My role in the project was the same as both of my group members- an equal share of the work overall, while excelling in certain specific areas. My learning curve has also been similar to theirs- while I have done filming projects before, and while I have been part of a music video creation project before, I have never undertaken such a large project with just a group to rely on. The previous filming projects didn't fully prepare me for the music video process, including the research into this area, specialised planning, and music video filming style; nor all the extra work such as the album cover and website. The music video project didn't fully prepare me for the shoot, as I didn't have to plan or set-up the shoot last time, and only had to act in it, without really touching the camera or lighting or anything. Thus, as we proceeded with this project in stages, at each stage I utilised my knowledge and experience from similar steps taken in previous projects, while adapting for all the new challenges, and learnt alongside my group as we went along. As the work we shared equally was still of course of the upmost importance to the success of the project, with each of our contributions to this burden being necessary for this success, I will share some examples of it.
A picture of me when I happened to be the one using the lighting desk. Click to enlarge.
A picture of me directing, while standing next to the camera. Sometimes I, along with the other members of my group, would both direct and operate the camera. Click to enlarge.
A picture of me setting up the camera at the beginning of that day's shoot. Noa can be seen in the background, also setting up. This was another one of the things we shared equally, yet all made an important contribution to. Click to enlarge.
A picture of me operating the camera, changing the focus while monitoring the screen. Click to enlarge.
A picture of me manually adjusting one of the lights from the ground floor of the set, while working with another group member in the lighting gallery. Click to enlarge.
As mentioned earlier, along with all of the regular work I shared equally with my group, such as doing research, making documents, working on all aspects of the shoot, and so on, I also excelled in certain areas, as did my group members. I thus will now leave out the pieces of work I shared equally with my group members, and just focus on those aforementioned specific areas. During video research and planning, some examples include...
I contributed various tracks and influences and so on. One of my song suggestions, Sweet Dream by Black Cat Zoot, became our chosen song. Some of my influences, such as band New Young Pony Club and music video "Ghengis Khan," ended up being important influences on the respective parts of our project.
I created the logo for our record label.
I had the idea of using trichromy as a special effect in our video.
I provided people who proved useful- for example, I did audience research with people such as my cousins, who fit our audience criteria perfectly, and I got my brother to be in the party scene. This also extends to the other research and planning sections.
I created various shots which made it into the final cut, such as the one where Casey jumps and the scene transitions with the jump, and the one where the camera is focused on the hands of the keyboard player.
I contributed to the choreography of the fight scene, even while performing in it.
I contributed to the style and colour scheme of the video, suggesting various ways we could light different set-ups, even creating some moodboards. Some of these ideas made it into the final plans.
During album cover research and planning, some examples include...
I provided various useful influences, such as Fantastic Playroom, and noted many useful conventions- I noticed the border around both the California Nights and Talking Dreams album covers, for example.
I created the final rough flatplan after suggesting various ideas and influences myself and working with my group to develop all of our ideas.
During website research and planning, some examples include...
I suggested useful influences, such as the website of the band Chvrches, and noted useful and influential conventions, such as a pop-up/start screen.
I contribtued to the final flatplan with my ideas, some of which made it into the final version.
During pre-production, some examples include...
I wrote up a lot of the timeline, especially the end section.
I created various stickynote shots for the storyboard.
I filled out a lot of the shootboard, especially in terms of the images.
I helped create the screen-test.
I contributed to the designing of the promo shots.
I created the entire Scorpion costume myself, as well as the elaborate parts of the Sergeant Pepper costume.
A picture of me working on one piece of the Scorpion costume, as some completed pieces lay nearby, along with the completed shirt and epaulets for the Sergeant Pepper costume. Click to enlarge.
I provided various pieces of costume, such as Casey's shirt, Guy's entire outfit, Terence's hat, and more.
I helped create and paint various cardboard props- for example I did a lot of painting of the slot machine, and I figured out how to create a lamppost around the pole we already had.
I provided various props, such as Hugh's guitar, the 'Alice in Wonderland' mirror, and the sofa pillows.
