Equipment To Bring and Timings

For the filming days, we must bring;

• microphone stand
• microphone
• fairy lights x2
• camera
• tripod
• camera charger
• acoustic guitar

We have arranged to meet in a central location for everyone at 8:30am to ensure we have a full day of filming. Although we cannot go to Mama Liz's to begin filming untill 1pm, we will use the morning to film any narrative scenes we need too and to make sure the performance aspect of the music video is planned completely as we only have a limited amount of time in the venue.

Our Location

We decided to film our music video in Mama Liz's VooDoo Lounge in Stamford. The urban feel and vibe , as well as the  lighting available to us would help to create the gloomy feel we are trying to achieve (inspiration from Mumford and Sons- Little Lion Man). The venue itself is appealing to a range of people, and often puts on gigs and festivals of many different genre's.

Not only this, but the venue is easy enough and close enough for us to get too, without looking too stereotypical or allowing people who also live in the surrounding area to be able to identify where it is, adding to the overall sophistication of our video.

In order to make sure our venue is 100% perfect, and also so we can make decisions in advance as to what props we need to take with us, we will visit the venue on Friday 4th November before our actual filming date a week later. From doing this, we will allow ourselves to save time and effort on the actual day, and also be able to make sure we have everything with us that we will need.

After visiting the venue, they rang to tell us that we were unable to use the location on the only day we were available to borrow the equipment due to a band wanting rehearsal time. Instead, we chose to sort our second choice, Stamford Art's Centre's Ballroom. However, after turning up on filming day, we quickly realised that it was a better option for us to film there than Mamma Liz's due to the equipment available to us, and the effects we could create from using them.

Representation

Possible Representations
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Regionality
- Age
- Class

Voyeurism
- Freud’s Theory = erotic pleasure aimed from looking at a sexual object, preferably when the object is not aware
- Shown be screens with screens CCTV style images, webcams, characters watching characters


Gender Representation
In typical music videos males and females are usually represented as the following:

Male
- Dominant
- Powerful
- In control
- Controlling
- Active

Female
- Submissive
- Sexual objects
- Powerless
- Controlled
- Passive

Representation of Characters

How the actors we use in the music video are represented is something that needs to be taken into consideration when filming our video. Their facial expressions, clothing, body language and props all have a dramatic impact on how the person is represented, and the effectivity of our video on a whole. Therefore, all areas need a respected amount of thought being put into them. Non-verbal communication is important as it seems there will not be any verbal communication with the characters within the music video, and due to this all the areas of non-verbal communication need to be considered.

Non-verbal communication consists of the following:
- Physical Space
- Clothing and Appearance
- Locomotion
- Posture
- Gesture
- Facial Expressions
- Eye Contact
- Touch
- Paralanguage

Facial ExpressionsFrown - Displeasure, Unhappiness, Anger
Smile - Friendliness, Happiness
Raised Eyebrows - Disbelief, Amazement, Schock
Narrowed Eyes - Anger
Blushing - Embarrassment, Shy

Eye Contact
Glancing - Lack of Interest
Steady - Active Listening, Interest, Seduction

Hand/Arm Gestures
Pointing Finger - Authority, Displeasure, Lecturing
Folded Arms - Not open to change, preparing to speak
Arms at side - Open to suggestions, relaxed
Hands Uplifted Outward - Disbelief, puzzlement, Uncertainty

Body Postures
Fidgeting, doodling – Boredom
Hands on hips – Anger Defensiveness
Shrugging Shoulders – Indifference
Squared Stance or shoulders – Problem-solving, concern, listening
Biting lip, shifting, jingling money – Nervousness
Sitting on edge of chair – Listening, great concern
Slouching in chair – Boredom, lack of interest

Physical Space
From Physical contact to 18 inches – Intimate space
From 18 inches to 4 feet – Personal space
From 4 feet to 8 feet – Social space
From 8 feet outward – Public space

Inspirational Videos- Mumford and Sons "Gentleman of the Road"

Within this shot, the silhouette of the tree against the gloomy sky with clouds stands out really well. The sunlight coming through the clouds once again helps the colours and also giving connotations that a better time is coming. The use of an image being shot looking straight up into the air offers something different to a reasonably simple kind of video.

Being able to see the instruments being used allows the audience to connect with the musicians further. Contrasted with nature shown in the background, the overall feeling portrayed is that the band is simple and just enjoy playing their music.

The use of the rule of thirds being used for the main singer allows them to be centre image and therefore centre of attention. The use of colours in this particular shot is beautiful, giving off connotations of an older world through the effects put on it. Generally the shots within this video are fairly simple, however being able to maintain the sophistication and maturity needed to reach their target audience.

The use of the photograph in the wallet allows the viewer to instantly be able to follow the narrative available, however still keeping an air of mystery.

Inspirational Video- Mumford and Sons "Little Lion Man"

 When looking at this video, we really enjoyed the lighting that was used to create certain moods and focus in on certain areas of the shot. The angle of the shot used on the left is interesting and offers a different feeling for the audience than a straight on shot would. The use of shadows in the screenshot below creates a moody atmosphere and looks incredibly professional.

This is the first shot where the band is seen in a full shot. The lighting is once again very effectively used, creating shadows but also highlighting the band themselves. Fairy lights around the stage help to create a feeling of night time and also magic, as well as the simplicity the band has.

We belived the shot of the piano offered something different to a straight forward close up of an instrument, as the angle is slightly distorted. The lack of identity from the musician (only being able to see his hands) also adds to the shot and its overall effectiveness; offering something different to a straightforward shot.

This particular image on the left is a shot we greatly wish to incorporate into our own music video. The lack of people or things in the foreground offers feelings of loneliness, which is greatly reflected in our song choice. Towards the end of the video however we will repeat the shot, but with his lover stood in view.

Preliminary Task- Dido "Life for Rent"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL-Si9zkCZQ

In order to practice my camera skills again, we created a "practice" music video from a song of our choice. The song we chose to use was Dido-Life for rent as we wanted to test the waters with a slower song in order to allow the lip sinking to be less quick and therefore more accurate. As a final result, I am reasonably happy with the final video and believe that the lip sinking was as effective as possible for a first attempt, and the range of shots were appropriate to the video.



Shown below are some screenshots of my video whilst being edited on "iMovie";