Half Term Reherasal

Despite it being half term, we were keen to keep our cast on track with the project. As promised, I reminded Ben to practise during the half term which he promptly did on his own drum set. He then sent me a video of himself playing the entire song, after having learnt it. I was really impressed by not only his playing in the song, but his clear commitment to the video. Ben now looks entirely convincing playing the song meaning I feel confident and happy about the completing the shots we have storyboarded for him, and even including more, especially in some areas of the song where he uses a 'fill' or perhaps spins one of the drum sticks in his fingers. Ben has lead by example in this work and we hope for the others to do the same. 

Private Reherasal With Joe

Rachel took on the responsibility this evening of holding a private rehearsal with Joe. This was something that he himself showed an interest in doing in order to improve his performance. There wasn't a bass guitar available so Joe was forced to use an acoustic. However, he did have a guitar strap this time which was an improvement on our previous rehearsal. Rachel said that she found the rehearsal challenging to get Joe to liven up his performance. We have already established they we are trying to pitch Joe as the 'moody bassist' who is very cool. Despite this, there must be some more engagement on his part than what we have at the moment. This is not Joe's fault as he is not a natural performer, but it lead myself and Rachel to a discussion as to what we should do about this. We considered the option of swapping Joe for another individual for a short time, but then decided against this. Joe is perfect aesthetically for the role as he looks mature despite his boyish features. Also, it is very small margins in terms of his performance that will make the difference. We feel we can achieve this before the shoot, especially considering that we have a supplementary week to rehearse after half term. Furthermore, there is only so much we can do in terms of replicating the shoot environment which I feel will encourage him in his performance. 

Calum and Chris - Rehearsal

Today we held another rehearsal, this time with just Calum and Chris. This was mainly about keeping the track in their minds and trying to improve their approach and performance to the song. We had a few discussions about the guitar part with Chris, and further stressed the importance of him learning the chords but mainly the rhythm. The chords can be somewhat hit-and-miss as long as his strumming rhythm is entirely in-keeping with that of the song. We did a few run throughs of the song and I reiterated this point to Chris, and felt as though he improved because of it. Calum continues to perform well with his lip-syncing and its now just a matter of him nailing every word of the song and also possibly engaging visually more with the camera, in order to really reach the audience and make a connection. However, I am happy with the way this pair are continuing to develop knowing that this is an improvement on their last rehearsal. I will be reminding Chris to really familiarise himself with the song over the half term so that he feels completely confident playing it after the break.

Set Design Meeting

Today we had a set design meeting in order to have final discussion regarding the set we need for our shoot. As preparation for this, we re-created our set designs on the digital format of Photoshop. This made the images slightly more clear, and they were presented in combination with the handmade notes and images that we designed.

Set 1

 Set 2

Tracy-Ann came in today to talk to us about our set designs and bringing them to life. As with the lighting meeting, these designs were not overly difficult to described as we don't have a concept that has any huge or far fetched demands in terms of set. As is now common, she understood our concept very quickly and what we were trying to achieve in terms of the two contrasting sets. We briefed her on the lighting for the video. Despite this not being her role it is important that she knows this to ensure that the colours and material will work with the different elements. We ventured into the studio to further discuss the ideas.

The first major discussion we encountered was regarding Set 1. In our original conception of the video, we visualized using a large scale white infinity background. However, this has not been as easy to source as we had hoped. Tracy-Ann said she would have a look around and make some phone calls to try to find one that is suitable. We then talked about the actions we would take if one didn't materialize. The most possible solution would be to use a large role of white material, which we do have at the school, and attach this to the rigging rail featured in the photo (below). However, there might not be enough material to stretch out and create the infinity effect and you also may be able to see the creases in the material. We really don't want this so may have to consider other options when we hear more news regarding he infinity background.

