Filming - Day 2 - November 26th - by Josh

 For the start of our video we needed some shots of an official, office looking area where the thief would steal the Madeon disc. Fortunately, James's dad was the manager of a Volkswagen Beadles Garage in which we could film the opening shots. We would edit most of these later in the program: After Effects, to make the footage look as if it was shot from a CCTV camera. The filming only lasted about an hour or so but we got lots of filming done since it was only in one area we needed to shoot. We did this after school on a Monday night so we had all week to edit the footage.

 Below is the first shot we did that night: CCTV footage of Dan walking up the stairs, with James and Luke filming and myself videoing the making-of video.

 We did several shots of the stairway so we had plenty to choose from for our CCTV footage and regular footage. Below is another shot of Dan climbing the stairs, this time being in normal footage instead of the CCTV effect.

  Below is a close up of the thief breaking into the offices.

 The two shots below are both of the thief coming into the office to steal the disc.

 We did a number of shots inside this office so we had a range of different shots from different angles and perspectives we could use when later putting together our rough cut.

 The two shots below show the thief picking up the CD for a few seconds so the audience can see what it is and what is written on it. We realised only after we uploaded the footage onto a computer that in the second shot it was impossible to read what the CD has written on it due to the light reflection.

  The thief leaving the office (below).

  For our last normal footage shot (below) we wanted to have something different from all the simple, standing shots, and with this panning shot we captured the thief leaving the offices in a much longer take than our other shots that day.

 We felt that this was a very successful day since we got a lot of filming done in a short space of time (we only had an hour at the Beadles garage). However, we will be going back there to re-film the close up of the CD so the writing is legible, and we may do some other shots there once we have received feedback on how to improve our full video's intro.

Filming - Day 1 - 25th November - by Josh

 For our very first day of filming, we decided to do some of our shots, including the final ones in our video, in Dartford. We chose to do this since weather reports indicated that there was a very high chance of rain, and it would be a waste of a day if we went up to London and it rained whilst we were filming. This was our first time using the camera so it would be much more convenient if we filmed close to home, as well as being easier for our actors to join us without having to travel up to London. Furthermore, this meant that Luke's father (the owner and user of the camera) was able to come along with us and help us with using the camera. It should also be noted that throughout the day it was mostly Luke filming since he knew the camera best (it was an old and expensive one James and I were not used to unlike simple, camera based video we had used before) however, James and I did do some filming during the later stages of filming as we progressively learned how to properly use the camcorder.

 Below is us (left to right: Myself, Luke and James) filming one of our first shots, with the thief and the pursuers bursting out of an alleyway.

 I am holding up the clapperboard with the scene and take number, Luke is filming with the panning shot with the camera and tripod whilst James directing Dan, Phil and Ryan.

 Below are the resulting pictures from the shot.

 Our next shot was a closeup of their faces as they ran past; this was a short shot and did not pan across at all.

 We felt this shot did well at creating the sense of a quick paced chase since the characters rushed past very quick, faces blurred and not in shot for long.

 Moving down the high street, we decided to film in a alleyway, using a low angle shot of the characters' feet. The picture below is of us filming and the characters running down the alleyway.

 Below the camera position can be seen, with Luke filming, and James and I directing.

 The picture below shows us discussing what shots to use in this underground passage. This was where our last scene would be and we wanted to get it right straight away. All of these shots took a while to get right since we were being very particular about each shot; if a detail was slightly wrong, e.g. James noticed Ryan's tie wasn't fully done up at the collar so we shot it again. We went over these shots many times in very fine detail since they were calmer, longer shots in which there was a larger focus on the fine details of the shots instead of the faster paced ones during the chase. We talked about what kind of shots would be suitable for such a tight space and decided on filming from either ends and inside the tunnel, using eye-line shots to enable the audience to emphasise with the thief after having been trapped in the passage.

 Below is one of the shots of the pursuers; here you can see Ryan slowly walking out into  the sight of the thief with his arms behind his back.

