Filming with Seb

As planned we used the neon face paint I purchased to film with Seb. The filming location we used that worked almost perfectly was our school dark room, which is normally used for developing. As Seb is not part of our schools sixth form Ellie and I had to get him a visitors pass so he would be allowed to film on the school premise. We had set the dark room up before he had arrived and so wasted no time in getting to work filming. I brought both makeup brushed and paint brushes to the filming session. The large brushes Ellie and I used to create large strokes on Seb's cheeks and neck. The smaller brushes we then used to make smaller details, creating shapes and patterns down Seb's nose and around his lips and eyes. We used a small fan brush coated in yellow neon face paint to coat Seb's eyelashes this gave a really interesting effect when filmed as Seb blinked, something that is normally overlooked, neon face paint highlighted this and brings it to the forefront of the viewers attention. To make sure that the face paint was looking as good as it did while creating we made sure to keep turning the lights off and using the black light torch to check on the face paint as we built it up. We finally used a mixture of white and blue neon face paint to paint Seb's lips. In preparation we had asked Seb to learn the words to our chosen song. Learning from our successes and failures we asked Seb to lip sync as much as possible and filmed much more than we needed, this then ensured that we had shots to fall back on if when it came to editing some of the shots weren't what we were looking for. One of the hardest things to overcome on this particular filming session was that due to the lack of lighting it was extremely difficult to keep the camera in focus at all times. Especially when we decided to give some shots a unique edge by moving the blacklight torch about Seb's face. The camera for these shots needed to be constantly adjusted and put back into focus. Overall, I am very pleased with the outstanding effort made by Seb who took direction and even came up with ideas himself that helped Ellie and I. I am also pleased to say that I believe the outcome of this filming session to be positive. The neon face paint shows a unique take on ordinary close lip-syncing. This is not something you see in many music videos, but it works so well with our chosen genre and I look forward to adjusting the levels when editing to show the full effect of the neon face paint and the mood it will set in our final outcome. 

Filming Ellie and Luke

Ellie and I decided to film the couple narrative first as we had planned for these shots to start and end the video we felt it was a good place to start. We filmed in Rochester as planned and set up for filming in vines early in the morning to ensure we had the daylight for as long as we may need to film. Ellie and I both filmed, Ellie filmed all the shots that she did not have to be in and I filmed the shots that included both Ellie and Luke. We used a tripod for the majority of the shots but for tracking shots we hand held the camera and kept it as steady as possible (any slightly shaky shots could be stabilised at a later date of editing). Before we set out for filming Ellie and I created a list of the shots that we wanted to achieve during the filming session this would then suture that we left nothing out as if we had to refill these shots it would be nearly impossible as it turned out to be a very sunny day for the time of year and this may not have happened on a second filming day. Ellie and I find match on match very important especially in regards to the main narrative. Luckily we stuck to the list tightly and filmed far more than we needed just to be sure. We also experimented with Luke lip syncing some lines, this however was unsuccessful. The lighting of certain shots made it very hard to focus the camera, so we had to take our time ensuring every shot was focussed, partially the ones we had planned to a T. One shot that Ellie and I had planned quite extensively was a shot that takes inspiration from Tame Impala's 'The Less I Know The Better' music video. The shot follows the boy and girl in the video as they walk past each other, they both look at each other for a split second and the camera shows a one second shot of both of their faces as this moment unfolds, the shots then follows the girls as she walks off, the boy can be seen in the background. The girl then turns round as she is walking and plays with her hair as she looks at the boy and continues to walk backwards. We decided to put our own unique spin on this shot and Luke and Ellie acted well together as I filmed from various angles. We attempted this shot many times to ensure it was to the best of our ability.

The shots that were not planned also took us to an unplanned location, we filmed some shots of Ellie following Luke in and about the High-street. We then set off to film on Rochester's pier as we decided to film the ending of the music video in this location due to lyric near the end of the song. The water was at high tide and looked very aesthetically pleasing. The bright blue sky reflected off of the water beautify and we wasted no time in ensuring we got the shots we needed while it was still light. I filmed from many different angles and Ellie and Luke both walked up to the edge of the pier from a mixture of entry points so we could use the best one when looking at the shots at a later stage before editing. Overall, the filming session was very successful and by constantly referring to the sheet Ellie and I used to plan we were able to come away with many extra useful shots that we had not planned on filming. I am glad to say that the filming session was successful, due to the sudden change in narrative and song choice Ellie and I were determined to make the situation work as we felt it was the right one to make. 

Possible actors

When casting for our music video Ellie and I agreed that learning from our mistakes when creating our Thriller Opening last year, that the most important thing to consider when casting actors is whether or not they will be dedicated and have the time to be asked back if a filming session doesn't have the outcome that Ellie and I desire and they need to be called back to re-film. This proved difficult last year. Taking this into consideration the actors that we asked to audition all fit under a category that means they are able to re-film if called a=upon to do so and also have the desired physical looks we need and planned to have from the beginning of the year. 

