Sunday, 10 April 2011
Blog 20 - Evaluation and Feedback
This is a prsentaion of my evaluation and feedback: https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AVixV9FyemaZZGpmdnd3Ml8wY3pqdnA1Zmc&hl=en
Blog 18 - Creative Camera Use
In the creating of our video we had to use a number of different effects and techniques. For example at the very beginning of our video we sped up the sunset by 5000% and then reversed it to create the opening 5 seconds. We also used a number of different camera movements to create different shots. In seconds 12 - 22 we used a panning shot of the forest we were setting the video in. This also worked well as an establishing shot as it set the scene for the rest of the video. Another type of shot we used was a close up. This allowed the audience to see facial expressions very clearly. We found this worked well as part of a powerful beginning:
Other camera techniques we used included slowing down footage. This worked well in one of our ending shots when the main character was running across a Field. Slowing it down worked well with the tempo of he music and there was an abstract contrast between the action of her running and the speed at which it was shown. 
Another way in which we used a close up was to apply the rule of thirds. This meant the subjects face was in the left third of the shot as this is where the viewers eyes are naturally drawn to. It was also important for us to ensure she was singing in time to the music so that she could be lip synced correctly.
Another type of shot we used was an extreme close up. We used this when filming in the studio for the scene when the boy is building the coffins. We wanted to show the significance of this section and felt it was important to show details such as a nail being hammered in to clearly show the narrative:
We also used this type of shot to focus on the eyes of the male character. This was highlighted as the most important part of his body and therefore showed a relationship between him and the main female character when the shots cut between the two of them. this was to relate to the use of 'MY' in the song title which suggest a relationship.
We used different transition effects between shots such as cross fades and jump cuts. We used cross fades on the parts of the music that were slower such as the long 'you' at the end.
Other camera techniques we used included slowing down footage. This worked well in one of our ending shots when the main character was running across a Field. Slowing it down worked well with the tempo of he music and there was an abstract contrast between the action of her running and the speed at which it was shown. 
Blog 14 - Shooting Diaries
For our first day of filming we went to Friston Forest. This was where we had conducted our reccy and had taken the pictures for our storyboard. One of the initial problems we encountered was that only two people out of the six we had asked were able to turn up for filming on that day. this meant we had to re-think some of our group shots and Ciara also stepped in to be filmed at one point. Everyone had remembered to bring all the equipemnt they were meant to with them such as; the camera, tripod, DV tapes and costume etc. When we arrived at Friston Forest we were concerned that it would start to rain. This would have resulted in us having to post-pone the shooting for that day as the equipment would have been damaged by the rain and it would have been unreasonable to ask the cast to lie on the ground when it was wet.
Luckily it didn't rain and we were able to got the shots we had planned for on that day.
For our next session of filming we wanted to capture the indoor shots of a boy building a coffin. This meant we had to book a studio in college that would be appropriate for this. We also had to bring in props including a hammer and some sawdust. During this filming session we developed our skills in being able to use the studio lights in order to create the best shadow effect that we used in our video. We also had the song playing in the background to enable George - who was starring in it, to hammer in time to the music. This session of shooting proved very successful and we captured much more footage than we needed.
For our next session of shooting we went to a forest in Uckfeild. This was a 40 minute journey for myself and the dancer I was taking up there so lots of planning had to be undertaken the night before. For this session we used the same dancers as last time as well as two extras. This meant were were able to create the group dancing shots we were unable to in the first session.
The weather was much better this day so we were able to stay out filming for longer. This gave us time to be creative with different shots and the angles we were using.
As the sky was much clearer on this final day of shooting we were able to capture a clear shot of the sun setting. This is our ending shot and our opening shot when reversed to show the sunset and sunrise. The camera and tripod were set up directed towards the sky a we recorded for just over an hour. This then meant we could speed up the sun's movement across the sky.
Luckily it didn't rain and we were able to got the shots we had planned for on that day.
For our next session of filming we wanted to capture the indoor shots of a boy building a coffin. This meant we had to book a studio in college that would be appropriate for this. We also had to bring in props including a hammer and some sawdust. During this filming session we developed our skills in being able to use the studio lights in order to create the best shadow effect that we used in our video. We also had the song playing in the background to enable George - who was starring in it, to hammer in time to the music. This session of shooting proved very successful and we captured much more footage than we needed.
For our next session of shooting we went to a forest in Uckfeild. This was a 40 minute journey for myself and the dancer I was taking up there so lots of planning had to be undertaken the night before. For this session we used the same dancers as last time as well as two extras. This meant were were able to create the group dancing shots we were unable to in the first session.
The weather was much better this day so we were able to stay out filming for longer. This gave us time to be creative with different shots and the angles we were using.These are three examples of different ways we used the camera to create the best shot:
Because we were filiming in a forest we were able to be creative with different shots on set as there was so much we could use in that environment that we had not planned for. For example in the Uckfeild forest we saw two trees leaning apart that created the perfect seat. We though this would work well as a throne for the main character to sit in for the line 'Kings and Queens have all knocked on his door'. This then lead to us having the idea of making a crown out of leaves and twigs.
As the sky was much clearer on this final day of shooting we were able to capture a clear shot of the sun setting. This is our ending shot and our opening shot when reversed to show the sunset and sunrise. The camera and tripod were set up directed towards the sky a we recorded for just over an hour. This then meant we could speed up the sun's movement across the sky.
Blog 17 - Rejected Footage
When looking through and editing our footage we came across this clip. We were unable to use this in our final video because the bags and other belongings of both cast and crew members were in the shot in the background. We chose not to use this as it looked unprofessional and ruined the mise en scene as the whole theme of the video is related to nature and we kept costumes simple to avoid any materialistic theme being represented. This therefore made it very inappropriate to use this shot.
The same issue occurred when reviewing this clip.
Another issue encountered when filming was lighting. The still from the clip below shows a poorly lit shot of her miming to the song. We shot this scene from different angles and as this particular shot had poor lighting it would have contrasted with the better lit shot from a different angle. We resolved this by changing the exposure level on the camera.
As part of our opening sequence we had the main character sitting up from the ground. In this shot she was supposed to look inquisitive as if she was in a completely new environment. in the first take of this however she started laughing which therefore meant we couldn't use it as it would not have matched the music or the narrative of the video.
For another section of our video we had the main character lying in the leaves whilst singing. during this clip she was wearing a crown of leaves and twigs as part of her costume. This was in realtion to the earlier lyric of 'Kings and Queens have all knocked on his door'. During the shot of her lying down the crown slipped and went over her eyes. This distracted the attention away from her singing and also meant that you could not properly see that her eyes were shut. We chose to reject this footage as we felt it was important for the audience to see that her eyes were shut to show the emotion that was in that shot.
In another section of our video we had the main character dancing on a log with two backing dancers behind her on the ground. We deliberately chose to have the main character standing higher than the other two to show the different levels of status, however during our first take she fell off the log. This also resulted in her laughing which meant we couldn't use the shot.
Another shot we decided to cut was a spinning skyward view of tree branches. This shot was filmed by holding the camera and not using the tripod. This therefore made the shot shake at some points and the speed would often change. originally we were going to have this shot after the shot of the main character spinning to create an eyeline match, however due to the poor quality and lack of consistency of speed we chose to reject this shot.
A further idea we rejected was to have the main character ageing throughout the video. This was to show her changing through life and getting closer to death which linked with the coffin theme of the song. We chose to scrap this idea however as we were unable to create shots to show the transition between her being young to very old. This would have meant that the sudden change would have seemed confusing and out of place in the video.
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