Originally I was in a group of four and we decided to make a music video for Lady Gaga's song 'Boys Boys Boys' but whilst planning our video the group split up. Now im working with one other person and we decided to change our song idea to Rihanna's 'California King Bed'.
Whilst planning for our music video, we watched several Rihanna music videos on youtube to try and get an idea of key themes that are included in them so we could make our video recognisable as a Rihanna video. Her videos usually have a narrative structure, normally with a theme of love or heartbreak. The video that stood out that could help with ideas for our own video was 'Unfaithful'. The video has a simple yet affective story line and the costumes are similar to the one we plan on using.
When thinking about what we wanted to include in our music video, we brainstormed our ideas and worked out how we would shoot them and how they would fit into the story we wanted to create. As the lyrics to the song provide great imagery we decided it would be effective if we acted out certain lines of the song. We also decided to make the story about a couple who have broken up but are struggling to come to terms with their split.
After putting together our ideas we were able to come up with a clear and easy to follow narrative for the audience. We also feel that the story we want to create would be believable as a Rihanna video.
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Copying an existing video
In media we have been working in groups to recreate the music video 'Teenage Dirtbag' by Wheatus as an initial project to help us get used to following a storyboard, using the camera and being a director. Before we started filming we were given a demonstration on how to use the camera and all its different functions, for example, how to create a shallow depth of field (this is where only part of the shot, usually a person or object is in focus), zoom, lighting and white balancing (this is where you show the camera what the colour white it so the camera can aplly this to all other colours placed in front of it). We were also showed how to set up the tripod, attach the camera and use the tilt and pan. We were given a safety procedure on how to use the camera properly and how to carry it when moving to different locations.
Once we finished the camera introduction we watched the 'Teenage Dirtbag' music video and wrote up a detailed storyboard of the first 16 shots. We wrote down the shot type, any camera movement, location, costumes and props, a description of the action and a description of any sound/audio.
Filming
Once we had finished drawing up our storyboards, the class was split into three groups - each group filming a different part of the music video. Each group consisted of a camera man, a director (who would set up the shot, tell the camera man and extras what to do as well as being in charge of the clapper board), a lead character and a few extras if needed. Everyone in the group took it in turns to be the director and the camera man to get practice before filming our own music video.
When filming, we used our shooting script to take notes on each take of a shot so we knew which take to use when editing. For example, we would write down if the one of the extras didn't fit in the shot or if someone started laughing.
Our group filmed the lead male walking outside the school as he sees the lead female character. We shot this behind the college to resemble an American high school. I directed the first 3 shots, which included a long shot, a medium close up and a close up. In the last few shots I was an extra walking towards the camera behind the lead character.
Our group also filmed the opening 4 shots of the male lead character when he is asleep on the stairs and cycling past the school, as well as an opening establishing shot. The parts we were shooting were set outside in the original film, however, due to the weather when we were filming we had to film inside. So instead of shooting an establishing shot of the outside of a school we shot the inside of the canteen. In the original video, there is a car that drives past and the lead character is riding a bicycle, because we were shooting inside we were unable to use either a car or a bicycle, so we filmed the lead character walking rather than cycling.
Editing
Once we had captured all the footage we needed, we were given a lesson on how to use the mac laptops. For example, we learnt how to set up a scratch disk to store the footage, how to capture the footage from the camera using a silver cable. We also learnt the importance of the format and the importance of capturing the footage in the setting PAL (the European format set at 24 frames per second) and not NTSC (the American format set at 30 frames per second).
Once our footage was uploaded we learnt how to use Finale Cut Pro and how to fast forward, rewind and move through the footage frame by frame. We also learnt how to cut any bad footage in order to leave us with the good footage we wanted to use.
We were then told about the three different stages of non-linear editing. Firstly there is the assembly edit where you cut out any bad footage allowing you to put the good footage in the correct order. Secondly there is the rough edit where the shots are cut together to create a smooth transition between shots. The music is also synced with the action at this point. Finally there is the finale edit where the cuts are tweaked to exactly how you want them and any special effects are added.
Finale Film
Once we finished the camera introduction we watched the 'Teenage Dirtbag' music video and wrote up a detailed storyboard of the first 16 shots. We wrote down the shot type, any camera movement, location, costumes and props, a description of the action and a description of any sound/audio.
Filming
Once we had finished drawing up our storyboards, the class was split into three groups - each group filming a different part of the music video. Each group consisted of a camera man, a director (who would set up the shot, tell the camera man and extras what to do as well as being in charge of the clapper board), a lead character and a few extras if needed. Everyone in the group took it in turns to be the director and the camera man to get practice before filming our own music video.
When filming, we used our shooting script to take notes on each take of a shot so we knew which take to use when editing. For example, we would write down if the one of the extras didn't fit in the shot or if someone started laughing.
Our group filmed the lead male walking outside the school as he sees the lead female character. We shot this behind the college to resemble an American high school. I directed the first 3 shots, which included a long shot, a medium close up and a close up. In the last few shots I was an extra walking towards the camera behind the lead character.
Our group also filmed the opening 4 shots of the male lead character when he is asleep on the stairs and cycling past the school, as well as an opening establishing shot. The parts we were shooting were set outside in the original film, however, due to the weather when we were filming we had to film inside. So instead of shooting an establishing shot of the outside of a school we shot the inside of the canteen. In the original video, there is a car that drives past and the lead character is riding a bicycle, because we were shooting inside we were unable to use either a car or a bicycle, so we filmed the lead character walking rather than cycling.
Editing
Once we had captured all the footage we needed, we were given a lesson on how to use the mac laptops. For example, we learnt how to set up a scratch disk to store the footage, how to capture the footage from the camera using a silver cable. We also learnt the importance of the format and the importance of capturing the footage in the setting PAL (the European format set at 24 frames per second) and not NTSC (the American format set at 30 frames per second).
Once our footage was uploaded we learnt how to use Finale Cut Pro and how to fast forward, rewind and move through the footage frame by frame. We also learnt how to cut any bad footage in order to leave us with the good footage we wanted to use.
We were then told about the three different stages of non-linear editing. Firstly there is the assembly edit where you cut out any bad footage allowing you to put the good footage in the correct order. Secondly there is the rough edit where the shots are cut together to create a smooth transition between shots. The music is also synced with the action at this point. Finally there is the finale edit where the cuts are tweaked to exactly how you want them and any special effects are added.
Finale Film
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