 The shot below took a particularly long time to get as it was quite a difficult one to film; Luke had to shoot from a low angle and capture Dan's face as he walks backwards, as well as get Phil and Ryan taking off their masks in the shot. We had to make sure the focus was right and wasn't out of focus for either part of the shot.

 The shot below is of Dan and Ryan as Ryan walks past Dan, bumping into him slightly. Luke is filming, James is filming the 'Making-of Video' and I am using the clapperboard and directing. We have decided to film this shot again as we noticed that Dan smiled slightly as Ryan bumped into him.

 The next show we did (below) is a P.O.V from Dan of Ryan and Phil as they close in on him. James is again filming the making-of video, Luke is directing and using the clapperboard and I am filming.

 Below are two photos from another scene which took a while to capture; the camera would pan across capturing Dan as he ran from left to right and down towards the passageway. Ryan and Phil would chase him until they reached a certain point, at which they would stop, look at each other, then Phil would chase after Dan whilst Ryan ran the other way in order to head Dan off at the other end of the passage. This took a long time to get as there were a lot of people going by when we wanted to film, as well as the acting from Phil and Ryan being different from the other shots. We had to pick out the right spot for them to stop and look at each other, show them how we wanted them to do it and at what speed. This was also quite a long take and a lot could go wrong in that time so we made sure it was perfect.

 We all directed on this scene since it was such a difficult shot, we needed all of our input. There is a making-of video which lasts about 5 minutes of us discussing how to do the shot. In the end when we actually filmed the shot, Luke filmed the making-of video whilst James filmed and I used the clapperboard.

 The last shot we did that day was a long, panning one of our characters running across the opposing side of the river seen in the picture. Yet another difficult scene to shoot as seen from the picture, Luke had to actually place the tripod in the river to see past the tree on the other side of the river. James and I went over what we wanted from our actors during this scene; they had to run for about 10 seconds along the path on the other side of the river.

Costume + Props - by Josh

 Before we started filming we needed to decide on what our actors would look like and the props they would use. We discussed this in our pitch to our teacher but in this post you will find more detail into the choosing of our costume and props.

 Above is our front picture for our video. This was done at the later stage of our filming on the 25th of November, in the last few scenes of the final video. The two masked characters are our two actors, Ryan Cheale and Phil Cross, with James filming our behind-the-scenes video and myself filming the actual video.

 One of the key aspects of our film are the masks we use for the two suited men. We chose to use these as we felt that they created a sense of mystery and intimidation from the two characters. This particular style of mask originates from the film: V for Vendetta, which is largely based around a mysterious masked man in a dystopian world attempting to launch a revolution against the government. This is contrasted against how we used them for our video, for they are the pursuers of a thief who has stolen a secret project of theirs. The dark, sinister look of the masks helps to create the mystic nature of the men in suit, as well as the meaning behind the disc which the thief has stolen.

 Another notable point of the pursuers is the suits they adorn; our group decided on this formal look instead of informal clothing in order to make them look as if they are part of a organisation or agency, entrusted with the protection and secrecy of the disc. They compliment the masks in a way that creates a covert and serious essence about the men, making the audience wonder what or who the thief is stealing from.

 As you can see from the picture above, the thief (Dan Hillier) is being chased by Ryan and Phil down an alleyway. When I saw this picture after having filmed the resulting shot, I thought it was a great picture, for seeing someone being chased by two men in odd looking masks is something in the extraordinary. The thief is clothed in relatively normal, modern clothes which is what real thieves wear. We didn't want stray too much from typical conventional clothing since we wanted the strange costume of the pursuers to
stand out in the video. This also begs the question from the audience: why has someone as simple and ordinary looking as this thief stolen from such a strange and mysterious organisation these men are part

 The disc the thief has stolen has the words 'Operation Madeon Finale' written on it, 'Finale' being the name of the song of the video, this being a direct correlation to the song.

Actors - by Josh

Risk Assesment - done as a group

 Before we started filming, we had to complete a risk assessment for the locations we would be filming at. This is done for the sake of the actor's health and safety when performing stunts or otherwise at risk from other factors.

