Creative Camera Use

We wanted to use as many different creative techniques as we could when filming our video.

Some of these we achieved, and they are as follows:

Stop Motion Animation:

We wanted to use stop motion for this part of the song, so you can see life from the child's perspective.

This stop motion animation was drawn by a group member. The characters and love heart, are all detachable so it is easier to move them. There was more than one copy of each character made for this process, because we wanted them to blink and cry. It was quite a long process to create this effect, but the results overall were very pleasing.

Another camera effect we used, was a time lapse:

This involved the subject standing still in a busy high street, with the camera rolling. We filmed about 20 mins worth of this. In the editing process, we sped it up, and it looks like everyone is walking past really quickly. We did it to give the effect of time passing by really quickly, but everything is slow for her. This technique posed several complications: The day we were filming, it was freezing cold, windy and slightly raining. This meant it was harder for the subject to stand still because of the cold. Also we had to put a cover over the camera to stop it getting wet.

Final Evaluation

This is the link to my final evaluation: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0ByYHpCHjHwmIYThhNzdlOWUtNzRmZS00OGMxLWEwMGUtNDI5NGZhNzE5MWEx&hl=en_GB

Rejected Footage

These are the links to our rejected footage https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B109_6sKs3MPOGNkYzk2ODUtN2MxYy00Y2VkLWE1YzctNjU1OTUyYzkxYmM4&sort=name&layout=list&num=50id=0B109_6sKs3MPOGNkYzk2ODUtN2MxYy00Y2VkLWE1YzctNjU1OTUyYzkxYmM4&sort=name&layout=list&num=50 2 https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B109_6sKs3MPYTk4MGI3NzYtZGVlOC00ZDBlLWJmNTUtNDAyOGVjOGZhOGE3&sort=name&layout=list&num=50 3 https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B109_6sKs3MPNTFjNTI2YzctNDRhYS00NjEyLWEyZjgtY2ZlZjdhOTY4ZDBh&sort=name&layout=list&num=50

Health and Safety when filming

When go to film a scene on a busy street or in town, we need to make sure that we are disturbing anyone in the surrounding area. If we think what we filming might be disturbing or causing any troubles,we have to inform them and ask for their co-operation. Also we have to make sure that the places that we choose to film are in a safe area, and there are no risks of cars, building vehicles, or any other potential risk that could put the crew and equipment in danger. Also, in the recording studio, we have to make sure that we have no liquids near any of the electrical equipment, otherwise there is a risk of fire.

Completed Video

This is the link to our completed video: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B109_6sKs3MPZWVlMWYyZWUtMjQ2ZC00NTdmLTlmMDYtNWE0Yjg4MzQ3YjQ0&hl=en\

Shooting Schedule

Advert Research

This is the advert for a Blink 182 album. Blink 182 has a very similar target audience to Paramore. There are several features within this advert, that appeals to the target audience. For example, the big distorted, rough looking title reflects the heavy music that they play. This is also reflected in the slanted writing within the orange tint of the image. It shows individuality, which is what 'emo's' stereotypically strive for. The text is giving the reader information of what special features are on the CD. My advert will have a feature similar to this. The album artwork is also down in the left hand corner, so the reader knows exactly what album to buy. Finally, there is the bands record label, and website at the bottom, which I am considering within my designs.

This advert is for Paramore's single 'Ignorance'. I noticed there is a very simple colour scheme of just black and white in this advert. I sense a large use of juxtaposition here - because this ad looks rather innocent, with the simple colours, flowing fonts, and a very striking image on the right hand side, symbolising youth perhaps, you get the feeling that the song will be quite slow, lyrical and expressive. The title gives it away though - Ignorance. The actual music video is quite the opposite - I analysed it in a previous blog, and it is very chaotic and stressful. From looking at this, I have learnt that I could use a similar idea in my advert, and that keeping it simple is an effective way to catch the readers attention.

Advert Feedback and Evaluation

The making and completion of my digipack advert was a complete success. In order to get feedback, I posted my advert on facebook and these were the results...