I helped to create various lighting set-ups, as well as organise the sets.
A picture of me saving a lighting set-up I had just worked on, still in my band costume from performing earlier on. Click to enlarge.
During production, some examples include...
I performed in a key role as Guy Chapman, a member of the band.
A picture of me as Guy Chapman, getting ready to continue performing. Click to enlarge.
A picture of me in my Scorpion costume, preparing for the fight scene I performed in after having helped choreograph it. Click to enlarge.
I took the lead when filming the trichromy shots so that we would have footage we could use to get the effect.
I worked on certain shots alone because of how the schedule worked- a lot of the solo shots of Tom performing as Terence, for example, were set up and filmed and directed and so on by me alone, as Noa and Jack had to be elsewhere.
Overall, without the sharing of the burden between each of us in terms of the regular work, as well as the various different areas we all excelled in (some of mine are mentioned here, but Jack and Noa of course had their own,) we would not have been as successful in this period of the project. I think I learnt a lot as I went along, performed my roles well, and made a very strong contribution to the project.
While we were making preparations for the main shoot well in advance, before we actually got to the main shoot we had a test shoot to do. The test shoot took place on the Thursday and Friday before the main shoot, with the first main shoot day being the Saturday immediately following the test shoot. Thus we also had to prepare for the test shoot, and in turn the test shoot was valuable preparation for the main shoot. As well as effectively being a 'dress rehearsal,' following on from the previous rehearsal, in which we got to practice more as well as use some more props and costumes, we got a chance to make preparations for the main shoot in that we tweaked various lighting set-ups that were saved to the lighting desk, for use in the main shoot. The test shoot was thus basically a big refresher on how to use the studio and how to get the footage we wanted for our video, indirectly helping us in the main shoot by preparing us for it more, while at the same time also directly contributing to the set-up of our main shoot through the lighting as well as props and costumes and so on (we were able to leave everything we needed in the studio overnight on Friday for use in the main shoot the next day.) We organised it like it was our main shoot, creating a shootboard to organise ourselves before the shoot, and at the same time getting some practice in creating shootboards, which paid off when working on the more important main shoot shootboard. However, in the interest of time, we didn't do a full shootboard- it was more of a schedule, that served the same basic functions as a shootboard.
One page of our test shoot schedule draft. Instead of a full shootboard, we just consolidated all of the basic information we would need on the day, such as who is needed when and what set-up to do. It was more than enough for the test shoot. Click to enlarge.
The final test shoot schedule sheet. As the project as a whole has strict timings and deadlines, all of the groups share the test week, and just use different days. We are colour-coded in red. Everything we needed to get into the studio and generally practice our shoot is included in our two columns. Click to enlarge.
We got to see how we all worked in all aspects of the shoot, rather than just acting as with the previous rehearsal. We got to use the camera and actually capture some footage, work on the lighting both in the gallery and with the adjustment rod on the main set, get the sound system up and running, and so on. However, we did also get to practice acting more as well, this time with lighting and more costume and props, and all viewed through the camera so that we could work on composition and framing and similar.
A good example of some test shoot footage, roughly edited to show what the final version might look similar to. Here, we have our final lighting for the 'Alice in Wonderland' set-up, which we worked on before filming this footage; plus, Noa is in her final costume, and we have most of the set prepared so that we can accurately frame and compose the shot. Noa is practicing her acting, while I film, and Jack directs. Click to play.
This was really helpful to us as it allowed us to practice everything we would be doing in the main shoot soon after wrapping up the test shoot. We learnt a few things about how to use the studio, and refreshed our knowledge on things we already did know. We figured out if the set and lighting looked good, and what the actors would look like performing in them. All of this has benefitted us and our project because we know we are on the right track.