Final Storyboard/Animatic - done as a group

Locations - by Josh

Dartford

High Street

 The first location we shot at was in Dartford on the high street (image right). We chose this location since it was not only convenient, but it also offered a lot of good shot opportunities due to the numerous alleyways sprouting out between buildings all along the street. It provided us with a modern, urban look due to the shops next to the street as well as many people walking down every day which would give our video a bit of realism with our actors having to dodge in and out of crowds of the public.

 

Underground Walkway

 This location will be for our final scene where the thief is caught by the masked men. We thought this would be the perfect ending to our video as the thief will be trapped at either end with his pursuers slowly advancing on him. The compact, claustrophobic surrounding will add to the tense atmosphere and cut off from the public. As you can see from the picture, the dark, saturated walls will be perfect for the added effects we are planning to add after our video is complete.

Orchards Shopping Centre Car Park

 We are planning on using a car park during the bridge for the song since we can slow the tempo of the action on-screen down to match the tempo of the song. The thief will run towards a pillar and hide behind it. He would be shortly followed by the two masked men walking slowly towards him. He starts to walk away until the two masked men reach for guns at their waists, at which point the thief will run away, accompanied by the chorus of the song and the fast paced tempo kicking back in.

Beadles Volkswagen Garage

 Since we need an office-like setting for our thief to steal the disc from, my partner James asked his father if he could use the Beadles Garage in Dartford (of where he manages) who has given us permission to film there. This is where we are going to film our CCTV footage for use in the cinema screening (more information below). We can film all four of the shots for the CCTV footage and are also planning on filming a few other, normal shots of Dan as he steals the disc. This will be a great addition to our video as it will help make our video look professional and realistic due to the inclusion of an actual office.



London

Southbank

 Always a popular place for tourists and Londoners alike, we have decided to film a number of varying shots at this location as it is a very urban setting alongside the river Thames with plenty of people who would create a realistic setting, whom our actors would have to dodge in between. Since it is a long walkway, our actors would not need to slow down for corners and run in a straight line for longer than at our other desired locations. This meant we could use different shots that other locations could not allow for, such as running shots alongside the characters which last longer than our other, simple shots such as panning ones.



 We are also planning on using the colourful and artistic skatepark that is along Southbank since this will create good-looking and urban shots because of the bright and vivid graffiti, which, when mixed with our planned faded colour overlay should look very pleasing to the eye. The use of a graffiti stricken skatepark also has the connotations of a dirty, urban feature which will contribute towards the tense atmosphere that we want to accompany our video the whole way through.

Deluxe 142 Wardour Street

 This is the cinema studio we are planning on using for where our masked men will see the CCTV footage of the thief stealing the disc. Luke's father allowed us the use of this massive bonus and would help make our video look professional and realistic. This would also be much better than having to superimpose the CCTV footage onto the screen in post-production. To do the actual CCTV footage of the thief we need to film Dan stealing the disc at the proposed Beadles Garage and edit the footage in Adobe After Effects in order to create a black-and-white CCTV effect. This can then be transferred onto a USB and shown on the screen with the masked men watching.

Soho

 Since we will be in Soho for the cinema screening we thought we might as well scout around the area whilst walking to and from the cinema for suitable locations. There are plenty of alleyways which we can use for close and compact shots of the chase between the characters. We are likely to spot suitable locations for our shots as we will be taking short cuts where possible around Soho. We are also thinking about using Soho Square (image left) for a few shots as this is a very nice looking area and will likely have lots of people, once again giving us the opportunity to dodge in and out of the way of the public, meaning a more realistic representation in our video.

Filming Schedule - by Josh

This is our Filming Schedule for the days we plan to film. Bear in mind that I have changed this regarding changing of dates since we first planned this out.

