Timetoast Timeline

This is my Timetoast Timeline. I have decided to use this as a way of keeping organised, and to see what I have already completed and when. I like the format of Timetoast as I think it's very clear and can easily be edited, instead of typing all the tasks I need to complete and when I completed into Microsoft Word for example. Timetoast has definitely helped me to be more organised and I particularly like the way it shows you what you have done over a specific space of time. I discovered Timetoast last year so I decided I would use it again this year.

Shooting Schedule

This is my structure for the order of my shots. This is to help me be more organised when constructing and filming for my music video and will allow me to refer back to the type of shots I plan to do. This is similar to my storyboard, but in written form so it may be more clear and easier to understand when out filming, and it is less sheets than the storyboard. 

Storyboard

 This is my storyboard for my music video.These ideas are bound to change as it is my first draft and when I actually film I may change my mind on the structure. Some of these shots require a track and dolly 
which is quite a big bit of equipment and therefore I will have to do the tracking shots by hand and will have to make sure they aren't wobbly. This storyboard is not yet finished but I plan to add more ideas soon.



1                                                 2

3

                                                   4

5                                                   6

7

Digipak Experimentation

In this lesson we experimented on PhotoShop for our digipaks. I am not very confident with PhotoShop so I stuck to the beginner's tutorials. Above I have applied the Lomograph tutorial on my image with a radial blur effect.

1. How successful have you been in applying the tutorial to your work and what do you do still need to complete until you are finished?
Overall I think I was a bit better than when I first started after gaining help from Beth and Jenn who already take Photography. The more steps I did in the tutorial the easier it became because it was easier to know my way around the software.

2. Identify two techniques/tools/effects which you have learned this lesson and how this will impact upon your final construction of your digipak.
I have learned how to use the radial blur effect to make the image look a bit psychedelic (above) and how to do a light trail using the gradient tool (below) and editing the lights colour by adjusting the Hue and Saturation. I think with more practice on these types of tutorials, I will gain confidence in PhotoShop and hopefully be able to make my final digipak look professional.

Filming Issue 17/10/2012

Today I was meant to film with my actor and actress but due to bad weather this plan didn't go ahead as weather is one of my risks on my Risk Assessment sheet. It was raining quite heavily which could have also been a risk to the equipment as it could have got wet and may have broken. Instead of filming today we have moved the filming day to next Wednesday where hopefully the weather will be a bit better, especially because we are visiting the beach location where the weather needs to be decent.

Practice Editing Test Footage

This us a short presentation to show the progress of editing my practice footage. I have included print screens of using final cut in this too. As the video on the presentation doesn't play in that format I have inserted it below to show you the outcome:

Test Footage 2

I like the way this shot is filmed in a slight low angle. I also like Ramsay's expression as he isn't laughing or anything and it shows he is deep in thought and isn't looking directly into the camera.


This shot is a bit wobbly as it filmed it handheld so I would have to retake it but I quite like the angle and framing, especially with the clock tower above. If I was to redo this shot I would try get more of Ramsay in the shot rather than just his head as I don't think it looks very professional. This shot is quite hard to film as it's so low down I couldn't see what I was filming.


This close up of Grace could come later on in the video when I reveal more of her character. I will do this to drip feed the whole narrative to the audience and not reveal it all at once at the start. I may also ask her to not smile as the whole concept of the video is quite serious as it's about a break up and the facial expressions  and body language should match the lyrics.


Similarly, I like this shot, especially how Ramsay looks down and then directly at the camera. I think this shot would be good right at the start of the song before the clap thought beats kick in, as it reveals his character to the audience and makes him intriguing. I may however film this type of shot again as I believe the framing and background could be improved. 


I really like this shot and the framing. I like how we can see both the character and his POV shot, revealing the 'indie' location in the background. I also love the idea of him sitting on the bench on his own, which shows he is alone. This could be shown directly after the shot of both Grace and Ramsay on the bench together to show both the past and now the present.


I like these shots of Grace walking away. I could either improve this shot in my overall final video by making it into a jump cut, or making her fade out completely to tell the audience she has gone and the relationship is no longer, which would be more interesting than this shot dragging just watching her walk off.


Again, I could improve this shot with the points above. I made sure they both walked off in different directions to make the camera movements more clear and help the audience understand it better, as if they were both walking down the same path it wouldn't look right.


I like this shot as it shows Ramsay deep in thought and looking up at the sky, which is a relaxing thing to do. It shows the audience that he doesn't care about his own life anymore now that Grace isn't in it anymore.

Recce Shots of Actor/Actress

 

Above are photos of my actor, Ramsay Macdonald. As you can see from the images above, he is a very stylish boy and likes to stand out with his individuality by wearing the latest fashion for men. His clothing brands consist of mainly Topman, with H&M and van shoes. The denim jacket he is wearing here is also very vintage and many indie bands like to dress similarly to this. His hairstyle is also on trend and is styled and cut into a 'flicky' choppy way which is also stylish and fits in with the genre. This may not actually be the clothes Ramsay wears on the shooting days for the video but I will make sure he follows this sort of look so it fits in with my genre, and this shouldn't be a problem because he is generally into fashion and does an apprenticeship in hairdressing so he is always taking care of his appearance which is what typical indie bands normally do anyway.

