The results from our first filming session.

The results from our first filming session.

These print screens show the main features of this scene while also showing how it has been produced and put together in Serif MoviePlus. The scene is made up of many different shots that quickly change from one another. This gives an erratic effect to a scene that is meant to be confusing and scary.

The very first scene of our video starts with our female model running towards the camera, we use two separate camera angles as we filmed with two cameras. This allows us to flip back and forth to different angles which is a common feature in music videos. This quick changing pace between each shot relates to our message and tone as it makes the video appear erratic. These changing angles and shots work well as they highlight her fear and introduce her into the video in a way that could explain why she only appears in his memories.

This shot has been added to show her turning back in a panic, these set of shots work well together as the tone is dark and mysterious which is complimented by the lighting. The shots are slow motion however the angles and shots change at a quick pace which makes it successfully erratic, the slow motion is commonly used for footage which is meant to be from the past, the slow motion commonly highlights something bad or memorable happening. This is important as this first clip is meant to be memorable as it introduces why she could be an enigma.

The music has been added which means the start is silence at first and then it begins with a slow instrumental before the lyrics. The running scene lasts for the whole instrumental and then the shot changes when the lyrics start. This is to indicate that the artist’s lyrics and the shots of the male model are as a result of the beginning footage of the girl.

Our first filming session

Our first filming session

During our first filming session we travelled to Bluewater to film our model running down their empty corridors.

We asked the concierge for permission, however, we got denied therefore we went to the manager’s suite to ask if there was any way we could film in their corridors. They said that no filming will be allowed throughout the months of November and December. This allows us to go back in January to ask again however we needed some footage that wouldn’t be restricted by others.

 We decided to give up however on the trip back to the car we noticed the car park was well lit therefore we tested some shots.

We had our model running down the car park in between the rows of cars while a car was behind her in the distance which was lighting her from behind. While filming we started creating new ideas as this wasn’t our original plan therefore we was thinking of things while it happened.

We had her running down the car park yet when the car was behind her in the distance we had her turning back quickly as if she is running from the car, this makes the audience questions whether she was in a hit and run or if she was in trouble with some bad people.

We then had a close up of her heavily breathing looking directly into the camera this enhances her fear. By cropping these scenes together it shows how this incident is making her panic.

We had two cameras on her: Poppy held one camera directly in front of her to have her running towards her. I (Cally) then held a camera at the side which tracks her running so that we can crop together different angles which makes the scene quite erratic like her reason for running.

We will have to re-shoot this scene as we will need it to be a bit lighter as it was a bit too dark. We will also need to use a tripod as the footage was quite shaky. After this session we figured out the camera wasn’t the best quality therefore due to me being a Photography student I have better quality cameras to record with.

Our next plan is to film our model in Bluewater car park once again but have it slightly lighter and use better cameras. However, the positions and the style of running will be kept the same as it successfully portrayed our tone and message.

Email to the record label.

Email to the record label of Kendrick Lamar.

This email had to be sent to the record label that produced the song we chose to use for our media as it allows the record label to say no to us using it. By sending this email it ensures we have covered ourselves against any breach of copyright as we have notified them of our task. This is a crucial piece of our planning as it allows us to continue with our planned production as we have proof we consulted the right people within the company.

These images show the email contents as well as the email address I sent it to in order to confirm its authenticity and also a close up shot of the email itself to ensure we have proof that we consulted the record label fully in preperation for our music video.



Make-up Research.

Make-up Research.


These images visually represent what we want and what we don't want our model to look like. We want her presence to be hard-hitting not her make-up. We want her to appear innocent and young which will be reflected in her make-up and costume as she will wear white for purity and school uniform for innocence and youth.

Lighting research into the running scene.

Lighting research


The video will have a girl running towards the camera, this girl will be Lilly our model playing the enigma. The audience will question why she is running, however, the scene will have a dangerous tone to ensure the audience know she is being chased. This will be conveyed by the car lights shining behind her as it drives towards her. The audience should question her reason for running as they will question her presence throughout as she is never fully explained.

When researching running scenes I found a clip from Bad Blood. The audience are always aware of the woman’s fear, however, they are unaware of what she is running away from. The lighting of this clip is similar to how we want our own as it is dark and also filmed outside. We won’t use woodlands as we are using a car park, this makes ours easier to film as there is a lot of light sources in a car park compared to a woods. The dark lighting and outside aspect makes the clip appear eerie; this is the type of atmosphere that we wanted to create within our own video.

The model has been framed with the lighting and a medium long distance shot that allows the trees to frame her as she runs through the middle of them. There is visible smoke created by a smoke machine and lamps which create a mysterious atmosphere. The woman runs away from the light towards the camera which makes her a silhouette, this makes the fact she is running more important than what she is wearing or how she looks. The dark lighting and smoke makes the footage eerie as the footage isn’t very crisp; this makes the audience feel disorientated which suits the tone of the clip.

As the woman runs away she appears to be running into the darkness as the light is only behind her. From the side angle the light is highlighting the bare minimum, this ensures the darkness creates the right tone and mood. Her silhouette is all that is illuminated by the light, this makes her easy to see without making the scene too bright as the darkness is an important aspect.

