Planning meeting #11

Today we continued to edit our current footage; so far we have created :

* A sequence of moving polaroids which have been placed on top of one another to create the effect of a stack of photographic memories - an emotional insight, which our protagonist is sharing with her audience. We added a photograph of a polaroid (we felt this type of frame would look more cheesy / romantic - which is the look (at this stage ) we were aiming to create. By placing the polaroid image onto the timeline & adding the footage above on a new stream (we also cropped, resized & rotated the footage using the image+wireframe tool & the motion tab) 

*Our first scene in the coffee shot - using only three of the original clips (we shot from a vast variety of angles in order to backup our editing scope) to create a short piece of continuity editing to compress the 'end' of the couples relationship. We didn't have to alter much, apart from trimming most of the clips down in order to make the sequence flow more naturally & reversing the actions of our male lead (Bing) to create the emotional effect needed. The key for this section was making sure that the x3 clips ran smoothly & didn't jump or jolt - which would detract from the performance & the concentration. We also had to ensure that there was a continuity transition between this scene and the next (1980's) in order to fulfil our 'time travel' vision and make it look as if our protagonist (Rhianna) had opened a coffee shop door and exited into the 80's (not just gone to another location on another occasion). 

*Finally when reassessing our 1980's footage & spending a lot of time cropping & trimming the clips; we decided we needed to add an establishing entrance to the era. Previously we only had footage (a long shot) of Rhianna (lead female) entering the gym (1980's) and it didn't fit our brief at all. There was no clear indication to the fact she had jumped from era to era & we needed our motif to present itself to our audience straight away. Thus we decided to film Rhianna (in our outfit from our first filming shoot), entering the gym (with a medium close up shot) looking extremely puzzled, then flip to the 80's aerobics actors choreographed sequence, and back to a floor to head shot of Rhianna's 80's attire. This shot - reverse - shot sequence enabled us to set up our thread for the rest of the eras & also gave us the correct transition from the coffee shop - to the gym. The angles & style & distance of the footage now allowed the x2 pieces to seem well connected & clever- rather than messily constructed, as they had before. 

1940's shoot

Today we filmed the first part of our 1940's bomb shelter scene. We wanted to use two locations for this particular section of our film, (creating an almost reverse tardis like effect) in order to include both, exterior authenticity - using a real 1940's bunker (for stylistic purposes), and also keep the shot cramped and atmospheric - using a 'cubed under the stairs' to show to mimmic war-time 'make do and mend' spirit -using this smaller space, more intimate space would thus enable us to stress the difficulty of living in Blitzed London Town. We felt that spending a lot of time discussing and debating the finer contextual details of each scene was really important - for a production like our own skimping on mis en scene & historical accuracy would deter from our post modern style, and also weaken our narrative's strength & clarity. Both props & performance ability were extremely key for this scene. As we were using a very limited space we needed the actors attire to look passable (for 40's wear) and the actors themselves to be confident & believable in their actions. Thus we decided to use x2 year 10 drama students as our 'air raid children', hoping that by acquiring capable & experienced actors that we would be able to obtain and mutual relationship between actor & director, rather than wasting shooting time overly coaching our cast. Over all the shoot went really well; we faced a one easily avoidable problem, but it was quickly resolved - for example : we couldn't use the tripod due to the fact that the support was missing. Therefore we had to 'keep calm and carry on' and just make do with hand held footage, keeping our grip stead, and making our shots longer & more varied in order to get all of the necessary footage. The actors all worked together really comfortably & effectively, having a high standard of acting & concentrated work will make the editing process so much easier, in that we will only have to rely upon our own motivation & efforts & skill in order to create a high quality final piece. Due to our minimalistic set and cramped filming space I feel that the footage we captured today  is probably (so far) some of the most authentic - we didn't need to dress / rely upon a vast set to make it look perceivable and we avoided (& saved time) spending shooting time moving lots of objects which wouldn't contextually fit in the era - for example on our 1920's shoot, we had to exclude the plastic table cloth & coloured photographs. 