For Set 2, we have more options. We can use either a black box setup or the black material that is already attached to the rigging rail. This would blend in with the black studio floor and would be quite seamless when paired with the collective beam lights. It would simply be a black space and wouldn't be easily seen as material. I spoke to Luke about the possibility of doing a birds eye view shot where we see the studio in its entirety and he said this would be fine. The department have achieved shots like this before, most notably the previous year to make a time-lapse of all the different videos being shot. This meeting really clarified ideas for us in terms of the set which will be key for the success of the video.

Font/Typography

Myself and Rachel started looking at different ideas in relation to font and typography for the band. This may appear to be a minute detail, but can actually be hugely influential as once a font is chosen for a band it normally becomes synergistic with all of their output, both commercial and creative. We started browsing the font database Dafont where individual, new fonts can be downloaded onto your computer. Considering we now had a band name, we decided to trial some of these options with the title that they would embody both on the Digipak and website.

In the order of the image (above), the fonts are;
1. Les Sensations de Cerise
2. Bebas Neu
3. Telugu Sangam NM
4. Criticized

Personally, the one I like the most is Bebas Neu as I feel it is stylishly simple yet bold. However, the rough creativity of Les Sensations de Cerise suits our bands style and look. We are now thinking of combining the two fonts to create something that juxtaposes visually, possibly using one just for the name of the album. We can make these decisions fully when it comes to creating these products, under the knowledge that we have decent and interesting options.

Band Name

As the identity of our band continues to develop, we started brainstorming about possible names for the act. This of course isn't of prime importance, but will inevitably have some impact on their image as a band. We looked at some other conventional names within the genre and realised some archetypes in terms of names. These often fall into two key categories - names beginning with a 'The' (The Kooks, The Wombats, The Fray, The Blanks.) and then more miscellaneous titles (Arctic Monkeys, Alt-J, Vampire Weekend, Foo Fighters). We decided that we would aim towards the later of these two options as we felt that names such as this were considerably more unique, and less mundane therefore making them more marketable, something that is important for a debut band. We struggled over names for a while and then eventually decided to seek inspiration from more specific sources. Quite peculiarly, we looked at the tube map for ideas and found the station 'Elephant and Castle'. We then decided to abbreviate this to simply 'Elephant Castle', under the assumption that the name was inspired by the tube stop as possibly where the band originally met when they were forming. This tube theme may also be an interesting starting point in terms of design when it comes to the digipak and website, and something that would make the group further stand out. This name may sound too quirky but I feel it is suitable for the genre and matches the tone of the song, which is fairly light. It is also memorable which is key for a new band to attain success. 

The Wombats - 'Kill the Director'

Taking on board the critique we received after the screening of our animatic, I looked at various different music videos and eventually came across 'Kill The Director' by The Wombats. This video heavily focuses around  the theme of parody, something that we are interested in due to the involvement of our pop video 'cliches'. After being told that we needed more of these filtered into the video, this was an ideal video to watch as it features many of them being parodied to great effect. One that I saw and intrigued me was the use of falling rain, commonly used for dramatic visual effect in pop videos. However, this might not be feasible for us due to the density of electrical equipment that would be on stage during the last 30 seconds of the track such as neon lights. However, another archetype they parodied was the use of a wind machine. This is something that has been replayed in music videos for decades with the lead singer having their hair blown by a huge industrial fan as they perform. Not only does this fit our concept in terms of its irony, but it may also look visually effective on screen. Whether it is fully in-keeping with the tone of the song is another matter, but it is certainly something to consider. Furthermore, I noticed that like our idea this video also exploits the concept of purposely bad green screen for effect. This is in use throughout the video before it cuts out at the end to reveal a colossal green screen and studio set up. Phil mentioned to us in our most recent meeting that we had to make it clear in the video that the green screen was ironically bad, as opposed to just being bad. A method of doing this would be to at some point have the image cut out, leaving simply a green wall. This would perfectly convey the shambolic effect that is having in the video and may act as a point of comedy also.

