River/Interlude/Forest: Rough Cut - Director's Commentary

I've recorded a 'director's commentary' explaining my thoughts and ideas for the process so far in putting together a rough cut of part of the music video. 

River/Interlude/Forest: Rough Cut

I've been editing a lot these past few weeks, and have managed to put together a rough cut of the middle part of my music video.

I'm happy with it at present and asked a few people in my class what their thoughts were. Some of the things they said was that they liked the variety of shots and that it had good clarity. They also said they liked the colours, but to try a draft with the interlude in black and white.


Next I'm going to do a director's commentary of where I am so far and how I want to progress.

River/Interlude Shoot: Shot List

Above is the shot list from my river shoot a couple weeks. I've found producing shot lists for each shoot incredibly useful as it has meant I haven't forgotten any shots, something I learnt from my pre-lim filming. Also during the editing stage it means I can keep track of which shots I got from each location so I know what I have available.
I'm now working on putting together some rough cuts so I can see how it looks so far.

River Rough Cut

I've put together a rough cut of my preliminary filming, much of which I will be keeping in. I tried out a few effects and editing techniques to see how it would work...

Forest Shoot

The forest shoot on Sunday went well. As it only features in the video for about a minute, the shoot took a lot less time than I was anticipating. The weather was nice and clear and the sun shone through the trees at times so I managed to get some great shots.
Here is my shot list from the shoot...

Here are some of the pictures I got that may be used for my album cover. 

Whilst filming I came up with a shot of the artist running away from the camera further and further into the forest, which symbolises letting the relationship go, and that it is now just a memory (helped by the white blouse which is ghost-like). 

Me filming

I'm now going to try to put a rough cut together of what I've got so far before I film the river location.

Beach Shoot #2

I thought I'd post about my filming progress so far to keep on track with my plans. My second shoot focused mainly on using the props that we didn't have time to do the first time as well as get a few pick-up shots.

Me during filming

 Here is my shot list from the shoot...

The rose shots went well and we decided to throw the petals to the sea in order to have a stronger visual. I took a few shots that could be used for my ancillary tasks for the single cover...

The only thing that didn't work well were the match shots. This was mainly due to time constraints, the strong winds and the lighting (i.e. too bright). We will have to come back later to try it again, because I think it is a really strong visual that will work well. 
Here was our attempts anyway...

The darker lighting and more sheltered area worked better when experimenting, so perhaps it was the location. I may try out the match again on the river shoot to see if that works better otherwise come back at dusk on the beach, and try and pick a less windy day!

Inspirational Shots

On Saturday I came across the below video which featured a female in beach and forest locations. The way she was acting, and many of the shots are similar to how I envision my video. Therefore it is very inspirational, and during my second beach shoot on Sunday, I was trying to emulate its characteristics and will definitely have it in my mind while shooting the forest sequences on Sunday. 

Here are some of the shots that I like from the beach location...

On my first shoot, I did similar angles and direction to those represented here, including close ups.

Also I had my artist spin on the beach, as I thought it fitted conventions. This clearly reaffirms this.

And the forest location...

While running through the forest in this video relates to the title/lyrics, I had originally wanted this also as it makes it feel more ethereal and personal.

 Another way for it to feel more personal and connect with the audience is to do extreme close ups in slow motion. I like this shot as she looks down and closes her eyes. I think it looks really good and artistic and am looking forward to imitate on Sunday.

When it comes to the editing process I may try some of the editing techniques in making the shots lighter (brightening the image) as it gives it more of a nostalgic feel, which is similar to the home-movie style that I wanted for some of the video.

Beach Shoot: Shot List

Yesterday was the first day of filming and it couldn't of gone better!
In order to be fully prepared I wrote down a detailed shot list of all the shots that I needed to get, which meant I got most of what I needed. 
I found this incredibly useful and I definitely learnt from the preliminary filming and had no problems with the camera. I'm looking forward to editing what I've got so far.

In the preliminary filming it took quite a long time (because we were getting to grips with the filming process) so I overestimated how long this shoot would take. The rose and match scenes were originally going to be shot, but I knew we would have to return as we wouldn't be able to fit everything in. Instead I focused on all the shots without the props so the second shoot would mostly centre around them. I also wasn't able to do the last shot in the sunset because we ran out of time so left that for the second shoot. But I have a better understanding of the environment, the equipment and of the timings now so I am confident we will get all that I need tomorrow when the weather brightens up (today it is too cloudy).
I brought my iPod with me, as well as the lyrics printed out, so we could get the lip-syncing in time with the music. I did lots of takes of the same scene from different angles so I would have lots of options when it came to editing. The lighting was great and we weren't caught out by the tide - something I still need to be aware of on tomorrow's shoot. 
There are still a few crucial shots left using the props (a rose and a match) which we will shoot tomorrow. Otherwise everything went very well and I'm very happy with my progress so far. 

