyle and what he is up to. This makes it personal and means he can promote anything recent through these sections on his website. This promotion continues as on the right hand side it shows his new music video featuring Rihanna, which has only just been released. This makes it exclusive for people viewing to watch and also benefits Rihanna's fans if they have never heard of Calvin Harris and vice versa. The website is overall in a blog style, making it easier to view.

On the right hand side, there is a promotion of his new single. The artwork is large making it stand out, and also the title explains that it is available to download now on iTunes. This does not only benefit both Artists but iTunes also, as it is encouraging fans to buy through the iTunes store.

Calvin is also part of Sony's A&R, and he has promoted one of his rising stars' singles. This gives people a taste of something new while noticing the fact that Calvin supports new and upcoming artists. It features 'beatport' which is where music can be downloaded from.

This section shows photographs of Calvin on tour, giving people a sense of what his concert's are like and a visual response to who Calvin is as an Artist. There is also a competition promotion of which Calvin is nominated for, and gives people the option to view the website and vote for him.

Here, Calvin is notifying fans that Calvin now has a Google + account, a new form of social networking of which anyone can keep up to date with his work.

His website informs viewers of his tour dates,  including when and where  he will be performing. 

This is his promotion for 'Feel so close' featured on the website.

Planning - Copyright clearance

To find out which label Calvin Harris is signed to, I went on his myspace page (where his career started and was signed to SONY) and found the song we want to use. The information shown by the red ring shows that the label is Columbia, (which is still in the SONY branch) in which I need to contact to get copyright clearance.

I went on Columbia Record's website (www.Columbiarecords.co.uk) but could not find an email address to contact. However they have a facebook and twitter account, so we decided to contact them through facebook. Ada has already posted asking for permission, so I thought we could double our chances of a response by another request post on their facebook wall.

Planning - Analysis of original video

This is the original video to 'Feel so close' by Calvin Harris. The song is based on the relationship of the couple shown in the video (starring Calvin). However we are showing a different relationship with the song, as in the video we are showing the relationship between different people and the artistic talent that they are passionate about. Overall the theme is passion and we are conveying how people feel passion about a hobby not just a person. This is where our Artist will come in, as he is portraying how his passion of singing got him to where he is  today in a singing career and being part of the music industry. The video was also filmed in America, with American features such as cowboys and cheerleaders. This differs to our video as we are filming in London with London based features such as the skate park.

Planning - Final song choice

We chose 'Feel so close' by Calvin Harris because we thought it had a range of beats that we could work our shots with. We liked the fact that it had a range of fast and slow paces so we can contrast between the two and make it clear what the pace is with a factor of one of the theories being with a 'moving' camera, therefore it would be good to follow the pace to.

halfterm shopping

To create a style of out artist we wanted, we decided to go shopping to buy some clothes that we would like our artist to wear. After using them in the video we will return them, unless Robert likes them but I don't think he does :D

1. Here is a beautiful jacket that we thought would match a style of our young and attractive artist, the colours- red and blue and quite catchy, the jacket is quite fashionable and looks like something our artist could wear.

2. Jumper + tshirt, jumper-red; again, quite eye catchy and positive colour, the tshirt has a mixtape on it, which we thought could also go along with the style of DJ.

3. The hat+ glasses. The hat look unique and funny, which may also fit the style. The glasses turn in into quite 'nerdy' style, which we don't think fits the style, so during filming Robert might not wear them.

4. we thought this would be a good prop to use, creates a style we want the artist to have. 

5. and last but not least- the trousers, quite big and 'loose', fits the tshirt and the jumper. something a 25year old would wear= perfect! 

Planning for Music Video- Artist Style

Over half term we went shopping to create a suitable image of our artist to the music video.
After spending hours in the Westfield, choosing and trying different thing, we came up with this image of Robert.
We will return these clothes after shooting, unless Robert likes it.

Dark blue and Red jacket.

 Baseball, white and red jacket.
Old School T-shirt

Perpect prosp

 Hat with eyes and glasses. Very and fashionable.

 Baggy trousers with lot of pockets.