Director/Auteur - by Josh

 In this post I will be looking at directors, the auteur theory and their relevance to our chosen song and ideas for our music video. Since videos became popular alongside music, there has been a call for music video directors, which contribute massively to what style and how good the music video is. This can vary from the initial idea (performance vs. narrative) to the  camera shots used. The auteur theory links in heavily with this; it is how a director's personal creative vision influences all of the music videos they direct.

John Landis

 The first director I thought I should start with was the one who directed what is commonly regarded as the greatest music video: Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', as well as co-writing the screenplay with Jackson. His wife also designed the notorious red jacket to make him appear more virile. Primarily a film director, Landis was interested in working with Jackson despite film directors not directing music videos at the time. As seen from all the awards Thriller won, including two Grammys: Best Video, Best Video Album and MTV awards: Best Overall Performance in a Video and Best Choreography. Essentially, Thriller was a horror film, or more specifically, a horror-esque music video sharing similar themes from popular horror films; Landis specialised with horror films and was intrigued by the idea of inputting his experience with horror into a music video, which can be seen as his auteur influence. Some of his horror films include 'An American Werewolf in London' and the 'Twilight Zone: The Movie'. Another notable point is that he also directed another one of Jackson's videos: 'Black or White'. This was also another famous video that sold many copies and raised a certain amount of controversy surrounding the violent and sexual nature of the video. Lastly, another point on his auteur influence was his use of credits at the end of Thriller in a similar fashion to that of films.

Tim Brown and Dan Trapp

 Albeit different directors, these are the men who directed 'The City' by Madeon, a video I have analysed in my blog. These two have collaborated together on many different projects with artists of differing genres. The videos they have done together have a similar auteur influence, such as how a lot of the camera focus is on the actors' faces and feature a lot of head shots and closeups in order to show expression and emotion. This can be seen many times from The City (example image right), as well as other videos including the hugely successful 'Pass out' by Tinie Tempah and other, less well known artists such as 'Hit the Ground' by The Big Pink. The most important aspect of their videos is the use of 'breaking the fourth wall'. This shows interaction with the audience and makes the video feel more personal, which is also transferred into their commercial work in TV and on the internet.

Spike Jonze

 A director who has had a long list of music videos to his name, he has done work for artists such as: The Notorious B.I.G, Jay-Z, Fatboy Slim and Arcade Fire. His work varies from genre to genre, but his main focus is on dance and house music. He has also done several films including Being John Malkovich and Where the Wild Things Are. The unique thing about Jonze is his auteur style; his videos are not typical of the normal style in which music videos are filmed, which has led to indie acts like Arcade Fire using him as the director for their music, since the main star image of indie bands is their kookiness and individuality. This auteur style can be seen prominently from what can be regarded as his most famous and best video:

 Featuring the famous actor Christopher Walken, this video had a huge influence on the song's popularity, similar to that of PSY's Gangnam Style; if the song did not have such a popular video, it might not have sold as many copies as it has done. The fact that the whole video is simple a man dancing and flying through an empty hotel illustrates Jonze's unique style with his visionary perspective and simplicity in his videos. This video was so highly regarded that it won 6 awards at the MTV Music Video Awards as well as the 2002 Grammy award for Best Short Form Video. This simple form is portrayed throughout all his videos, as explored with his other video for Fatboy Slim. He was often criticised for this in the early years of his directing career, people often saying his videos were too simple, didn't allow for creative expression and were destroying the art form of music videos. This was highlighted in another of Fatboy Slim's songs: Praise You.

 This film was so different from other videos at the time, it can be seen how Jonze had his critics for this. It is filmed i an almost amateurish style, using a relatively poor camera and from an angle as if it was filmed by a audience member; this video just looks as if somebody with a camera has come across a dance troupe outside a cinema, and to this day, no such professional music video exists that is similar to it, fitting in with Jonze's unique style. He actually starred in the video as the dance troupe leader along with the fictional group The Torrance Community Dance Group, with the intro stating that the video is 'A Torrance Public Film Production', this video at first glances just seems like a amateur music video for a dance group attempting to promote their dancing. Despite all his critics for this video, he went on to win Best Direction, Breakthrough and Choreography at the 1999 MTV Music Video Awards on a budget of $800, which can only be regarded as extraordinary, winning so many awards for such a simple and low cost video which rose to No. 1 in the charts in 1999, the video no doubt contributing to this massively. When Jonze sent a video off to Fatboy Slim of a solo dance of him to the song: Rockafeller Skank by Slim, it was so well received by Slim that he wanted Jonze's fictional dance group as the official video for Praise You.

