Recce- 19/01/11

As the day of filming drew closer, it became more urgent to find a location that was suitable for our needs. We spent Monday 17^th calling people around the area to see if we could hire their hall at short notice, and cheaply. Helen had been researching halls the night before, and found the perfect hall for us in Kimbolton. Luckily, when we phoned the hall was free for rental and we were booked in straight away.

In the afternoon of Wednesday we decided that we needed to see the hall for ourselves, to get the overall feel of the building and to see how practical it would be to use. When we arrived, the owners of the hall warmly welcomed us and showed us around. We took photos of all the light sources (windows, lights, stage lights and doors), and they showed us the practicalities of using the hall, such as using the heating system and how to use the stage curtains.

While we were there, we couldn’t give them the money, which was £60 for 5 hours, but the owners we really nice and made it very clear that they needed the money straight away on the Saturday morning, because usually they ask for a deposit. But we assured them they would get the money straight away, as the band would be paying £12 each.

I took photos of the form that I filled in as proof of our organisational skills and our independence.

Communications

This is an email I sent to Sarah with the Risk Assessment attached.

Risk Assessment

Risk assessment for filming day- 21/01/11 

Hazards	Who’s Exposed	Risk	Control Measures	Risk
Wires on the floor for lights and cameras etc.	Crew and band	Medium	Tidy wires- duct tape them to the floor- keep them ordered.	Medium
Lights- get very hot	Crew and band	Medium	Wear gloves when assembling and adjusting them. Make sure they are set up correctly	Medium
Falling off the stage	Band and crew	Low	Creating a line where people aren’t allowed to cross. Putting amps at the front of the stage, so there is a clear barrier.	Very Low
Electric shock	Band and crew	Low	Keep water away from the equipment. Make sure there are power breakers attached to the lights.	Very Low
Fire	Band and crew	Low	Locate fire exits and fire extinguishers. Don’t use the cooker.	Very Low
Trip hazard- stairs and uneven ground	Band and crew	Medium	Take extra caution when walking around and take notice of signs saying ‘mind the step’	Medium/Low
Objects falling	Band and crew	Medium	Make sure the band and crew are aware of their surroundings and everything is set up safely.	Low

Risk Matrix	Likelihood of Harm
Severity of harm	Remote	Unlikely	Possible	Likely	Probable
Negligible	Medium	Medium	Low	Low	Very Low
Slight	Low	Low	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low
Moderate	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low
Severe	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low
Very Severe	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low

Equipment

Many people are filming throughout the next few weeks, so we needed to make sure that the equipment we wanted was available. As our producer was away that day (Monday 10th January 2011) me and Helen decided that we should book the equipment out, so that it was one less thing for Sarah to worry about and organise.


The equipment needed for the day:

• 3 cameras
• 3 tripods
• 1 lighting kit
• iPod
• iPod speakers
• Digital camera- promotional stills
• Storyboards
• Shot lists and lyric sheet with timings
• Production schedual

Research into Bon Jovi

Focus mainly on the technicalities- different shot types, how long they last, how they're framed, who has the most screen time etc.

Link it to target audience.......

Technical role

Definitions
Editor: 'The person in an audiovisual post-production crew who assembles the production elements of footage, images, effects, etc in the detailed sequence that creates the final produced program. ' 

Cameraman: 'A camera operator is a person that operates a film or video camera for the purpose of recording a production to film, video, or a computer storage medium.'

Lighting: 'In cinematography, the use of light can influence the meaning of a shot. For example, film makers often portray villains that are heavily shadowed or veiled, using silhouette.' 

With a technical role in the group it is my job to film the production using the video camera. I plan to use three cameras to get a variety of shots. It will also save a lot of time, because we won't have to keep repeating scenes. It is also my responsibility during post-production to edit the video together, making sure that it all flows together with continuity and precision, conveying the meaning of the song through the visuals to enable the audience to engage with the meaning and develop and emotional response. Lighting is very important within production and as the definition says, it is essential when trying to convey meaning in the shot. I plan to get my lighting certificate this week, so that we're able to light our production properly and convey meaning to the audience. The lighting certificate is a short examination to determine the safety of myself, my colleagues and the band when shooting.

My role in the preliminary task progressing into the main task

Prior to the main project we were set a task of putting together a short music video to a song with a clear beat, so that we could get to grips with cutting to the beat. Out of the four song options we chose 'This Land is Mine' by Dido.