Planning for Music Video- Problem with filming

Yesterday, we went to film in the Camden Street skatepark. However, as we arrived we unforrtunately realised that we did not take a memory card from the college. Because it was a half term we can not came back to the college and pick up memory card. It was quite busy and we were feeling really frustrating.
People were friendly and we could take really good footage.
But I took pictures of location:

Research - Pitching for a video contract (Practice)

In class we were given these lyrics:

A Rainy Night in Soho

By Shane MacGowan (The Pogues) (1991)
I've been loving you a long time
Down all the years, down all the days
And I've cried for all your troubles
Smiled at your funny little ways
We watched our friends grow up together
And we saw them as they fell
Some of them fell into Heaven
Some of them fell into Hell

I took shelter from a shower
And I stepped into your arms
On a rainy night in Soho
The wind was whistling all its charms
I sang you all my sorrows
You told me all your joys
Whatever happened to that old song
To all those little girls and boys

Now the song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
But there's a light I hold before me
And you're the measure of my dreams
The measure of my dreams

Sometimes I wake up in the morning
The gingerlady by my bed
Covered in a cloak of silence
I hear you in my head
I'm not singing for the future
I'm not dreaming of the past
I'm not talking of the fist time
I never think about the last

Now the song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
Still there's a light I hold before me
You're the measure of my dreams
The measure of my dreams

We had to think of an idea in groups for the music video without looking at the original. I followed these steps to help think of an idea:

1. Read through the lyrics
2. Listen to the song carefully
3. Discuss Initial ideas
4. Consider - concept, goodwin's theory, target audience, location and setting, band/artist image.

The music video concept we came with was based on a lost relationship, this from 'I sang you all my sorrows'. The main artist is very scruffy and is known for his love of drink, and these lyrics will convey his feelings of the relationship. There will be a scene in the pub and on the streets, where he thinks he sees the love of his life, but actually she is just a ghost and a factor of his wishful thinking. This would be hard as it requires special effects. The location will be in Soho due the title, and Soho is normally associated with its night life. The 'gingerlady' is mentioned, related to the drink but could also represent a woman, which in Soho prostitution was also associated in the past.

I recognised this artist from the christmas hit 'Fairytale of New York'.

Research - How the music industry uses social networking sites

Promotional campaigns can be constructed by using social media and artists use this to build an audience.

Lily Allen - Used Myspace to get ahead, and promoted 'The Fear' as a video game.

Ellie Goulding - She had a Facebook competition where when she reached a million fans, a selection of fans would be chosen to win prizes and one lucky winner will win tickets to one of her shows and get to meet her!

Sophie Ellis Bextor - MUZU tv competition...

This is a picture of a Sophie Ellis-Bextor CD single that I won through MUZU TV's website. This promoted her new single. I was already a fan of Sophie and felt privileged to get an autographed copy of her single!

Rizzle Kicks - Had a Facebook competition for a facebook fan to have their childhood photo be the cover of their promotional poster of their new single 'When I was a Youngster'.

Kate Nash - Her career kickstarted through Myspace.

Jessie J - Her fame rose through her videos on Youtube.

Justin Bieber - Is known for starting his career through Youtube. Usher and Justin Timberlake fought for him to be signed to their record label!

Karmin Music - Their youtube video of the cover 'Look at me now' in which the singer is a woman, got lots of hits and was featured on the Ellen show.

Team Me - Their single can be played as a video game. I found this originally and suggested it to my group as they are associated with The Wombats which are one of my favourite bands. The single is called 'Get Home' and the viewer has to direct the character to get home before the song times out!

http://teammegame.com/

Twitter - A social networking site that only consists of status and picture updates. This way fans feel that they are getting personal updates from their 'followed' artists. Some fans might be lucky enough to get 'followed' by their favourite artists and maybe even a 'tweet'.

How might I link social networking sites with my Artist?