Lizzie:

Sam:

Micky:

Seb:

Luke:

Ellie:

Lucy:

Purchasing props for the video

After the vast amount of research Ellie and I conducted into psychedelic music videos and what goes into making them look so professional and successful with their target audiences. I looked online to see where I could purchase some of the researched props including: neon face paint, a black light, bottles of paint, white face paint, needles for ink shots, smoke grenades and powder paint. I purchased these items as to enhance the final outcome of our video as the type of shots and content we wanted to show through in our video would only be possible with the addition of certain props such as the neon face paint, black light, a needle (ink), water balloons, smoke grenades and powder paint. What inspired us to look to grips such as these is Tame Impala videos as they use brightly coloured props to enhance their music videos then add to the video at a later date with special effects and advanced editing techniques which when filmed I will aim to replicate. The neon face paint shots for example will look far more eye-catching when edited to make the background of the shots appear darker and the levels and tone on the shots adjusted to brighten and contrast against the darker aspects within the frame. As mentioned i conducted a vast amount of research into the props I purchased, including how to use them most effectivly and how to enhance them once at the stage of editing. Through watching many YouTube videos of people using neon far paint it was brought to my attention that I would need a black light to allow the face paint to show once the lights were off. Also through watching a video about ink moving through water I was given the idea to use a needle to inject the ink into the water as when using a pep-pet the ink would disperse into the water to quickly and the tank would have to be emptied and refilled with clean water over and over again. 

Further narrative planning

Luke and Ellie narrative: This will be the only narrative present in our video. The narrative follows Luke who's character represents the paranoid side of the 'Love/Paranoia' themed narrative and Ellie who represents the loving half of the narrative. The shots will follow Luke and Ellie and they walk through opposing ends of Rochester to meet in vines. We have chosen vines as the filming locations it is ethically pleasing and the weather in November is very bleak, filming outside in this park like area we will be able to use the dark and somewhat dull shots to contrast against the rest of the shots we plan to use which will be extremely bright and colourful as to relate back to the psychedelic genre. As this is the only narrative in the video we have decided that shots from this filming session will be shown at the beginning, middle and end of the video and at various points throughout. This takes inspiration from almost any music video with a narrative ever produced as the music video shows the main focus of the video at the beginning of the video so the audience is aware of the focus, then throughout they are reminded of this as other shots are mixed in to almost distract from the main theme and then the video is ended with a shot of the focus. Luke will be wearing dark costume as to juxtaposition between his clothing and Ellie's as we have planned for Ellie to wear a bright yellow coat. This also links to what the individuals represent in the video as Luke's representation of paranoia is considered negative and so he is wearing dark colours. Ellie representing the other side of this (love) is seen to be wearing bright colours as this emotion is largely considered to be positive. The beginning shots will follow the individuals walking in the direction of each other (they are unaware of this). The middle shots will show the couple meeting in vines and looking at each other as Ellie lip syncs a line from the song which relates strongly to what the couple represent "If only i could read your mind". In between this extensively planned shots there will be various segments to remind the audience of the couple as the abstract shots play. Finally the end at the end the video the couple meet looking over the river and reach for each others hands resting on railing as the song fades out. 

Seb with neon face paint: Something that Ellie and I aim to use to help our video stand out from the crowd is the use of neon face paint and black light in our work. For this we aim to use Seb as he himself takes art based like subjects and we hope that he will not only work well with us but perhaps improve the outcome of the face painting before shooting takes place. Ellie and I have researched a variety of filming with neon face paint, I found when researching that we would also need to purchase a blacklight for the face paint to glow. What will hopefully perfect the shots we take of Seb will be the editing as I will be able to allow the face paint to contrast greatly to the black background which I can make as dark as possible and bring out the lightest tones in the face paint. 

Micky with coloured smoke grenades: Using a wooded area as our location and a coloured smoke grenades Ellie and i hope to achieve bold and abstract shots of Micky holding the grenade and moving around it. We will have Micky dressed in all white so the colour of the smoke will stand out. We thought of having Micky dressed in all black but then realised he would blend in with the background of the wooded area we film in due to the time of year. We also aim to use Seb to lip sync some lines of the song we have chosen to stand out such as "Are you sure it was nothing, cause it made me feel like dying". By applying neon face paint to Seb's lips the lip syncing will be unique a and work well with the genre. 

Micky with powder paint: We will again have Micky dressed in all white as to allow the powder paint to show as it will on Micky's skin. We aim to either use a white background or a brick wall. The white background may be too similar to that of other shots we aim to film and therefore the brick wall may be the best choice for us to make. Using a range of brightly coloured face paint means that when adjusted and edited the colours will appear even more iridescent. To add to this Micky's dark features especially his hair will help to contrast against the brightest colours we aim to use such as green and yellow. These shots should also nicely tie in with the other abstract shots as well as the couples narrative as these shots will clearly show Micky acting, whereas Seb's shots only focus on his face and more on lip syncing.

Ink shots: Something that will remain consistent from that of the old video is the filming of ink moving through water. We took inspiration from some of Tame Impala's music videos which show similar arty and abstract shots that are edited and manipulated in a way that allows the ink to move with the beats of the song. The bright colours also work well with our chosen genre. We can film the ink either floating on the top of the water or moving through it. I conducted some research and found that before putting the ink into the water, if you mix it with cream it keeps it shape in the water for longer, this is something that professional photographers do and that was also recommended to me by an photography teacher at my school. 

Mannequin and body part paint shots: This idea came about rather spontaneously, I was looking through the props Ellie and I had in our schools art department, props commonly used for photography. I came across some mannequin parts, two porcelain white arms that reminded me of something Tame Impala used in their 'The Less I Know The Better' music video. In the Tame Impala video they show an inviable still woman and as paint of various colours begins to pour on her body she is made visible. Ellie and I will aim to accomplish something similar to this using brightly coloured paint and the mannequin arms against a white background. We may also decide to further elevate our work by using one of our actors, perhaps Ellie to have their face and hair covered in paint.

Paint balloon shots: Ellie and I aim to use coloured paint mixed with water to fill up water balloons with various colours and then throw them against either a white or black background. This when edited can be slowed down or even reversed. We have decided that filming shots like this will work well with the beat drops of our song. It is also an inventive and unique idea that we research quite heavily before deciding on.