E-mailing the make up artist

David e-mailed the makeup artist to let her know that we will need her on the 03/11/2016 for our shoot day. The e-mail that he sent is below:

She replied with this e-mail:

So David responded with giving her what time we would need her and what may be needed, this is below:

This process of e-mailing the make up artist was to make sure that she was as fully informed of what was needed on the day as possible (all the detailed she would need).

Feedback on the test shoot

In yesterday's lesson my group and I showed the class the test shoot, of which I edited, to receive feedback on what went well and what didn't work as nicely. This feedback is shown below:

Pulling out the key points:

Positives

• The idea of the graphical matching in the video works well as it really intrigued the viewers.
• They liked how simple the idea watched as it sill worked.
• They also enjoyed the use of gymnastics (Matty's flip on the drop).
• Overall, they seemed to like the video as a whole. However, there were some issues and thoughts which they picked up on. These are below:

Negatives

• There was a dancer in the test shoot (Klaudia) which isn't as experienced and technical compared to the others in this style making her stand out as the one who wasn't as good. 
• In response to this Klaudia is going to now have a similar role as Matty in the video (flips and kicks).
• They also suggested that there should be more of the drum pad and Gareth's performance as too much of the dancing can make it repetitive.
• In the test shoot their wasn't much use of the lighting type of which we would use in our actual video so they questioned our lighting but we explained what our lighting was going to be like and they like that idea.
• A final piece of constructive criticism take from this research task is that the song may be too long. They said that it would be a good idea to cut the song down to 2 minutes as the extra 50 seconds on top of this can cause the viewer to get bored and not enjoy the video.

Final Test Shoot Before Our Shoot Day

An update on the test shoot

After working this week on this test shoot I have completed half of the video and adding in the footage for the other half to complete the video. In this update I haven't included Megan Mackay or Victoria Bird but the footage of them, I will add in the final video at the end of this week. This video is shows below: 

Letting Luke know about our costumes

Today, David e-mailed Luke about our costumes to confirm what the school need to collect and what we will have ready for shoot day. The e-mail is shown below:

Looking at our shoot day

My group and I are shooting our music video on Thursday 3rd or November and we have got to see who we can definitely have in our video. These are:

• Gareth Donkin - The Performer
• Victoria Bird - The Keyboard Player
• Jonty Harrison - The Drumpad Player
• Charlotte McGee - Dancer
• Matt Muncey - Dancer
• Megan Mackay - Dancer
• David Heal - Dancer
• Anastasia Tyutina - Dancer
• Maddie Bowyer
• Klaudia Wyzykiewicz

After receiving this list we did a test shoot with Charlotte McGee and the footage is in editing for the new test shoot. Before half term we will have shot everyone for test footage and the video would be released.

Crucial tasks which need to be done before the shoot day

Today we discussed what NEEDS to be done before the shoot day. There were three main points which was asked for us to be done. 

• Understanding of the final product (how it is going to look and whether it will work) so we are prepared for the shoot day (test shoot).
• Rehearsals with our on screen talent.
• Art direction — pre-production, getting costume, making sets, props, booking locations.

A new test shoot with more dancers

David and I filmed a few more actors/dancers to use in our next test footage update, which is being edited at the moment.

So far we have filmed around 5 possible dancers to make sure they will be up to standard for the music video. Before looking at who we were going to film or think about putting in the video David and I went up to the Dance Department and asked for those who were the most talented at doing commercial (Hip-Hop). She gave us a list of 6 dancers:

• Eden Bowyer
• Daisy Jelly 
• Vogue Phelps
• Elise Bugeja
• Amy Lam
• Honor Idlery

The dancers which we have filmed so far have been:

• Vogue Phelps
• Anastasia Tyutina
• David Heal
• Klaudia Wyzykiewicz
• Matt Muncey

These dancers are being edited to make some test footage along with Gareth (main singer).

E-mailing possible cast members

Through the week Jonty e-mailed a few possible cast members to take part in out music video. Images of these e-mails are shown below:

Meeting with our set designers

In todays lesson we talked to the set designer for our music video and we discussed what would be achievable and what wouldn't. They said that the actual set of which we created to show them would be achievable. We also showed them our test footage (2) and we received feedback on that. 