• Creating their own website
• Creating social networking fan pages e.g. facebook, myspace and twitter
• Create a Youtube channel for the Artist

Planning - Short-list of potential songs

The first thing I did when thinking of songs to use was name some British Artists. The names I thought of in a range of genres include:

Pop:

• The Dolly Rockers
• Little Boots
• Sophie Ellis Bextor
• Jessie J
• Marina and the Diamonds
• Eliza Doolittle
• Ellie Goulding
• Diana Vickers
• Kate  Nash
• Calvin Harris

Bands (including electro/dance and indie/rock):

• Ou est le swimming pool
• Human League
• The Cure
• Friendly Fires
• New Young Pony Club
• Chew Lips
• Hadouken!
• Arctic Monkeys
• The Black Keys
• Snow Patrol
• Manic Street Preachers
• The Maccabees
• The Hoosiers
• Kids in Glass Houses
• The Undertones
• The Kinks
• Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
• Enter Shikari

Top 3 artists chosen:

3. Natalia Kills - Mirrors/Wonderland

2. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Garden/Household goods

1. Calvin Harris - Acceptable in the 80's/Feel so close

Advanced planning

I guess it's time to do some more advanced planning and researching. Could be a little late, but at least it's done! :)

(source: http://musicians.about.com/od/musicindustrybasics/ss/makeavideo_9.htm)
Some facts:

How many videos have you seen on MTV that consist of the band playing in a club, with the lights flashing whilst the audience jump up and down? Exactly. Try and think of something different when you make your video. Filming a Hollywood blockbuster on a shoestring budget will generally look crap! One of the most interesting videos I've seen recently was of the band playing in the back of a transit van while it went through a car wash – the only cost was the car wash fee. From this simple idea they made a interesting and quirky video that was premiered on MTV Europe.

You can spice up your video by adding stock footage but you need to be aware that, like music, almost all video footage is subject to strict copyright law. Making use of footage without the copyright holders express permission is illegal. (That shot from Top Gun may look great in your video but you'll need permission from Paramount Pictures to use it).

The more planning you can do before hand the quicker you'll be able to shoot. If you're renting gear, the quicker you can shoot the less it will cost you, and if you're relying on favors, people will be more willing to help again if you keep the hanging around to a minimum. To plan, you should:

• Draw story boards showing each scene and shot
• List the crew, performers and props you'll need for each shot
• Try and brief the camera and lighting people beforehand so they know what you want from the shot

Filming the band playing live can provide you with great footage for a video. Filming the band at a gig will mean you'll be able to capture the bands live energy and their interaction with the audience. They are some difficulties, however:

• They'll only play the song you've making the video for once so you'll only have one chance of capturing the right footage
• The live version may differ considerable from the recorded version so syncing the footage with the track could be problematic
• The band's, and particularly the audience's, movements won't be choreographed, so you, or your camera person, won't know where to be to capture the right shots
• The lighting and effects may look great to the audience but may not look great to the camera
• Your filming may interrupt the bands performance.

Live filming may provide you with some great footage that can be used as part of a video, but if you want live footage to synch to a video, your best bet is to "stage" a live performance. Get the band to play along (or mime) to the track in front of an audience of mates or invited fans. You can then control the lighting, people's movements and get the track played as many times as you need (or at least until the band decamp to the bar!)

Planning for Music Video- Storyboard

randon example of storyboard from google.co.uk

Storyboard is a panel or series of panels of rough sketches outlining the scene sequence and major changes of action or plot in a production to be shot on film or video.

But because none of us can actually draw, we decided to make a list of shots and ideas we want to do for the first day of filming. Rather than putting ugly drawing of stickman into storyboard, we wrote 14 points of different shots. We all agreed that we would just waste time to create a storyboard which will not make any sense. In the result we would have to name each of the screens to understand what we meant when we were drawing it. 

So we concentrated on the short list, and discussed possible alternatives and extra ideas.

Planning for Music Video- Animatic

One of the tasks which have to be included in pitch was animatic. I didn't have a clue how we are going to do it, and what the point if we already know and decide what we are going to do. But to be honest, animatic was really helpful. While creating visualisation using similar pictures of location and small funny dolls to replicate people, we all had a chance to see it on the screen rather than only in head. 

Before, when we were talking to teacher about our idea, they were not quite sure want we want to do. They were kind of unhappy with what we would create. However, after watching our animatic they clearly said that now they understand what we want to do, and they like it. They gave us few advice ideas, what we can change or improve. So they already could give us a feedback just before filming, which will not only improve our footage but also save our time and energy.   

Here are 2 examples of ANIMATIC and actually MUSIC VIDEO

Blur - Crazy Beat (Animatic Video)

Blur - Crazy Beat (Music Video)

Gorillaz - Dirty Harry (Animatic Video)

Gorillaz - Dirty Harry (Music Video)