My role in this task was the editor, so that's why I chose to have the technical role in the main task. I really enjoyed this role, it was great to see the whole project coming together to make a final piece. I also learnt a lot about the software which I was using (Abobe Premier), this built up my confidence in creating the final piece and enabled me to feel able enough to take it on for the main task.


Because I was featured in the video, this restricted my knowledge of the camera. To overcome this, I plan to take out a camera before filming day and get accustomed with it- finding out where everything is and take a few test shots.


One of the main things I learnt was the importance of lip-sinking and how to edit this into the production. The main part of the production will be performance and it will be very important to lip-sink Wolfie's voice with the visuals, but I feel confident that I will be able to do that. I also learnt how to use photoshop and put together the album cover and poster to accompany the production. 


The preliminary task composed of a narrative and a performance. I thought this composition really complimented each other, because it gave an extra dimension to the meaning of the video and I felt that it meant that the audience were entertained more and it kept their attention.  Due to these reasons, we have decided to use this structure in the main production.

Narrative aspect of the video

On the day we met our representative from The Vees, he seemed very interested in having a narrative included in the production, so we took their view on board. In my research into Snow Patrol, and from Sarah and Helen's research we concluded that having part narrative, part performance fitted in with existing music videos- so we were led by their example.


In order to appeal to the younger end of the target audience, we decided to have two younger actors playing male and female roles, which reflected the lyrics. Helen, got in contact with some of her friends who attend performing arts colleges, and they have agreed to act in the narrative.


The narrative will mainly reflect the broken relationship explained in the song. Some ideas for actual construction of the sequence is to have a split screen (similar to in Snow Patrol's 'Set the Fire to the Third Bar' video), where we would see the couple on the phone arguing or contemplating the end of their relationship. We hope that this will trigger an emotional response for the audience, so that they feel attracted to the song, promoting the band. Another idea we had was showing the guy drive away in his car (reflecting the words of the last verse), leaving the girl standing on her drive way, and the guy looking bar in the rear-view mirror, happy that he's left her, yet sad that the relationship has ended.

Performance aspect of the video

As a group we decided that having a performance aspect of the video was very important, because The Vees are a new band and their musical identity needs to be established. We have decided that the location for this part of the music video should be shot in a derelict or abandoned place, because this reflects the song lyrics and fits in with Andrew Goodwin's theory on music video conventions. As the song is about how the girl doesn't care about the guy's (who is the speaker of the song) feelings and doesn't care about him at all, the song is about a break up, so a derelict house will reflect their broken relationship and an abandoned place will reflect how the girl abandoned the speaker of the song.


Over the course of the last few weeks we have been searching for suitable derelict houses. Sarah has been ringing a few people up to ask permission to use their land, I am checking out an old barn near where I live, however I don't think the building is stable or big enough. One of our class mates in our media class has informed us of an old barn near where she lives, and has said that she has permission to use that, so we're looking further into that.


We are hoping to go on a recce to some of the possible locations on Wednesday 19th January afternoon.


In finding our locations we are going to have to bare in mind the prospect of filling in a risk assessment. I have been advised to go onto the BBC website, who have a good risk assessment form. I will fill this out once the location has been decided.

Problem... resolved!

Today our group received the news that Beth, our producer, had left school. This left us with a dilemma of who was going to replace her role. This was especially problematic because we already had responsibilities of our own in the group. However, after much discussion, it was decided that Sarah would be new producer. This conclusion was made when we had a group meeting. Helen couldn't be producer because she was producer for the extras part of the DVD, so it was between Sarah and I. Between us, we decided that Sarah had better organisational skills and was a better leader and would serve the group best, but we all agreed that because Sarah was director too, that we would help her out where possible.


Sarah was quick to contact The Vees to inform them of the changing roles and ensure them that everything was under control.

She is doing a great job so far with reminding me and Helen of our jobs that she has set for us this week!

Communications

This is an email I sent to Sarah, our group's new producer. She had reminded me over Facebook to send her a copy of the song, so that she was able to make her story board more accurate. I thought that she might like to have a copy of the lyrics too and I found the contact details for the band on my memory stick, so gave her those incase she lost them.

'Don't Matter'- The Vees

These are the lyrics for the song, written by The Vees and the one in which we will be using for the music video.