Overall, I think that my advert was generally well received. My feedback was pretty much all good, and I can sense from it, that they liked the simplicity. This was my aim in this piece, because the simplistic background makes the picture far more striking. From this feedback, I can sense that I achieved my goal to create a simple but effective advert, mainly due to the fonts. They were commented on several times - saying 'Nice and east to read', 'good font, good size', 'Simplistic font works fantastically', and ' The text is also simple but effective'. The image of the two characters had an impact on the readers as well, as you can tell through the comment 'Your positioning of the photo's is excellent, the symbology of the gap between you is really cool'. Finally, I have achieved making my advert similar to the digipack - by using the same fonts, similar picture, and same colour schemes. This has worked as you can tell through the first comment ' Image used that connect to the digipak and really draw attention for people!'.

During the making of this advert, I have learnt that less is more. The advert does not need to be busy in order to fulfil its job, it just needs to be carefully constructed. I also learnt how to cut and edit, and resize pictures to fit a specific need within Photoshop.

Finished Advert

This is the link to my finished digipack advert: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0ByYHpCHjHwmIZWVhYTIyNzEtMTRjNS00MzFiLTkyNzMtNTQzZjMyYWZhMTkw&sort=name&layout=list&num=50

Advert Flat Plan Designs

This one image contains three of my flat plan designs for the digipack.

1. The first one will contain a close up of the main character's head on the left hand side of the advert. This image will have the same yellow tint, as the picture on my digipack. The simplistic white background makes her stand out more, catching the eye, and the reviews will be written in red, as it is the first colour you look at. This goes the same for the release date. These fonts will be simple, just like in the digipack. It will also have the bands record label written at the bottom. I think this appeals to the target audience because it has the same striking image as the digipack, which teenagers can relate to because she stands out and is different to the rest of the advert, just like what our target audience tends to aspire to be - different.

2. The second one will consist of three pictures: an acoustic guitar, an electric bass, and drum sticks. This instantly appeals to the target audience as, most teenagers within the target audience would play these instruments - giving them something to relate to. Underneath the Titles, the eye-catching red font gives information on the digipack release date. Underneath that will be the band's record label. There will yet again be a white background, to make the other pictures stand out.

3. The third design, is in fact very similar to the digipack itself. The same fonts are used, as well as the same pictures. Instead of having the whole of their two characters in the frame, there will be just the top halves of their heads. This is so you don't completely reveal the characters, but yet you still show there is a divide between them because they are on the opposite sides of the frame. In between that will be the titles, and information on the digipack and release dates written in red to stand out. This appeals to the target audience because it shows the divide between two people - which emotional teenagers can relate to. Also the simple red writing instantly attracts your eye to it, so you can read the given information. This third design is the idea I will use for my advert. I think it's likeness to the actual digipack is its best point, with the striking picture on the front making the reader want to know the cause of the divide.

Evaluation of an existing Digipack

A digipack is a style of DVD packaging made of card, consisting of a fold out section usually containing such information as : live DVD, concept art, bonus features, lyrics etc. Digipacks do cost more than the average CD album, but they give the consumer a larger insight into the band, which potentially results in more interest. Digipacks are much more enviromentally friendly than the average CD case as well, because it is only made up of paper and cardboard.

This digipack below is for the band Sum 41. Sum 41 has a very similar target audience to Paramore, so this is a good example to evaluate. As you can see, there is the typical fold out section on the left, containing a brief history if the band, and information on its members. There are simple colour schemes of black, white, and pink that reflect the target audience nicely. Behind the CD's, there is some rough looking artwork, which emphasises the chaos within the music.

This next digipack is for the band Blink 182, and is still within the same target audience as Paramore. As you can see, it is very similar to the design of the Sum 41 digipack, in the way that there are two CD's with a fold out section. This Blink 182 digipack fits the target audience well, because the simple dark colours contrast well with the brightness of the CD's, which are made to symbolise traffic lights. The CD's are also the same colours as Blink 182's logo, and each have a different picture on, which obviously reflects something within the music.

