Set Design.

A documented set design establishes the sets elements and helps plan camera positions and alerts us of any furniture or other extras we may need to acquire. We drafted and redrafted our set design to an extent that was eventually finalised. The design also alerts us as to where we are going to stage the actors and larger instruments such as the drum set.
Our design for the performance side to the video consists of a large wall constructed to look like corrugated iron with attachments such as large rundown posters of the band themselves or other bands of the same genre. They are most likely to be influences such as The Sex Pistols. The floor is going to resemble london paving in order to, along with the corrugated iron; resemble the gritty urban surroundings that the band members each originated from.
The narrative side to the video will be filmed mainly on an external location except for the dressing room scenes. We hope for the dressing room to look like a typical, run down back-stage area that would be found in any of the smaller music venues. This setting will hopefully add the the image that the band have not sold out and they still play for the same type of audiences they grew up with.

Camera test.

A camera test is an important part of the search for the appropriate actors recruited to play the characters in our pop promo. The test consists of filming each of our actors performing actions relating to their assigned roles. It is only necessary to film them individually for a short amount of time; time enough to instigate the point of a camera test which is to see if the chosen actor works well on camera. Working well on camera does not necessarily mean that they are attractive but rather they have presence such as successful screen actors like Jack Nicholson or Benicio Del Toro.

We did do a camera test with three potential characters for each of the four members of our band. We had them talking to the camera, playing their instruments and just chilling out as we filmed for the test. Unfortunatly the media dep. at our school has lost the material otherwise it would be here...

Storyboards.

A storyboard is essentially a comic in which each particular animation correlates with the pre-arranged timeline. The storyboard should also incorporate details informing the director and crew on which camera angles and action to take on each appropriate shot. The purpose of a storyboard is primarily for efficiency on the shoot-day of the pop promo, where in film a storyboard will often serve a far higher purpose; often being used as a tool to pitch a film or to detect any problems a producer or director may run into on the day of the shoot. Other useful qualities a storyboard contains is that its a guide to the direction of the actors, it may be an influence on the set design and the an influence on the lighting plan.

TIMELINE.

The creation of a timeline is a necessary part of the pre-production process. A timeline, fundamentally; is a plan that links words and times to images and music riffs, allowing the production team to be pedantic with the pre-production process.

Using the timeline we have planned various different close-up shots of the lead guitar in different angles, during the main solo. We will conduct these shots to hopefully exemplify and convey the skill needed to perform such a solo; to the viewer.

We have also planned a two second close up of the front-man consuming a shot of alcohol. This shot is designed to expose the band for the party-animals they are, appealing to many audience demographics including teenagers and men ranging from 18 to 25.

Once the timeline is created; we transfer the ideas into the form of a storyboard which is fundamentally its visual counterpart. We will also create an animatic story board, to ensure maximum efficiency in the pre-production process.

COMPOSITION RULES

Film, TV and more relevantly; pop videos- subsume a visual language that confers directly with our sub-consciousness. We hope to incorporate main aspects of this visual language in our pop promotional videos through these ten composition rules. The rules are stated in the following:

1. Different types of shot size will convey a wide variety of messages purposefully relating to the selected media’s conventions. Our sub-consciousness picks up these rules from an early age, allowing the director to signify chosen points through shot sizes. Examples:
Wide shots establish surroundings, long shots are used to reveal everything going on in the scene which can exacerbate the action in fight scenes etc; close-ups are used as a door way into a characters emotive personality and more specifically in pop videos: to sell the band.










2. Different camera positions and angles are incorporated as a film-makers technique to insinuate certain points about the actor and/or film subject. It is common for reporters to change the camera angles and positions to either favour or reject the film subject. The camera positioned flat on the subject tells our sub-consciousness that they are boring where shooting from high could mean they are humble and down to earth, and from low could mean they represent power. Placing the camera 32 degrees to either the right of left; makes the subject attractive and inviting.




3. Camera movement is divided into three main styles: Tracking, panning or the crane. The tracking shot (also known as a dolly shot or trucking shot) is a segment in which the camera is mounted on a wheeled platform that is pushed on rails while the picture is being taken. This is done to build emphasis or allow the audience to follow the subject while it moves. The pan (taken from the word panorama) is one of the most common movements in film. The shot means to turn, or pan the camera horizontally so that it sweeps around the scene. The crane shot is something taken from a special device called a crane which resembles a huge mechanical arm. The crane carries the camera and cameraman, and can move in virtually any direction.

4. Lighting is commonly used in pop videos to enhance aesthetic pleasure. At Hurtwood, we have in our possession two types of lighting: redheads and blondes. These are standardized lights ranging between 1000 to 2000 pounds. These provide artificial lighting which is more commonly known as “tungsten”.

5. The rule of thirds is a concept in video and film production in which the frame is divided into nine imaginary sections. This creates reference points which act as guides for framing the image. It is not uncommon to break this rule, but always to convey a certain message.