Verse 1

I’ve been down these past few weeks

Walking round in my sleep

When I called you tried to keep

Me from talking

But I never seem to feel

I’ve got your heart, I got your heel

Been a rock, don’t mean to deceive you

Break

Every road soon leads here

Every sore, every fear

Chorus

Don’t matter what I want

Don’t matter what I need

Don’t matter that the truth was lying

Tying word and deed

Don’t matter what I want

Don’t matter what I need

But it’s true to say some time away

Will  bring us closure, bring us closer

Don’t matter what I want

Don’t matter what I need

Verse 2

Load the car and drop the hood

An autumn sun makes me feel good

Rear view mirror, see me turn

My back on your town

As the dust comes down to rest

In your yard, I must confess

I see your smile, release my devotion

Break

Every road, every field

Every sore partially healed

Chorus

Lead Break

Chorus

Snow Patrol research

The Vees are primarily a cover band. One of the bands that they have done covers for in the past was Snow Patrol. I thought the song chosen to for the music video sounded a bit like a Snow Patrol song, so I’ve decided to do some research into their music videos, to see if the techniques and ideas used in their videos can be used in our own production.

Chasing Cars

There were a few locations including a coffee shop, what looked like a London tube station, a city centre at night and a bedroom. In all these locations the lead singer was lying on the floor, oblivious to what was going on around him. This complimented Andrew Goodwin’s theory of music videos- ‘relationship between visuals and lyrics’, ‘if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world?’. Furthermore, with the lead singer being the main focus of the video, emphasised by the number of close ups used on his face and extreme close ups on different body parts such as his eyes, mouth and hands, he almost becomes the identity of the band- the person who the audience recognises. Lots of high angled shots are used to show him lying on the floor, which creates a very vulnerable portrayal of the lead singer, which reflects the words of the song. This enables the audience to feel like they’re getting to know the lead member of the band, like the song is almost speaking to them. 

There isn’t a performance aspect of the video, which suggests that the band, as a whole, is very well established. 

Just Say Yes

This video was quite different to Chasing Cars in the sense that this video was all performance. It was very futuristic with stars and blue lights for lighting. The band’s costumes consist of futuristic type suits, so they are quite smart and stand out from the back ground, also complimenting the blue and white colour scheme. This shows another side to their personality and enables the audience to think that they are getting to know the band.

Again, there are lots of close ups of the lead singers face, showing that he is the lead singer and most important and iconic member of the band. Furthermore, I noticed that when an important aspect of the music came in, a guitar solo for example, a shot of the guitarist is shown (another aspect of Andrew Goodwin’s music video theory- ‘a relationship between music and visuals’). This pays more particular attention to the mechanics of how the song is formed; showing their audience that they are good musicians and enjoy making music.

Open Your Eyes

This video is completely different to Chasing Cars and Just Say Yes. The video literally consists of a (assumed) car journey through a city, with day gradually turning into night and right at the end, we see the lead singer, again, meeting up with his girlfriend. This, almost narrative like video, doesn’t strike the audience as having a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. However, in looking into it more closely, I interpreted it as being the lead singer wishing he could tell his girlfriend all the words of the song (the car journey), but in the end, when he meets up with her decides that he would upset her too much to tell her.

The majority of the video is one long shot, following the city around on a car journey- almost a point of view shot. This suggests that it’s the driver of the car’s point of view, which really involves the audience, because they can be involved in the car journey. 

The pace of the video is also in time to the music, which again proves Andrew Goodwin’s music theory- ‘relationship between the music and visuals’.

Set the Fire to the Third Bar

This video is entirely narrative, almost similar to Chasing Cars but with two people in the video instead. This song is a duet with Martha Wainwright, so she is also featured and enables the narrative to be more realistic, which requires an emotional response from the audience. The narrative consists of two rooms, parallel to each other. The room that the male is in is white, very plain with just a table, whereas the room with the female in is darker with just a chair in it (almost as though the table and chair are meant to go together, symbolising the male and female’s relationship).  Their location is almost like a police questioning cell, or observation, adding to their isolation and longing to be together- they are locked up so it’s physically impossible to be together. This is emphasised when the male and the female mirror each other through the glass window in the middle that they both cannot see through.

You Are All That I Have

This video is similar to Just Say Yes, in that it is a fully performance video. It is located in what looks to be like a power station. One of the main aspects of the video, other than the band, is the static running from the amps and progressing, as the song progresses, to surround the band and hit the floor in random directions. 

Again, there are close-ups of the lead singer and different instrumentalists, but there are also close-ups of the static flying everywhere, which creates a sense of excitement and tension.