Reviewing the Animatic

In today's lesson we returned to our animatic's to review them with Phil and Luke. This gave the teachers a chance to evaluate our edit and see where we needed to go from here in terms of improving our concept. Phil recommended that we filmed the response, and made sure to listen to all the comments especially those that were critical as it is these that are most valuable. Here is their response to the showing of the animatic;

Summary

- Phil initially had some concerns about the concept suggesting that it felt like three different ideas. He was then more comfortable after we explained the way they tie in with one another.

- He mentioned how we must be careful with our green screen so that people understand the irony that we are targeting.

- Luke had a greater understanding of the concept and the image we we are trying to create.

- Luke then suggested that the pop video 'cliches'  should be more staggered throughout the video.

- They both recommended that we give the videos a more periodical structure in terms of the different themes. Giving the video chapters like this would help other people in the project understand what were doing which may also prove important for continuity.

- They went on to suggest that we have a couple more (around 5) of the music video archtypes/cliches to hammer home to fact that it is being done in irony and to consequently make them look less random e.g. smoke bombs.

I think the review of the animatic went well today and confirmed that we are still in a good position as a group. They raised some key issues that we will take on board like the scattering of more pop video 'cliches' within the video to make the ones we do have less random. This is something we will think about and endevour to do. As it stands we have four - the green screen, pretty girl, lyric cards and the smoke machine/bombs. It would be good to have another of these which would take us to five, a number that the pair cited as being adequate later in our discussion. We will also try to give our video more defined chapters which we can then relay to other people working on the project so the understand the direction. Phil later told me that he thought the animation looked good and that him and Luke understood that it is difficult to give a full representation of the ideas in your head when drawing stick men. We can't convey complex motion or movement but they know that we understand what is happening during each shot.

Further Development With Ben

Today, I had a individual meeting with Ben. This gave him a chance to go over the song again in detail without being overshadowed by the rest of the band. We have already stressed to him the importance of looking convincing as he has a relatively large involvement in the video judging by our animatic. I also got the chance to discuss with him some of our creative ideas that will need some element of choreography, such as the shots in which the drums are brought on piece by piece. I told Ben that we want him to be playing fragments of the drum set as they arrive, before they are eventually completely assembled. We understand that this is difficult, but Ben seemed to grasp the idea and imagine the practicalities of actually doing it. This is something that may have to be devised on the shoot day when we actually have the crew and man power to practice it. Up until then , I told Ben to exploit the spare time that he has during the half term break and to practice the song daily on the drum set I know he owns at his home, and send me footage if possible so I can see how he gets on.  He assured me he will do this.

Genre Conventions - Extended Research

Discussing Lighting With Geogre

Today we held a meeting with George, a lighting technician who is in charge of assessing the feasibility of the lighting for the music videos. This was essentially about us re-pitching our idea to George, who is new to the project, and him looking at any possible problems and asking certain questions from a lighting perspective. After discussing the concept and chronology of the video, both George and Luke concluded that it wasn't overly demanding in terms of lights. They established that there is four key 'set-ups', that will all need lighting (Infinity background, recording studio, green screen, fully styled, music video set.) We stressed to George our desire to have no shadows for the infinity background, which he said is easily done with sufficient lighting. They questioned whether they have an infinity background large enough to fit the whole band on in a wide shot, but said he will look into sourcing a bigger one and if not they can achieve a similar effect with white material. He also raised the issue of the band wearing white t-shirts on a white back but continued to say that this could probably be resolved through lighting the band members separately to the background. For the recording studio, he mentioned how we would have to plan for a time in the day in which we can light this, as it may take up to an hour due to the dull nature of the room. We will take this into consideration when doing our shoot schedule. When discussing this cutaway, Luke mentioned how we didn't need the shots of the band walking own the street, and should just find more content of them in the studio. To ensure this, he suggested we should shoot the whole song in the studio on the day as a 'back-up', giving us something we can cut to if completely necessary. In reference to the final set up, he seemed confident about making this happen and understood all of the lighting possibilities we had in mind such as the neon pyramid and collective beams from behind (which can be utilized especially to signify the change in setting and tone.) Once again, this was a very positive meeting that furthered the image of our video in our heads, which is progressively taking shape as we go on.

