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.

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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