SHOOT COSTUMES & PROPS & EQUIPMENT 
Rhianna - Navy-Blue dress, white knitted cardigan, long grey cotton socks, hair plaited.
Esme - Sky-Blue floral dress, custard yellow knitted cardigan, long black socks, red hair ribbon, hair in plaits. 
Laura - Floral cream / peachy coloured dress, green knitted jumper, long grey socks, hair in bunches.
WW2 gas mask box
Blankets
Camera
Tripod 
Bible - entertainment during the air-raid 
Matches 
Candles 
Teddy bear & Rag Doll 


RISK ASSESSMENTS 
Because we were using matches in a small annex space, we had to be extremely careful that none of our cast & crew got burned or acted irresponsibly around the flames. We secured a set place that any used matches would be placed - a wooden surface away from flammable materials, and we made sure the candles only stayed lit for a short period of time & that they were properly extinguished after use (and later disposed of carefully and properly). Most of our over shoots have been relatively low risk & sitting down and going over safety precautions has not been a necessity, but today it was vital!

  - InteriorShooting

        - 1940's authenticity

         - Costumes & Props

 Hair & Makeup

DIGIPACK - LUCY ROSE.

JACK JOHNSON - DIGIPAK

ADELE - DIGIPAK

1920's shoot.

Today we completed our 1920's shoot, which was certainly the most fun to film so far. We created a cosy tea/petting party scenario based on extensive research into popular culture & the social norms of this decade. We dressed our actresses in mid leg length skirts, head dresses, feathers, pearls, tap shoes / kitten heals from the 1920's. We tried to uphold historically correct costume and thus if any of the dresses were too short to look authentic for the era, we made sure the people wearing them were sat down at all times. The location we chose was perfect for the shoot as well, we had debated long & hard over three locations after visiting them, and comparing the back drops & mis en scene already present at each (in addition to the extra props we had already sourced). We finally deciding upon our location (a large & quite dated house in the local area), and in retrospect this was definitely the best decision. We stuck to the storyboard least on this shoot out of the ones so far completed. I feel that this was only because the actresses were so comfortable in this improvised setting that there natural flow of socialising - conversation, dancing, laughing created a visually stronger piece than if we had been much stricter in there actions. We brought along snacks for our actresses as well - which we also used in the shoot as they seemed very appropriate, we knew that when filming people with out any pay that clear direction & incentive were key. Though the shoot was more loose in structure than some of our previous ones i.e.: the 1980's, we still directed all the participants with briefs before we began filming each time to a.) ensure we got every compulsory shot completed and b.) we got the best performance possible out of everyone. We used the lights for the first time as well today and really noticed the difference they made to the footage, improving not only the quality of the shots in terms of the mock natural light we could create in dreary December, but also the actor's complexions all caught the rays well and made them photogenically much more glamorous & stylish.  

Digipaks

Digipaks typically consist of a gatefold (A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as the phonographic industry) paperboard or card stock outer binding – to protect the disk, with plastic trays to hold the CD and a small pamphlet of industry and album information inside. Commonly they will include : The text name of the band or solo artist, the name of the album, track listings, bonus material, website / blog address, credits, the name of the record company, songwriters, record producers, musician’s, musician’s thanks, location / time of recording, photograph/s of the band or solo artist, the barcode (on the back), the CD logo, website banner (on the back), a design colour / style that corresponds with the artists / star image & album genre & ethos, unfolds, cardboard sleeves / booklet. Digipaks are now a common feature of every CD released by contemporary artists. They are often produced after tours or as a promotional addition or boost to feel a closer, more intimate connection to the songs & artists.

AUDIENCE ADVANTAGES

-       Huge availability of graphic scope and versatility

-       Feels as if they are getting more for their money – an incite – not just a CD

-       Less likely for disk damage to occur / fraud

-       Collectable (could make profit off it later)

-       Sentimental value – if they attended a concert & wanted a keepsake / extra connection to that artist

-       Bonus features specific to that Digipak

-       More economical that old styles (all usually produced on recycled paper / card)

INDUSTRY ADVANTAGE

-     Can raise the price of the CD (can charge a lot more for this ‘full package’ not just a CD or single)

-     Gives them a greater range of imaginative / creative flexibility

-     A greater public statement is made / more widespread coverage / marketing, possibly faster sales ( special edition / digitally re-mastered – enhances the original work – EG: Micheal Buble has released the same Christmas album this year as last year with +3 extra tracks and new graphics, boosting up his sale figures increasingly more than if he had kept the artwork exactly the same & customers felt they were purchasing the old product  - which technically they are)

-     Being more economically friends puts the company in a positive light (may thus influence consumer choices)

-     Promotional / marketing opportunity, the leaflets can be used as eternal advertising, always sat in peoples homes, always there tempting them into the world of the artists & their music & products. Leaflet’s can also often include advertisement of merchandise – ringtones, clothes, bags etc, as well as feature of other bands of the same record company – boosting the sales even higher with additional perks / references.

