Film diary: Planning to film

We are planning to re-film on Sunday. We are filming in my counterparts house, which allows us to have a lot more flexibly in terms of when we film. We have created a shot list that we go into filming completely repaired, reducing the chances of having to re-film. We are going to film all the shots on a tri-pod, as shaky shots are what hindered the quality of our shots previously. We are planning to take as many shots as possible to increase the variation of shots and give us maximum flexibility when editing. I have looked at our audience feedback from our last idea and are looking to improve on every aspect that needs working on. Our preparation is much better this time round than it was before, which will hopefully result in a better standard of video.

Finalising our new idea

For our new idea, we have decided to use Mike and Adam's mum. She will be the only actor for the narrative part of the video, and as Mike and Adam are in my group, this will make filming easier, as we have very few people to rely on and we have more flexibilty because she os of blood relation. We are filming the narrative in her house. This is the ideal location as it is perfect for the idea behind our narrative. Furthermore, we will have access to the house at almost any time, so we don't have to worry about it being used or having to book it out. Although our actor isn't very experienced, she will feel comfortable in her own home.

In terms of the narrative, we will film the character coming home from work. We will then show them getting clothes ready, putting on make up, ironing clothes and brushing her hair. She will then exit the house to go on the night out. This will show how she it trying to relive the lifestyle of her youth.This is a much more developed narrative than our old one, and will be much more simpler to film.

Re-filming and changing our idea

After reviewing our original footage and receiving audience feedback from classmates, we have come to the conclusion that our narrative wasn't working as well as we had hoped. In hindsight, the narrative was too vague leading to difficulty filming as well as the failure of getting the main idea across to the audience. Furthermore, we realised we weren't making progress with the narrative after re filming 3-4 times and not getting anywhere, this subsequently lead to our decision to create a new narrative. Our new narrative consists of a middle aged female woman reminiscing about her teenage years, shown through connotations of the 80's and wildness of her youth. The narrative will show a woman coming home from work and doing household activities. This will come across as boring, implying her current personality. As the narrative develops, the character is seen to dress up for a 80's reunion party. We will show her ironing her dress, brushing her hair, putting on the dress and her shoes. The shots will show that she still has her 'spark' and that she isn't actually that boring. We have discussed that this will be easier to film and re film if needed because the actress will be Mike and Adam's mum and the location will be their house, allowing us to film whenever we need to. There is also less individual scenes, so there is less to film and less interference with production. We hope this second idea will have a lot more substance and will look much more like a professional video. Below I have compiled a list of advantages of this decision.

Advantages of changing our idea:

• More clear, developed narrative 
• Improved quality of footage
• More suitable narrative for the genre
• Easier to film in terms of locations and actors
• Better link between lyrics and narrative
• Better continuity of narrative

Filming day 6

Today we re-filmed a scene of our music video. As it didn't turn our as well as we had liked previously, we decided to film it again in hope of getting some better footage for the video. Although the weather conditions weren't ideal, the smoke grenade looked better. We also filmed some footage without the smoke grenade to get a wider variety of shots. We are starting to question the whole narrative, as it doesn't seem to be working very well.

Preparation for filming day 6

Tomorrow on 05/12/17 we are planning to re-film one of the scenes as it din't go as well as planned before. We are going into it with everything planned so that we cover everything and do it to the best quality we can be. Hopefully it will result in much better footage and will look better when edited.

Research into the BBC production

I had the opportunity to look at some of the equipment and production techniques of the BBC because they are filming at the school I attend. I asked questions about the camera which was a Sony FS7 Mark 1, including how to operate and utilize it. I also held it so that I got used to holding a camera in preparation for my filming. I also looked at how they used the microphone to record audio for the documentary. He explained about the physical elements of the microphone and how he uses it to record audio. I held the microphone and operated it using the gadget. I had a chance to ask questions about how they went about filming the documentary, including different camera angle, different types of shots etc. Although they film documentaries and not music videos, it was extremely useful to hear about how they film and the techniques they use. It was an honor to speak to professional producers in the industry and I will definitely try and apply their knowledge to my music video to make it look as creative and professional as possible. I think taking this opportunity has really benefited my filming and has made me a much better producer.