Account of shoot day

We began our shoot day by setting up the relevant equipment we needed and ensuring our artist and actor were dressed in the appropriate costume for our first shots. We practised using the camera in order to familiarise ourselves with it again after not having used it for a long period of time. We also established how to use the red head light having not used it previously. Our timeline and shot list were on hand to follow during the filming process in order to make filming easier as we had already decided what shots to use and what point in the song to use them. We decided to film our picture and bedroom scenes first and then our studio scenes later on so we didn't get confused from switching between the two. We came up with our shot choices by looking at what types of shots are used in music videos similar to ours. We also pictured what shots would look best for the types of scenes we were filming and tried to come up with a range of shots to make the video more interesting and enjoyable for our audience to watch. We proceeded to draw our storyboard including the shot types for follow when filming and we made this into an animatic to see roughly the length of each shot. However, when filming we didn't follow these as much as intended as we wanted to experiment with different shots to see what actually looked best when properly filming. This meant that we would have more shots to choose from when it came to editing in order to get the best shots possible that would make our music video look better.

The first picture scene we filmed was when the couple are taking selfies in the living room. We set up the red head light and experimented with the natural light and the lights in the room to see what looked best. We directed our actors well by positioning them where we wanted them and then telling them exactly what to do before and during filming the shots. We also planned and laid out all the costumes for each scene so we could quickly get out actors changed before each new scene. This made the filming process run much smoother and quicker. When the female actress was holding up the phone we instructed her to move it up or down so we could position it correctly for what we viewing on the camera. We also told our male actor how to sit and exactly what he should be doing so he wasn't confused. As this was the first scene we continued to direct our actors like this throughout the shoot days in order to avoid any confusion and ensure they were doing what we had planned and intended for each scene. The shots we wanted to use for this scene was mainly close-ups and medium shots. These shots worked well however it was difficult to film other types of shots because of the nature of the scene. Therefore, we ensured that we made up for this when filming other scenes to use a wider range of shots. This location worked quite well to film in as we had a lot of space and a large seating area so we could play around with the positioning of the actors to see what looked best.

 The prom scene was the second scene we filmed. We got our actor dressed appropriately and went outside as this is where we had previously decided to film the scene. We did this in day light so didn't use any extra lighting. We decided to position the actors in front of nice car in order so it didn't look boring possibly in font of just a front door and also to make it the scene more fun and special as it meant to depict and exciting time for the actors as they are meant to be going to their prom. The natural light made the shot look more realistic however we were worried it may look to dark when editing it. Therefore, when editing we could change the brightness if it looked too dark. This shot worked well as it showed exactly what we wanted of the couple having prom pictures and then the male actor walking off to answer his phone and the female becoming confused and upset. 

Another shot we filmed outside was the hover-board scene. This also used natural light and some shots showed a slight flair from the light in the camera which we decided to include to make the scene look happier as it was bright and also more like a flashback as it also looked quite dreamy. When filming this scene we were able to use a range of shots because the location was on a street and there was a lot of space. This meant we could use more medium-long, long, panning and tracking shots which added variety to the shots we already had. This was useful when it came to editing to see what looked best in the final product.

We filmed two more picture scenes inside, the breakfast date scene and the video games scene. In the breakfast scene we used mainly close-up shots to show the necklace the boy was giving the girl and also the  emotions that can be identified from the actors facial expressions. This enables us to allow the audience to connect with our artist and feel empathy towards her. The lighting was natural to feel realistic. In the video games scene, we used medium and long shots to show all the actions of the actors as the scene is depicting their break up. We wanted to show their hand movements and body movements so the audience could understand what was happening in the scene without actually having to hear the actors talking. We decided to film this shot from different angles, in front of the sofa to show them sitting down playing the game and starting to argue and then behind the sofa to show when they are standing up. This was to show the audience what the actors are doing when they're sitting down and then when they stand up the scene moves to behind the sofa so you can see them properly having an argument and breaking up. 

Before filming the bedroom scenes we set up the bedroom by making the bed and laying the pictures out in order to show the actress reminiscing about her relationship with her first love. We then looked at out timeline for our music video and filmed the shots in the bedroom in the order of how they will appear in the final product. This made it easier to film as we had prepared what we wanted to film in advance and therefore didn't have to waste time deciding what to do. We filmed the artist from many angles and used natural light alongside the red head light to create a realistic and natural setting as well as a professional one. We used the whole space we had in order to capture as many shots as possible to make our video more engaging, exciting and interesting to watch. All the shots of the artist looking at the five different pictures were filmed in different positions in order to have a range of shots with the background positioned differently. We also filmed some other shots such as ripping pictures and throwing them in the air and a high angles shot of the artist surrounded by the pictures to use in other parts of the video to add to the narrative alongside the picture scenes. All these shots worked very well as we were able to fully capture the emotions of the artists and the main narrative of the music video which is the artist recollecting about her first relationship through their pictures together.    

 The studio scenes we filmed were to indicate the artists professional side rather than the video focussing entirely on her personal life and the narrative. We set up the studio with a microphone stand and a black background. To make the scenes more eye-catching and engaging, as well as to tie them in with the narrative scenes, we hung up pictures on string of the couple as a background for the artist to sing in front of. We filmed different shots in the studio such as close-ups, medium and long shots. We also did some panning and tracking shots where we panned up the artists body to her face to show her singing and tracking her whilst she walks along the set also singing. This was to add some diversity to our range of shots. The studio lighting was used in these shots so they appear more professional.

Our work as a team was strong. We worked well together and has good cooperation. We all took turns to film parts of the video and on each set we all had a chance to film. We also all took each others ideas into consideration and worked out together whose idea we should use such as repositioning  the actors, changing the lighting or  filming something we hadn't previously thought to film. 

Overall, I was very happy with our shoot days as I think we filmed everything we intended to film and more. I was happy how we ensured that we filmed all our shots from a few different angles so we could choose what looked best as well as filming many different types of shots so we had a wide range. the lighting worked well to show the realistic, natural parts of the video alongside the professional ones.