The Coursework

Production Log - Week 9

What I have achieved this week and how I am apart of it:
This week I had finally uploaded our final version of the music video. When we did this, we felt nothing but relief as we had worked this video for so long, editing it to a final standard. Therefore, alongside everyone else, we uploaded one copy to one of our YouTube channels and the group had picked mine. 

How does this fit in with the production schedule?
Of course, everyone in our class had a deadline extension due to some filming complications that could not be solved with one solution other that extending the deadline, therefore it didn't fit directly in with the production schedule.

Were there any problems?
Not this week, no. Everything ran smoothly, we simply uploaded the video once we were pleased with the standard that it was in.

How did you overcome them?
There were no problems.

What are the plans for the following week?
There are no plans - as everything has been solved.

Lockdown Music Video

Production Log - Week 8

WHAT I HAVE ACHIEVED THIS WEEK AND HOW I AM APART OF IT:
This week we finally began editing. We had completed our shot list and therefore began to apply our editing skills toward our music video, we even filmed a few extra shots, to fill in tiny black gaps in our music video to help it flow a little better.

HOW DOES THIS FIT IN WITH THE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE?
Originally, this week was supposed to be the deadline of our music videos to be uploaded online, which meant an immense amount of pressure and anxiety to get it finished. However, due to an unresolved issue in Ellie and Farhana's production, we were generously given an extension which has now become Tuesday So it's just an extension of the production schedule.

WERE THERE ANY PROBLEMS?
No, this time there weren't any major problems however there was a large gap on the production schedule where we misjudged the amount of shots that we actually had, so instead of reusing the shots we decided to film extra to pad out the areas that we had missed.

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
We just had to go into the school corridors and film extra shots, which meant it was easier to edit in and to fill in any more gaps.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK?
To finally upload.

Production Log ; Week 7

WHAT I HAVE ACHIEVED THIS WEEK AND HOW I AM APART OF IT:
This week we have finally completed our filming. We had secured a place to film - the school basement - and even though not all our cast were able to film at the same time we still got the majority of the filming completed in one week.

HOW DOES THIS FIT IN WITH THE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE?
Even though this was later than planned, it meant we still had the music video to edit and we didn't have to worry too much about any more shots being done as whilst we had the basement we decided to do a few extra shots, just to make sure we had enough.

WERE THERE ANY PROBLEMS?
Well it took our cast quite a few pushes until they could all get into the right mindset in order to film. Something always came up and we had to put of filming for such a long time and every time we decided to set another time something else arose.

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
It was purely a matter of persistence and never giving up. If they wanted to forget their grade that was their own fault but I certainly didn't want to loose mine and I know they didn't either. It was purely a reality check that was needed.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK?
To finish editing to a high quality standard.

Production Log - Week 6

WHAT WE HAVE DONE THIS WEEK AND HOW I AM APART OF IT:

This week we had to film every other shot not including the basement shots, since we still hadn’t found the time to film due to yet again – unforeseen circumstances. Also, the police station still hadn’t replied to any emails and we began to think that they were purposely ignoring us. Therefore we had to find a different location to film and after asking around the school we finally found the caretaker and asked him to use the basement – of which he said yes. It’s perfect for the location we needed and we even got some test shots done.

HOW DOES THIS FIT IN WITH THE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE?

Technically, we were supposed to film this week and so that’s what we did – it therefore worked well since we had already cleared the space and therefore got all the shots that we needed to in our video. It’s just that some of the other shots didn’t fit in with the schedule as most of them had to be the basement shots which once again – we weren’t able to do.

WERE THERE ANY PROBLEMS?

Yes – the police station weren’t answering any of our emails or our calls and it would be fine if they had obviously said no, but they didn’t give us any answer whatsoever, therefore we had no leads or not even a solid idea on where else to film. Even though we’ve found somewhere that we can now film, we still haven’t heard from them which is quite upsetting since an answer would still be appreciated.

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

We simply had to go and find somewhere else which we thought would be impossible, however we carried on trying and we eventually found the school basement which was beyond ideal for where we wanted to film. This was a bit irritating since if we knew this beforehand we would have been able to get that filming done before the half term. But now we know for next time to check locally before branching out into Hackney just for a fire and an asbestos issue to occur and therefore ruin our whole plans.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK?

We need to make sure the filming is totally done and therefore need to get a rough edit of our full music video.

Production Log : Week 5

WHAT I HAVE ACHIEVED THIS WEEK AND HOW I AM APART OF IT:
This week we hadn't been able to film anything. Unforeseen circumstances came up and therefore restricted our filming time.

