ACCOUNT OF SHOOT DAY

We shot for one day in our school studio. We had the previous afternoon to build the set. We had two hours after shooting to strike the set.

At the start of the day we were preparing the props for the set. We drew the black curtain around 360 degrees to that the camera could rotate within the circle. We then set up a make-up area for the band to prepare. When the Toy Hearts arrived we helped carry out their instruments and made them feel comfortable within the environment. We ran through our idea to the band and explained what was going to happen and what the finished product would hopefully look like. We then positioned the band within the circle to the marked out places for them to stand. We then lit them from above, trying to create as little shadow as possible. Then one of us had to go inside the curtain and film by rotating the camera on a dolly. Only one of us could go in at a time, so we took it in turns to go in, while we were not on set we would as a group take it in turns to control the sound and keep the offset band members happy. We would also be preparing the other props and ensuring that they were ready for later.

For the set of the bar we used a jukebox, a couple of chairs and we stacked up some boxes to create a bar. The band where then playing in the bar. After building the set of the bar and shooting the scene we set up close ups and mid shots of all the band playing their individual parts and the solo’s that are in the song. After this we shot the band bowing and the two girls saying ‘meaow’ to the camera. After shooting in the black circle we set up a stage in the studio with some theatre seats in them. We then had a crowd of people watching them perform on stage and again did a sweeping pan to the right. After this we did a series of close ups of each of the band members on the stage.

During the whole day we rotated the roles that we had to play so that we had a go at doing everything. This included the camerawork, the sound, the directing, organising the band and arranging the props. When preparing for our shoot we had to clean out a jukebox and glue some of the parts back together. As our set was very minimalistic this would have been one of the main things that stood out so it needed to be properly fixed. We only used mini blonde lights to spotlight the musicians to try and create as little shadows as possible. A cherry picker was used to move the mini blondes about and place them on the frames that overhang the studio.

The shots we were taking were 360 pans of the black circle with the band performing the whole way through. We did this a couple of times on wide shot, mid shot, and some close ups of the instruments all at a sweeping pan to the right. After lunch we had to quickly prepare the set so that it looked like a bar and for this we enlisted some actors.We kept to the same style of filming and camera work to keep the continuity of the video We used the camera so that it was in the middle of the band on a dolly and when we were filming we would turn it on a dolly. We used a different variety of shots using this style of filming. All of the tracks we used were clockwise to keep continuity.

As a group we faced a series of problems. At first we struggled to get any location for our band to play in. We wanted an old theatre or a run down building that looked old and authentic. Eventually our lighting designer Dan found as a location called ‘The Grange’ which was a massive derelict house which used to owned by a lord. This was the perfect location for our video. Another group were filming on the same location before us and half way through the shoot a man walked in and complained about the vibrations caused by the music as it was disturbing the bats which lived in the roof. Our group could therefore not shoot on that location and so we had to find another location on very short notice. We could not find anything which was within our price range or distance that was suitable so this meant we had to shoot in the studio.

Our idea therefore had to change as well as we were shooting in the studio and had not set. As a group we sat down and decided upon a new idea. We came up with concept of filming within a black circle with the band on the outside. We used a black curtain so that with the spaces between the band members we could cut more easily when editing. We encountered more problems when trying to do this as the camera was on a dolly and was always rotating, but the ground was uneven which meant on playback it looked like there was a jump. We dealt with this by laying down some flat pieces of wood, which made the ground more even. Because our idea changed at the last minute this meant that all the pre-planning we had done, including the storyboard, shoot schedule and timeline could not be used so this meant that on the day we had to be much more aware and active to make sure that everything ran on time. We did however over run our shoot past dinner and carried on filming later than all of the other groups. Another problem we encountered was that the song that the ‘Toy Hearts’ had chosen to play was actually really difficult as it was at a very high tempo. This meant that on the day, there are quite a few errors musically and this will be difficult to edit. Overall it turned out ok though.

One of the main problems on the actual shoot day was that the only person who could see what was being filmed were the two people manning the cameras, so the rest of the group could not see as they were behind the black curtain. This was because we could not have a cable from the camera to the TV screen as a live feed as we were filming the whole song at once and we were moving in a 360 movement so the cable would have got twisted in it.We therefore just had to film it without live playback.