Here is a picture of some of the notes George made during the meeting;

Standard infinity background;

This a still from a Pop promo made at Hurtwood last year displaying the smaller infinity background that the school currently owns;

As we can see, this is too small to fit the entire band in one shot with out seeing the exterior background of the room. However, if the worst came to worst and the fore-mentioned 'material' was not feasible then we could shoot the wides like this and show how the band are obviously in a film studio. This would actually conform with our original concept.

These are pictures of the exact 'collective beam' lights that one of the groups from the previous year used that we are very interested in featuring in the later stages of our video;

Finding our Girl

After completing our animatic, we realised that we were yet to find a girl to appear in our music video for the brief cutaway we planned. We had a wide selection of girls available at the school to choose from with various different looks and styles. We decided to go with Issy. Issy has naturally endearing and pretty look. This is emphasised by her big, blue eyes. We discussed using a girl who perhaps is more overtly attractive and suggestive in a sexual manor, but thought this would not be in-keeping the themes of the video or look of the band. Also, Issy knows Callum well meaning they will be able to work together comfortably and efficiently on the day.

Initial Digipak Ideas

Reaching the end of the week with little left to do, me and Rachel thought we would have some initial discussions about our Digipak. This seemed a logical step to take considering we definitely know who our band members will be, so we could take their looks into consideration when devising an idea. Due to the genre of the band, we initially thought we would have a Digipak that didn't feature the band at all, emulating bands such as Alt-J with their unassuming, minimalist designs that are quite effective.

However, I recalled a piece of work that a friend of mine completed for her photography coursework last year. As part of her project, she took portraits of various members of the class. She then simply amalgamated these together on Photoshop, stretching or reshaping the faces wherever she needed to in order to make the outlines of the faces match up. It is simplistic yet ultimately effective as an image and I believe this would work really well with the band, and of course four sectors instead of three. This could take up the majority of the frame with the band title typography alongside it on a one tone background that is either white (like in the photos) or black. To continue this theme, we then thought we could complete the same principle on the back of the Digipak but alternativley with the back of the band members heads instead. I think this would be a quirky extension of this idea that would also look really interesting considering the strong features and different hair tones of all of our band members. 

Bands of a similar vein to ours such as Kings of Leon (above), and Blur (lower) have utilised a similar concept in terms of condensing different band members faces onto one album. The Kings of Leon Digipak for 'Only By The Night' is very similar in style with very clear cut editing point between the different images. This makes it clear what has been done as opposed to blending the faces more subtly. However, I prefer this as I feel it adds something aesthetically. Blur have experimented with a more 'pop-art' styled design. However, in a similar way to our idea it still includes all members of the band and has distinct personality. 

If we do in fact use the band as part of the Digipak, then we have to create an image that has visual integrity and isn't just trying to sell them because of their obvious good looks. I feel the idea we have achieves this meaning we are happy to pursue it as a group. It also gives myself and Rachel the chance to hone in on the photography skills we acquired last year.

What is a Digipak?

In its rawest form, a Digipak is a patented style of CD packaging which allows for the safe and stylish transportation of a modern day album. Despite their original and basic plastic casing, in recent decades Digipaks have expanded into a form of image expression for a artist, communicating various things about who they are. They have developed physically also with various different design layouts and options available, all depending on how many sides one chooses to feature. It is no longer simply about protecting a CD.

The designs on Digipaks today are capable of holding more information regarding the band and how they came to creating this piece of work. This also allows for more coherent artwork and symbolism within a Digipak which inevitably adds value. This is often in combination with official publishing and copyright information which the artist is obligated to disclose.

