Equipment

When filming my music video I used a range of equipment, which included; a camera, tripod, studio lighting, a strobe light, coloured acetate and musical instruments. The camera that I used was the ‘Canon 70D’, I decided to use this camera because it was my own which meant that I would have full access to it. I have also used the camera previously for filming and taking photographs therefore I was confident on how to use it. This camera has changeable lenses, but I decided to use the same lens throughout the production process. This was the 18-135mm lens; this lens made it easy for me to experiment with different zoom lengths. It also has automatic focus which was very useful when filming. With the camera I used a tripod so that I could keep all of the footage level and not shaky; this was to make the video look more professional.

When filming, I originally only wanted to use one studio light. However when doing the test shots and first day of filming, I realised that it wasn't enough. Therefore I decided to use two, I placed one to the left of the background and one to the right. However it took quite a bit of readjusting to make sure that the lights weren't making the black background grey. When zooming in to create an extreme close up shot on the actor, I had to move the lighting slightly so that it was more on the actor; this was because the camera struggled to focus. 

I used the strobe light sometimes when filming. To make the white light appear coloured, I placed small pieces of coloured acetate over it. This effect worked quite well. From the test shots I found that just using the strobe light on its on wasn't very good for the camera; it kept going out of focus. Therefore I decided that I should ld leave the studio lights on when doing the strobe light, so that the camera would remain in focus and the colours would be clear. This worked much better and enabled me to have more footage which was in focus. I also played around with the position of the strobe light. I thought that at first it would be best with the actor holding it underneath them. However this only cast the colour over half of the actors face. Therefore I decided to place it on top of the camera. 

Props

For my music video I want to use two different props, which both happen to be instruments. I shall be using a guitar and a tambourine. This is because these are some of the instruments that can be heard in my chosen song. I am going to film close up shots of actor 1 playing the guitar in time to the music. I shall also do a range of shots of actor 2 playing the tambourine. Using instruments in a common feature/convention of indie rock music videos, therefore I think that it is a good idea for me to use them in my own video. By using them, the music video might appeal to a wider target audience.

2/11/16 FOOTAGE

I have now looked through the footage that was recorded on the replacement day of filming (2/11/16). I am generally quite happy with the footage because I learnt from my mistakes from filming the day before. I avoided the use of the coloured acetate in front of the camera to make sure the footage didn't appear grainy. I have taken notes of the footage from this day which I think could be used in my music video and have collated the clips into a video so that I can easily reference them when it comes to the post production/editing process.

When looking through all of the footage, I also found some clips which were completely unusable. This was mainly because they were out of focus. Therefore I decided that I should collate these clips with the references also to ensure that I avoid using them when I edit my music video. In one of the clips (MVI_9453) there happened to be a small bit of natural lighting that came through one of the windows. This caused the background to lose its colour and a small section to appear on the actors face. I decided that I couldn't use this footage because the lighting would look particularly inconsistent with the rest of the footage. 

1/11/16 FOOTAGE

I have started to look properly through all of the footage that I filmed on the first day of production (1/11/16). When I was looking through all of the footage, I was taking note of the specific clips which I thought would be usable for my music video. I have collected all of the footage/clips that I think could be used in my music video and have put them in a compilation so that I can easily reference them when it comes to editing my music video. I also plan to do this for the rest of the days worth of filming.

 

I also did the same for footage that I deemed unusable. As this day of filming didn't go particularly well for me, I decided to note down the footage that I should make sure that I dont use in the video. The main issues with these clips was the focusing of the camera. Because of the minimal amount of lighting that I used I found that the camera kept going in and out of focus which meant that I could get enough decent footage to use. Also due to the positioning of the strobe light, I couldn't get the whole of the actors face to be coloured; this caused/created shadows on his face which I didn't like the appearance of.

Filming 2/11/16 - BEHIND THE SCENES

Below I have inserted some pictures of Jonathan that I took during the filming process. They show the actor as well as my filming set up; showing all of the equipment that I used.

This day of filming was to get some replacement footage for the filming that I wasn't happy with yesterday. I decided not to use the coloured acetate in front of the camera because I didn't want the footage to appear grainy. I have instead decided that I am going to apply the coloured filters to the footage during the editing/post production process. I wanted to make sure the background appeared very black therefore I made sure that the lights were not directly on the background and were instead reflecting off of the walls in the Drama Studio.  
Below are some stills from the footage that I got today. 

Organising Actor 2

I have been communicating with Actor 2 so that she is aware of the filming schedule. I have sent her a message discussing the date and time of the filming. We have already practiced the makeup look for the music video, therefore she is aware of what she will need to bring. I shall be providing the actors outfit for the music video therefore I shall bring the appropriate costume on the day. I have already communicated with Mr Molyneux about the availability of the drama studio and he has told me in person that it is free on the date and time which I wish to film on.

Call Sheet