Storyboard/Animatic Draft - done as a group

This is the first animatic for our music video. To make this, we all drew up the shots of what we wanted in our video, cut them out and took a picture of them. We then edited it in Final Cut and uploaded it to our blogs.

The Steadicam - by Josh

 When me and my partners were thinking about what we wanted to do for our music video we came up with the idea for a chase scene that we had seen in so many other house/electro music videos. However, we encountered a problem with this - we wanted our video to convey the action that a chase scene represented. We would do this by having the camera move with the actors. We found that a camera simply held in the hands would not be suitable for this sort of filming since the result showed how our hands were not steady enough for running and even walking with the camera.

 This is when we came up with the idea of creating a steadicam (image right). This is a kind of camera stabilising mount that would reduce the amount of which the vibration of our feet hitting the ground showed in the video. After doing some research into purchasing a steadicam, we found that they were far too expensive and meant for professional filming. Despite this, we did not decide to give up on the steadicam.

 After some searching on the internet we found a very interesting video which taught us how to build our very own steadicam for a relatively low cost (video below). All we needed was a tripod and a screwdriver.

 We found this video extremely useful; we were now able to create a steadicam. My partner - James - bought a tripod online to convert into a steadicam. He and my other partner - Luke - used the other above video as a guide to create the steadicam

 Unfortunately they were unable to convert the tripod into a steadicam without cutting off the stand support since the leg could not go all the way over like in the tutorial video. This then presented them with a problem: the leg was not fully connected at the top of the tripod and was able to slip off. As a short term solution James sellotaped the leg onto the tripod. This however would not be enough to support the camera. The video below is a video of the whole process.

 The next day we went to a DT room in our school to think of some ideas for what we could do to secure the leg instead of sellotape. Eventually, we came up with the idea to cut off the support for the leg and drill hole through the leg and where we would attach the leg with a screw. We started off by cutting off the support (image right) with a hacksaw.

 This is how the result looked. With the support gone we started to work on the leg so that it would be able to secure in the gap.

 Before we went any further, we decided to check if the leg would fit in the gap. When we discovered that it did not, we compressed the leg so that the head was thinner and could fit in the gap (image right) using a vice.

 We marked out where we wanted to drill through the fixing and drilled through both sides with a pillar drill (image left).

 After having done this, we drilled through the leg so it would be able to attach onto the fixing.

 This is how the two looked in place once they had both been drilled (image left).

 Now both of the pieces had been drilled, we had to secure them in place with a screw (image right).





 Now we had finally secured the leg in place, we had one last thing to do. The head for holding the camera was a bit loose and could actually be pulled off, so we needed to come up with a way to secure it on there. We did consider screwing the head in place but we found that there was not enough space on the head for a screw to fit through. Thus, we decided to attempt to glue the head in place with a hot glue gun. After it had setted, we found that the head was safely secured in place. It was now time to test our steadicam.

 We did 2 videos to compare the difference between filming without the steadicam and filming with the steadicam. The video below contains both of the videos as well as comparison.

 You will notice that the camera shakes a lot due to the vibration of the cameraman's feet hitting the floor and the camera shakes around a lot due to unsteady hands without the steadicam. It is clear from this video that the camera is a lot steadier compared to the without the steadicam. The vibration of the feet hitting the floor is absorbed by the steadicam and unsteady hands barely affect the filming. We could also film things much easier as you can see in the video; we would not be able to film the feet at such a low angle if we were holding the camera with our hands, the steadicam therefore allowed a wider range of camera shots.

 The following pictures are our end result steadicam.