Due to the number of people we used in our video, we decided that we would give each person only one of the model release forms. To make things easier, we just decided to use Sam's model release form. Here is a photo all all of the printed forms:
Saturday 24 October 2009
Model Release Forms
In our productions we used model release forms to keep track of all the people we used in our videos. My model release form for this project looks like this:
Saturday 17 October 2009
Filming Images
Whilst Sam and I were filming I took a few pictures. As many as the abysmal battery on my phone would allow before it died.
The Production of a Music Video
PRE-PRODUCTION
1. The commissioner of the video sends the track to possible directors and producers, sometimes accompanied by a basic pitch containing what the band wants in their video.
2. These directors/producers come up with ideas for the video which they then turn into a pitch. This is a basic idea and concept of the video and why it will be a good and effective video to make. These pitches will be based upon briefs given to them by the record company, as well as the music itself (what will fit well).
3. The record company will then decide which pitch has most promise to create an effective music video. After a director is chosen they allocate a budget for the video. The chosen producer will deal with the arrangements for the video, as well as making sure the budget is not exceeded.
4. Director of Photography and art director(production designer) then join the team. It's the art director's job to oversee the planning for the look of video, they must scout for locations and plans the shoot location.
PRODUCTION
5. The artist, cast and crew will arrive at the shoot location. They then work to film the video, this process usually takes one day.
6. Then the 'off-line' edit takes place. This is where an editor cuts assembles all of the footage shot on the day of the shoot over a period of a few days. The record company and artist may ask to see it and suggest changes.
7. After this, the 'online' edit is made. This means that all of the special effects are added, and the video is fanalised and is made ready for release.
8. Final product is delivered to the client who subsequently releases it to television, internet and others.
The time it takes for this process to complete has dropped in recent times, as the demand for music videos is growing greatly, as well as video budgets plummeting. All of the steps may take as little time as three to four weeks.
1. The commissioner of the video sends the track to possible directors and producers, sometimes accompanied by a basic pitch containing what the band wants in their video.
2. These directors/producers come up with ideas for the video which they then turn into a pitch. This is a basic idea and concept of the video and why it will be a good and effective video to make. These pitches will be based upon briefs given to them by the record company, as well as the music itself (what will fit well).
3. The record company will then decide which pitch has most promise to create an effective music video. After a director is chosen they allocate a budget for the video. The chosen producer will deal with the arrangements for the video, as well as making sure the budget is not exceeded.
4. Director of Photography and art director(production designer) then join the team. It's the art director's job to oversee the planning for the look of video, they must scout for locations and plans the shoot location.
PRODUCTION
5. The artist, cast and crew will arrive at the shoot location. They then work to film the video, this process usually takes one day.
6. Then the 'off-line' edit takes place. This is where an editor cuts assembles all of the footage shot on the day of the shoot over a period of a few days. The record company and artist may ask to see it and suggest changes.
7. After this, the 'online' edit is made. This means that all of the special effects are added, and the video is fanalised and is made ready for release.
8. Final product is delivered to the client who subsequently releases it to television, internet and others.
The time it takes for this process to complete has dropped in recent times, as the demand for music videos is growing greatly, as well as video budgets plummeting. All of the steps may take as little time as three to four weeks.
Thursday 15 October 2009
Filming the Music Video
On wednesday the 14th after college, Sam and I went and got clothing and props, before heading off to our actresses house. When we arrived there we got to work filming the introductory scenes for the music video. These involved the girl (Becky) looking up the band Betty on MySpace, before seeing that they have a gig coming up. When she reads this she jumps straight into the act of dressing up in an 'emo' fassion.
This took a while to film, as I had to film her dying her hair. This was one of the more impressive points about the video, is she genuinely dyed her hair black for the video. So after filming her on her computer, Sam and I went about filming her dying her hair black, trying to use the long time it took to dye to our advantage as we could set up some good camera shots. We shot lots of footage as this was one of the parts in our video that it would be impossible to shoot twice. The cost of the dye was around £12.
After this we filmed Becky putting on the more prominent items of the emo style. Showing the audience clearly what she was doing. We referred to the storyboard a lot. This was to get all of the shots, making sure we didn't miss any.
Today, on thursday the 15th, Sam and I arrived at the Junction at around 11 o'clock. We sat around for a while and discussed the storyboard. It was useful being there before the others as it allowed us to liaise about the storyboard and plans for filming and organising the (up to 25) people coming to be the crowd for our shoot.