In reference to the cultural circuit, the proliferation of Digipaks within the music industry has had the greatest affect on audiences. In a technologically convergent world where the music is largely dictated by digital media, there is even more pressure on institutions to make products like this desired in order to keep them in production. They have to create a demand for a CD and therefore the Digipak. The way they do this is largely psychological. When buying a Digipak, the audience member feels as though they actually 'own' something that is to some extent, unique to them. This is opposed to iTunes where an album will look entirely identical on every other iPhone in the world. They may also experience some form of gratification that they are supporting the heritage of the music industry by buying a physical album, much like people who opt against downloading films illegally on moral grounds. Lastly, owning a Digpak gives true fans a stronger relationship with the artist and may possible give them access to extra material. It strengthens their identity and gives them proof as a legitimate 'fan'.


We had a look at some professional Digipaks in class, as well as some previous students designs. We noticed that the more successful Digipaks were made up of no more than four key colour tones, and certainly no more than two fonts. This is done to create a consistent design and allow the product to have intertextuality with others such as the website. Some Digipaks often include stickers on the front highlighting extra information.

Joe's Homework

After the rehearsal, both myself and Rachel decided that we needed to give Joe some 'homework' so that he could set about improving his performance. We discussed some things to show him such as a video of his own performance so he could see the way he looks. Also, we cited some successful 'boy band' videos from last year such as 'Naive'. I was actually the lead singer in this band and really enjoyed it. Part of the relative success in this video comes through the on-screen chemistry that the band show, especially the guitarists.

As well as this we also showed him the highly influential 'Girls' video by The 1975, giving us the opportunity to actually demonstrate some of the shots we plan to emulate in our video.  We told him to really focus on the bassists movements and the way that he interacts with the band. This really helped Joe to clarify what he needs to do to improve. He showed an interest in learning the bass tabs so that he could look more realistic. He also requested that we could hold a private rehearsal with him at some stage to further improve his presence on camera. That fact that he is showing interest and initiative in this way is admirable and shows we have a person who is committed to the project. He also purchased the song 'Stand By Your Gun' so that he can become more familiar with it.

Reharsal

Today we organized a rehearsal for the band. Getting all the boys in one place at one time has proved challenging so we had to make the most of this opportunity. The key for this session was to get the band to interact with their suggested instruments to make sure they are comfortable. This requirement prevented us from being able to use the studio for this test shoot, as the instruments were elsewhere. We managed to stage it in what is a fairly basic and dull room. However, the setting was not important for today's work, it was to see the boys in the context of a band.

The rehearsal went well overall, and was encouraging for us as a group. We started by putting the band in the room and playing the song, just to see how they responded to the music before offering them any direction. Upon this first run through we were slightly concerned as the two guitarists didn't know the song as well as we had hoped, with Joe (bassist) appearing slightly wooden in his performance. In fairness, Joe is the only member of the band who does not take Drama so is not a natural performer. Furthermore, the bass we gave him did not have a strap making it difficult for him to look as though he was playing naturally as he was forced to hold it up. We then individually  gave the band some critique, advising the guitarists to move more freely while playing and add energy in order to look as though they are invested in the song. This helped the boys massively and also spurred on Callum (lead singer) to give more in his performance. Ben (drummer) didn't have a drum set at his disposal in this room so was forced to tap out the beat on his thighs but looked convincing and in-time when he did so. We filmed sections of the following two run through's so that we could document the bands progress and also give ourselves the opportunity to look back and analyse their performances.

When reviewing these clips, it is clear to see that Joe (left) looks the least comfortable of the band. However, we don't feel this is so serious a problem that he needs replacing. Aesthetically, he is perfect for the role and with a bit of personal work I feel we can get him to pull off being the 'chilled out'/casual/cool member of the band that is common in music. Bassists are rarely known for their charisma and even now he doesn't look horribly out of place amongst the rest. In addition to this, I believe that part of Joe's issue currently is that he doesn't feel as though he is in a music video, as essentially he is just in a classroom. However, come shoot day we will have various features (lights, camera's, crew) that will make the studio feel like a genuine film set, and thus make a performance feel less out of place. We are happy with all other members of the band, especially Callum. Callum lead by example today and drives the song forward with his convincing performance, which will in turn make the others feel less self conscious. He fully understands what we want from him, appears confident on camera and suits the tone of the song. We are quite happy for Callum to claim most of the attention in the video as lead singers generally do this in real-life bands, through their energy and attitude.