Preliminary Filming

Last Sunday I met up with my actress and we did some preliminary filming. To begin with we shot the Interlude scenes, which you can see below...

I learnt a lot from this first shoot. Firstly to be very aware of whether or not the camera is recording(!). Also how hard it is to direct! Getting the actress in the right place and doing what you need is very hard, especially when you are friends, but I'm working on my communication skills. Doing the constrained interlude scenes may first may not have been the best idea because once we'd gone down to the river location it was easier to let the actress be more natural and laid back which looked great on camera.
I used my first prop...

Which didn't go amazingly well...

... as it kind of sunk. I will bring back up boats next time we film in the location to try and rectify that problem.

While out filming the camera battery died, so I've definitely remembered to charge all the equipment fully for today. I've also learnt to try out lots of angles to see what works and to use what is available to you, such as lens flares and other natural objects around you. 

Filming Schedule

My first preliminary shoot was on Sunday 2nd October and I will post my rough cut of what I did in the next couple days, along with what I learnt and how I can improve looking toward the future.

My next filming date is Friday 7th October (today) from about 4.30 onwards until it gets dark. The filming is centred around the lighting conditions. I want to get lots of shots of the artist dancing and get the first 18 seconds shot done as that is one of the most important shots as it establishes the tone of the video as well as the narrative and introduces the artist to the audience. Then going into the sunset/twilight to get the match scene and end shot done so that it parallels the establishing shot. Doing this on the same day will mean that I have a higher chance of getting them in the same place and so will be more effective. 
I am looking forward to getting these crucial shots and seeing how they work. 
Another point that I need to look at is tide times so that we aren't caught out by the tide when filming on the beach.
Then on the Saturday 8th October we will go back to the beach to film any pick-up shots that we need. I have briefed my actress of this, so that she is aware.

On the 11th I will then film (on my own) by the river a shot of the rose floating down the river as I think this is a good symbolic image, and needs to be shot before the rose dies. 
After that the next filming day with my actress will be Sunday 16th October focusing on the forest location.
Then on the 22nd October we will shoot the river location and reshoot the interlude. All of these dates have been decided in advance so myself and my actress are aware of what is going on and so I can prepare and plan for each shoot. 
After half term I will need to look at the urban scenes and how/when I (on my own) shall go about getting those shots, but beforehand I will make a rough cut to make sure that they still fit in with the rest of the video.

Costumes

I've put together a sample outfit for my artist of the sort of clothes I think my female protagonist would wear...

 

On Sunday I met with my actress and we discussed costume ideas. We came up with these outfits for the different locations.
For the interlude we decided on a black dress, with natural hair, red lipstick and a white blouse. It is quite intimate and as I wanted the shots to be black and white I felt the black and white clothing would work well and I think sets it apart from the rest of the video, highlighting the change in pace. Also it keeps the floaty feeling of the rest of the video.

During the preliminary interlude shoot

Next we discussed the river location outfit. We wanted something more akin with the location so chose a blue and white striped maxi dress, with a grey trilby. This is a very natural, laid back, indie style outfit which matches the location well. It reflects what the target audience would wear as well as being floaty, so looks good on screen.

On the preliminary river shoot

The beach location is also going to feature the above dress but with a sandy coloured cardigan for when it gets cold. 
The coat above is very similar to one my actress owns so we will use that for the  last shot as well as in the match shots.


The forest location will feature the white blouse, black skinny jeans and brown boots. The blouse will look great in the forest as she runs in slow motion so it will billow in the wind. 
For the river location, she shall wear a hoodie to give it more of an urban edge as well as the same dress from the beach location, so it will become a reoccurring motif.

Risk Assessment

I need to do a risk assessment in order for my artist and myself to remain safe during filming...


Location 1 - River

Location 2 - Beach

Location 3 - Forest

The forest location is a public footpath and I will bring a map, torch and phone in order to not get lost and stay on the official paths. 

Location 4 - Plain Walled Room

As this is in my house, I feel this location is reasonably safe. I will make sure my artist knows where she is going and that all furniture and wires are in safe positions so no one can trip up.

Scouting Locations #4

The interlude needed a separate location in order to fully signify the difference in tone. For this I wanted something simpler, so looked around my house for a plain wall. I eventually found one, except it had a picture hook and plugs, so I will need to work around them, but otherwise I think this wall will be good...