Other diploma students began to arrive later on (nearer twelve o'clock). Sam and I were able to go and get the first peek of the studio where we would be filming and were quite pleased with the results. It was set up nicely and the venue looked professional. James set to work filming his music video which gave me and Sam time to look around and scout for other locations (that would work in the storyline of the video). By the time we had located these it was almost half past one and a fairly large crowd was gathered outside, waiting for us to tell them we could film.
Several people also helped us to go and find other people that may be able to appear in our film. Due to lack of time, we only gave each person Sam's model release form (contrary to our previous plan to give each person both mine and Sam's). Once we had those filled out it was almost time to film.
I went back in to the studio to find that James was just finishing up. One of the most difficult parts of doing this was keeping the crowd interested in the points where there was nothing to do and they were just standing around. During this time a few of them got bored and left. If this happened too frequently then we'd lose the crowd, thus ruining part of our music video. To prevent this from happening, we tried to keep at least one of us outside at all times to talk to people and not let them feel bored.
When James finished, I went outside and called the whole crowd over to the doors and into the studio. They gathered around the stage quickly and efficiently, making the procedure quicker and making Sam and my life a lot easier. We were able to get started very quickly. The crowd were perfect. They did exactly what we'd asked them to, they were lively and looked like they were having fun.
This left me with the task of making it look good. So far in the project, I have acted as the lead camera man, with Sam organizing everything, and both of us giving our input on direction and editing. I think that we have worked well in this team and have no complaints on how things have gone so far.
I feel I got some good camera shots, and managed to make it look like a real concert venue, with more people then were actually present. As well as getting effective music video-esque footage of the band in performance.
After we had finished filming in the studio, we left the main building and headed to the bar. Through a stroke of luck it wasn't locked and we were able to use it to film. This was great as it added a new depth to our video that we weren't sure we could get filmed, due to the bar normally being locked.
Filming here was easier, and we were able to get all the shots we needed relatively quickly as we only had a small number of people to organize and there was no one else waiting for their turn to film. As a result I was able to take more care in what I filmed, making it look better than before.
We filmed in a variety of locations today. Including the junction corridors, the studio, the bar and the girls' toilettes.
This took a while to film, as I had to film her dying her hair. This was one of the more impressive points about the video, is she genuinely dyed her hair black for the video. So after filming her on her computer, Sam and I went about filming her dying her hair black, trying to use the long time it took to dye to our advantage as we could set up some good camera shots. We shot lots of footage as this was one of the parts in our video that it would be impossible to shoot twice. The cost of the dye was around £12.
After this we filmed Becky putting on the more prominent items of the emo style. Showing the audience clearly what she was doing. We referred to the storyboard a lot. This was to get all of the shots, making sure we didn't miss any.
Today, on thursday the 15th, Sam and I arrived at the Junction at around 11 o'clock. We sat around for a while and discussed the storyboard. It was useful being there before the others as it allowed us to liaise about the storyboard and plans for filming and organising the (up to 25) people coming to be the crowd for our shoot.
Other diploma students began to arrive later on (nearer twelve o'clock). Sam and I were able to go and get the first peek of the studio where we would be filming and were quite pleased with the results. It was set up nicely and the venue looked professional. James set to work filming his music video which gave me and Sam time to look around and scout for other locations (that would work in the storyline of the video). By the time we had located these it was almost half past one and a fairly large crowd was gathered outside, waiting for us to tell them we could film.
Several people also helped us to go and find other people that may be able to appear in our film. Due to lack of time, we only gave each person Sam's model release form (contrary to our previous plan to give each person both mine and Sam's). Once we had those filled out it was almost time to film.
I went back in to the studio to find that James was just finishing up. One of the most difficult parts of doing this was keeping the crowd interested in the points where there was nothing to do and they were just standing around. During this time a few of them got bored and left. If this happened too frequently then we'd lose the crowd, thus ruining part of our music video. To prevent this from happening, we tried to keep at least one of us outside at all times to talk to people and not let them feel bored.
When James finished, I went outside and called the whole crowd over to the doors and into the studio. They gathered around the stage quickly and efficiently, making the procedure quicker and making Sam and my life a lot easier. We were able to get started very quickly. The crowd were perfect. They did exactly what we'd asked them to, they were lively and looked like they were having fun.
This left me with the task of making it look good. So far in the project, I have acted as the lead camera man, with Sam organizing everything, and both of us giving our input on direction and editing. I think that we have worked well in this team and have no complaints on how things have gone so far.