Additionally, we held a private rehearsal with Ben including a fully functioning drum set so that he had the opportunity to go over the song and gain a better understanding of the rhythm. Debatably, Ben has the most demanding job within the video as the drums are the easiest instrument to notice being played incorrectly or out of time. Even in this short space of time, Ben was clearly able to grasp key elements of the songs drum beat. Understandably, Ben needs to listen to the song more and then find the time to practice in school on the drums. I will encourage him to try to fit this in so that we eventually get to the point where he can confidently play the entire song.

In conclusion, we are left content from the rehearsal with some promising performances coming through. Undoubtedly, it needs more work and we hope to find the time to arrange another rehearsal. We stressed to the band the importance of actually buying the song and listening to it frequently and will ensure in the next couple of days that they have done this.

Editing the Animatic

Today's aim was to complete the edit of the animatic for our upcoming music video. We achieved this. At the start of the lesson we went straight up to the edit suite to find our footage from the day before successfully downloaded onto the computers. Before beginning, we had to have a brief tutorial with Matt regarding the different editing software the school have chosen to employ this year. They have switched from Final Cut Pro, which we used last year, to Adobe Premier which provides better support for multi-platform usage which is something the school requires with the abundance of videos they help to produce each year. The technical principles of Premier are very similar to that of Final Cut, much is the layout. The main changes were simply adjusting to some new key commands and trying to regain to preciseness which we had with the previous software.

Editing the animatic was a fairly simple process. Because we shot the video clips of the storyboard chronologically, they were already laid out in perfect order in the 'rush' bin we created. This meant that we had to just transport them into the timeline and match them up with timing we had marked on our storyboard. The important tip for this technique is that when cutting from one clip to another, it is important to make the cutting point not just on the right second but also on a definite beat such as the bass drum or symbol. This gives the cuts rhythm and makes them more natural to look at, preventing the video from being disjointed.

We managed to get the animatic fully edited within the hour of the lesson;

Upon reflection, both myself and Rachel are very happy with the way the animatic shaped up. We understand that to some it may look drastically simplistic or even slow, and some of the drawings could benefit from being slightly more detailed. This is because it is difficult to convey motion still drawings. Therefore, if you have a still drawing for a shot that lasts 5 seconds then it will inevitably become boring. However, when we look at those shots we can see in our minds eye what is actually on screen happening to fill the time such as movement and interactions. We believe that the cut is precise and it flows very well. Points during the video such as the 4 portrait shots of the band early on, and the home-video cutaway work very well with the music at that specific time which is something we worked on extensively when creating the original timeline and subsequent story board. Primarily, this exercises has proved very useful as it gives us a reference point for our concept which we could even show to the band to give them an idea of what we are doing. It also reassures us that we have an idea that is fleshed out enough to fill three minutes.

Filming the Storyboard

After completing the storyboard, we immediately set around filming it. We cut out each individual shot and individually placed them in a marked place underneath a camera set up on a tripod. We had to shoot each piece of paper for up to ten seconds so that we could shift the shots around in the edit if something wasn't exactly write we could stray from the seconds marked on the storyboard. We left the camera connected to the computer so that it could download and render the footage. This means in tomorrow's lesson we can return to the edit suite to cut the animatic together with he music.

Aquiring and Assigning Costume

After having extensive thoughts about what we planned to do with the costume and look of our band, it is time to make decisions and materialise the outfits. There must be at least two finished costumes for both the filming of the actual music video and also the recording studio cutaway. As the band are all regular teenage boys and their actual clothes are not a 'million miles' away from the fashion we have in mind, they can pitch in with certain items such as trousers. However, for key items such as upper body and shoes that often define certain trends, I have acquired various different outfits with certain band members in mind. I collated these and took photos of them, ensuring that they were also appropriate in relation to size for the individuals.