Some of the 'Singing in the Rain' test footage. This was useful in that it showed us how we WEREN'T on the right track- the lighting was much too dark once we looked at it outside of the studio, despite how it appeared in real life and on the camera screen underneath the studio lights. Thus, we updated the lighting for the main shoot to include some more white, to better illuminate everything. Noa and Jack got to practice their performance, while I set up and monitored the camera. Click to play
The test shoot also benefitted the project in that we found out what we were doing wrong. This included shooting issues, such as how lighting looked once outside of the studio regardless of what we thought it looked like during shooting, as well as behind-the-scenes issues, such as how to most effectively and safely set-up, use, and pack up the studio equipment and lights. Luckily, however, we found out we were mostly fine on all fronts, and we didn't have any major accidents or mistakes or have to make any drastic changes. Overall, I think the test shoot was great. It provided a condensed version of the shooting process, from pre-production and planning, to production and shooting, and even to post-production to some degree- while we didn't have time to do a full edit, given that our first main shoot day was the day after our final test shoot day, we did get to make small rough edits to see what certain sequences would look like, as well as review the footage for any obvious mistakes. It was a hugely beneficial step towards getting a good end product out of our project.
During the process of creating the shootboard, we realised we needed some form of call sheet. Thus, we decided to integrate it with the shootboard, in order to enhance the 'all-in-one' function of the shootboard. We sat down with Tom Brown, the only cast member (outside of the extraordinary circumstance and set-up of the party scene) who isn't part of our media group, and talked with him about his timetable. We had previously also confirmed with Lily Mo Browne that she could be our make-up artist- thus we also sat down with her and went over when she was free too. We implemented their concerns into our call sheet and storyboard, and marked down whenever they were free to shoot and do make-up, or just available to help out on set even if they weren't needed to fulfil their primary roles.
A used copy of the front page of the shootboard, showing the integrated callsheet at the top. We made sure each cast member had one of these before the shoot, and we put copies of them all around the studio during the shoot so that after people arrived they could see when they were first needed and so on. Click to enlarge.
Creating a call sheet was an important step, as it helped us organise some elements of our shoot less under our control, but still vital to our video- both Tom and Lily are outside of our media group, and don't even do A2 Media, yet have fairly major roles in the shooting process. It allowed us to provide necessary information to these people, so that they could be available when we needed them to be- we gave each of them a copy of the finished shootboard with integrated call sheet so that they could have all of the information they needed, in regards to availability and location and time and so on.
Nearer to the time of the final shoot, we decided to create a shootboard, in order to organise ourselves as well as everything and everyone we would need for this crucial period. The shootboard combines a lot of different elements into one document, and thus serves as a hub for everything in the shooting period. It turns the shot list and set-up list into a practical schedule with times and dates, and even incorporates elements of the props and cast lists to collect and centralise at least a summary of this information into one place to avoid having to reference too many sheets when looking for any information (for example, the main props list may not have to be referenced if the shootboard conveys the necessary information on this matter for the shot currently being filmed, which for us it does.) UPDATE EVIDENCE
The first page of our finished shootboard. This page contains the most information, and is a good example of a typical page of the shootboard besides. It shows the call times for different cast and crew members, as well as some examples of shots, with the necessary shot images and information, as well as props and casting, along with the planned time to film, all in one row. Click to enlarge.
The shootboard creation process was a success- we organised everything related to our shoot into one, even using keys to help us (for example, the cast section has names bolded and unbolded, bold meaning they are needed in the shot as actors and similar, and not bold meaning they are available for behind-the-scenes work but not needed for the shot itself.) We plan to have multiple copies, at least one loose copy on hand to bring around with us, and some on the walls of the studio in different places, such as the main set and the gallery, so that they can be quickly referenced at any time and the benefits mentioned here easily reaped.
Rehearsals were important in figuring out both how we could physically connote the personalities of the band members, through gestures and body language and so on, as well as how we could lay out the more intricate scenes through choreography. To this end, we allocated some of our pre-planned meeting times to rehearsing- we had already decided to meet in various free periods that we all shared, so we simply went to the studio to rehearse instead of to the media department to plan. Additionally, we were able to use the test shoot as a more advanced rehearsal, that used the lighting and some costumes and props that were ready at that time- this allowed us to both rehearse normally as well as capture an approximation of what our planned movements and so on would look like on camera. One of the most important things to rehearse was gestures and personality during the band shots. We therefore had Noa and Jack mess around a bit, and tried to figure out what kind of moves would be best to get across their relationship. We had them glance at each other and smile or laugh from time to time, and we had larger interactions such as going back to back while performing, and we added all of this to our 'movement bank' for use later when we were capturing footage. Noa also got some time on the stage by herself, to prepare for her lead role, I got to practice using the drums a bit, and Tom got to have his first real experience of what he was going to have to do in the shoot, being the only one not part of the group and thus not privy to the entire planning process.