When we spoke about our sets they said that they are definitely achievable as there isn't much set but more to do with the lighting. But when we mentioned the water there was some hesitation due to the fact that the set is mainly lighting it may cause a serious problem. Along with this after we showed them the test shoot footage which was filmed they saw the same as we did. This was the idea that some of the dancers and and dances they performed wouldn't fit the video and that we needed to review who we were going to use and what they would do.

Test Footage 2

When looking at dancers we decided to do a second test shoot looking at what different dances we can add to this music video. In this video we can see that some of the footage would work very well in the video but there is also and aspect that the dances performed by most of the dancers in the video might not fit and may not work. For example David'd dances and a few more like the leg kick and others, shown below:

However there is some aspect which won't work and don't fit in the video. The full test shoot (2) is below:

Finding our performer

What is now needed for our music video

List for music video

• Set design, a sketch of the set and the things you want on it and photographs of what it should look like.
• Prop and costume list. First section of what you need to get, you need photographs to help explain. Second half is what you provide and that needs to broken down to group members.
• Prototype, either animatic or test video. 

Prop list:

Drum pad

Drum pad stand

Keyboard

Keyboard stand

Microphone

Mic stand

See through trays x2

Costume list:

White Dungarees x3

Black t-shirt x9

Black shoes x3

Golden crown

White shoes x6

Blue dungarees x1

Red dungarees x1

Matt Muncey; blue
Megan Mackay; blue
Alice Marriot; blue

David Heal; red

Jonty Harrison; red

Charlotte McGee; red

Set Design

Contacting Black Butter Records

In todays lesson my group and I set up to e-mail Black Butter Records for the permission of using their product (KANT - Nightcall (Club Refix)). We found their e-mail by checking their website, which is shown below:

We prepared an e-mail to be sent to Black Butter Records in a word/pages document and then we used this to be placed into the e-mail that we are going to send and we added/edited the e-mail before it can be sent to them.

Costumes for our music video

In this area of research Jonty Harrison looked at the costumes of the characters in the video.

He wrote that the performer's costume should be:

He also said that the dancers should wear:

Along with this there is the costume for the drum pad and keyboard player. This is for them to have white dungarees, black t-shirts and black shoes.

What to look at now

In todays lesson my group and I have decided to look at different ideas separately. I am looking at other thing of which we can add in our video through watching two different videos, one if which is Gibberish by MAX and the other is Nothing Like This by Craig David:

From the music video of Gibberish there was a use of water which we could use, especially with the slo motion effects we could use with it. The water wouldn't just be filmed on its own but it would be danced with or lip synced with in the video. 

Another aspect which I have gathered from these two videos is that we could use, possibly, two sets when thinking about the performance element as it could make the video more interesting and it gives another area which can be put in front of the camera.

Our one on one with the Luke and George (the lighting manager)

Once again Luke, after watching the test shoot, said that we need a concept. So we showed him our list but he said that most of then don't fully help explain the slow motion running race. After talking to Luke and George about ideas to use we decided to talk about the performance element (the lip sync and other aspects to it). 

The Performance Element

We are still going to keep the idea which we got from the image below

This is talked about and developed on this link here. In addition to this earlier post, today we spoke about how this element would work in the video for example how this narrative of the couples racing, which we have at the moment, may not link well with this performance element.

Test shoot

Context for our narative

In our narrative we need to look for a reason for them to be racing and fighting to win something. So far we have come up with:

• Sports day
• Fun run
• Fatties and salad
• Teachers and students
• Scouts, cubs, beavers
• Village fair
• Black Friday
• Wedding opening slots
• Race to happiness 
• Race to be the best couple
• Survival 
• To eat
• To drink, fresh water
• Holiday ticket
• New car
• Mystery box 
• Cooperate team building team challenge 
• Facebook how great is your relationship
• How far will you go for victory
• Cheese wheel down the hill
• Dragon racing
• Soapbox derby racing
• Bed racing 
• Wife carrying race
• Zorbing 
• Last baby to adopt 
• Last table at a restaurant 
• Baby cheese wheel
• Last engagement rings up for grabs
• To be the first person to buy the house on the first sale sign.
• Couples race to build ikea furniture
• The colour run
• Costume racing 
• Three legged race 
• To catch a train
• To catch a bus
• Postman training, running from dogs
• Big pile of cash they’re chasing while it is moving away.
• They’re late for a party 
• Kayak race 
• Rowing race 
• One of the couples from each group is getting kidnapped, while the other ones are trying to get them. 
• Blind folded maze
• Scavenger hunt
• Mens trophy, womens Olympics. Vice versa. Performance element on a podium. 
• All these girls are chasing this guy. Girls in knight costumes. Guy with long blonde hair, damsel in distress. Switch of genders
• Girls chasing this boy.
• Three couples, race for best couple trophy. At a dinner party, hosting awards and these three couples racing to get that award. 
• Food fight. Powder fight. Paint fight. Anything colourfully messy. 