I felt that a shot that really worked was the tracking of the pub which then stopped on the band playing. I felt it gave real atmosphere to the overall video and gave a sense of authenticity to the video.It also work really well within the context of the video and creates more variety among the choices of shots we can use in editing which will make the overall video better.

I feel our shots worked really well as we used the dolly to full effect on the day of filming. Because our video is always moving (360 track to the right) I felt the wide shot of a continuous track throughout the whole song worked really well and it was different to a lot of other music videos that I have seen before. This means that it has a sense of originality and therefore can create more of an interest among an audience.

A shot that I felt did not work was a mid-shot of the band playing in the black circle. For some reason I felt that without seeing the band members faces the shots did not work. However they make look better during editing if they are cut with shots of their faces. Other shots that I felt did not work were the close ups of the band performing on the stage. This was because the rest of the video was tracking to the right continuously and this would disrupt the flow if that happened.

Overall I thought that our shoot day went really well and even though there were problems we faced them and dealt with them quickly. Considering our idea changed at the last minute we were very organised on the day despite running over time a little bit. Most of the shots we filmed looked good and our group was happy with them.

PERMISION'S LETTER

We were legally and morally bound to seek permission from the copyright owner of the song so that we could not only record our pop video using that song. But could also publish the song on YouTube and other sites.

This is the letter that went to the Toy Hearts company which owned the copyright.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, AND HOW MY POP VIDEO FITS IN

Musical taste varies a lot between different types of people. Music can be seen as almost tribal as some people choose their lifestyle around a certain genre of music. For example the band Iron Maiden has created a fan base that is usually associated with the biker gang, hells angels. Music can shape the way that people think, dress and speak. Most people, however, agree that music and its trends, sit at the epicentre of popular culture. There are two different types of culture (Higher culture and lower culture). An example of higher culture in music would be Steve Reich as his sound is unique and it targets a very particular audience, whereas someone like Lady Gaga would target a wider and a more commercial audience. Music can influence people up to an extent of a global community being changed by the musical trends.

There are two different types of music in the industry (synthetic and organic). Synthetic music are people such as the Spice Girls and Destiny’s Child, whereas organic music would be artist like Four Tet and Burial. In the music industry there is a dynamic tension between the organic and synthetic style of music. Some critics believe that ‘music’ and ‘industry’ are in many ways incompatible terms. There is dynamic tension between the artistic and commercial forces that underpins the success of the vast media business. Another characteristic to take into account is the music industries ‘synergetic connections’ with other media forms such as TV, Radio and Magazines. For example a band may want to promote themselves through other types of media to sell their product. TV shows like ‘The One Show’ and ‘Late Night with Jools Holland’ would be good for promoting the band we are filming (The Toy Hearts).

This is a link to the later with Jools Holland official web page:

www.bbc.co.uk/later

Radio shows such as ‘BBC 6 Music’ and ‘BBC Radio 2’ would be ideal for our band as they are targeting a niche audience. ‘Country Life’ Magazine would be suitable for a Toy Hearts interview as well. A mutual reliance can be formed which can lead to positive promotion, however this is risky as a negative review may be documented and this could decrease sales.

A pop video is only one part of the marketing campaign in terms of promotion. There are other aspects such as gigs and reviews. The music industry is overall dominated by 4 major record labels. These are Universal, Sony, Warner Bros and EMI. All of these companies are known as the ‘major’ record labels. They are also known as trans-national corporations. Each of these record labels will own smaller more independent record labels of which they can produce smaller and more alternative bands. They will also own magazines, radio stations and TV stations. This gives them an advantage as they can get their artists the best locations within the magazine, or an exclusive review on their radio station or TV show. This means that all of their departments of the company are helping out the artist and trying to spread popularity and increase sales.

The smaller companies that the major record labels own are called subsidiary companies or ‘major independents’ and they are there to reach different kinds of audiences in different areas of the world. There are also lots of smaller companies with little or no financial connection to the majors. These companies will concentrate more on the organic music which is created for niche audiences. These companies are known as independents. Major Record Labels will spend about £1 Million on an album and about £500,000 on a music video. An independent will spend around £100,000 on an album and £50,000 on a video. This shows that the major record labels have much more money than the independents and can afford to produce projects on a larger scale.
As a whole, the industry has a complex connection with lots of different types of media (Such as Radio, TV, Film and Magazines). When a company is trying to sell the band they will deliver a song and the meaning to that song. This helps create the image or the brand for the band itself. The use of synergy within companies can give various artists massive advantages as they can be in magazines and interview on TV or radio. The music video can help create synergy and also serve a number of different functions. For example a video can promote a specific single or the album itself and help establish the band. It can create a star image of which people look up to and aspire to be like. A video will also be entertaining in itself, and can reinforce the meaning of the song through visual images.