Critiquing Existing Products: Dance Videos

Today I'm going to look at four music videos, some of which are of the dance genre, as well as others which feature inspirational techniques or locations...
Firstly I am going to look at Sunlight by Modestep.

I like this video as has a great USP as it uses older actors who get up to things which young people stereotypically get up to which is interesting and funny to see and has got people talking about - a great marketing device (another similar video is Danny Byrd's Tonight). 

There are many high angles used, as well as close ups of the action

The editing is very fast paced, matching the rhythm and pacing of the song, a common technique which I've looked at a lot. 
It starts off with an elderly woman opening her curtains and making some food, but after putting on a record and letting in her two male friends, the video cuts to the more traditional club/gig scene where Modestep are performing to its typical audience of 18-25 year olds - showing that the scene is less than typical.

In the club scenes they a shot very intimately with a lot of close ups of the decks, instruments and singer, as if you were there in that claustrophobic club, a great technique to use to make it feel more real and relatable to its target audience.
There is great use of slow motion throughout the video, which I think highlights the actions of the older characters as they progress through their day and also makes the change into real time towards the end more effective as the beat becomes much faster so it matches this. The video cuts between the typical club scenes to this narrative, which is effective in telling the narrative. The first shot of the 3 older actors doing something out of the ordinary is below.

They then go on to shop lift, drink heavily, play poker, smoke, take drugs, trash the house, walk along the beach, drink in public, smash bottles, do shots, get thrown out, pick up girls, go clubbing (it becomes clear that they end up in the same club as the one Modestep are performing in, tying up the video nicely), watch girls pole dancing, do more drugs, dance on a boat until dawn, having a party in their garden and having the police come round.

Overall, I think this is a funny (as this is not what you expect from the over 60's), well-shot and clever video that looks at the youth and elderly today and how they are portrayed, so has a message behind it. Also a reoccurring motif that is used is the artists logo, which is seen on the record playing and the helium balloons. 


Next, I'm going to look at another inspirational dance video - Flashback by Calvin Harris.

Flashback uses the lyrics and narrative of the song to create an interesting video. As he is trying to remember what happened to night before, so the video begins in the morning, with the artist alone on a boat surrounded by polaroid pictures. Edited to the music, we see flashes of the night before, specifically following one girl, as we move from streets to a club to a boat. It is edited quickly with lots of movement and we see the artist performing as well. I like the 'flashback' element and the use of the polaroids - a reoccurring motif. There is a lot of red lighting which is inspirational as I'm hoping to have my video toned blue.

Rizzle Kicks' video for Down With The Trumpets is is much more informal and features part of a beach location, so is interesting to look at as one of my locations is also the beach,

It is quite laid back and has a nice retro feel to it, especially with the tape player and huge stereo with unbuilt tv screen that they hold at the beginning. It brings a touch of nostalgia and a home-movie type feel that I'd quite like as well as building a connection with the artists. 

Seeing them both on the screen and holding it at the same time is a nice touch, that, combined with the music and lyrics gives the video a clever, cheeky and fun feel to it: then cutting to them outside fives it an edgy feel. As urban artists it is unusual to film the video on Brighton streets/beach and not on some shadowy streets or in a club. 
The bright lighting and British retro edge make it more fashionable, mainstream and accessible to everyone, whilst standing out from the rest of the urban market. The stereo/tv is a reoccurring motif that works well. 
The artists are very expressive with fluid facial expressions, movements and lots of dancing- contrasting with Calvin Harris who is very serious throughout Flashback. 
Jump cutting and repetition is used in front of the beach huts as some young guys dressed in urban clothing dance quite cheesily, indicating that this is obviously meant to be a little ironic and not to be taken seriously. Slow motion and clever editing make not having such a big budget, not be a problem. 

There is an interesting transition and the beginning of this video, which I have looked at briefly before...

The video overlaps the images of the artists face and shoes over night-time New York from above. I like this transition which I tried out a few days ago and will probably use in the verses in the beach and forest locations to add to the dream-like and home-movie style effect. 

Experimenting: Forest Location

While I was scouting my third location in my local woods/forest, I filmed some shots to get a feel for the place as well as trying out different angles I could use. 
I forgot to take my tripod along, which I obviously will for the actual shooting, so tried placing the camera on rocks instead to see what effect that had. The lighting was really good when I went, which I hope will be similar when I film as it was really atmospheric. 

Mind Map

I've made a mind map of my progress and ideas so far to get an overview of my plans...