Filming Progress Update

Filming is completed and we have managed to get enough footage to edit.

Change of Plan!...

During filming we have been looking at our storyboard as a guideline although we have thought out some better ideas for some of the scenes. This has also occurred when editing as we found that we hadn't filmed enough footage, therefore we had to shuffle some scenes around in order to fit successfully and follow a minor storyline.

- We have not included the scenes at the train station, instead we have added in some POV shots ( http://nfgsannahigginson.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/pov-filming.html ) and some more scenes of Danny singing with the guitar. Think by doing this it will introduce the female better and more quicker in time for the chorus.
- We have still included a photo of the couple, although we have used a print out in which we can show it burning later on in the video - the print out is instead of the photo in the frame. Danny also takes it out of the bin instead from under the bed where the audience will see that the photo has been scrunched up out of anger and sorrow.
- Although we filmed Danny putting his coat on and tying his shoes up, we decided to not include these scenes as they took too long, wasted time and we didn't think they were necessarily needed.
- We were thinking of ending the video with Danny burning the photo of him and the girl, but we put this clip further back as we thought ending with sun shining through would be more appropriate.

Another change that we made was the actress playing the girl. As we were running out of time and it was hard to get hold of our original actress, we all decided that it would be more ideal to use a member of the group, therefore I, myself am playing the role of the female.

Magazine Advert Editing

 - 1. Uploaded the selected image (from back of digipak) onto Photoshop.

 - 2. Then adding a blue filter and a cream filter made the image have a vintage effect.

 - 3. After placing the filter over the top, we increased the contrast and brightness of the image and created two orange/red gradients. One coming from the corner and the other as a line down the centre.

 - 4. We then created a soft toned boarder around where the digipak is placed.

 - 5. We then added the text, 'Mike Dignam' which is in the same font as the song list on the back of the album; 'Debut Album' and 'Out Now' is also in the same font but has been put in a linear light. 'I'll Lie Here' is in the same font as on the front digipak cover.

 - 6. An Itunes logo has been added but faded slightly and a new boarder created.

 - 7. Inside the boarder, star ratings have been added in the linear light again.

 - 8. To finish it off, music magazine ratings have been added to the stars, creating an attraction. Mike Dignam's website and twitter have also been written underneath.

Magazine Advert Ideas & Conventions

For our magazine advert to look as professional and authentic as it could be our group decided that we need to incorporate the following into it; the title of the album, the image of the album, reviews, the Artists website, a design similar to the Album, links to purchases places, ratings, an image of the artist, CD logo and a selection of cross media platforms. These are the common features of all magazine adverts.

The common conventions of Indie Adverts are normally that they have the appearance of being designed with a vintage feel and artistically which overall tends to be quite simple but creative. I believe that an image such as a photo of the artist with a vintage tint would really show that it is from this genre, which is used mostly in Indie. There is often a link to the Artists website or their twitter accounts so they can be easily connected with the artist. 

The two types of magazine advert are either artist or album focused adverts; meaning as our artist is still not hugely well known and is still very independently run, our advert will be artist focused. Our advert must link with the Digi pack and relate to each other, at best they can.When choosing the right image, font and content for our magazine advert, it is important we include and take into account the content above.

POV Filming

During filming we discovered that we were lacking in shots of the couple together. Therefore in order to build the narrative of the song, this was vital, as it would give a personal feel to the video. Our inspiration came from Calvin Harris' music video for 'I Need Your Love'. In that video , the point of view camera technique is used which we felt would be suitable for our video.

Whilst filming, we experimented with this technique in everyday situation with the love interest included. For example, the male (Danny) filmed the two of them sipping coffee at a cafe which looks as though they are having a laugh and so brightens up the video. We then uploaded the POV clip to the Mac and inserted it into our video which we thought looked really good. Therefore we have decided that we should film some more similar clips for the narrative to run more smoothly. Locations could include, in bed, walking in the outdoors, a park.
The POV shot is a brilliant way for us to bring the video to life as it really builds up the characters in the video. Developing the characters also allows us to enhance the narrative and so we end up making a video that can relate to our audience.

Risk Assessment

In order to ensure a safe filming day, I looked into some possible hazards when it comes to filming our final project.

As we are aiming to film in a variety of different locations, it is important that we carefully consider how we get there, carrying the props around ensuring nothing drops or anyone trips over any false leads.
- As I intend to drive myself and the group to the locations, I have to make sure that I drive with caution and certify that all seatbelts are worn.
- Intending to film at a train station means that we need to be extra cautious when filming and make sure there is nothing or anyone in danger of the tracks.
- To film indoors, we need to make sure no leads are sprawled across the floor in case members of the group or actors don't trip over and injure themselves.

Filming Dates

For our music video we intend to film on the 18th and 19th of November as this gives us as a group to film in our free periods which are after 11:00 on monday and on tuesday from 9:00-12:00.

Overlay Editing - Inlay Booklet Front Cover

To improve our images to make them seem more professional and artistic, our group decided to experiment with overlaying the image for the front cover of our inlay booklet. This added depth to the images and I found the technique added a unique and different feel to it.

The Process...

 - 1. We put the image we wanted to use as a base layer/image on Photoshop.