Noa and Jack directing each other and working on their sibling relationship gestures, while I get some practice on the drums. We are all standing or sitting in the approximate place we plan to be when we film during the test shoot. Click to enlarge.
Footage of Tom practicing for his role as Terence Kitchener playing the keyboard. Him being able to practice, even if at the start he had to use a mock-keyboard in the form of a table, and us being able to view him in role, was very good for solidifying him in the role- he now knew what he had to do, and we now knew he was definitely the right choice after viewing him in various shots. Click to play.
Every scene except the band scene has specific movements and actions to advance the narrative, including Casey falling asleep and going to the dream in the apartment set-up, or biting an apple to be transported to another scene in the Alice in Wonderland set-up. We got to try out all of these movements, and see if they worked within the bounds of the studio and camera frame. This was beneficial as it helped us either change our ideas by the main shoot, or, in the majority of cases, to practice the correct movements before the main shoot.
Noa and Tom while getting ready to practice the Sergeant Pepper scene. The monitor in the background is facing towards them, so they know how to stay within the framing, and we could all see how the composition of the shot could allow the slot machine to fit in the frame too. Click to enlarge.
Certain scenes needed even more rehearsing, specifically the Singing in the Rain and Mortal Kombat scenes. This is because we included movements directly inspired by movements in those pieces of media in our video. For Singing in the Rain, we choreographed a dance, or rather a set of dance-inspired movements, inspired by the famous movie scene. For Mortal Kombat, we choreographed a basic fight scene to look like a fight from the video game. These two required extra attention as we had more complicated and sequential movements, especially Mortal Kombat which takes place almost entirely in one framing and thus one take (although we plan to have cuts to other scenes like the band performing which increases the margin of error.) Being able to practice them in advance is a great help, as we don't want to waste time on a shoot day trying to get the choreography right.
When we were getting to grips with the studio, the technician gave us a tutorial on how to use all the different pieces of kit. This immensely benefitted us, as it allowed us to know how to make the best of the professional-quality equipment in advance of the shoot. Producing a kit list has helped us keep track of everything we need to know how to use in order to be effective at at using all of the studio and equipment's assets to produce a music video.
Our group's kit list. We were lucky to have access to a set of high-quality equipment, that furthermore all worked together- the monitors showed the camera feed, the computer controlled the lighting desk, the wires allowed everything to work etc.
We learned how to use different pieces of equipment in conjunction, and organised the kit list so that they would follow each other. Knowing which pieces of equipment go together is useful, as they must be used in conjunction to be used to full effect. The camera was placed on the tripod to stabilise it, and to allow us to take all the long-shots and later closer shots we wanted, while keeping the camera in approximately the same position and reducing shake. We have a large variety of shot types, as is convention of music videos, so this is important. The camera had the Koolertron monitor attached to it to effectively act as a larger, more true-to-life screen, and this helped us frame our various shots, which helps immensely for all shots but especially for shots with very specific framing, such as the Mortal Kombat shots, which need to look like they are from an old video-game while leaving space for the health bar props to be held above the characters' heads. The small monitor outputs to the large monitor, which can be moved on wheels to show the actors what they look like on camera without them having to leave the stage or get out of position, or moved around to show the person in the gallery who is operating the lighting approximately what the lighting looks like on camera, so they can make adjustments. As each set-up has a very specific lighting set-up, and lighting and colour are key to our band and music video's aesthetic and meaning and so on, this is very important.
A picture of me making sure the small monitor on the camera is working while it is attached to the tripod, so that it outputs video the the large monitor behind me, where one of our other group members who is in the gallery can see the lighting of the footage I am about to take of our third group member, and perfect it. Click to enlarge.
