Planning - Permission

Before I could start filming with Ollie as my actor, I needed to get his consent.  I text him asking whether it'd be okay for him to play the part of the male in my music video.  I explained how I thought he would be perfect for the role and how much I liked him in the test shots.  I have screenshotted ye message exchange between Ollie and I as proof of his consent. 

Research - Age rating

 Although only few music video's clarify an age rating, I think that it is important that a make mine clear.  The storyline is very drug heavy as well as it being a mature narrative.  If I went towards the angle of displaying the drugs through a metaphor, like suggested in my pitch feedback, then the age rating could be lowered to a 15 as how the narrative is portrayed won't be as raw.  However, I think I will be going down a raw route as that fits my genre.  My target audience is ages 18 - 30, as I believe they will not only understand the narrative, but also be able to relate to the narrative as they will know well known characters which have been in similar situations; Amy Winehouse and Blake.

Planning - H&S assessment

                                                           
To ensure that the set is as safe as it possibly can be, I have created a health and safety risk assessment.  This will make me aware of various risks and dangers on set.  This will prevent anyone or anything being hurt.  It will also stop anything from going wrong whilst filming which could result in production being delayed, resulting in it not being as good quality.
I have created a Word timetable which lists all of the possible hazards and ranks them from Low to Extreme, in how likely they are in happening and how big of an effect the consequences would be.                                                   

Planning - Costume

I created this presentation in Prezi after I had done research into the type of attire worn in the music video genre of indie/vintage pop. To do this i looked into the attire worn in the late 1980s to 90s by the wealthy, glamorous and famous as well as the average teenage. which is what my music video switches between. The costume choices which I have chosen should represent the fame and glamour of the couple in the eyes of the public/paparazzi, as well as representing the couples drugged up and reckless lifestyle off camera.

Planning - Props

Planning - Location shot testing

There are many different locations which I plan to shoot in.  These locations include:

• At home in Middleton Cheney; in attic, bedroom, kitchen etc.
• In the streets and roads of Middleton and Banbury.
• Banbury reservoir
• Woodland areas

Attic 

I wanted a location which could represent and look like a place people go to take drugs ( a drug den).  When thinking about this, I came up with my attic.  I went up there on my own and took photographs around the location to see what it'd look like on camera.
When taking these photographs, I was very pleased with the outcome of the shot testing.  I thought that the attic looked perfect for somewhere I wanted to look 'rough'.  I also have a mattress which stairs up there, which is spare.  I used some old sheets to make it look used.


Bedroom

The bedroom of my house is somewhere, I wanted to take shots.  This is somewhere I would like to film to show an intimate side to the couple.  The bedroom itself would suggest this side of the relationship.  Like with the attic, I went and took test shots of my bedroom.
When taking these test shots, I did it of angles I thought that I would want to look at when taking shots in this location. 
The first shot which I looked at was one of the headboard.  I thought that this could be used to frame the outline of the characters.  This could be done by placing the camera at the end of the bed and the couple sitting in front of the headboard.  This would be an intense shot as it was head on, as well as it being outlined.
The next shot seems to be unusual as it is just of the bed sheet.  However, this is because I would like to do a shot in this location where the couple are laying in bed.  The camera will be angled downwards at the sheets as the shot is taken.

Planning - Camera angles ideas

• Point of view shot- 

When planning my narrative and researching similar music video'sin the (vintage) indie genre, I decided that POV shots could to represent aspects of my narrative.  POV shots are used a lot in the indie genre show what state a person is in; high, drunk etc.  Arctic Monkey's use this a lot in their music videos to show this.  As my narrative is showing two perspectives of a relationship (an insiders and outsiders), POV could be used a lot to represent each angle.  This is something I intend to do.

• Close up shots

Throughout the indie genre, close ups are a shot used often to show a persons emotion.  When researching the conventions of this genre I discovered how important meaning is.  Whether this is through lyrics or the music video or both, it is a very important part.  Close up's are a shot which can tell a story well.  The shot is able to capture tiny details of a moment, whether that's through the emotion of a person or aspects of a location or prop. 

Planning - Shot testing

When looking into music video's to inspire my video I came across Mura Masa's 'What if I go?'.  This gave me a lot of ideas for shots and editing I would like to include.  

I tried to recreate the shots/editing I liked in the music video.  I wasn't sure on how they did this, but I used two still images taken by a camera moved between two tripods placed about three inches apart.  In editing i then let the pictures play for 0.1s and copy and past them so they played on repeat. 

We took many sets of still images with the intention to attempt this effect.  

                             

Planning - Final Casting: Male

For the final casting of the male for my music video, I have casted Ollie Poole.  I thought that Ollie worked really well on camera and was a pleasure working with off camera.  I used Ollie last year, when I worked with Megan, for our rough footage.  He was very talented with his ability to become many characters last year and play any role.  I like that Ollie is very confident and that he can work with anyone.  When looking at appearance, Ollie's look is perfect for the male character.  His brown hair and facial makes him look alternative, he is very handsome and tall.  This is exactly what I wanted for the character. 