There are however certain threats upon the concept of music videos. In some cases they are becoming obsolete and irrelevant. Due to the rapid increase of illegal downloading people are paying less attention the actual video of the song. Websites such as ‘My space’ and ‘soundcloud’ are allowing people to stream and download for free people’s tracks that they have made. This imposes a serious threat for music videos as people will not be looking on music channels for new songs, but online, so there will usually be no accompanying video. I still believe that there will always be a future for the pop video. The website ‘Youtube’ allows people to listen to the music, but also watch the video that goes with it and some people prefer this than to just listen to the music.

CALL SHEET

We spent a week preparing a detailed Call Sheet, which is the detailed plan for the shoot day. It is like the bible for the productin with details of the shooting schedual, the locations , the cast, the equipment, contact numbers, anything and everthing that might arise and that people involved would need to know. Below is the Call Sheet we prepared.

CALL SHEET INFORMATION

The call sheet is a booklet of information that is constantly referred to on the day of the shoot. Contents of the call sheet include production team, cast list; studio set plan, lighting plan, props and wardrobe list, schedule, storyboard, words of song and shooting order. We will give out a booklet to everyone involved in the shoot on the day, so that they know what is happening, where and what time it is at.

The studio set plan is there to show the cast and the production team where everything is meant to be and where everyone is standing. The lighting plan shows where we will need to set up lighting, to create the effect that we want. The props and wardrobe list will be there as a checklist to make sure we have everything. The schedule shows when everything is taking place and what order we are shooting in. The storyboard is for the production team to direct the cast of what they want to do. The words of the song are there so that we can refer to them when shooting at different points in the song and we have a shooting order to let everyone know what time everything is taking place.

PROBLEMS WE ENCOUNTERED

When looking of a location we were a bit stuck as there was no where suitable to shoot. This was due to issues such as cost or distance. However our lighting designer, Dan, was able to find us a location called The Grange. Last Friday Storm and I went to the location to do some research as someone else was shooting their video there. We encountered a problem when a man walked in on the middle of the shoot and said that we were not allowed to make loud noises, as the vibrations were disturbing the bats that lived in the roof. This therefore means that the location we had, which was perfect for what we were trying do, is no longer available.



Now as a group we have to manipulate our idea, so that it can work somewhere else and we can get the same feel as if we were at the grange. Our group is looking for locations at a low price, however if we can not find anything suitable then we will have to build a set in the studio to try and imitate an old house.

SET BUILD AND LIGHTING DESIGN

We had a lot of problems with our set location as we were trying to find a location that would match the style of video we were trying to make. This for us was an old theatre for the band to perform in. We tried various places and found that they were either to expensive or they were already being used for other events.When Dan, our lighting designer, came to talk with us about our video he suggested various ways of building a theatre in the studio using various props. We went through lots of different options of set design and we came to a decision about what to use. We also talked to Dan about what style of lighting we wanted to use. We said that we would like a sepia effect to make the video look more vintage so he suggested that we use certain lighting effects on the day and special filters to put over the camera lens.
Dan, however, did manage to find us the perfect location for our performance shoot. It is an old house called The Grange and it is an old style English mansion with a deteriorating interior which gives a vintage effect. Dan managed to find us this location as he worked there for a couple of months and was able to organise a shoot day for us. These are some pictures of The Grange.

THE NEW LOCATION

We stuggled with getting a location to film our band perform in. We tried to organising shooting times with certain locations but many problems occured. For example we could not afford some of the locations as their budget was way out of our price range and even if we could afford the location they were already being used for shooting by someone else.

Eventually our stage designer was able to get us a location which was suitable and at a low cost. Thea name of the location is Grange Hill and it is an old house with deteriorating interior which suited our style of mise en scene that we wanted to create.

These are some pictures taken form the outside of the house.