I feel I got some good camera shots, and managed to make it look like a real concert venue, with more people then were actually present. As well as getting effective music video-esque footage of the band in performance.
After we had finished filming in the studio, we left the main building and headed to the bar. Through a stroke of luck it wasn't locked and we were able to use it to film. This was great as it added a new depth to our video that we weren't sure we could get filmed, due to the bar normally being locked.
Filming here was easier, and we were able to get all the shots we needed relatively quickly as we only had a small number of people to organize and there was no one else waiting for their turn to film. As a result I was able to take more care in what I filmed, making it look better than before.
We filmed in a variety of locations today. Including the junction corridors, the studio, the bar and the girls' toilettes.
Junction Specifications
Here is the Email I sent that contains the specifications that I needed for when we were filming in the Junction:
Day:
We want to film on thursday the 15th.
Setting:
We would like the set to look just like a standard music venue:
Stage, two microphones, a table for DJ equipment (laptop, mini keyboard and mixer 20x20cm). There will only be two people on the stage.
Black backdrop.
We may possibly want the use of smoke (dry ice) effects in the video.
Standard and/or blue lighting.
A strobe light if possible.
A stage, and room for a crowd of 25 to look large. (Space constriction using black curtains to make people more compact)
If possible, the use of mirrors to give the illusion of a larger crowd.
Setting:
We would like the set to look just like a standard music venue:
Stage, two microphones, a table for DJ equipment (laptop, mini keyboard and mixer 20x20cm). There will only be two people on the stage.
Black backdrop.
We may possibly want the use of smoke (dry ice) effects in the video.
Standard and/or blue lighting.
A strobe light if possible.
A stage, and room for a crowd of 25 to look large. (Space constriction using black curtains to make people more compact)
If possible, the use of mirrors to give the illusion of a larger crowd.
Wednesday 14 October 2009
Points from the job.
At the Junction the marketing job requires you to be able to keep the staff updated on the goings on at the Junction (especially the Box Office, so they can get the tickets on sale). As well as directing them and involving yourself in the typing up of brochure information. Being able to type up brochures efficiently means that you have to be effective at extracting useful information from emails, as well as being able to distinguish it from irrelevant or dull information that wouldn't attract attention.
All tickets must also go on sale on time, relating back to keeping the staff and Box Office well informed and equipped. Relating to the advertising of events, it must be worked out how many visuals such as posters (etc.) are needed for the event. Along with contacting the press to publish (or obtain) information about the events.
As well as these, evaluation skills are very important. One of the most vital of these if the ability to work out the results of the ticket sales, correlating to the advertising used for that event. This is so they can work out if they need a new tactic next time.
The second junction visit - 8th of October
Last thursday we spoke with Ed and Helen at the Junction about marketing. It is all about getting the right information to the right people. For example, it is probable that a family of four (two parents and two children) will not want to hear about the new heavy metal concert in town. However they might want to hear about a theatre play that is showing there.
Helen told us that the Junction is second to only one venue in number and variety of events they put on a year, this makes marketing very important. As a result of this there are only about two or three days every year where nothing is being shown at the junction. They often have multiple shows a day. Making the jobs quite hectic.
Due to the variety of events it is important that they are all marketed correctly. Each one is advertised in its own individual manner, using different techniques. They also work with the Arts Picture house and Corn Exchange to make sure that they put on different events. However, around Christmas time there is competition between the festive shows at that time. Making Christmas a very hard time of year.
They see the main target audience as being between the age range of 13-30. They try not to make people buy things that they don't need. This is so that the audience come away with a good experience and are likely to give good feedback/come back another time. This makes research into the shows vital for selling the tickets. To make sure they are not falsely advertised.
Listener Profile
Here is a profile of a general type of person who would listen to Betty:
Cartoon of 'preppy' Style
A seventeen year old girl.
She attends college.
Her items of clothing give a 'preppy' appearance.
Enjoys attending indie cinemas.
Also enjoys listening to bands such as Crystal Castles and/or Prodigy.
Also enjoys rock music.
She attends gigs to bands she really enjoys.
Around middle class.
The sort of person who changes their appearance to suit the people around them.
Would just as happily dress in an emo style as preppy.
Usual media interests; film, music.