Grace Collins is my actress for my music video. She, like Ramsay, is very interested in fashion and always wears what is on the high street. She is a particular fan of the vintage look so both my actor and actress match in terms of style and interest, which will make the overall video more realistic as the audience will be able to tell immediately that they are compatible. On the day of our test footage grace wore a flowery daisy dress paired up with a black leather jacket. I think the dress suits the style I am going for in my music video but the leather jacket may subvert her character so for the shooting dates I may advise her what to wear, although it is getting colder so I won't expect her to not wear some sort of jacket. The colour of the tights and type of shoes also match my criteria of looks as it brings out her feminine side and therefore will make her seem more attractive to the actor, which is the underlying message I want to get across in my video to my audience. 

The above photos are just some of both the actor and actress together. I did this to get an idea of them together and to see if they look natural and comfortable with each other together, even if this is just a photo and not moving image. This is essential in the video as if they act badly or don't look right together it can mess up the entire concept of the video and it won't look as well. From these images, I think they look like they go together therefore my audience should understand the theme of the video. It is true that opposites do sometimes attract, but I want them both to be similar so that the compatibility is clearer and simple for the audience to understand. 

Song Choice

This is the song I am doing my video to: Love Lost by The Temper Trap. I think the song's initial meaning is about an unbalanced relationship that led to a break up, but feelings and sad emotions are still present. In my video I plan to show both character's perspectives through interesting camera work and editing.

Test Footage Videos

This is some test footage that I filmed with my actor and actress over at Ward Jackson Park after our group discussion.


I particularly like this shot and framing. The fact the boy is in an extreme long shot (which also reveals the urban location) shows that he is alone in the world. His facial expressions looking into the distance show he is deep in thought and thinking about the past with his ex girlfriend. I may end up using this footage in my video or a remake of it as I like this idea.


This shot can be edited into a jump cut edit with the parts where they are cuddling and talking and with the end where they are facing away from each other. I like this idea as it shows a flashback of their relationship and this will make the narrative more clear. One criticism however is that I will have to make sure that the location that I am using it for the past as well as the present isn't obvious as this may confuse the audience.


This can also be made into a jump cut edit to show the controversy between their relationship. Again, I will have to be careful with my locations so that it doesn't appear confusing. Maybe I could film the same shot but with only the boy to emphasise how he is on his own now.


This is a short video of me setting up the tripod and explaining one of my shots (see below). I wanted to make this video to show what goes on behind the camera as well as in front of it to show how I set up and how I prepare to film.


This is footage from the shot I was setting up for above. I really like the idea of extreme close up and close up shots as it shows facial expressions really clearly and helps the audience sympathise with the characters feelings. It is also handy to do lip syncing in a close up shot as it will make the singing clearer and will show emphasis on the lyrics.

Group Meeting Video

This is the group discussion meeting at my house which I decided to film to accompany the 'group meeting' blog post.

Group Meeting with Actors

Today (Wednesday 10th October) I organised a get-together with my actor and actress so we could do some test footage and some recce shots. I also wanted to share some ideas with them about the song and get their opinion, as well as extra ideas.

First of all I played the full song 'Love Lost' to them and asked them to visualise what they thought the video would be about and what it would be like. They came up with a number of good ideas that I thought I could mix together along with my own. They also suggested extra locations, including the 'Mema' art gallery in Middlesbrough where there is a balcony overlooking the town. This was a good idea from Ramsay and I may go ahead with it, as there is already a certain shot I would like to film in Middlesbrough so it would be worth thinking up more ideas for shots while we are in that area.

They also came up with the idea of 'flashbacks' to the past where the girl and boy are still in a relationship. I already considered this idea but I think it would be good to include this as it would make the narrative of the video more clear.

After discussing these ideas, we then looked at some some music videos - A2 music videos as well as normal ones - for inspiration. I showed both Ramsay and Grace examples of videos with a reverse narrative, such as Breezeblocks by Alt-j and The Scientist by Coldplay so they understood what I meant better.

We then finished our discussion to go and do some recce shots and test footage over at Ward Jackson Park, which isn't one of my planned locations to film for the video, but the location fit the genre and was in walking distance from my house so it was ideal.

Mood Board

Above is my mood board full of visual ideas. I got all my images from Google. The reason why I made this mood board is to organise ideas and to have what I picture my video will be like all in one place. I have also numbered them so I can explain them in more detail below.

1- This is a close up shot of lead singer of Friendly Fires: Ed Macfarlane. I like his expression as it shows he is passionate about the song and I can use this idea for my actor so he can show his passion for the story of the song. I can also show him this picture so he has a better idea of how I want him to express his feelings. Also, Ed slightly over-exaggerates his feelings here, which needs to be done in order for the lip-syncing to be clear.

2. This is the type of shoes I want my actor to wear. I want him to look smart yet casual, which is in fashion at the minute with the likes of brands such as Topman and River Island (see image number 10).