6. Film makers commonly “lead the eye” for various reasons but above all; to put over a meaning. An example of this would be in the 1969 cult classic “The Wild Bunch”. The editing suggests that a squad of policemen on horseback are the hero’s while a group of bandits residing on a rooftop are the villains. This turns out to not be the case when the bandits kill innocent citizens and the police rob a bank. This technique subverts our expectations to create dramatic effect.


















7. Colours can portray an assembly of emotions to the audience; mainly by incorporating lighting and effects. Colours also notify the audience on the physiology behind certain characters. If a character wears all black; generically, he or she is considered sinister whilst if a character wears all blue; he or she is considered caring and thoughtful. The themes of a film can also often be expressed through colour for example in The Wild Bunch, the lens appears to be dirty, which gives the film a dark, seedy, pasty and gritty feel, correlating with the excessive violence and effectively sinister narrative.















8. Shapes and lines either in the foreground or background can influence many atmospheric possibilities. In a pop video, jagged lines running through the background could convey feelings of chaos and fragmentation while smooth circular shapes can instigate a sense of calm in the audience.

9. The arrangement of detail in the frame is an issue of much importance when creating atmosphere, for example: a shot with not much detail will sway the audience into focusing more on the intended subject, where as a lot of detail can either create chaos or a sense of sophisticated intricacy.

10. There are many styles of editing to choose from in the post-production phase of a project. The choice in style will completely affect the outcome of the film by how it attracts viewers or repels them. An example of this would be a style named “Balletic Editing”. This style calms the viewer due to the fact that it cuts around in a circle. The sub-consciousness is attracted to and eased by the fluid, eternal motion of a circle. Editors and directors may choose to use this style for subversive effect. A violent battle edited in this style will not seem as shocking so therefore can be used to attract a larger audience; one that may not generally enjoy violence in film.

FIRST PITCH.

The eight conventions of a pop music video are the following:
• The explicit and unashamed promotion of the artist’s “image” (aesthetic/generic/ideological) as a specific product with a brand identity, ready for mass consumption

• The featuring of the artist (almost without exception)

• A wide and extensive use of shot types, camera angles and movement

• Repetition of reoccurring thematic elements and generically specific iconography (one key element often being dominant and providing the skeletal structure for the promo)

• A possible narrative structure

• A possible performance element

• The flexibility to disregard Realism!

• Shots cut tightly to the beat of the track

• Use of special effects (lighting, annimation, CGIs, in-camera effects)

• A carefully constructed Mise en Scene appropriate to the content and tone of the track

• High impact instantly! (Don’t forget that competition for airplay on the main music channel outlets is intense)

The idea was not to subvert, but imitate these conventions due to the similarity between the image we are creating and the image of the original band. In the pitch to Luke; I explained that we were going to give the band a rebellious image and explained the setting for performance and what the narrative would entail. We came to the conclusion that the performance must take place in the studio and not in London, in order to save time on the shoot day and in case the local council did not approve of our endeavours. We are going to recreate the urban setting in the studio to a (hopefully) maximum level of realism. It was also decided that for the performance; we would incorporate a “behind the scenes” feel to video and instead of shooting the bar scene, we would shoot similar activities in a dressing room, shot hand held, convincing the target audience that they are up close and personal with the band.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT-FIRST IDEAS.

I began looking for inspiration in various films and pop videos that related to the image I wanted to create in a band; rebellious. I found some of the styles incorporated through Guy Ritchie’s work
(http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005363/) were something that if simulated in the video; could add the necessary edge needed when creating that rebellious look. I also looked over a wide range of music videos that I felt successfully created that image, stemming from The Rolling Stones to The Insane Clown Posse (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnv1OKqxzaU). After this research I created three ideas that I would present to my group.

The first idea was a song called Another Girl Another Planet by a new wave band called The Only Ones. The video would switch between performance and narrative where in which the band (dressed as super heroines) would be pursued by two policemen through urban London streets. The performance would be shot in the studio, kept simple allowing the audience to focus on the apparent insane behaviour and mannerisms of the front man. My second idea was the song “Only When I’m Drunk by Crazy Town (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoroTFH6Iv4). The video would be completely narrative driven set in a London bar, where in which the two rappers would find themselves in various situations where they would need to escape. The reason this would not need to cut back from performance to narrative is that the two rappers, wouldn’t need to be accompanied by a band, just like the majority of other rap videos.

My third and final idea was to use the song “Satellite Of Love” by Lou Reed. This video would incorporate styles from certain David Bowie videos from the 1980’s, hopefully paying obvious homage. Unlike the first two ideas, this video would not create the image of the loud, dangerous front man, but the dark and “tortured soul” image, a type of rebelliousness that has worked with other such artists as Kurt Cobain.