HOW DOES THIS FIT IN WITH THE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE?
It didn't, it was extremely inconvenient. We were planning to film on the Tuesday of that week but when we weren't able to, finding space to clear to film was near to impossible.

WERE THERE ANY PROBLEMS?
Yes. The main problem was the electrical fire in Hackney, which was extremely unexpected. The basement had been dampened and therefore the electricity had caught on, sparking a flame and therefore firing up the whole of the downstairs basement, which is where we were planning to film. By the time the fire had spread enough so that it would be humanely impossible for us to film inside of it. Our backup which was also in Hackney, also got sold therefore it wasn't in the state we needed it to be in for us to film. Our back up to that was a crypt, which also got dampened by the sudden storms and therefore they stated that  the ceiling was sure to collapse on us.

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
After checking all of the back up places, my stepdad who is a policeman, offered to email the Metropolitan Police to request to use their station, which they said they didn't want any logo's or cars involved in the shots therefore they would have to get back at them.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK?
To secure a location to film in - preferably somewhere spacious and that we could spend quite a bit of time in.

Production Log - Week 4

WHAT I HAVE ACHIEVED THIS WEEK AND HOW I AM APART OF IT:
This week we had begun filming. By Thursday, we had finished all of our paperwork and had it checked and approved - then made any amendments that we had to make, of which consisted of us all making sure that we had the right work uploaded and that it was all done. Then, on the Friday, we started filming the first few scenes in our script. They were done by the end of the lesson, we got the first verse completed quickly and easily.

HOW DOES THIS FIT IN WITH THE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE?
Since as explained in the last week, the dates in our original shooting schedule were different, we had to change it slightly so that we could film on the Friday - which we eventually did.

WERE THERE ANY PROBLEMS?
Making sure that we had all of our papers and files uploaded at the same time meant that we had to keep in contact. Therefore, it was also essential to keep in touch, which was difficult as Taylor was still in and out of hospital and was therefore a little too difficult for her to do any of her own paperwork whilst on bedrest.

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
We had to constantly refer back to Taylor, we weren't even the only group that needed her therefore we were all panicking. But by the time we had finally spoken to her she assured us that she would be back by the next day - and she was. Therefore after putting a few extra hours in, she completed all of her side of the paperwork too.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK?
To get all of the filming completed, at least all of the shots that we needed to. It was important that we could finalise the shots as we only have Hackney for a certain amount of time.

Risk Assessment

The Risk Assessment

Wavier for Cast

Job Roles & Responsibilities

JOB ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Taylor: Taylor had been cast as the main character long before I had even created the pitch for my music video. I spend a lot of time with her and I thought as soon as I had my idea that she would be the perfect girl to act crazy and horrific, therefore without a doubt as soon as the all clear came back that that it was definitely my idea that my group were doing, Taylor was automatically cast officially as the main character ‘Aria’.

            However we have also said that Taylor should be the producer. This is because even though the idea was initially mine, Taylor had watched many horror and insanity movies where the main character is usually a young girl who is creeping everybody out, therefore she would really know how to produce the music video effectively, as she had experience on the same genre that we wanted to use. Being the producer means to always look at what the Director says and then use their words to actually make it happen. There is heavy responsibility on the producer to make sure that everything works very well.

Anthony: Anthony joined our group due to the music video idea. First of all we weren’t going to put either him nor me in the video since we didn’t see there was any reason to. However as we progressed further with our idea’s, we saw that we would need someone to oversee ‘Aria’ and monitor her behaviour in the mental institution – a security guard of some sort that doesn’t necessarily do his job well as Taylor eventually breaks out. Therefore we chose him since he is the only boy that we can rely on since he is apart of the same group and therefore is reliable.

            Anthony is also the camera man. This is because he has a steady hand and can firmly hold the camera or wobble it slightly when it has to be a shaky shot. Also, Anthony has assured us that he has a good eye, therefore we have trusted him with the job of being the camera man. This is a serious job, as if for some reason we had shot a whole scene and the camera actually turned out not to be recording, that responsibility would be on him. He is responsible for making sure that the shots we need and the angles we are using are perfect for editing.

 

Jada: I am the psychiatrist in the music video for a few scenes, purely because I can act like I am emphasising when people tell me of their problems. I have also been elected to be the director and the main editor. This is because it was originally my idea therefore only I could truly envision what I wanted the video to be like and it is similar to the editing, since it is a very precise image that we are going for and editing is a huge part of if it goes well.