3. This is a photo of the Earth which I will use to project onto the green screen. My actor will stand in front of the green screen so that the image projects onto him and makes him appear more 'lost' against the big world. The black background of the Earth will add a dark, lonely feel to my actor and help the audience sympathise with his feelings too.

4. This is a photo of Ward Jackson Park. I may film here, although I haven't made a call sheet for this location (as it's a fresh idea), because its a very quiet 'natural' place which fits in with the indie locations.

5. This is an extreme long shot of a man stood in a field. I like this type of shot as it will make the actor look a lot smaller and lost, and as if he's crossing the country looking for his lost love.

6. This is a print screen of the actual official video for 'Love Lost'. I like the production of this video as it consists of primary school boys running in a cross country race, yet they express how they are lost in 'love' in a completely different way as it shows how they are struggling and may lack support, shown by their P.E teacher at the beginning shouting at them. My video has a different interpretation of the title.

7. This image is in black and white, and I like the idea of changing the colour schemes in my video to show the different emotions and feelings. I may choose to use black and white colours at lower points in the songs where it is more slow paced and 'unhappy', whereas for the stronger, faster-paced moments of the song I can use a wider variety of colours to show how he's happier when the girl is present.

8. This is an image of actress Zooey Deschanel in the film 500 Days Of Summer. I like her style in this film and think I can use this as a look to base my ideas around, as she looks very casual, summery and happy which is how I would picture my actress to be.

9. This is the closest image I could get to visualise the pier pipes in Seaton Carew. I Would like to do an extreme long shot of my actor standing at the edge of one of these pipes with his back to the camera as if looking out to sea to show how he is lost in thought and his mind without the girl of his dreams.

10. This is an image of a Topman model, which is what style I would like my actor to have. Topman brand is very in fashion and is always on the catwalk, so this style will be an inspiration already for the indie genre and is how most of my male target audience would look like. 

Record Label Logo

Here is my final version of my record label logo 'TTTA Records'. If I had more time on this logo I would:

• Make the image of the guitar uncropped
• Change the font of 'TTTA Records'
• Make the logo a more rectangle shape rather than square so it looks better on merchandise, posters and digipaks.

Creating my Record Label Logo

Make Up, Costumes and Colours Treatment Sheet

Treatment Sheet

Vintage Inspired Make-Up

For part of my actresses make-up I have taken inspiration from the 1950's era with female icons such as Lana Del Ray, Zooey Deschanel and Marylin Monroe. They all have a certain style that links with the vintage look. I have decided to use a vintage inspired look as it fits in with the indie genre as many girls aspire to be different and have a vintage fashion sense.
In order to achieve this make up look I have decided to use a vintage 1950's make up tutorial from YouTube to learn the basic techniques of a vintage inspired make-up style which I have embedded below.
This make up idea may well change during the process of filming, however I think it may be a good idea to use this as an idea as this look will make my actress look like a goddess and irresistible. I think this is appropriate for my video as the audience are following the life of the boy and what he thinks of the girl, therefore if the girl actress looks desirable it will be much clearer for the audience.
As part of the make-up for the girl I think using red lipstick will be a good idea as it will bring out the vintage style in the girl which makes the two characters suit but red lipstick is also a very female necessity and again will help the girl to look beautiful in the boy's point of view.

October's Plans

Here is a calendar of the October month to help me organise my plans and schedules easier. I looked up the October half term dates on my college's website and found out we are not in college from Saturday 26th to Monday 5th November (highlighted in green). Although the deadline for filming our footage is Friday 26th my media teacher has given us the opportunity to use the week off in October to do extra filming. I think this will help a lot and is ideal to do most filming in this week off as one of my actors attends another college and does an apprenticeship which means I have to plan a day for filming which suits him and when he is not busy.

 My other actress attends the same college which means it'll be easy to plan a day for filming with her. 

As I need my actor/actress for certain tasks in my coursework (e.g. recce shots, make up and costume ideas, test footage) I have organised a group meeting for Wednesday 10th October (which I have highlighted as a red dot) where we will get together as a group and share ideas about the song and video. Although I am working on my own I would also like their contribution to ideas as they also are my peers and target audience which I find very helpful because I know the ideas that they suggest most likely the majority of my target audience will like. I also plan to use this day to take photos of my actors/actresses, discuss clothes and make up and also maybe do some test footage (depending if we are able to get to the locations where we will be filming the actual music video).

The other dates that I have highlighted in blue are possible filming dates. Wednesday is an ideal day to film as it is a half-day at college, but again, it will depend if my actor/actress is busy or not. We will discuss future dates on Wednesday's meeting. As well as the dates with blue dots, The green highlighted week as I mentioned above as half term is a perfect time to film, however the sooner I get my footage the better as it gives me more time to edit my video which means I'll have less pressure on me if I decided to film right at the end of the half term.

Call Sheet 3

Call Sheet 2

Call Sheet 1

Audience Research Summary

Audience Feedback Video

Audience Profile

Audience Profile on Prezi

Treatment Sheet

Risk Assessment