-        

 

Experimentation & Research

I have started to explore ideas for my album / digipak on adobe photoshop - by adapting the style of our opening visuals with photographs taken from our shoots so far. Though these are only rough thoughts, i felt that if i experiment with multiple concepts at an early stage, that when it came down to the final cut i would be in a much stronger position. For I would be able to combine my previously formulated ideas with any new technical skills attainted and consequently create a much higher standard of product.

 

* MUSIC MAGAZINES* 

Music magazine's are dedicated to music & it's surrounding culture / scene. These magazines typically include music news, interviews, photo shoots, essays, record reviews, concert reviews and often have a covermount (media freebees with the magazine - EG: free downloads / cd, or other merchandise or small gift) with recorded music.

Planning meeting #10

Today we continued to schedule our final x4 shoots and prioritise our filming days in order of immediate importance. One of our biggest hurdles in terms of our production has been securing all necessary cast members at convenient times for both ourselves & them - at times we have had to compromise on both terms  & at this current time trying to secure a full band for our performance sequences is proving extremely difficult. 

We have sorted out all of the details (location,props,cast,camera bookings) for our 1920's (in a Edwardian style house on a private estate) ,and 1940's shoots (in a real bomb shelter build during the second world way) which is really relieving - as both were extremely trick to orchestrate due to the securing of authentic spaces to shoot in & suitable costumes & variable actors. 

As for our 1970's shoots we have now decided on all cast members & costumes but are still in the process of tossing up between location choices. Furthermore we also continued (we have been doing so for our last x2 planning sessions) editing the opening sequence to our video. We are currently overlaying Polaroid photographs with snap shots of video to create a moving photograph effect in order to compress our protagonist & partners relationship in a simple/ explanatory format.

                                              

The Vaccines - web page

1980's Shoot prep & filming

*This is a copy of the email I sent via facebook to all the members of the upper school and sixth form choral drama group. All these girls are extremely confident and experienced performers and thus i new it was vital to secure them in order  to create a sequence that had natural rhythm and effective choreography. We have managed to secure a large wardrobe of costumes for example : neon leg warmers, bright vests, leotards, block tee's, leggings, high shorts, denim jackets etc, for our cast to wear; and also are going to provide refreshments and a reward for their generous participation (client care is of course just as important as the shoot itself). 

 Ellen Fraser



                  Hello choral drama people, (and please forward this on to anyone you have on facebook but i haven't included / remembered or any friends who are interested in drama or dance esp ) for my A2 media film we have to make a music video, and for my piece i am including a montage of sequences from different historical eras as my protagonist (main girl) travels back through the decades to find herself (the idea probably makes no sense to you right now but thats irrelevant for the moment). The reason i am explaining all this is because tomorrow lunch we are filming the 1980's scene in the gym, and we (me and my media group) already have quite a few people to come down and take part but are desperate for others, we want people to dress in : leotards, leg warmers, bright tights or leggings, sweat bands, or coloured hair pieces, tight shorts, big denim jackets or cardy's / jackets etc basically 1980's http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?num=10&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&rls=en&authuser=0&biw=1360&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=aZbdx3PZv5R5HM:&imgrefurl=http://www.simplyeighties.com/&docid=tHdVoEUhgvYnAM&imgurl=http://www.simplyeighties.com/resources/81_physical_98.jpg&w=322&h=478&ei=Txy1UJPXKIHO0QWl-YC4CA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=337&vpy=4&dur=257&hovh=274&hovw=184&tx=108&ty=89&sig=115379148672381749777&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=136&tbnw=91&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0,i:126 http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?start=25&num=10&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&rls=en&authuser=0&biw=1360&bih=555&tbm=isch&tbnid=GKb2JL2E06qBrM:&imgrefurl=http://mediarelations.illinoisstate.edu/report/1011/nov30/rec.asp&docid=MKacseNUA0tNCM&imgurl=http://mediarelations.illinoisstate.edu/images/600-00917063w.jpg&w=550&h=462&ei=Txy1UJPXKIHO0QWl-YC4CA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=4&vpy=238&dur=420&hovh=206&hovw=245&tx=96&ty=110&sig=115379148672381749777&sqi=2&page=2&tbnh=141&tbnw=188&ndsp=34&ved=1t:429,r:25,s:0,i:19
if anyone would be able to come to the school gym at 1:25 (lunch tomorrow) and be in the video then my and my group would be SOOO grateful, all we want people to do is literally dance along to a song & it would only be for a small while, like i say if anyone would be able to come or get their friends to come i would love you forever, thank you & don’t worry if no-one can make it.

