Evaluation of our Studio Shoot

Friday the 13th has been and gone which means we have shot the remaining part of our video!

What did you do the day before, to set up for your shoot day?

The day before the shoot I made sure that the artists knew exactly what they were doing and were comfortable with what was going to happen the following day. I made sure the artists had their costumes prepared and I did one last singing rehearsal with Molly to make sure she felt confident for the shoot. I also went and had a look at the set and helped build it. I wanted to make sure that everything was sorted before the shoot day so we could get as long as possible filming so we could get the perfect shots.

Building our set

How did you feel when you woke up on the morning of the shoot day?

In the morning I was very excited to shoot as I knew that everything was set in place and ready to go. On my way to school I stopped at my local shop and purchased 3 bottles of talcum powder for the drums to create a dramatic effect of looking like the drums were creating mist/smoke when Callum was to hit them. I had tried out this technique before but on the shoot day it proved to be very successful and looked great.

How well prepared were you when you arrived for the shoot, what did you have to do before you could start shooting?

I think we were very well prepared. I felt very confident as we had shot some of our video already and that proved to be successful so I was excited to see how this would look compared to our previous shoot day in London. When we arrived in the morning, Ksenia helped Molly and Callum do their make up as she was in charge of art direction and myself and Ben were helping set up the camera equipment and the studio so that when the artists were ready we were ready to shoot. Before we started shooting we played the song for Molly so she knew what to expect and to help warm her up rather than jump straight into the shoot with her caught off guard and therefore she wouldn't have given her best performance.

Ksenia applying Callum's make up

Ksenia applying Molly's make up

Describe what the studio looked like when you started to shoot, how well do you feel you managed to create the look of your concept?

I think we managed to create our concept very well as the concept was quite simple. We dressed the studio in hanging lightbulbs which emphasised beauty and the simplicity of the song. As the song was so beautiful and slow I wanted to make sure that the set matched the tempo so we all made sure the set was as simple as possible and that the performers were wearing black.

Our set

How did you divide the roles on your shoot day, what role(s) did you play?
Before the shoot we all decided together that Ben would be the cameraman, Ksenia would be head of art direction and that I would be the director. This was an easy decision for us as we knew that Ben was the strongest with the camera as he has had previous experience, Ksenia has had previous experience with make up and I had come up with a lot of the previous shot ideas and how to direct the performers. During the shoot, however, myself and Ben felt at our strongest when both giving our inputs for shot ideas as well as both taking control of the camera at points as well. This worked very well as we both have had previous camera and director experience. I also helped apply the talcum powder to the drums during takes and was in charge of the clapperboard at the beginning of the shoot.

Ben and I on the tracks

What do you think that you personally did particularly well?
I personally think that the shot ideas I made on the day will benefit our video. I had a vision of a shot I wanted to do, which actually became one of the best shots. This shot was to have the singer centre of the set and to have the tracks facing inwards so we could perform an inward and outward track. This looked great and really emphasised the scale of the room and the performance. I then repeated this with Callum who was our drummer. This shot can then be used throughout the video if needed and can also be used as a back up if the shots did not go to plan. We could also use these shots to cut between one another at a fast pace if we decide to in the editing process. I also think I kept everything in order, and as director, made sure that the performers were happy and confident in themselves so they would give the best performance they could.

Filming my tracking in and out idea

What problems did you have on the shoot day, how did you solve them?
We had relatively few problems on our shoot. However, we were slow when moving onto new shots and therefore we did not get as many shots as would have liked. We tried to work as quickly as possible but as we had to clear up our talcum powder which also took time and therefore delayed shooting due to continuity issues. We tried to resolve it by keeping ourselves focused throughout however it did mean that there were a few extra shots that didn't get shot which may have been worthwhile.

Ben and I discussing the next shot

Which part of the shoot do you think was most successful and why?
I think the most successful part of our shoot was the fact that we had the opportunity to shoot on two separate days meaning that we could focus on getting the right shots for each day. We shot the dance during our free time on the weekend on the south bank in London. Therefore we were able to focus on the studio performance all day and not have to worry about fitting in the dance and locations as well. This was very successful as we were not pushed for time so I was able to focus on working with the performers, making sure they felt confident and getting the shots we needed.