Call Sheets

Location Reccies & Permission to Film

Film Contributor Release Form (example)

Post Production Schedule

Location Reccies

Location Reccies (Hackney)

The location that takes up most of the scenes is the white padded cell. We chose this as a main location since it truly depicted mental insanity, not only because a white padded cell is what is used in real life in psychiatric wards but also because padded cells prove just how trapped can feel at the same time. Therefore we are using the green screen and then placing the padded cell behind it. We have easy access to the green screen since there is one in school. 

Another scene that takes up many shots is the breakout of Taylor's character, 'Aria'. Once she is out of her cell, she runs through the hallways screaming at people to stay where they are. Another scene is the room that Taylor slowly goes insane in, a large room that looks like it could easily be apart of a mental asylum. 

This is in Hackney, on a road called 'Tudor Road' which we have easy access to  since it is my mother's bosses' building that he usually keeps out to rent. Since no one has asked to buy it yet, we have been able to use it for a day. He had given us permission informally through my mother and since he has been incredibly busy in Wales with his camp site and resort, we haven't been able to get an official email back however we certainly have permission. We chose this hallway because it looks scruffy and with the right lighting, incredibly creepy, eerie and mysterious and also because we have easy access to it. It's the same with the room. There is enough space for Taylor to run around in it and do crazy things without having to worry about the size of the room. 

Production Log - Week 3

What I have achieved this week & how I am apart of it:
This week we had successfully finished the shooting scripts to a polished standard, which was my job just to make sure that we had included everything that we needed to and that we hadn't left anything out accidentally. This was essential as the shooting script is the main ingredient to a well shot and well edited video, it is now our Bible, it's incredibly hard to actually get it done perfectly and takes a lot of time and a massive amount of concentration but once it is done to a high standard, it is worth sitting back and accepting that fav that you are ready to move on with the shooting scripts.  We had also begun to do the pure production planning in which the paperwork had been filled out, including risk assessment and filming schedules. Since Taylor was seriously ill this week, it was up to Anthony and I to get as much done as possible.

HOW DOES THIS FIT IN WITH THE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE?
Technically, the original dates for filming were supposed to be this week, due to the original dates that we were given. However hardly any of us had predicted how long the shooting scripts and the pre production planning was going to take. Therefore we had to change the filming dates just to make sure that everything could stay on track.

WERE THERE ANY PROBLEMS?
It was difficult to get filming dates that worked with everyone, including other groups. Because Taylor was in another music video, we had to think of dates that she could do as well however since she was in and out of hospital this week it was difficult to communicate with her and to receive straight answers with her.

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
Messaging Taylor on Twitter and by text was the main solution - if she didn't answer within five minutes we had to keep referring back to the other group to ask them for their free dates and compare them to our free dates in order for us to split Taylor evenly and still allowing for her to actually have a half term. This has now been resolved and final dates have been set.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK?
To get all of the pre production planning paperwork done. We didn't realise it would take this long but it is essential to get it done. Hopefully by half term we should be ready to film.

My Shooting Script

Production Log - Week 2

What I have achieved this week & how I am apart of it:
I have successfully within my group created a detailed shooting script toward the music video. Whilst we were planning ideas we had to write them down on the rough copy however this week we have successfully completed a detailed shooting script complete with description of actions for each lyrics, the settings and the equipment used. This then allowed us to have a clear visual representation on what exactly we wanted to film in the video. I was apart of it by inputting ideas frequently and making sure that all the ideas were relevant.

HOW DOES THIS FIT IN WITH THE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE?
Before, we had a rough outline of what we wanted but if we were to take that plan and start filming straight away we wouldn't be able to get a clear video and things would be too confusing, due to the lack of detail. However now we have a clear specific idea, we can now film quickly and effectively as we know exactly what we want. This can them leave time for re-filing and editing to perfection.

WERE THERE ANY PROBLEMS?
As the proper planning started, we realised how difficult this was going to be. We didn't realise that there was literally going to be a shot for every line, so the rough idea that we had, had to then be condensed so that we didn't spend the first verse of the song with the main bulk of the storyline. So it took a while for us to all think of specific ideas but we did eventually.

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
We had to constantly refer to the lyrics, tempo and mood of the song in order to get the true ideas to begin to flow. However this still took a little longer than anticipated. But once the first idea for the first lyric was thrown out there, all of a sudden we all had a lot of ideas to put down and we even found that we had some left over.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK?
Next week we're hoping to properly finalise the professional shooting script, we are hoping to get it done to a standard that is fit for anyone to read and automatically sees what the video we're trying to put across is. By this time next week, we should be prepared to film.