Callum (Singer)

Music Video

- Blue shirt, plain white tee, skinny jeans, black, suede desert boots. -

Recording Studio

- Green cashmere jumper (baggy), skinny jeans and black, suede desert boots. -

Chris (Guitarist)

Music Video

- White shirt, brown leather braces, grey tweed trousers and chunky, black, leather loafers. -

Recording Studio

- White Fred Perry polo, navy blue checkered, tweed trousers and chunky, black, leather loafers. -

Joe (Bassist)

Music Video

- Black shirt, black skinny jeans, patterned bomber jacket, brown brogue shoes. - 

Recording Studio

- Sand coloured beanie hat, navy blue paisley shirt, black skinny jeans, brown brogue shoes. - 

Ben (Drummer)

Music Video

- Mustard shirt, navy blue Harrington jacket, skinny jeans, brown leather desert boots. -

Recording Studio

- Fred Perry white tee (burgundy trim), skinny jeans, brown leather desert boots. -

Completing this exercise gave me a more concrete idea of what the band will look like on the day.  We must also remember that the band will start the video looking affectively the same, dressed in very neutral clothes before they're fashion is then moulded during the course of the video. Details of the outfits are likely to alter, or even be added to, but the core look will remain this way as I feel there is an element of continuity with this and it works well. 

Props List

Luckily for us, our concept isn't too demanding in terms of props. Almost all of our required props can be sourced from the school, the cast members or ourselves. The schools media department has an extent of resources at their disposal and are fully prepared to arrange the set and props for a conventional music video, which is what ours turns into in the end. The schools theatre department also has an assortment of props that we can turn to if required.

.2 amps

.Drum kit/ Drum Sticks

.Electric Guitar

.Bass guitar

.Microphone

.Costume*

.Fake cigarette

.Hairspray/Wax/Comb

.Make up belt

.Lights (neon pyramid/collective beam)

.Smoke Machine

.Lyrics Cards

Some of the cutaway sets such as the recording studio will need dressing slightly for filming as they are fairly mundane and formal. With things such as instruments we are in the process of renting them for the shoot day and don't expect to encounter any problems.This list is likely to grow as the project progresses but we are confident that the key bases are covered with props.

Set Design

As further preparation, myself and Rachel got together outside of class to have meeting about set design. We obviously had some preliminary  thoughts and posted on our blogs about this but we were recommended to make hand-draw set design plans. With these we can then demonstrate our thoughts without having to use pictures from another bands work. Also, these will be very useful in the days preceding the shoot as we can show them to the set builders to give them a firm idea of what we want. Of course, these designs may develop and change in between that time, meaning we will alter the plans accordingly. We decided we would make set plans for the two key sets in our video, having the minimalist, infinity background as a starting set and then the final image with added design features such as lighting rigs, smoke and amplifiers.

(Starting)

 (Final)

Admittedly, on paper these two sets don't look vastly different. However this will not be the case on shoot day, especially considering that the infinity background is taken away and swapped for a dark coloured 'box' set in which the band will perform. When combining this with the lighting the two sets will polarize visually, and will therefore be the main communicator in the commercialism/facade element of the video. 

Preparing the Band

After our introductory session with the band yesterday, we thought it would be wise to maintain their interest in the project by sending them all an email detailing things they can be doing to be more prepared for further screen tests and eventually shoot day. It is important to keep the group on track, and make sure they aware that this is something they have now committed to. We emailed through a guitar tab to Chris, so that he could look at the chords for the song and therefore enhance his performance. We told Callum that as the lead singer he should start learning the words so that he is fully prepared come the time to shoot. As for the rest, we simply said that they should go out and buy the song on their phones and familiarise themselves with it. We want them to be able to visibly connect with the song on camera and they won't be able to do this if they don't know it very well.

