Filming

When filming my A2 project it took us a long time to get the lip sync correct. This video highlights the amount of time spent on producing my product, there was multiple locations used and scenes that i had to cut and re-do. Here is a video put together of bloopers and without the backing track to show my character actually singing/lip syncing.

Communication

I communicated with my two actors via text message and Facebook chat.

Me: hey George can we meet at 2.00 in the park to start filming?

George: sure mate thats fine with me, can you pick me up?

Me: yeah ill come to yours at quarter to ish

George: cheers



Me: George we need to do filming at Banstead station, can you do tomorrow, I'll come and pick you up?

George: Can't have work tomorrow, can do Saturday though?

Me: Okay say around 10ish?

George: early, but sounds good to me

Me: see you then


Here is my conversation with Siobhan.

Use of iMovie

For my project I have decided to use iMovie for my editing. This is an application I became familiar with last year during my AS project and I grew in confidence as I was using it. It is a good application to use when putting together my footage as it is easy to trim and edit clips so that they fit in with the song. I have found so far that it has been difficult to get the clips at the right time so that the lip sync fits in with the backing track. I hope to further better my ability to use iMovie throughout the duration of my A2 project also. So far I have got about two thirds of the footage I need to complete my project however I will need to adjust some scenes.

An example of a scene I will need to change is below, the scene was badly lit and the actions of the character don't fit well with the song. I have tried to use editing techniques on the clip for example, changing the brightness in order to improve the lighting, but I still feel that the scene still needs to be re-done.

Further up the blog you will be able to see my new footage with much better lighting.

Character Profiles

Ricky George

Played by - George Ascroft

Age - 22

Address - 2 Park Avenue, SM6 2JQ, Surrey

Occupation - Plumber

Lives on his own and is a lonely guy, having just recently got out of a long term relationship with Natalie and is full of emotion that are counter hegemonic to the dominant male hegemony. He is sad and upset instead of the typical angry aggressive young male.


Natalie Smith

Played by - Siobhan Gormley

Age - 20

Address - 34 Link Lane, SM6 7TY

Occupation - Student

Lives with flatmates and just recently broke up with Ricky.


Here is an image of the two characters together. I will also use this image in my film as a memory for Ricky to look back on.

Shot List

When filming I will make sure that I get lots of close ups of the star, not only to boost his recognition but also to show the emotion that the star is adding to the song. The song is emotional and therefore the character should show emotion as it fits the visuals with the lyrics and by the best way to do this is by using close up shots.

I will also use point of view shots from the stars view looking at the female actor. This complies with Goodwin's conventions about notions of looking from voyeuristic views.

I will include both shots of the two actors together and the star on his own in order to show a contrast and this can add to the emotional effect.



Here is a list of shots I plan to feature:

opening scene
- Opening movement from the sky down to a scene with star Ricky standing there on his own.
- Ricky walking around station from different angles
- Ricky leaning on a pole singing close up, side view and medium shot

change of scene
- cuts to house
- Ricky sitting there with Natalie
- close ups of the two staring at each other (fits with lyrics)
- Natalie leaves
- close up of Ricky upset

change of scene (chorus)
- Ricky walking down an alley way alone
- close up of Ricky leaning against a wall singing
- Ricky gets phone out
- close up of phone sending text, 'I miss you'
- shot of Ricky from behind walking away (fits with lyrics, 'you've got to walk away now')

change of scene
- cuts to Ricky in the park walking in front of the camera singing, relatively close up
- Ricky sitting on a bench singing, close ups, side view, medium shot

change of scene
- Ricky then sitting in a car with Natalie, point of view shot, (notions of looking)
- point of view shots back and forth from characters
- shot of Natalie leaving

change of scene (chorus)
- Ricky laying in bed upset
- close ups of his face showing emotion
- shots of Ricky walking back and forth in bis room thinking
- shot of Ricky looking at old picture of himself with Natalie as a memory

change of scene
- Long shot of ricky sitting in an empty stand
- cuts to close up of ricky in stand singing
- side view of ricky singing
- close up of ricky singing in stand again
- Long shot of the stand again

change of scene (final chorus)

- Ricky sitting in his house alone at a table
- Close up of Ricky showing he is upset
- Medium shot showing the picture he was looking at earlier disguised in the shot
- Close up of Ricky picking up picture
- Close up of Ricky looking at it
- Medium shot of him throwing it away, then getting up and walking off

Final Shot
- Extreme close up on picture of the two together as music fades out

Props and location

For my media product I will need certain props in order to make my product seem more real.

- HD Camera
- Car
- Tripod
- Cheap-ish clothes
- Phone

I will need two characters for my music video, the star and then one female side character.


Also I looked at locations that I could film at using Google Earth. Here are some of the locations I will use.

Sutton Arena - for a shot of the star in the stands on his own singing.

Mellows Park - where I will have shots of the star singing whilst walking in the park and then eventually sitting down on a park bench singing on his own.

Georges road - where I can have him walking around lonely singing, I will also do some footage of him in his house on his own, suggesting that he is from the working class.

A2 Storyboard Animatic

I created a storyboard as part of my planning and from this produced an animatic that I will use as a guide when filming my project.