Production Log - Week 1

What I have achieved this week & how I am apart of it:

This week we were placed into groups of 2-3 in order to begin progressing in our music video. In my group, I have Taylor and Anthony - which I think we will work very well in, given the amount of dedication that we have already aimed to put into creating this video. We have already decided that if one of us begin to slack off in the amount of effort put into the planning and production of this video, that we will certainly not hold back as we remind them and encourage them on why we have to keep on persisting, even when things become difficult. I believe this is essential to the making of a good music video.

This week as also been successful in that not only have we made a rough sketch on what we wanted to shoot in the video and the characters used, but my artist finally replied to my constant messages of asking for permission. Not expecting this, I was delighted to see that she just wasn't using her email so often which is why she didn't reply, as opposed to her ignoring me. She happily sent me the song and told me to ask her if I needed anything else, she was genuinely lovely.

Altogether, this has been a productive week.

HOW DOES THIS FIT IN WITH THE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE?

Before, it was quite difficult to predict exactly what we wanted to place in certain categories of the schedule since we hadn't had a firm confirmation that we could even definitely use the song. This was difficult to get round since both members of my group were confident that they wanted to use my idea. Therefore that final push to my artist that led her to sending me the song have the final confirmation and this now means that we can boost forward and get started.

Also, getting all of the planning done on time meant that it was now easy to properly frame our detailed script and so we can keep on track with what we have to film - meaning filming will not become messy or disorientated.

WERE THERE ANY PROBLEMS?

No major problems this week - filming our video on why we chose the group was a little bit difficult due to the fact that we had to keep refilming as we either messed up our wording or we just laughed for no reason - but we stayed focused and got it done in the end. Also, finding actual ideas on what to put in our first draft of our shooting script was more difficult than anticipated.

HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

In terms of having too many retakes, we had to become very stern with eachother and automatically aimed to keep a straight face. Soon everyone became focussed enough to get a decent video.

In terms of shooting script creativity - once we all listened to the songs a little more, it became easy for us all to get ideas and once one of us thought of an idea - soon everyone had one and by the end of it, true creativity was flowing.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK?

Next week we're hoping to get a finalised shooting script with a lot more detail - the different shots for different seconds, angles, shot types, all of these elements will this time be included and be further developed. We will aim to get this done swiftly but also to take a lot of time and consideration into what we are filming as if something goes wrong, it could ruin our entire planning time.

Permission to Film

Lockdown Presentation Pitch PowerPoint

Lockdown PowerPoint

Music Video Pitch & Feedback

Pitch reflection

Are there any areas if the presentation you would like to give any more detail on?

I believe that I had expanded extensively on the creativity of the music video however I believe I could have added a little bit more on how I was going to make my music video stand out from any other conventions that I may have used the same idea, since I had explained that there were a few other videos that had similar ideas to what I had. I should have told the audience how exactly I would make sure my video was different and unique to any other video out there, just to ensure that I kept my ideas fresh in everyone's mind.

I also should have expanded a lot more on Andrew Goodwin's Theory to weave it in with my idea for my music video, just to show that I had studied this previously and that I was confident in what I was doing and what I was saying.

What did your audience identify as the strengths of your music video idea?

My audience were very keen on my music video idea and the overall story line, since many songs that are the most popular in the charts don't have unusual videos that go against the original conventions. They thought that the camera shots and the typography for my star identity were also particularly well thought out. Therefore the creativity and the practicality were strong points in my music video pitch.

What did your audience identify as areas for improvement?

One point was that I needed to expand a little more on what my main character of the music video was actually going to be doing. Another point was time management - since my main character (Taylor) was going to be in all of my video and in many of other people's, it was essential that we had time to work with all of us and that the time for filming didn't clash so that Taylor wasn't that busy. The whole point of creating filming on certain dates was to get this all finished in time so that if Taylor needed to star in other videos she would have the time to do this and still be apart of ours. Also I should have also added more references back to Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory, which I mentioned briefly but didn't actually reference back to Goodwin himself.

What changes will you make to your music video concept based on the feedback you received?

I will make sure that the idea of the video is clear. In many other videos similar to this one, the main character of being labelled as 'crazy' appears to be very proud of the fact that she is 'out of her mind' and in the 'Dance Without You' video she is being possessed by a demon and has clearly, no escape. However in my video I want to ensure that the main storyline is slightly more different, as I am making my character break out of the asylum and break free but then as she sees the busy world that she has been locked away from, she begins having second thoughts on whether this is a good idea. 

Music Video Group Q&A