Planning: Final Casting: Female

For the final casting of the female, I have chosen myself to play the character.  This is firstlty because I think that I would fit the image I have for the character; blonde, petite, long hair etc.  I also like how myself and Ollie work on (and off) camera.  This was shown in the rough shots. I think that by casting myself as the female, it will also be a lot easier to establish what I want, in terms of shots.  I played the main role in myself and Megan's film opening last year and found it easier to establish what we wanted. It will also be easier to do this as a lot of my music video is point of view/ hand held.  I also liked the idea of using myself as I will not have to rely on others, which will help flexibility.

Planning - Rough shots

To get an idea of how different castings would work and how different shots would, I have done a very rough video of them.  I have only done point of view shots and handheld shots in this video.  My video vill contain a lot of this, however will also variate with other shots with a tripod. I will try these out in another video.
From this video, i have more of an idea on how my video will be shot and who I want in it.  I really like how myself and Ollie work in this video as I think we have very good on set chemistry, which is good for the characters.  I also like Efia's shots but i do think she would work better as an extra.
For the shots, they will be a lot clearer and have better lighting, as in this video the lighting isn't very good.  The location was just in a drama studio, so it'll be completely different to the end video.

Planning: Casting

For the casting for my video, I have considered a lot of people.  I will need two main characters playing the couple in love.  I will also need extras for the paparazzi, people at the parties and generally in the background.  I will also need people to play in some short scenes.  For example, the scene I have in mind of a boy falling off a skateboard when doing a trick.  

The people below are all ones I have considered for different parts in the video. 

The main male character I wish to be the stereotypical tall, dark and handsome.  This is to strongly represent the idea of them being a celebrity. The idea of him being tall also helps to represent the idea that the woman relies on the man and that he is her protection as his height will represent his dominance.  Also the fact that my genre covers the vintage grunge area,  years ago tall, dark and handsome was very traditionally desirable.  Therefore by choosing someone in this area promotes my genre. 

For the main female character I wish her to have a very versatile look.  In some of the shots I want her to be seen as the stereotypical innocent, small (in comparison to the male) female.  Ideally I think she should have blonde hair as the light colouring will represent her innocence.  However in other shots her want to represent her innocence.  She will then be seen as the stereotypical drugged up celebrity, putting on a front.  I think it'd be good for the female to have longer then shoulder length hair as I want her to represent beauty and traditionally beauty is represented in long hair.  This is to follow the vintage genre.

The extras in the video will be paparazzi, people at parties, friends, etc.  There will also be a male seen ridding a skateboard a couple of times throughout the video, which is put there to represent youth of the couple; comparing their confusing lifestyle to other people their age.  The person who is seen on the skateboard i would like to look very alternative, ideally with long hair. I also want the person to be male.  These aspects represent the stereotype of a 'skater boy'.  The boy will wear vintage clothes to follow the vintage genre. 

The first person I considered as the boy skateboarding is Charlie Walton.  The reason I chose Charlie is firstly because he has long hair.  I really imagine the boy to have long hair underneath a beanie hat.  This will mean that when he falls off the skateboard, his hair will move.  I also really like Charlie's alternative style.  An alternative theme is something I would like to be running through my video and therefore Charlie would be a good asset.  I don't think Charlie would fit the main character role as I want the main man to be more clean cut and traditional in a lot of the shots.

Dan Plumbe is someone I considered for the role of the main male character.  I liked that Dan has a lot of hair as it'll be good to style for the different events and occurrences throughout the video.  I also likes that Dan is quite tall as I wanted the male character to be tall, with dark hair - which Dan also has. I think Dan could also work for the skater boy is he was to have a wig as he has a slim build which matches the stereotype of a skater.

Someone I really thought would suit the main male role is Ollie Poole.  He is someone I used last year in test shots for my video, however was unable to film the final film opening with Megan and myself, which is something i was highly disappointed about.  Ollie was very good to work with last year.  I also think that Ollie would work well as the character as he is very tall, has dark hair and also a beard which I think would work very well.  Ollie also looks older then his age which is beneficial.  Ollie could also be considered as the skater boy if he were to put on a long haired wig as he is, although handsome, alternative looking.





Harry Beck was who I used for my final piece last year and he was a pleasure to work with.  Like the main male character, Harry is very tall and has dark hair.  He is very versatile  in the characters he can play.  Last year he was perfect for the main role. This is why I considered him for this year.  I will do some test shots to see if any of these people fit the parts.
I don't think that Harry would be suitable for the role of the skater boy as he is very clean cut, unlike the skater stereotype.

For the main female role, I have considered Robyn Harris.  This is because she is average height and has a very versatile appearance, which will be useful for the different events happening throughout the video.  I also like hat Robyn is quite innocent looking, as this is what I wanted for the character.  I originally imagined the character having blonde hair, however this is flexible. Robyn could also be considered as an extra in the film as a friend or paparazzi.