The sound desk, lighting desk and computer, studio lights themselves, and even the clamps and cyclorama, all work in conjunction. Someone in the gallery has control over all of the lights through the desk and computer, as well as the studio's sound system, which is key to playing the song so that Noa can lip-sync to it. Having a centralised control that we are all trained to use is incredibly useful, as it streamlines the process of changing between all our different specialised lighting set-ups and so on- the desk can edit and save lighting set-ups, and the computer manages them, and when the correct one is selected, the music can be played if necessary for that shot. The clamps hold the cyclorama up so that our lighting has a blank white background to shine on, and thus makes the lighting look good, while providing a stage for us to perform and film on.
An image of Noa operating the lighting computer, with the lighting and sound desks in the background. This one small stretch of table allows us to control all parts of the studio we could possibly want to for a music video shoot. Click to enlarge.
A picture taken from the gallery showing most of the studio lights above, as well as how they are placed and pointed to work with the cyclorama in the background. The monitor is facing the gallery to show the difference between real life and on camera to the lighting person, and Noa is seen manually adjusting a light. Click to enlarge.
The Windows and Apple laptops, as well as the external drives, are also key. The camera only has so much memory, which is filled relatively fast due to the quality, size, and length of the footage. Thus it must be preserved by using a card reader with one of the laptops, and then backing the footage up both on the laptops and the external drives. This ensures the card can be emptied whenever it needs to be and that the footage is in multiple places and can't realistically be lost, which is of course incredibly important.
Jack using a card reader to move the camera's footage from its SD card to the Apple laptop, and from there to an external drive. This process is relatively quick to do, and while the transferring of files can take a while, once it is initiated it can be left alone to complete while we continue to work. Click to enlarge.
The miscellaneous pieces of extra kit are still very very important. The various wires ensure that everything that needs to connect can connect, which is necessary for the pieces of equipment described above to function together in conjunction in the ways described, so that they can be used to their fullest potential. They also provide power from the mains to everything that needs it for the same reasons. The multiple batteries and chargers means the camera should never be out of action, so that footage can constantly be filmed, maximising efficiency. The lighting rod allows for the manual adjustment of lights, which is one of the only things the lighting equipment in the gallery can't do. One person can go in the gallery while one adjusts lights on the set, and they can collaborate and talk to reach optimal lighting conditions.
Jack adjusting a light with the rod, while the technician looks on. Me or Noa were in the gallery at this time, directing him, so that we could achieve the best possible lighting. Click to enlarge.
When he had decided on the band members and their personalities, we had to cast them. We decided to go with our original plan to use all three of us as three of the band members, to ensure that our cast was committed to the project- if we had gotten someone outside the group, there is a chance they would have been less committed to the project and caused issues later down the line. However, we did need a fourth person, so we asked Tom Brown, a mutual friend of all of us, and someone who did Media at AS. Out of everyone we could have picked, he was the best choice, as he is a good actor who fits the role of Terence Kitchener really well, and we know he won't let us down because of our good relationship with him.
The process of casting involved seeing if we could fit the roles assigned to us- especially for the lead singer. To this end, we did a Screen Test to see how we all worked together, if Noa looked and sounded like she was singing the original artist's voice, if everyone could emulate the personality of their band character through their performance, and if we all fit our roles. By the end, we were happy with our casting decisions.
Our Screen Test video. While the performance isn't as refined as we hope the final product will be, something we will be working on with rehearsals and so on, we think that each of us have our roles down to a certain degree, with the correct gestures and facial expressions. Click to play.