 20:12
Ela Pincham
: sounds really cool, I may be able to come :)  xxx





 20:25


Sofia Victoria El-engibawy

 : Will be there.





 20:25


Rosie Barwick

I'll come :)xo





 

  20:26

Thea Goozée

okay;) : same i'll brign leggings and i will look for leg warmers


 

 20:40
Rosie Barr: I have some physics thingy but I'll defo come if I can get out of it xxx

21:43 Hannah Brownie : sounds awesome i will try and find stuff to wear...i might have rehersal not sure so will have to double check but will try my best to be there xxxx

22:03 Tara Drummie : COUNT ME IN.




22:04 Rosie Barr : Yay Tara, we can skive physics together! ;)xx

22:07 Tara Drummie : yeaaa:') got it all sorted and in my bag:)))


22:16 Lotte Nash : I’ll be thereee :D

SHOOT
Our shoot went really well, everyone was so efficient, positive and proactive which made the filming so much easier to complete. Hair, make-up & mis en scene were a hug part of this scene - they helped to define the generic features of the era & create sterotyped iconography for our audience to relate to in order to catch on to the interextual link. We spent ages kitting everyone out with a huge variety of colourful tops, leotards, leg warmers, tights, jumpsuits, hoodies, jackets, trainers and so on. We did everyone's make and transformed the teen girls into brash, eccentric, 80's divas - hot pink lips, glittery blue eyes & hair in high pony tails, half pony tails, or curled.  The location - a retro style gym, (along with the flash of colourful movement created and choreographed by myself and the other 'GEAR' girls before we started) helped to really bring the era to life. Everyone was so relaxed and co-operative and this was the atmosphere we really hoped to create, we wanted to ensure that our cast members felt at ease, as well as performing with energy & authenticity. We brought a fellow peer along to photograph the shooting, which enabled us to really get involved with our own work & stick meticulously to the story board with out additional tasks to complete. Thus moreover we managed to shoot each shot that we aimed to produce and now have a vast array of angle and different movement (camera) styles to sift through & choose our final footage, however in terms of some of the close up / extreme close up reaction shots & emotional expression we may be lacking in. Largely we concentrated on mass clips and making the extras feel as at home as possible & thus may need to consider later on when fully examining the footage if it's at a high enough standard for our liking. 

Shoot #2 1950's diner

Today we filmed our second shoot in Frank B's diner in Kingston, the location was perfect for our 1950's cheesy Americanised theme, and the staff were overly hospitable, which made film much easier & less stressful (on a tight time frame & budget). The restaurant was practically deserted allowing us to fully utilise and embody the 50's style without any additional customers, dressed in contemporary costume to interrupt our work. 

It took a long time to plan costumes in order to all correspondent to one another & the era to match the vibrant mis en scene and props. We relied upon the diner's bold decoration to amplify the performance style, as we couldn't produce proper actors the music & dance vibe helped to loosen up our chosen cast members (only some of whom had performance history) & receive short snaps of confident displays of energy. 

We made sure we stuck meticulously to our storyboarded shots (shooting in a mere 45 military minutes) in order to keep an orchestrated structure to our work & thus majorly followed through on our previous planning (we had carefully constructed each image through bullet points & then sketches). 