 - 2. We then created a copy of this layer, which also enhanced the colour slightly.

 - 3. We then selected the image we wanted to overlay onto the image and placed it on top of the original image and then selected the soft overlay option.

 - 4. Next we added a blue filter to it.

 - 5. Then an additional creamy filter.

 - 6. Then adjusted the brightness and contrast.

Digi Pack Parts

    

Weather Forecast

Prior to filming our music video, we need to look into the weather forecast and see as to whether the forecasted weather is appropriate for filming our final video. As we intend to film in and around the Newport/Saffron Walden area, I looked into the predicted weather and as we would like the flashback scenes of the love story to be in a happy, sunny environment to show the contrast between now and then, therefore we need to make sure the weather will be bright and warm for these scenes. On the present scenes, we do not need to have bright, sunny weather; as it is late autumn in England we are expecting foggy, grey and rainy weather, which would be ideal for the overall feel of these scenes that show the gloomy days after the break up.
So far I can only see Mondays weather report, but both days look rainy, so it looks like we should film our present scenes then as the predicted weather would be perfect for this. Hopefully Tuesday will be sunny so we can film the contrasting scenes, if not we can film indoor and have to go out for one more day to film the sunny scenes.

Below are the screenshots of the weather forecasts for the weather for our filming dates taken from the BBC Weather website.

Meeting 5/11/2013

Today we discussed the location, evaluation of our practice filming and updating our blogs with more gadgets/widgets to provide viewers with more satisfaction of our blogs.

Having already created a Twitter account for the media group, we were able to provide our blogs with a Twitter widget which updates and presents any tweets that have been made such as, about the progress of our music videos, and any inspirational tweets that we may retweet or comments we have made. On Twitter we have followed some artists that we think can relate to our chosen singer/songwriter, various artists include; Jason Mraz, Ben Howard, Ed Sheeran, John Mayer. Another few accounts that we think were worth following were Radio 1's Twitter profile and various DJs that are involved in that area. This gives us updates on our Twitter Feed of any new and upcoming music that we may be interested in and relate to Mike Dignam. In relation to Mike, we have followed him on Twitter which allows us to become updated on tour dates and any comments, personal updates from him that could link to our music video narrative.

In the lesson today, we also talked about the final location dates as all members of the media group were in the lesson. Locations finalised included, a Train Station (perhaps situated in Newport, Essex), a photo booth (although this could be known as a prop), a calm and collected forest type scene (perhaps a Bluebell woods or something similar). I think all these locations would be great when filming as they will give us some fantastic shots, also filming in Cambridge would be a good idea as it will give some great shots of the Urban environment in comparison to the natural/rural scenes of a forest.

Digi Pack Font Research

From research I have noticed that many Indie/Indie acoustic digi packs consist of a lot of capitals, or none at all which shows that a lot of Indie artists tend to go for an extreme approach of a particular style or provide a more laid back look to their genre but are never in the middle. The importance for the correct font to use on our digi pack is very high, so we need to think of the pro's and con's of each that we like to look of. The perfect font for our digi pack needs to match the genre and represent the personality slightly of the chosen artist. The chosen font also needs to be easy to read and simplistic, whilst also attracting the audience by being pleasing to the eye; below are some potential fonts, which resemble those criteria's.

Final Album Name

We have decided during our filming that 'I'll Lie Here' will be the name of the digipak. At the beginning of our video we have included a scene without sound of Danny inserting that has Mike Dignam - I'll Lie Here written on it. This concluded the name of the album as we don't want the audience to get confused with the CD being named.

Digi Pack Edits 2

       

 

 

Digi Pack Photo Edits

 

 

 

Location Research

As we have decided that we will be filming the majority of our music video outdoors, we need to figure out where the most suitable and appropriate locations to film are. Although we've all decided that the scenes would suit sometimes in a bedroom and using props such as a bed due to the lyrics being interpreted as lying down. However I think as the narrator is heard as a male voice, the scenes would be shot in a typical males bedroom but with a mature style to it, perhaps with the aspect of music joining the style; such as cds lying about and a few guitars shown.

Another location I think would work well and look great would be a grassy common such as either Parkers Piece in Cambridge or one situated in Saffron Walden; all locations we can easily travel to to get some great shots. These locations will give us access to capture some long and spacious shots of the couple together or apart. Also as we are filming in the Autumn season, it would be good to capture some essence of that by using the different coloured leaves, such as the couple could be having a fight with the leaves, shown as a cliché relationship aspect.

After asking permission first, I was thinking of setting some of the scenes in some little cafes in a location like Saffron Walden; perhaps Starbucks or a cafe similar. Also we were thinking of using a photo booth as this would interest the audience with the cliche relationship and demonstrate some great shots of the couple such as using a match cut and a close up of the photos.

Cambridge City is another location which I feel would offer a great location for our music video. Being a stark contrast to the natural, rural scenes, the urban surroundings of Cambridge will allow us to portray the busy scenes after the break up of the couple compared to the quiet, natural locations when the couple were together. Cambridge, being a student city but with an array of historic buildings including the University of Cambridge itself, would offer some fantastic angles and unique locations which only this city could offer.