Licensing the Song

In order to legally complete our music video and then publish this on Youtube, we have to go through the process of licensing the song. This is a fairly tedious process but it has to be done. George Ezra is signed to Sony Music, so I had to go through their website to achieve this. It involved me filling out various forms on the website alerting them of why we wish to use the song. I had to explain that we are A level students and need the song as part of a filmed project for a qualification in Media Studies A level. We had to stress that the video would be used for purely assessment purposes and will have no commercial usage. We also included the fact that the copyright holder will of course be fully recognised in the pre-production and evaluation material that accompanies the project. Finally, I was given a message that granted me licence to the song. They said they were likely to contact me in the following days to discuss any questions they may have regarding the songs usage.

George Ezra 'Leaving it Up to You'

I am actively continuing to look at all kinds of music videos as inspiration for our own. Seen as we are recreating a George Ezra song, I thought I would look at some of his official videos. The song we are doing ('Stand by Your Gun') doesn't have a video as yet, which is positive for us. I did stumble across the video for another of his songs entitled 'Leaving it Up to You'. The video depicts Ezra in the process of recording the song, and shows him displaying his musical talent while also having fun with his production team. This resonated with me as it is very similar to what we want to create with our cutaway from the studio environment, in order to show the band in a different light. Much like all of this video, we want that section to be shot in a 'home-video'/handheld style with naturalistic performances from the band that creates an endearment towards them. This video has given me some ideas for potential shots we could do such as the way they play with focus to give the video a calming atmosphere. It also reinforced an idea I already had about having a few shots through the class wall of a recording studio, which is featured in this video and works very well. It acts as a 'frame within a frame' and puts the focus on the artist in this professional yet relaxed scenario.

Costume

When people think of the 'image' of a band, one of the first things that they think about is clothing. Audiences may be often tricked into thinking that a music artist choosing their clothes is a simple procedure, however this is often the product of a mass of thought and outside input to help construct the right fashion for an act.

We have had various different ideas for the style of the band. One would suggest that this style should be entirely coherent. However, we are trying to depict this band as a group of friends and when I look around my own group of friends our clothing style differs slightly without doubt, despite being interested in very similar styles of music. This means that we are unlikely to be going with styling where one band member is simply a replication of the next, as seen in this marketing image of The Kooks;

As one would expect, the majority of the clothes the band wear will comply to the styling conventions of the genre, with items such as skinny jeans. However, we want to create more personable styles for each of the band members. We would like Callum (singer) to wear quite casual, indie clothes such as opened up, one-tone shirts with a t-shirt underneath and suede desert boots. This is quite similar to what Callum wears in real life which means he will feel comfortable. It is most important that Callum feels comfortable during the shoot as he is the frontman and will have the most audience attention. Also, this style is reminiscent of George Ezra's fashion, who is the original artist, meaning there is a subtle link between them so that the video doesn't seem too distanced from reality. 

For Chris (guitarist) we thought we would explore the idea of him being the smartest of the group in terms of his clothing. In boy bands there is normally one member who has a slightly more alternative clothing style compared to the others. We are thinking of combining chunky loafer shoes, with skinny jeans, braces, shirt and a trilby hat. This would make Chris stand out and give him individual character. It's certainly a bold look, but we think these clothes would work well on Chris aesthetically as he also has the right body shape to pull them off.

(Middle left)

For the remaining two members of the band, Joe (bassist) and Ben (drummer), we were thinking of trying to create some element of continuity between their outfits. They are the clearly the younger members of the band so are likely to be the best friends of the bunch. We brainstormed with various different styles and settled on a modern, indie look that is inspired by Mod culture with brands such as Fred Perry. This is a classically 'cool' look and doesn't stretch worryingly far from the others. It would also include boots/chunky shoes with certain modifications such as top button done up possibly the inclusion of parka/Harrington jackets. The boys would look the part and it would be a visual way of communicating on screen their relationship as long term friends.

Furthermore, at the very start of the video when we plan to have the band in a 'line up' at the forefront of the shot, they will be wearing very plain and generic outfits (white t-shirts/black jeans). This then gives us the opportunity to gradually dress them up, through use of stylists, to their final looks during the course of the video, further representing the 'commercial construction' that the video satirises.