Digipack Evaluation

I think my Digipack design, was overall a resounding success. I consider the main picture on the front cover is very striking to the viewer, thus making it one of its strong points. This is because it shows the divide between the two characters on it. It is as if they are only half of themselves, and the only thing keeping them close are the words 'The Only Exception', written in a very thin basic font. I put a yellow tint on both the characters in the picture to make them stand out against the solid white background. On the spine, I kept with the black and white theme, because they stand out against each other. Other than the writing 'Paramore The Only Exception', I put the band's record label - Fueled By Ramen's logo on the black parts.

On the back I took a screen shot from the stop motion animation and placed it on the back, taking up just over half of the page. I wanted this on the Digipack, because I think it plays a major role in the video's narrative, because in the song, the singer is talking about when she was younger and seeing her parents break up - the stop motion is like a children's drawing, so it was as if it was from her perspective. Below that, is the contents of each disk, written in the same fonts as on the front. I wrote them in red because it also stands out, and contrasts with the white on the cover. Next to that is a slightly sinister, edited picture of the recording in process light which we used in our video. The editing effect on it, worked nicely once put on the digipack. The picture below shows the before-during- and after editing process of this picture.

I then added copyright dialogue, the record labels logo, bar code, and other typical DVD things, that make it look more professional.

On the inside, I went with a simple chequered pattern, which is popular with the target audience, and played around with it by changing the shapes of the squares. This was easily done in Photoshop, by simple drawing the lines and colouring them im with the bucket tool. I then edited pictures taken in our filming locations and put them over some of the squares. I did a simple editing process for each of the pictures, by increasing the contrast , and lowering the brightness several times on each picture.

Feedback

This feedback was taken from Facebook

I am very pleased with my feedback. It shows that it had an instant impact of the viewer, and that colour choice and font design were used effectively. Both people who commented stated that they were not too keen on the stop motion picture on the back, and they gave some ways in which I could improve it. Overall, I fell this task was a success, and I have learnt how to create a good, strong impacting digipack.

Completed Digipack

This is the link to the inside of my Digipack https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0ByYHpCHjHwmINDdjNzMzMWItYjg4My00NGNjLWJlZTItOWQyNWFjNjhmNTQx&sort=name&layout=list&num=50

Completed Digipack

This is the link to the front and back cover of my Digipack https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0ByYHpCHjHwmIYjczNDEwM2MtY2M0ZS00ZjZkLThmMWMtMTMxNTkxZDViZWVj&sort=name&layout=list&num=50

Storyboard

For the first 2 shots, there will be no music, and the main character will be walking into the recording studio. The recording in process light will come on as soon as the music starts and shots of the mixing desk, tape deck and studio preporation will take place.

The next 6 shots consist of the stop motion animation, the ripping of the heart, the time lapse in

the street, and shots of the band. There will then be close up shotsof the main character texting.

Shots 14 to 15, will be set in the bedroom, with the main character playing guitar and writing down lyrics. There will then be cuts to shots of the band playing. We left shots 16 to 18 blank on the shooting script, as we were going to experiment with different shooting ideas for the band.

Shots 20 to 24 will yet again be of the band until shot 25, where the heart slowly comes together through stop motion.

shot 26 is the last of the band shots and shot 2 shows the heart coming back together though stop motion. The final few shots show the main character opening an old scrapbook and finding he pictures she drew when she was little ( the stop motion scene ) she rips them out, and the shot fades to the heart coming back together.

Just in case we cannot do this ending, we have thought up a different way to finish off our video. We created the alternate story board ending as follows:

The alternate ending will start with the main character walking and singing towards the camera, then cutting to the other main character sitting on a bench texting her. There will then be a close up of him texting saying 'Are you okay?', and then later him walking off.

It then cuts to the male character sitting on another bench on his own, then the female character coming and sitting down next to him. They then talk, and hug. At the very end of the video, it will cut to a shot of them both walking away from the camera holding hands, and then it eventually fading out.

Flat Plans

Mise-en-scene

These are our notes on mise-en-scene for our video.