Shoot prep

                 

          

                                            

(26.11.12) Our second shooting date is imminent, for which we will be heading to our chosen location for our 1950's sequence (which is an applicable styled diner called Frank B's). Therefore we have been prepping our appropriate costumes and planning the make-up and hair styles for each cast member who will be featured in the shoot (Rhianna Price, Ellen Fraser, Esme Fraser, Amy Garnett.) 

*Ellen Fraser : three quarter length baby pink stripped skirt, button puffer sleeved woollen blouse, white ankle socks & plimsoles, high pony tail & hair ribbon. 

*Esme Fraser : Vintage high waisted jeans, cropped cotton jumper, high pony tale & hair scarf. 

*Rhianna Price : knee length cotton navy stripped skirt, black tee-shirt, hair in a twirled bun & head scarf. 

*Amy Garnett : High waisted tight salmon trousers, pulka dotted cropped blouse, plimsoles / or a tailored floral puff dress & baby pink cardigan with plimsoles & a pong tail

First Day of Filming

This afternoon after - weeks of planning, discussing, debating, arguing, resolving, mind mapping, mood boarding, costume hoarding, cast searching...(etc) we actually began our filming!It was amazing to actually see our ideas work and come to life after so much written prep  & pre planning- 
When making such a film, research & planning is of course such a necessary & engaging task however its not the same creative buzz as we recieved when we actualy begun formulating that material and transforming it into the product of all that hard work.
 When our sketches became a performance (the blueprints of our overall piece), our excitement and interest reached new levels (though the two stages are practically equal in energy)!
                    

We started chronologically, with our opening shots in modern day London. We managed to shoot x5 different snippets of a day in our first location (Dukes Avenue in New Malden - typical London suburbs), and then another scene set in 'Costa Coffee' on New Malden High street (after previously securing the permission of the owners of course). We attempted to capture a diverse range of shots using a variety of possible camera movements & angles & levels, in order to reduce the possibility of later stress or hassling re-shoots. Knowing that if we can manage to spread out the shooting dates and fully commit to the meticulous detail then our final piece would be progressed with energy not motivational loss. We were aware of the difficulties of our projects, the multiple locations, costumes & characters and wanted to be able to film everything with accuracy, style and equal enthusiasm. 

We got shots of : 
our protagonist & her boyfriend (the lead singer in our staged band) in bed in the morning, making brownies / taking them out the oven, cuddled up eating cake together, curled up on the sofa watching a movie under a blanket,getting ready for a night out - costume choosing & makeup, going for a "romantic stroll" down the street together & finally walking off to go for a night out in their finery. We aimed to use the idea of film within a film - or photo within in a film, to creating moving images (framed as pictures) of a montaged relationship condensed into the first x19 second of 'If You Wanna' (By 'The Vaccines'). 

 

After securing the internal shots we went to Costa coffee & worked on a variety of shots of the couple ending their relationship after tribulation over their future & identities (juxtaposing the cheesy montage sequence before & amplifying the drama whilst highlighting the start of the lyrics & leaving the audience filled with enigma for the rest of the song).

 

Costume choices :  Pyjamas & dressing gowns, smart evening dress & tucks, contemporary jeans & hooded jumper / coat, jacket & jeans with trainers. In relation to wardrobe decisions it came down to so much more than throwing anything on from our cupboard's to represent the modern day. A key part of our entire concept was to express exaggerated stereotypical, noticeable outfits that would clearly convey to our audience a generalisation of the specific era. We thus chose an ensemble which would be visually appealing and in complete contrast with our time traveled to by gone eras. 


                       


Lighting choices : We didn't manipulate the lighting in our first shoot as much as we will need to for many of the others, of core concept was of a natural, authentic, serious yet playful relationship, thus we aimed only to use sunlight (which created a beautifully dappled effect highlighting our actors features and creating a romantic ambiance for their morning lie in scene) as well as a few additional bright tap controlled lamps. 
Mis En Scene: For each small sequence we also tried to include many signifying items which would allow the audience to easily contextualise & recognise the location and make sense of the couple relationship through this string of shots (though evidently at other points in the video we will employ confusion or ambiguity aiming to provoke re-play and entertainment for our audience, at this point we wanted to open them up to the pretences of the narrative thread).