People taking something way too seriously.

We need to figure out what is taken to seriously.

Meeting the lighting manager (George)

All lighting tends to be very expensive which means that we can’t really have anything specific unless we have bought the equipment ourselves. The lighting manager for our video has:

• Atomic 3000 DMX (strobe)

• UV Cannon (black lights — technically)

• ETC Source 4 Jr (standard light) (can make specific shapes)

• Thomas CYC (infinity screens) (complete even light — a solid block if colour)

• LED Soft Boxes (pick people out features in the video) (can play with the colour temp e.g. a harsh which or a softer yellow)

• Pixel lines

• Moving lights — two types (a profile and a wash)
• a wash light can use any colour and any sort of layout (wide/narrow beam)

• a profile light are spot versions of a wash light with effects.

Developing a new narrative

Over the past week my group and I have come up with a new narrative after some issues with the idea, which we have at the moment's, narrative. The rest of the video would stay the same, we are still going to have the same lip sync strand and the drum pad. However, the whole narrative of the gathering on the rooftop has changed to something a bit more fun and upbeat. 

The New Narrative:

This idea includes couples challenges with events such as egg throwing, holding a packet of flour above their head for the longest and finally there is a game where one of the couple will be beneath two balloons, one filled with paint and one with glitter. The person under the balloons will be blind folded with the other person (part of their couple) will be behind a transparent wall (so they can't hear) but there will be hand movements and they will be shouting, which will be visuals for slow mo.

Throughout all of these event there will be an underlying strand from the narrative of a race between al of the couples (three or four) and they will be working together for them to make the finish line. This race will be linked to all of the events such as the idea that if in one of the events the couple slips up or fails in it they will trip in the race, etc.

Below are some images which can represent what will happen in our music video:

The interview with an executive producer from The Mill

On Friday 30th September I received a talk from Ollie Allgrove who is an Executive producer who works for The Mill, which is one of the biggest companies, in this industry, in the world (they have won an Oscar). They say that they "are artists, technologists and makers for all media, working at the frontiers of visual narrative.” and they are “Trying to make the impossible possible.”

Below are notes which I took from the talk:

Key point to learn from:

• The music video has to be something which you care about and can't just be 'another' project ("treat it like a love letter")
• Along with the music video, the treatment is the most important piece as it is trying to make a connection with the artist.
• It does all come down to the idea, money and time can't save the video.
• Remember the video is one of the most important parts of the campaign.
• Make sure that there is good chemistry with everyone on the shoot as there can be serious problems if there isn't.

Editing our idea

The idea which we are most likely going to stick with is the idea of the gathering on the rooftop with people going missing. However this idea will get rid of the laser and sticker idea which showed who was going missing next.

The Idea:
This idea is about a group of people who go up to a rooftop every night but each night less and less people arrive. But throughout all of the nights there will be a focus on two characters (one male, one female) to show that they are the lead in the narrative strand in this product. The second strand is the tutting which has stayed from the original idea which this has stemmed from. The third and the forth strand are slightly mixed together as the drum pad will be projected (or on a big screen behind) the other stand, which is the lip sync from another male in our video. However, all of the strands will be in the studio with a set apart from the first (the narrative).
Set Design:
Below is an image and the full video for ideas when linking the third and forth strand together.

For the second strand, which is that tutting (or dancing) we are going to have this done just on its own so it stands out in the video creating many visuals for the audience to watch. This we be done with the cast member who will be tutting to be wearing gloves to just have the hands standing out.