Costume/Make up:

We decided that to fit our target audience and genre, we would have to use costumes that they could relate to. This means we have to use stereotypical 'emo' clothes. This includes quite casual wear - jeans and black t-shirt for the female with checkered shoes. The male would wear a black t-shirt and black skinny jeans, and possibly wear eyeliner and fingerless gloves along with a wrist band and checkered shoes.

Setting:

We proposed four setting locations in which our video will be set....

This includes:

A recording studio

This studio will be in the East Sussex Academy of Music block. This is where the main character starts to sing at the beginning of the song and has a flash back to when she was younger. We chose a recording studio because it seems more authentic to the audience, as the song contains instruments that would have been recorded there.

A high street

This high street will be either in Lewes, East Sussex, or East street, Brighton. We chose this high street because it can be very busy at times. This would work perfectly for our shot with everyone moving quickly. We also chose this location because it is the kind of situation that teenagers can relate to, as teenagers like to spend time in town and shopping. This is also where we will film the short clips of the main character breaking up with previous partners.

A bedroom


We chose to set one of our locations in a bedroom, because teenagers relate to this as their 'safe place'. Many break ups and make ups happen in bedrooms so we thought this would be an ideal place to show the main character thinking of her love. This will also be where the main character is filmed writing her songs

Pitch

This is the link to our pitch:

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B109_6sKs3MPODQ3YzA3NGMtOTNhYS00YmExLThiODUtMWM2NjI3Yjk1Zjg4&hl=en


These are the links to our presentations:


1. https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B109_6sKs3MPM2I2MWQ0ZTItN2FhNy00ODAzLTg2MTgtNmU3OWMzZWQ2NjZj&hl=en

2. https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B109_6sKs3MPY2E0NGJiOWItNDk5OC00ZThkLWIwY2UtMjg3YWViYjcyNjFj&hl=en

3. https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B109_6sKs3MPNGY0MDY4ZjItODdhMS00MGQwLTkxYzQtM2M2NTJmNTZmYzdi&hl=en

Initial Ideas

From listening again and again to the lyrics of our song, we felt that there was a strong narrative throughout. Our initial idea was to have a flash back of the main character, to when she was younger. She see's her parents fighting and breaking up. This burns into her mind, that she would never be able to find true love. We refined this idea, and instead of having a clip of them fighting, we would use stop motion in the form of a childs drawing to emphasise how this fighting had an effect on her. The image will then zoom out to a video of her holding the pictures in a crowded high street with everyone moving quickly around her. We thought this would be an appropriate use of the green screen. Later on we came up with the idea that she would be recording in a studio at the beginning and as soon as she starts to sing the song, her flashback occurs. There will be constant referance and cuts back to the recording studio throughout the song. For more detailed information on our ideas, see our next blog ( Pitch )

Filming

The first few lessons we had with our video production specialist taught us of the different camera techniques. This includes: angles - low angle to enhance character, high angle to diminish the character.

Shot types - establishing shots, mid shots, long shots etc.

Distance - Pull focus where foreground begins out of focus but becomes sharp

and Depth of field.



We also learned about simple things to remember when using the camera's, such as using tripods, always taking the camera off the tripod when in transit, remembering to take the tripod plate off the camera when finished, labeling the tapes, and just general care.



We then learnt about the white balance and how to set it.We now know that we have to set the white balance whenever we go from indoors to outside, or vise versa and how to set it - whether it as automatic (AWB) or manual.

The final important thing we learned within the first few lessons, is how to handle manual exposure. This meant we had to learn about how shutter speeds, aperture, and gain affected how the final image would look.



Later on, we learned some directing skills. This includes the use of clapper boards, preperation of the cast, and communication between the director, camera operator, and the actors. From actually being on set and filming, we learn't from trial and error, things that worked and things that didn't. For example we found it was best to use a tripod when filming someone walking towards the camera, because the camera operator could not hold it completely still.