Our final cast list is thus as follows:
Casey Tyler- Noa Craig
Noa is a confident performer who has performed in drama productions and similar in the past- she thus knows how to act and isn't camera shy, which is important for the lead singer and personality/face of the band, and is especially important for the happy-go-lucky personality of Casey Tyler- she has a fairly similar personality in real life, and we were able to partially tailor the role to her, but not to the detriment of our overall plans, i.e. had we decided on a different personality for Casey that we liked more but was different from Noa, we would have went with that, especially as Noa is an accomplished actress and would be up for the task. While the song we chose had a female singer, and thus Noa as the only female member of the group seemed like an obvious choice, we didn't want to pick her simply based on that- however, after testing her out in the role, we found she fits very well with the original artist's voice and the atmosphere of the song, as well as with the personality of Casey Tyler and the planned atmosphere of the music video.
Noa in her Casey Tyler band costume. Here she is posing as if for a dramatic promo shot. Click to enlarge.
Hugh Tyler- Jack Edmondson
Jack is a drama student and has been involved with many plays and even musicals in the past. He thus is no stranger to playing the part of a character or a music performer, and being a longtime friend of Noa he works well with her- which is important, as while Hugh likes to act cooler than Casey, he still has to have a good sibling relationship with her while performing, and match her enthusiasm. Jack is a naturally enthusiastic person, so again he fit very well. He actually has had experience playing a guitar in an indie pop music video before, through the Echosmith music video remake task, and thus he also already has experience in a similar role.
Jack in his Hugh Tyler band costume. In this picture, he is trying to capture the cool side of his character, which we can really bring out more when he is alone and we don't have an opportunity to show his relationship with Casey. Click to enlarge.
Guy Chapman- Emilio Francischelli
I was selected for the role of Guy Chapman- as my other two group members are more accomplished actors, it makes sense that they were given the two lead roles- and then out of the two remaining roles we decided on Guy, as I fit his personality, gestures, etc. better than that of Terence. I have had some experience being in a music video and in front of a camera before, for example in the Echosmith remake and other previous media projects, but I am a bit less confident than some of my peers, so the quieter role of Guy suits me very well- I can still act well enough to be convincing, but don't have to be the face of the band. However, I do like to mess around with my friends and am quite outgoing when I get comfortable, so as I build up confidence in the role I should also be able to tackle the mischievous side of Guy's character as well.
Me in my Guy Chapman band costume. Here I am trying to pose as if I am in a promo shoot, in order to build up my confidence and experience in playing the role of Guy in front of the camera. Click to enlarge.
Terence Kitchener- Tom Brown
As we had run out of group members to cast by the time we came to cast Terence, we thus had to cast outside of the group- however, this meant we could choose someone perfect for the role. We decided on Tom, both because of his good relationship with all of us, but also for his experience in being a media student up to AS level and in taking part in many drama productions, often alongside Jack. While we know him as a down-to-earth and friendly person, even when joking about with us and other friends he plays the role of the "straight man" very well- this, combined with his acting skills, means we think he will nail the role of the slightly smug and more serious personality of Terence Kitchener. Our friendship should cover the other side of his character, in which he interacts and has fun with the other band members.
Tom in his Terence Kitchener band costume. In this picture he is attempting to play up the more serious facial expressions associated with his role, and succeeding quite well. Click to enlarge.
Other
As part of the casting process, we also had to cast people as extras in the party scene. As we would be dealing with a large number of people, we decided to make a list for better organisation. This list consisted of people who we all thought might be suitable for the role of a person at a party, while still being reliable. We narrowed this list down to five people after seeing who was available on the days we were thinking about shooting the party shots on, and then worked with them from there in order to secure costume and some basic personality for their characters and so on. The final list consists of Ray Baker (a fellow media student,) Lily Mo Browne (a friend of ours,) Hugo Perrot-Barnaby (a friend of Noa and myself,) Caleb Wycoff-Smith (a friend of Noa,) and Luciano Francischelli (my brother.)
The preliminary list of possible extras. It is extensive, as we created it with the intention of cutting it down to a shortlist, and visible is some evidence of us eliminating people as options for reasons like availability. Click to enlarge.
A group photo showing all four of us, the band members, alongside all five of the extras in their costumes. We know each of these people personally, and not just as acquaintances but as friends and family, so despite the larger number of people to organise, we think we will be able to use our directing and organisational skills to get them to perform how we want them to, while they remain receptive and willing to help. Click to enlarge.
