Planning: Locations

Locations:

Shoreditch:
Shoreditch is the heart of London's fashion scene; the quirky clothing parallels the exterior of buildings, with many graffiti pieces being dotted around the area, particularly around the area of Brick Lane. Another point to consider is the Brick Lane Market that occurs each Sunday, adding yet more buzz and life to the area and drawing in all sorts of people. The Pop genre is all about image so the prominence of style in this area would be of high suitability while simultaneously the quirk which would not usually be applicable to the mainstream pop genre, is arguably suitable to our artist who we believe has an edge, both in image and sound.
The issue with graffiti is that it's frequently taken down and later replaced by other pieces, this continuity of change could disrupt our video making process. To avoid any surprises I had researched on current graffiti blogs (NOV 2016 Posts) the works that are presently to be spotted. To be completely sure however it is necessary that location checks are carried out nearer to the filming date. I have planned to do this personally the evening before our shoot.

Southbank Skate-Park
When a group member suggested a scene at a skatepark Southbank naturally came to mind; it contrasts from the bland, grey, skateparks that are even-so scarce in our area. This colourful setting would apply to the pop genre, as in pop videos colour is manipulated and enhanced to appeal to the audience. However the fact that the colour manifests itsself in graffiti suggests an urban edge; one that is audible in Brayton's music.

Covent Garden Adventure Bar

Adventure Bar is a cosey bar with a great interior look. I'm especially fond of their bright 'Cocktails' neon light, under which I'd imagine the persona to be sitting, to claim this spot we would have to make a reservation beforehand. (+ to capture the neon light we would have to opt for a lower iso setting meaning a stronger reliance on our L.E.D lighting)

UPDATE!!

Due to timing adjustments to our actor we have had to limit our locations strictly to Waterloo. To keep an appealing aesthetic and quirky look for the mise en scene of our video I opted for 'Topolski', a bar and gallery combination which joins a modern and rustic interior. (see below)

Knowing that guerrilla filming inside the bar could be risky, I had sought permission from them before filming:

Southbank Light Construction

When location spotting at Southbank I came across a canopy with pink lights just by the skatepark. While not a location we had initially thought of we decided that it could be effective, yet again through the idea of vibrant colour but also because it would be suiting with the overall atmosphere of the video and paralleling the pin neon light in the bar, adding flow to the video. Moreover the close proximity of this location to the Skatepark means that no extra travelling would be required, saving us time.

House Exterior

The first verse is set outside a house; the 'protagonist' (and artist) in our video has been kicked out and clothes are being thrown out from the window by his partner. My initial thoughts were to film guerrilla style outside a house with an appropriate look (I imagined the type of house where you open the door and walk straight out onto the street) however I knew that realistically this was too risky, especially considering that the opening sequence requires a dolly movement; setting this up would draw considerable attention to us. I asked around and ended up with a second plan, this being my aunty's house, she lives in Hoxton so we could film on the same day as the Shoreditch shots and the dolly could be set out on the footpath. The only set-back being that she lives in a basement flat so would not have access to upstairs windows from which we could throw the clothes, we would have to have one of our group members to be locate by the actor but out of the camera range and throw the clothes in an upwards motion to create the illusion of them being thrown out of the window.

UPDATE!!

We decided that it may not look effective enough if the above technique is used considering the longshot we want to start with, meaning the 'thrower' would potentially come into camera range. Luckily a friend of mine had suggested her house; it's close to our school meaning we could film on the Friday morning we have off. Furthermore she lives down a cul-de-sac meaning little to no traffic and thus much less disturbance.

Planning: Timeline

Audience Feedback to Storyboard

Planning: Costume

Costume:

 The image of an artist is undoubtedly a very important element, especially in a music video and more-so in a Pop music video. Pop artists are known for keeping up with trends, so we had to keep this in mind when deciding on a costume.
Seeing as there are many different branches of current trends there was an initial struggle to opt for one specific type, however we decided to go for a minimalist and timeless white t-shirt and black skinny jeans look, with the widely popular and still on trend bomber-jacket.

From a practicality point of view the outfit is something that will be easy for our actor to put on when filming after school; the t-shirt being something he can wear under his white school shirt. and he black coat something he can wear in school; meaning we could narrow down the extra costume elements we's have to carry.

There can be outfit change throughout the video, which is often used for upbeat non-linear pop songs but because our music video idea shows a narrative over he course of one day it would no be appropriate for he actor to constantly change his outfit as he audience could become confused, since in reality the character would not change his outfit a few times a day.

I think this simple outfit will look effective as a large amount of our shots are on colourful backgrounds, in which case the subject will stand out rather than spill onto the backgrounds, it should be a successful contrast.

Another advantage to this simple outfit is that audiences can relate to the artist easily; they can pit themselves in his shoes and potentially relate to the lyrics of the song too, this all more easily than if he were dressed in rich colours and designer clothing.