Apart from being on set and putting this knowledge into practice, we learned how to edit in Final Cut Pro, and how to use an Apple Macintosh. We learned about Non-Linear editing - which is acheved through digital editing, the assembly edit ( just to look at the footage), rough edit ( more refined, no effects), and the final edit ( tweaking all the cuts and adding effects)

We had to copy an existing music video in order to practice for the real one. In our case, this video was Teenage Dirtbag, by Wheatus
Copying an exsisting music video
I have been working towards re-creating some of the music video Wheatus- Teenage Dirtbag. The experience I have been given by taking part in this task is being able to develop using production equipment, in order to be able to film at a good standard, when it comes to me filming my own music video. I will also be developing skills to be able to plan well, how shots will be filmed, also staging in a shot.


Storyboard


In lesson I was given a storyboard, which was of the Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag video. It features the opening ten frames of the video, giving a analysis of the shot type, camera movement, description of action, also if there is a lyric or audio in the background, when a shot is shown.


Shooting Script and Clapperboard


The shooting script was given of six shots, which we filmed in two groups, it shows an enlarged image of the shot which we had to copy and film. It had a similar layout to the storyboard, as it had the details about camera shots and movements, also write notes about how successful each shot was, each shot has to be logged, to see where each group might be struggling with a type of shot. While learning how to use the shooting script, I also learnt how to successfully use a clapperboard. A clapperboard was shown in front of the camera, before each shot was filmed. There is a procedure, that takes place for each shot. The cameraman has to say "speed" when they are ready to film, so the director knows when starts off the film. Also the director says for example "Shot 4 take 2, action", then the filming can start, and the background actions start.Also after a shot is filmed the director shouts "cut" to notify the cast the shot is finished. Also the clapperboard is useful when editing as you can determine a beginning of a shot, and hear "cut" when a shot has finished.


Communication on Set


Camera health and safety.
Keep the camera steady when holding it.
It is hard to keep just main character in focus and the extras out of focus.
Lighting- had to reposition into the natural light.
Always think about the final edits.
Always take off the plate off of the camera and back on the tripod. Use white balance when inside with artifical light, so on the camera use the AWB automatic white balance. When filming outside, using the sun shaped symbol, and the light bulb button when filming inside. Also put on the manual setting via the message shaped button.
I was shown how to direct a shot, it is important that to keep the production running smoothly, you need to clearly let the participants know of what is going on. In our exercise the director worked with the camera operator to set up each shot, they set up each actor and extra in position. After checking the shot is how it should be is essiental before able to film. Then the clapperboard is shown in front of the lens and the filming begins.


Setting up the Camera


Mounting to the tripod


Mounting the camera to the tripod can give you stability when filming. It is particularly useful for zooming, panning and tilting the camera. The tripods at college have a spirit level on them which enables you to position the camera to an exact horizontal.


Setting the White Balance:


The white balance has to be set before shooting can begin due to the different conditions. The camera reacts differently to varying light conditions. When outside it should be set to "Daytime Filming" otherwise footage could have a blue tinge to it. Likewise when you film outside the white balance should be set to artifical light. Once the camera knows the conditions it can then calibrate the rest of the colours, which should give even results.


Adjusting the exposure:


When using our Canon XM2 cameras, you should get into a habit of using the manual settings to adjust the exposure and not let the camera run on auto. Usual manual settings will give you control over how light or dark the footage is. You can change the exposure using a combination of the Shutter speed, Aperture and Gain.


Camera Techniques


Composition:
You can change the frame size to be like a widescreen film. This is called a 16:9 ratio. Normally the camera is set to a standard frame size of a ratio of 4:3. Which ever ratio used you can apply the rule of thirds to help you compose the frame.


Depth of Field:
This refers to the focal range of the camera. You can use depth of field to centre the audience attention on a particular part of the frame by having it in focus while the rest of the shot is blurred. This is called a 'Shallow or Narrow Depth of Field'. Conversely, if all the frame is in focus that is called a 'Wide Depth of Field'. Shifting the focus from one part of the frame to another is called a 'Pull Focus'.


This is the link to our copying of an exsisting video which is Wheatus- Teenage Dirtbag
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B7qMb6ynzP5WMTA4NzIxZDktMjNjYS00Mjg2LTkxMjYtMTBiN2Y2YzIzZjU0&hl=en_GB