Shoot - Evaluation And Behind The Scenes Footage

My group shot our music video during this past Tuesday and Friday. Due to the amount and diversity of the material we were hoping to capture our group was decided that it would be appropriate for us to shoot over the course of two separate days. Throughout this evaluation of my groups shoot I will mostly discuss the shoot which took place at our educational facility but will also at times reference to our second shoot as it will have an enormous impact on the final cut of our music video.

The day before our Tuesday shoot we met with our producer and the rest of our team to prepare the studio and agree on other important aspects of the shoot. During this time we prepared the lighting for the morning element of our shoot, made certain that we have prepared a way of travel for our lead vocalist to arrive on time, and that we designated the right amount of time to every aspect of the music video we were hoping to capture. This process has allowed our team to begin shooting without any noticeable issues, which in turn provided us with more time to capture the performance elements. Perhaps the only elements that took longer than we anticipated were the application of make up on our performers and adequately setting up the camera.

The first studio setup we prepared consisted of a black background and different types of lightning set ups. Due to this we were able to prepare the different setups in quick succession and with little effort. Although now when view the footage I feel that the lighting setup provided to much contrast and is therefore at this point hardly usable as it can’t be tweaked without noise being created. On the other hand the TV setup, which we filmed in the afternoon, turned out to be more interesting and a bigger success than we anticipated. By placing the TV’s in interesting compositions and lighting them in different ways we created numerous visually appealing shots. Although our group was not able to take some shots of the TV’s that I hoped to capture, the overall turn out still satisfies and I know I can make proper usage of this footage while editing.

All the members of my group were interested in completing different tasks while on set. Therefore we decided to share roles and in the end we came to a compromise by which I acted as director of photography while shooting the dancers and as director when shooting the lead vocalist. I feel that this was the appropriate decision to make as I knew the vocalist prior to the shoot and was therefore able to direct her in the right direction when on set. We easily transitioned between jobs and by doing so were to keep on cooperating efficiently as a team.

When acting as the director and the DOP on set I did my best for the shoot to work out. For instance one thing I think I did particularly well was guiding the lead vocalist. I let our vocalist know what it is that we are expecting from her by using key words, which correlate to certain ideas. For instance when shooting one shot for the TV sequence I wanted our lead vocalist to look into the camera with a look of desire on her face. In order to achieve this effect I did not ask her for that in particular but instead asked her to look at the camera as if it was one million dollars. In other words I used key words and phrases that would indirectly allow me to pull out certain actions and emotions out of her. I think this was very successful, as I do not think I would have achieved the same effects by simply requesting desiring looks and amazing dance moves. Another thing I think I’ve done very well was positioning the camera while acting as the DOP.

In general the first and second shoots went really well. As a team we were able to work together to a high standard and have captured all the necessary shots that we required for post-production.

Shoot - Schedule

I created a shooting schedule and a list of necessary materials that will allow me and my group to be organised during our shoots. This document will allow us to effectively shoot everything that we have to within a timely manner. As we are renting certain equipment this will also ensure that finish shooting by a certain time. Furthermore I have set time for activities in a way that will ensure we capture all the necessary footage but will also allow us to capture a number of creative and spontaneous shots. In conclusion the shooting schedule is a crucial piece that will make certain our shoots go as planned.

Shoot - Shot List

Our group met today and designed a shot list for our shoots. This shot list will enable us to capture all the necessary shots whilst ensuring that we can edit our footage during post-production in an effective manner. When designing our shot list we used our imaginations and visual aids that aided us in choosing shots we think will be visually appealing and will provide us with the possibility of creating effective and creative transitions. Most importantly this shot list will ensure that we can capture everything we need without wasting time on thinking about what we should shoot next. Overall this shot list is a crucial document that will aid our group greatly during our shoots.

Shoot - Camera Operator

Today our group decided what task each member of our group will have during the shoots. The jobs we have given out to ourselves were the director, camera operator, and music-operator/gaffer. For our groups music video shoot I will be mainly working as the camera operator. A camera operator is responsible for correctly setting up the filming equipment, planning, preparing and rehearsing scenes/shots, working effectively with the lightning team, and creatively framing and capturing action. As I have had some experience in this field our group decided to appoint me as the man for the job.  This task is furthermore physically demanding as shoots commonly last for hours. Throughout our shoots I will set up the dolly, tripod and phantom camera which I will be assisted in doing by a phantom flex operator to ensure that I use the piece of equipment correctly during the shoot. Continuing for each static shot I will set up the camera and rehearse the scene to see weather I have chosen the right place for the camera or whether I should move the equipment to a different area. One minus of using paint in our shoot will be that I will be limited to rehearsing without thee paint, which will be more difficult to visualise and therefore achieve a satisfactory effect.  Finally I will use the rule of thirds in combination with my knowledge of composition form art to correctly compose shots. Furthermore due to my experience in being a DOP I will utilize the correct camera lenses depending on the type of effect our team will want to achieve. In general I have faith in the fact that I can carry out this job accurately and purposely over the course of the two shoots.

Tackling Issues – Paint Safety and Concerns

Our group has realized that we must purchase paint that can be safely thrown at people. At the same time we understood that we must make certain that our actors and dancers are not allergic to the paint we choose to use. By looking at different types of paint, and paint companies I came upon Glidden paint. This paints are sold in large container, and their viscosity is nearly liquid like which would allow us to easily toss them and create fantastic visualizations through their use. Furthermore our group agreed that we should utilize latex paints, as they are water based. In other words this means that can be easily washed of through the use of soap and water, whilst oil paint require special chemicals to be washed off. Although our group must still make certain that our dancers are not allergic to the paint, we feel confident that this is an appropriate solution to our problem.

Tackling Issues - Studio

As our group is planning on shooting our entire project within the grounds of the studio we had to find a way to overcome an issue related to the use of paint. Mainly the studio would be greatly damaged if we were to throw paint around unsystematically. It would also decrease the time that we would have to shoot the other elements of our music video due to the time we would have to spend cleaning the paint of the floors and walls. The solution to this problem that our group came up with was to purchase large sheets of fabric to cover the studio walls and floor. After an extensive amount of research we came to the conclusion that waterproof tarpaulin would work. We found a company (Cunningham covers) that takes quotation orders for waterproof tarpaulin, which would also allow us to customize the pieces of fabric to the size of the studio. Through the use of this fabric in combination with some duct tape we should be able to easily secure the studio walls and floor. Furthermore because the tarpaulin is available in many colours our group could use it as a background layer for our slow-motion/paint element.