Someone I also considered for the female main character is myself (Emily Sommerfeld).  The reason for this is because I am blonde, which matches the stereotype of innocence.  Also I am below average height which is a lot smaller then the boys I have considered casting; something I wanted for this character.  I have a very versatile appearance as I don't wear a lot of makeup, which would be good in different scenes.  Something else I liked about using myself is that I know exactly what I want.  A lot of the video will also be shot as point of view so therefore filming won't be an issue.

Planning - Casting call

Planning: Choosing a Location

When looking into location i decided that I wanted many different places involved in the video, to create a story.  I would like to have many different scenes, in different places however these places will have linked relevance and hold different representational factors for the video.  The chosen narrative I have gone for means that all locations used will show different aspects and angles of a couples life.
Idea 1 - Several locations

• My first idea for locations include many wide angles on the couples life.  This will include parties to show the famous, social side of their lives, along with red carpet events and shots showing that they have traveled; Italy & London are both places I will be able to get shots at.  This idea would also involve shots of the couple in bed together, walking down dark streets without harassment from the public and many dark areas; drug dens, attics etc.  This will show both sides to the couples lives; the one they show the public and the one they don't. 
• My target audience is between the ages of 18 and late 20s/30.  When thinking of my location I thought that this age group will have many famous couples or individuals which they admire and see in many of these locations.  Therefore by providing an alternative narrative to what is really going on in this celebrities life and having these locations to represent it, should be interesting to the audience.  Also some of the locations the couple will be shot in will be places that the audience can relate to, e.g. in bed, down streets. 

• The main locations I would use to film all of these would be in Banbury and in Middleton Cheney.  I live in Middleton and a lot of these shots could be set at my house to look as though they are in different locations.  For example, I have an attic which I could use as a dark area to film.  Also, the red a carpet shots could be done in my garden.  When it comes to looking at shots in the streets, this would have to be done in Banbury to capture more of a town life.

•  By using these locations to create the many locations I wish to include, it will not only be cheaper to fund as it is all very local, but also would reduce how much time it would take to use transport.  There are many places in Banbury where paparazzi shots and party shots could be taken, as well as Middleton Cheney.  The two areas are not very glamorous, which would follow the raw conventions of an indie music video. 

•  I would also use the school drama studio to carry out some of the shots, as it is a dark area where many of the dark drug shots could be carries out. 
• Below I have created a moodboard to show different images of locations I plan to use for this idea.  All of these images show the two sides of the couples life. 

All of these images were ones I found on google.  Apart from the one in the top left which is a screen shot from the Skins episode of Effy and Freddie.

Idea 2
London - Urban

• My second idea for location was in London. This idea came from how iconic London i.  This is something I could use for representation to how iconic the couple is.  It is also a location which my target audience would have probably been to and therefore they could relate to it.
• When filming in London there are many locations which I would like to use. 
•  One location being inside of a town house.  I have family in London so this would be accessible.  I would use the house to show the private life of the couple; the life behind doors. As shown in the photography below, the houses are very beautiful.  
  
• One aspect of the town house which I would use very well is the balcony.  The beautiful metal balcony, looking out onto the road is something I would use to show the female.  Her looking out onto the road or looking up at the balcony.  It something I would use in a shot to capture her beauty and innocence. 
• Other locations which I would use in London is the underground.  The underground is a very iconic part of London and therefore it could be used to show location. 
• I would also use the streets of London to show the couple holding hands and walking together, just to capture the generic couple activities.  
  
• There are many theaters in London which not only look beautiful from the outside, but inside as well.  This is somewhere I could film inside and outside (with permission), to show the fame of the couple and make it look like an event.   
• This location is one which would probably cost a lot of money to carry out, however would work very well. 

Idea 3
Fields and woods - rural (quiet location)

• My last idea for location for my video is using fields and woodland areas.  This would have to have a contrast with the red carpet events in that the fields could be used to represent their playful love, making the beginning of the video look very loved up and normal,whereas the rep carpet events would need to show the fame in their relationship. 
  
•  The fields would represent the innocence of the love to begin with.  This would show lovely sunny, flower filled fields at the beginning and cold dark fields at the end.  Both would have the couple in the location, representing their love (and life) fading/dying.  
•  This idea of a rural environment could also include woods.  The woods could represent the dark areas of the relationship as well as the light; similar to the field.  

• It could show the couple playing in the woods, messing around at the beginning.  Then this could turn into dark meetings in the end of the video. This is again a representation of  the love fading/dying and the drugs taking over. 
• Both of this rural areas play on the idea of representing freedom.  This is something which the female looses throughout the video and therefore the use of these locations are powerful in representing that . 

All of these ideas of locations strongly follow the conventions of a typical Indie music video.  They all use different approaches to fit into the genre.  Something which I took into consideration with all of these ideas is representation.  Each location choice represents different aspects of the narrative.