Our talent

Which part of the shoot do you wish had gone better and why?
I wish that our organisation between takes had gone better as we would have been able to get more of the shots we wanted during that time and we may have had more tracking shots to use in our cut. If I were to do it again, I would make sure we were much more organised before the shoot and plan out a shot list that we needed so we could get the shots that may have enhanced our video that bit further. However, other than that, I am very happy with how the shoot day went.

Through the camera lens

How well do you think you managed your talent (actors)?
As I was the director of the shoot, one of my main jobs was to make sure that the performers felt comfortable and were having an enjoyable experience. I would give them direction in what they were doing so they felt they could trust me as a director to make sure the shots looked good but also I praised them when they did something great so they would repeat it in other shots. They felt confident in my decision making and I trusted their opinion on what they thought would work with the songs and how they felt this band would perform so we worked together consistently to find out the best way to do this. Therefore I believe I managed the talent in the best way I could.

Myself directing Molly before the take

What was the part of the shoot you enjoyed the most?
The part of the shoot I enjoyed the most was the ability to see the ideas we had been working so hard on over the past couple of months turning into a reality in front of my eyes was very exciting. I loved the ability to direct the talent whilst also collaborating with my group to ensure that all of our ideas were heard and considered before making a final decision. We often used bits of ideas from us all to create something that we were all happy with. I loved the opportunity to work with the great camera facilities that we had to offer and experiment with different shot types that were I spontaneously thought of whilst on shoot as sometimes things look slightly different in reality than they do in your vision. Overall I loved the shoot and thought it was a very productive day.

Me shooting the wide shot of the performance

What are you looking forward to seeing the most in the edit?
I am most looking forward to seeing how everything that we filmed looks on a camera and making sure that the impact created in the studio is created through the camera lens. I am also very much looking forward to seeing how our two different locations look when cut together and it will hopefully explain the narrative that we were hoping to convey. The tracking in shot is the one I'm looking forward to seeing the most of both Molly and Callum as I think this will have a big impact and will be interesting to watch which is what I hoped for when thinking of the shot.

Me watching the TV screen to see how it looked on camera

How well do you feel that your production group worked as a team?
I think, as a group, we worked very well as a team. Before the shoot we all listened to one another and all tried to put forward any ideas that we may have in order to make sure we all produced a video that we were proud of. Although in pre production we occasionally experienced conflict, we managed to resolve it by listening to everyone's ideas and collaborating them for the best possible video.  During the production stage, we worked well as we all made sure we had our individual jobs to do like I have spoken about earlier, however, we also helped one another during the shoot in case one of us was having trouble or was unsure on a decision that they didn't want to make on their own. Overall I think we worked very well as a team.

Our team- Ksenia, Ben and I

Are their any lessons you learned today that could help you make your next shoot even more successful?
The main lesson I learnt was the fact that, for a more productive shoot, we need to work quicker in between takes so we have more time for experimentation. Fortunately for us, we were able to film over two days, however, if we only shot on one day we would not have had the chance to shoot everything we needed in one day. Therefore, if I do this again, and only have one day to shoot, I will make sure my group and I plans out a shot list of essentials so we get all of those as quick as possible and then giving us a chance to experiment with other shots.

Our performers, Molly and Callum

Research into Digipacks

As Daughter is an indie folk band, I want to follow the connotations of this and create a simple looking digipack. Below are some previous album artwork for Daughter.

His Young Heart- EP


The Wild Youth- EP


If You Leave- Debut Album

If You Leave- Track list

As you can see it follows a very simplistic style which resembles the simplistic style of their songs. It is also interesting to note that every song title is one word. This also follows the conventions of their indie folk style which will be helpful to me when designing the digi pack.

I have also looked at other indie folk band album covers such as Autumn Glow and The Head And The Heart. The album covers of these bands follow the same conventions that Daughter do as an indie folk band which is keeping with the simplistic styles. 

Autumn Glow have a slightly more complex album cover than Daughter due to the transparency of the trees on the man and the prominent colours that are sharpened. 

This album cover is very cool and relaxed as the band are shown relaxing in a dry field with what looks like not a care in the world. This is great and reflects the kind of music that they make which is idie folk and it's very relaxing. 