The connection with and acceptance from the audience is mandatory for the success of an artist.

Jaywalk Storyboard Animatic

Planning: Jaywalk Storyboard- Stills

Jaywalk Storyboard

Planning: Shot List

SCENE 1

musical intro:(10sec)

1•Longshot- [artist sitting outside house (the walk out of your front door straight onto the street type) head in hands: frustrated. His clothes falling from above- this could be slow motion for better effect?](-*record 1x version where artist is still to allow slow motion to look better?)

-dolly moves forward-stops at a close up of his face-

2•(20SEC)Closeup of artists face for first line to be lip synched: "who says that I..." Artist looking straight into the camera) "...last one i'd ever get"

3•cut to midshot "i thought we had something worth forever.." Artist still keeps eye connection with the camera - starts roughly packing a few items into a backpack which has also fallen alongside the clothes

Starts getting up on "cause im stuck smoking on the rest of together" -to capture him getting up the camera will most likely have to move slightly backwards on the dolly again

Tracking shot-artist moving forward-"ive been getting high just to get by (dolly positioning changed tracks ____ horizontal rather than || vertical- camera swivelled on its axis to face artist)

"Ever since you left wrong turned right for me [artist questioning himself] now I can see tomorrow chilling across the street"

Cut to graffiti-bg-brayton mid shot "sometimes youve gotta"

Cut back to narrative-brayton--> from the back - we see him drop his bag (because he's all 'screw it') "JAYWALK"

**Alternatively he could've just clumped the clothes together and held them and now hes let go of all of them???which one??

For chorus shots of Brayton on SHOREDITCH graffiti background more art rather than spray letters

---SCENE 2

Cut to narrative-Brayton

tracking shot of Artist walking forward in location 2"It took me six whole months " {not lip synched} - he's starting to doubt himself as he sees other couples-

"Worth of blunts To get the taste of you.." Camera follows a couple walking towards the artist from a P.O.V shot - turns in one swift movement to Brayton (couple can be seen in the bg walking away) {itll be best if the actor is lip synching during this part so he's ready for when the camera meets him - should be at around "the taste of you off my tongue

"And it was hard to" Cut to Narrative-Brayton entering bar-pushing door- camera inside

maybe camera sweeps bar/ lingers on something in the settings of the bar

"Let go of my first love"= cut to mid shot narrative-Brayton sitting at bar

Close-up of him fiddling with his drink "im sorry if my pride and I" close up- puffs out air "were latched on too tightly"

"To what we were but you sent me flying"- shot of glass being slid away across the bar

"Tripping when you kicked me to the curb" shot of door from inside (light:dusk outside)

"Now ive been getting high just to get by"

"Ever since you left wrong turned right for me"

⁃ Shots of chorus-brayton for the 2nd chorus

Location:southbank pink lights

"Two steps forward and one step back"

"your still moving forward so dont look back"

"If you take two steps forward and one step back"

"You're still moving forward

Southbank skatepark:

(Greeted by mates-they pat him on the back-smiling-laughing)

"so you better not look back"

"You better Jaywalk"

--> LAST LONG CHORUS loops x2

Shots include:

-Brayton on southbank graffiti background lip synching

-lads skateboarding

-group shot:{laughing}

Planning: Mood Board

I believe that there should be a lot of colour in the video which I tried to make explicit in my mood-board, the reason for this being that pop music videos often exploit colour to draw audiences in.

TECHNICAL POST: CAMERA SHOTS / COMPOSITION

What: Pan

How: Move the camera horizontally left or right, using a tripod for a smooth effect. 

Why: To follow a subject or show the distance between two objects. Pan shots also work great for panoramic views such as a shot from a mountaintop to the valley below.

Rule: Always start on a still shot, begin the tilt, and finish on a still shot. Practice first. Look at the scene as the tilt reaches the middle portion between top and bottom of the tilt.

What: Tilt

How: Moving the camera up or down without raising its position.

Why: Like panning, to follow a subject or to show the top and bottom of a stationary object. With a tilt, you can also show how high something is. For example, a slow tilt up a Giant Sequoia tree shows its grandness and enormity.

Rule: Always start on a still shot, begin the tilt, and finish on a still shot. Practice first. Look at the scene as the tilt reaches the middle portion between top and bottom of the tilt.

What: Dolly

How: The camera is set on tracks or wheels and moved towards or back from a subject. A dolly is also a noun, describing a train track contraption used for a dolly (verb) shot or a device attached to a tripod. .

Why:To follow an object smoothly to get a unique perspective. In some movies directors combine the dolly and a zoom shot for a real sense of doom.To do this, the camera lens zooms into the subject at the same time as the camera physically dollies out, and the person in the shot remains the same size, but the background appears to move.

What: Crane 

How: This works and looks similar to a construction crane. It is used for high sweeping shots or to follow the action of your subject.