The camera angle produces a close-up shot that shows the fear in her face. Her position highlights vulnerability as she is in danger as the camera catches her running from a different angle which makes it more personal as we can see her clearly. The light is now above her and placed in the corner which closes in on her which relates to the fact she is being chased. The position of the light is similar to where the moon would be; this makes the lighting less random to ensure it appears realistic rather than set up. You can see her facial expressions however the dark shadows are still present as the dark tone needs to be kept throughout. The lighting is controlled throughout this scene as the tone relies on realistic footage that has dark lighting with only certain areas illuminated.

Costume research and planning

Costume research and planning.






This research is useful as the costumes need to portray our message throughout the video. The costumes are important as they set the tone and mood for the scenes. The costumes throughout will be quite similar as the boy will either always be in white or black. These colours ensure he stands out in white, while the black highlights depression as the colour connotations are what we are relying on to deliver our message.

The school uniform will be used for our main girl a few times as she needs to appear innocent and young as she needs to be portrayed as helpless and vulnerable. The Baywatch costume is to highlight how his mind is revolved around her as she is practically haunting him.

The Baywatch outfit relates to the lyrics and makes her stand out in a way that proves she is in his mind not present in reality. We will use other girls in this costume to highlight how he is going insane due to the alcohol and his depression.

Costumes are an important part of a video as they convey messages and tones that can either improve or hinder the video if they are not throughout correctly.

Camera Angles and Mise en Scene research

Camera Angles and Mise en Scene research

In my music video, I will use a variety of camera angles and shot types to portray the correct image to my audience, allowing them to understand and relate to the video. Some of the shot types I will use include:

<· Long shots

<· Establishing shots

<· Close ups

<· Medium shots

<· Extreme close ups

<· Slow motion shots

A motif that I am looking to use in my video is to include a slow motion and moving shot (running shot) in my work. Using these types of techniques will mean that my video will look more professional and will use diverse shooting techniques. The slow motion shot will take place at the party where the camera will be travelling through the crowd and everyone will be moving slowly. The running shot will be of the girl, she is an enigma of his mind. We planned to have her running down an empty corridor in a similar way to this shot of Britney Spears:

 

 

However after our first attempt this scene wasn’t possible as Bluewater wouldn’t allow us to use their corridors therefore we decided to improvise. We chose to do it in the car park which worked well as she was lit from behind by a moving car, this can hint to the reason why she is an enigma and not a real person in the video. The only issue with this was the lighting as it was too dark and we also needed to use a tri-pod as it was very shaky. However the concept worked well.

This shot will be a slow motion moving shot which will look very professional as it will highlight the quality of our scene. This slow motion technique will be used for quite a lot of our video.

Examples of camera angles in existing music videos:

At one point of the music video we will see the mystery female come up from the bath and grab the sides. For this we will use a medium long shot from behind so that we can see the whole back of her but also close enough to see the details such as the hands clasping onto the sides. This action links to despair as this occurs when people panic and need to move from the bath quickly. These shots constantly remind us that something has previously happened to her.

 
This video uses a close up shot of burning paper which we assume is a letter, in my video I am going to be using the same technique where the main boy is burning photographs of him and the mystery girl. The close up will allow us to see the brightness of the fire clearly and the photograph burning away, the fire will represent the anger and the brightness of the flame will contrast with the black, dark background creating intensity within the video. The burning of these photographs will make him appear angry as he doesn’t want to remember her anymore. This shows the audience his reason for drinking as he is clearly affected by this girl.

Setting And Props - The setting can relate to location, where the scene is being taken place or where a scene is set. This can be an outside location or inside. Props are object used by the actors performing in a film; depending on the props used these objects can help determine the narrative, identity of character and genre.

 

This video uses close up camera angles, which is one we would like to use when we are focusing on the main boy in the second verse and on the bridge. This highlights the features of the face and can highlight the emotion really well which is fitting for our video as we want to show his distress. The face on close up used of Trey Songz is one we want to use in our video as you can really focus your attention on the character, it will give the video a personal feel which will add emotion to the video as the audience will hopefully see the pain of our main character and start to feel for him.

We also want to use a mid shot when we video the enigma, when videoing Lily we need to make sure we have the perfect mid shot, for example here we see up to the characters knees as she runs towards us and the rest of her is cut off by the darkness, this keeps the mysterious feel in the video with the contrast of dark and light which is exactly what we want to depict in our video.

A low angle shot is also going to be used, we want to have a shot of bottles falling to the floor in the empty room but also in the party scene we will have someone videoing at floor level and show cups dropping and feet and people moving and dancing, this will show the busyness of the world around him, everyone moving and the party going on but then the camera will go up to him and show him still and not enjoying himself amongst the crowd. Although this picture is not of the same scene we use it shows floor level camera angles clearly.















The final camera angle that we will use will be a point of view shot, in the party his friends will be 'cheering' and pouring drinks, we will show this through his eyes to show him not being involved and everyone enjoying themselves, apart from him.