Of Monsters and Men's album cover once again follows a similar theme as the rest. It promotes a very relaxing vibe with a man present who appears to be having fun in his short shorts. The beach is also a great connotation for audience's as being fun and relaxing which is what most indie folk bands represent. 

Monsters of Folk have produced a slightly different approach to the other indie folk bands album art as they have their faces on the front of the album with a grainy dull look. This is quite eye catching however I am not sure if it would work well for our album cover. 

This artwork is quite dull as there is no colour present however it works for indie folk music. Once again however I am not sure if it is the right album artwork for the front cover, however, art may be nice for a panel on the inside which is something to think about. 

Although James Bay is now a very established artist, he still promotes very simplistically styled album covers. The album cover features James on the front but I believe that he is trying to stand apart from the rest. 

This is a great example of strange beauty as the figure present is quite distorted and is serial. The black and white effect echoes the simplicity of the band once again and emphasises the individuality of the artist. I believe an album cover like this would look great against our band.  

Finally, Tom Odell who is also quite popular now has a similar style of album cover to James Bay in which it just features a picture of himself as the artist. He is positioned on a quite street which also conveys his individuality.

From this research I have learnt that most indie folk artists/bands follow a very simplistic style which can portrays strange beauty. They are all showing their individuality by not having an overly complicated album cover but are stripping everything back and showing who they are as an artist. They are not trying to stand out like main stream pop artists but are in fact doing the exact opposite. When I start to design our digipack I will use this research for influence. 

Behind the Scenes of our shoot

Ksenia has made a behind the scenes video of our shoot day. During the shoot I was director and also helped with some camera work, this video below shows evidence of that. I purchased some talcum powder in the morning of the shoot from my local shop and this video also shows us using it. 

Research into Art Direction

Talcum Powder

I have organised our actors by making sure they know exactly what's going on, when to arrive and what to wear etc. I did this by speaking to them in person as well as emailing them the details so it's clear what we need them to do. In addition, I have planned on purchasing some talcum powder to use on the drums before the shoot day from my local shop as I have been in and checked that they have the right products before shoot day so I am certain that I will be able to get it to avoid it not being in stock. We are all going to help build the set the day before our shoot, and we have spoken to an art director who has given us advice on what they think will work with our set and what they think will not. 

Dress Rehearsal

We asked Molly to bring any black dresses that she may have as I wanted her and Callum to be wearing all black to match the art direction. She brought this beautiful dress which looks great and was perfect for our shoot. We did this dress rehearsal to make sure she has the right clothes for the shoot day to minimise anything going wrong.





I did a lyric rehearsal with Molly to make sure she knew the words completely so we could get the shots we needed in as little time as possible. Below is a video from our rehearsal.

Rehearsal Evaluation and Costumes

The rehearsal that was held went very well and was very productive. We saw Callum drum along to the beat of the track with Molly singing to see how they would look together. We also made sure that they were comfortable with everything that was going on and we looked at different costumes that we had found.  We originally wanted them to wear what was below, however we asked Molly to get a more fitted black dress as we believe this will work best with our art direction, however Callum will still be wearing the same as the picture below, black t-shirt and black jeans.



So all going well, thumbs up from me!

Rehearsal

I have organised a rehearsal for our performers so we are all confident in what we are doing on our shoot and to check the performers know what they are doing and what the procedure is. Below is the email I have sent to them.

Researching the Conventions of Homepages

Before creating a homepage we decided to look at the different conventions to similar artists in the same style of our music video. I looked at Ben Howard's website due to the simplistic style as well as writing the conclusion on the conventional ingredients, Ksenia looked at Sia's website as we were heavily influenced by her music video and Ben looked at Daughter's website (the artist of our track). We looked at what was similar within each of the websites as well as what worked well. We retrieved the screenshots from our individual research and put all of our own research on the Prezi below.

Casting Molly

After coming back from school and unfortunately realising that Romany is now unable to participate as the vocalist in our music video anymore, we were forced to find someone else. This proved to be tricky as most students had been taken, however, we were lucky enough to get Molly Green who is a singer herself and a fantastic performer. Her face matches the song fantastically and after seeing her sing the song we knew that she would be perfect for the role. Below is a picture of Molly.