Cartoon of 'preppy' StylePhoto of the emo style
Necessary Equipment
This is the equipment that Sam and I will be using when filming:
Mac G5 desktop computer - £1,900
Sony HVR-A1U HD/DV video camera - £1,600
Canon Ixus 75 digital camera - £150
4x3 meter green and blue screens - £50 each
We will also be using software on the computers such as:
After Effects
Photoshop
Final Cut
Pages
Monday 12 October 2009
Live Filming
During our video we are going to be filming some live footage of the band performing. There are a couple of videos that Sam and I really believe to represent good filming of a live show. I think they are good because they both really capture the mad atmosphere of a live show and am using them as a reference point for when I film live show footage.
One of these videos is by Ed Lovelace, filming the Gallows.
One of these videos is by Ed Lovelace, filming the Gallows.
The method employed by Lovelace in that video was to take all the footage from the concert (including footage not from the correct song) and cut together the best footage. He used clever editing techniques to make it look like he was singing along correctly.
Sunday 11 October 2009
The Band
The band is comprised of two members, Tom and Rosie (brother and sister). They will both be featured in the video and will play leading parts, along with Becky. Becky is playing the girl who will be chasing after Tom.
Below is a picture of both band members. Rosie (right) and Tom (left).
Wednesday 7 October 2009
Ed Lovelace
Today we were visited by the media practitioner, Ed Lovelace. Known for his music video direction and recently his work on the partially fictitious documentary about a musician in America who ran away from home at the age of fourteen and has been touring for the last sixteen years.
Lovelace attended Long Road from the years 2000 - 2002. Whilst he was here he made a film opening sequence called 'Connection'. He filmed this in 2001 along with a music video for the song Sweeping Swords.
At Long Road he said that back then the only editing software they had was iMovie. This was when the iMacs first were released and therefore they had more basic software. He seemed amazed at the fact that we are currently using the Final Cut program to edit our material.
After Long Road Lovelace then moved on to go to Bournemouth university. He said one of the most positive things about Bournemouth was that some of the lecturers were real media practitioners with good experience of the industry. This made the learning experience much better for him.
Some work advice he gave the audience is that when you go into a project to have a clear and good idea on what you want to film. If you have this then it will always turn out more successful then if you don't.
After Bournemouth he worked as a runner for six different companies. He didn't see that this was helping him in any way and decided to leave. After this he began working for a record company called 'Creation'. During this time he started off working for free making highly low budget videos for about £100 each.
He made a video for the Gallows song 'Abandon Ship'. The video was made entirely of footage shot at one of the concerts. It wasn't all from the right song either. They just got all the best clips from the whole concert and put them into the video, using visual tricks to make it seem like it's lip-syched the right song. It won an MTV movie award which started his run of successful music video directing.
Now he is directing videos at £40 000 each.
He says that most of music video production is 90% writing and 10% actual production.
The set for his video of 'In One Ear' by 'Cage the Elephant' cost around £20 000 to build. It is my favourite music video of his as I like the concept, set and cinematography used in the video. It can be seen here:
Lovelace attended Long Road from the years 2000 - 2002. Whilst he was here he made a film opening sequence called 'Connection'. He filmed this in 2001 along with a music video for the song Sweeping Swords.
At Long Road he said that back then the only editing software they had was iMovie. This was when the iMacs first were released and therefore they had more basic software. He seemed amazed at the fact that we are currently using the Final Cut program to edit our material.
After Long Road Lovelace then moved on to go to Bournemouth university. He said one of the most positive things about Bournemouth was that some of the lecturers were real media practitioners with good experience of the industry. This made the learning experience much better for him.
Some work advice he gave the audience is that when you go into a project to have a clear and good idea on what you want to film. If you have this then it will always turn out more successful then if you don't.
After Bournemouth he worked as a runner for six different companies. He didn't see that this was helping him in any way and decided to leave. After this he began working for a record company called 'Creation'. During this time he started off working for free making highly low budget videos for about £100 each.
He made a video for the Gallows song 'Abandon Ship'. The video was made entirely of footage shot at one of the concerts. It wasn't all from the right song either. They just got all the best clips from the whole concert and put them into the video, using visual tricks to make it seem like it's lip-syched the right song. It won an MTV movie award which started his run of successful music video directing.
Now he is directing videos at £40 000 each.
He says that most of music video production is 90% writing and 10% actual production.
The set for his video of 'In One Ear' by 'Cage the Elephant' cost around £20 000 to build. It is my favourite music video of his as I like the concept, set and cinematography used in the video. It can be seen here:
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