Why: Gives a bird's eye view. It looks as if the camera is swooping down from above. Movie directors use this for street scenes so they can shoot from above the crowd and the traffic, and then move down to eye level.

What: Handheld

How: You hold the camera without a tripod, monopod or ant other device. This balances the camera and keeps shaking to a minimum. Because of their size, most consumer cameras can't rest on your shoulder.

Documentaries use hand-held shooting techniques. In horror or action movies they often use hand held shots when something bad is about to happen.

Rule: When shooting handheld, do not zoom in! The more you zoom in, the shakier the shot gets. It is better to move closer to your subject and shoot with as wide of a setting as you can. Handheld is best when you are shooting someone or something that is moving. It looks very bad when shooting landscapes, buildings, or stationary objects.

What: Zoom

How:You press a lever or rocker to zoom in or out. This lever controls the lens mechanism inside the camera. Usually, the harder you press on the lever the quicker the zoom. Some camcorders have only one zoom speed whereas others allow you to zoom manually by turning a ring on the lens. A zoom lens gives you the option of having both telephoto and wide angle shots in one camera. You use the telephoto lens when you zoom in, bringing objects closer to you. There is less visible area around your subject, and distant objects are compressed. Zooming the lens out gives you the wide-angle shot and more of your subject and surrounding areas are visible. 

Why: To bring objects at a distance closer to the lens, or to show size and perspective.

Rule: Continuous zooming in and out is annoying to viewers. Start on a still shot, then zoom smoothly, and end your zoom on a still shot. Practice first. Look at the scene as the zoom reaches the middle portion between the closeup and wide angle. 

TECHNICAL POST: RULE OF THIRDS

Rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is a concept in video and film production in which the frame is divided into nine imaginary sections, as illustrated in the photo below. This creates reference points which acts as guides for framing the image. Points of interest should occur at 1/3 or 2/3 of the way up (or across) the frame, rather than in the center. 

Close up

In this example, the  positioning is in the middle of the shot. Her facial features are on the center of the grid.  It violates the rule of thirds in every possible way, but since her face is so full of expression and mood, it feels like putting it in the center creates more drama.

We did this to see how effective it was, and what meaning it caused. It also allows us to see how breaking the rule of thirds can be used to our advantage. In this picture, this is creates a more convincing rule of thirds and also conforms to the idea, and also creates a better portrait of the person, allowing them to look better. 

Landscape

In the same way we used rule of thirds in the landscape shots to create a similar effect.
This is used to create a calm and peaceful nature shot. This can be done to make the location seem safe and natural.
IN THIS PHOTO, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE MILL WAS PLACED ON THE INTERSECTION OF THE THIRDS LINES SO THAT THE PHOTO FEELS MORE BALANCED AND INTERESTING. I COULD HAVE PLACED IT AT ANY OF THE INTERSECTIONS OF THE THIRDS LINES, BUT THIS ONE SEEMED TO MAKE THE MOST SENSE TO ME.

In contrast, this photo breaks the rule of thirds. This can be used to make a location uneasy, unnerving and untrusting. It could be used effectively in a horror or thriller, because it does not follow the rule of thirds, which creates an unnatural bond with the audience.

TECHNICAL POST: 3 POINT LIGHTING

We studied 3 point lighting in order to gain a better understanding of how we could implement lighting to manipulate the room where we're planning to film the band scenes in our music video: to enhance the image, create realism, and create an atmosphere. We most likely use artificial lighting if we are filming in areas that lack natural light so that characters can be visible. However, we do not feel that this lighting looks very natural, and may deduct the element of realism in certain shots.

Example of 3 point lighting set up

TECHNICAL POST: GREEN SCREEN

Green/blue screens are based on the idea of chroma-keying. The idea is that a specific color is chosen and replaced by a different color/background.

Blue screens are used in place of green screens because it's generally easier to chroma-key. The color is softer than in a green screen. However, green screens are still more commonly used because of multiple reasons. One of them being the fact that some people like to wear blue clothing. Green screens are also more commonly used because of the color green being the highest luminescence of all the color channels (RGB). Green screens are very bright, but because of the high luminescence, there is also a high level of light reflection from a green screen, resulting in "green spill". 

Green spill is when there is so much light reflection that some color reflects onto your subject as well. Green spill is very problematic, and is usually best fixed before shooting by watching your lighting, and chroma-key background.

Before and after

TECHNICAL POSTS: CAMERA DOLLY

CAMERA DOLLY

The camera dolly may be used as a shooting platform on any surface but is often raised onto a track, to create smooth movement on a horizontal axis known as a tracking shot. Additionally, most professional film studio dollies have a hydraulic jib arm that raises or lowers the camera on the vertical axis.

                                                                     
The camera dolly in action

The dolly zoom used in 'The Lord Of The Rings'