Filming finished!

Yesterday we filmed the whole of our video in the drama studio. We started setting up the kit at around 3.10pm and this included setting up the instruments, sorting the lighting and organising the set itself such as drawing the black curtains behind the kit and removing any other visible objects that we didn't need. The main problem that we found in the drama studio was trying to avoid the posters on the walls as it is normally a classroom but to get round this we made sure they weren't visible in the shot before actually filming. In some shots they are slightly visible but we feel they are not a direct distraction as most of the shots are only a few seconds long. We started filming at roughly 3.30pm and began with the wide shots of the whole band performing. This was because we had more of these than any other shots. We then went on to film the individual band member shots, then the additional performance shots from different angles. As a whole we feel that the filming went very well and was a huge improvement since the last draft video. The lip syncing and acting was much better as the band members were more enthusiastic which made the shots look more realistic and fit into a traditional indie music video. They really got into character, they looked the part and had a lot more fun with it. The variety of shots also looked more effective as it keeps the video interesting throughout. We finished filming at around 6.00pm. We are now beginning to edit the video so we have just over a week to finish the video. This is good as we now have plenty of time to edit each individual shot in the way that we want it to look like. Editing will be the most important part in the construction of our video as we need to alter the brightness, contrast and colour of the lighting to achieve the look of the other video by The Vaccines that we aim for our own video to look like. This is so that each shot looks as effective and realistic as possible.

Difficulties in editing

Due to lack of equipment available to us at school we have come into many difficulties already with the editing of our raw shots. The computers we are using do not have the sufficient software we have been told we need for editing so the process could be much more difficult and time consuming than originally planned. This is a difficulty we will be trying to overcome as best as possible however due to these circumstances and the lack of control we have with the computer software at school we will struggle to complete as successful a product for our first draft than we originally intended.

Plan for Friday.

On Friday we will be filming the final story shots of the video, the band performance shots and doing a photo shoot. Before then, we must ensure that everything that we need is sorted and plan in advance to make sure everything runs smoothly. Me and Becca have been keeping a close eye on the weather forecast as our band performance will be taking place outside. We have also constructed an order to which our shots will be filmed so that we can do a chunk of shots with the same actors/actresses and whether they are in the same location or not. The photo shoot will be taking place whilst the band are performing and some will also be taken in a different location for some individual photos. Costumes and props have been organised so these just need to be brought or collected. We will be constantly referring to our shot list and schedule throughout filming on Friday to ensure we do not miss any shots out and that we have everything we need. We also need to make sure we have the correct equipment and this just includes the tripod, video camera, digital camera, PA kit and instruments.

Filming Update

The majority of the filming for the story element of our video has been completed. Throughout half term we will be filming the band performance and some final story shots. We have filmed everything we required along with additional shots; this is due to us knowing that perhaps with our limited skills in filming, certain shots we had planned may not be right or work well. Despite this I believe we have developed our skills using camera equipment and creating and producing the shots we needed.  

Filming Begins..

  
For the last two days we have began filming some of our shots from our storyboard. We came up with a schedule and planned out the order of each shot so that shooting ran smoothly. This helped us organise what shot came where and saved us a lot of time. Throughout these two days we have been filming the kitchen and the car shots. This generally went quite well but organisation could have improved by informing the actors/actresses specifically what they had to do in advance so that we didn't have to spend time explaining to them. For each shot we have been shooting for longer than necessary so that we have enough footage to edit.This way we won't run out of shots in case we delete them and then find that we need them at a later date. After each shot we also watched it immediately after to ensure that mise en scene,lighting, props and lip syncing was working successfully. The picture above shows our actor James watching the shots back to also gain his feedback and opinions on how successful they are. Continuity was also a key element so we had to ensure our characters were wearing the same outfits and props were in the same location.

Update on video

As planned in our schedule we begin filming as of tomorrow. We have planned the more finer details in the last week including the clothes to be worn, various extra props, booking out the camera and tripod and what roles me and Steph will be taking on in more specific detail. For example, who will film which shots. We have also had to make sure everyone was able to get to the location. We have arranged all this through either text messages with everyone involved or face to face, mainly during school hours or lesson time. Hopefully this planning will help filming to run smoothly.