Nearly done

As we didn’t film our video in a chronological order, we have bits of filming from different parts of the song left to do. We have had a team meeting and have decided to do some filming on Wednesday after college and finish off the song.  We are going to use a friend to be Drake’s ex and as we can’t book a camcorder we are going to use Ismael’s camera instead. We may need to do some more filming in the studio hence we will have to book it out again.

No Camera

We faced a problem as all the cameras were booked out and we still have some of the filming left to do. To overcome this, we decided to use a DSLR camcorder that we own. It is vital for us to complete our filming before the deadline and we still have some filming left to be conducted outside the college premises. 

Filming

We conducted the majority, about 70%, of the filming in the college studio as we used Tiana as Nicki and Ismael as Drake. Hats off to Tiana, she was fantastic. She understood the role of Nicki well and as she is a Performing Arts student she did not find it difficult to dance and lip-sync. As Tiana was already familiar with the song and its lyrics, lip-syncing was not a problem for her. We found it difficult at the start as we were not entirely familiar with the equipment that we were using however we did receive a lot of help from the technicians. We also faced difficulties when attempting to use the green screen as there were a lot of shadows forming. The green screen itself had many creases on it which would result in the video’s background being fuzzy. As the green screen was causing a problem we decided not to try and use the portable green screen either. In the end, we decided to not use the green screen and stick to using a white and black backdrop. We were pleased with the overall footage and filmed a lot more than what was needed as we do not have another chance to conduct the filming with Tiana. We then filmed a few shots with Ismael during our lunch break as we had the studio booked and the equipment was set up. Overall, it was a productive day.

This image below shows one of the jackets worn by Ismael during the filming, the attire chosen was crucial as Ismael was representing Drake. A similar red baseball jacket is worn by Drake in his music videos hence this was ideal for Ismael to wear as it represents a street image. 

This image below shows Tiana's outfit which she wore during the filming, the attire chosen was crucial as Tiana was representing Nicki Minaj. A low cut top and skirt is worn by Nicki in many occasions hence this was an ideal attire for Tiana.

Treatment Updated

We didn’t go with our initial treatment and storyboard due to unforeseen changes such as having no actors. This created a dilemma and although we received a performing arts student, Teeyana, to pursue the role of Nicki, we didn’t have an actor to play Drake. As time was running out, Ismael decided to take on the role of Drake and we decided to conduct a performance based music video which will be conducted in the studio as we will be able to take various shots in a minimal amount of time and may even possibly be able to use the green screen. The green screen will allow us to replicate different sceneries without having to travel there however we will not have much space for the actors to move around.

Nicki's Talent release form update

This is the talent release form for our new actress, Teeyana, who will be playing the role of Nicki Minaj in our music video.

Recce

There are very few locations that we are using for our music video. The reason being is because these artists who created the song are known for using a studio to create many of their shots. Only some outdoor shots are used in very quick shots lasting for no more than 1 second. The first location we have chosen is in a TV studio. This location is perfect as it provides a white background which can be used to reflect upon the artist’s thoughts and re-emphasise on the artist as being the main focus of the shot. The green screen can be used to place the artist on a location reflecting his thoughts. It will probably be in a dark scene considering the song has a low tone with it and is quite depressing. An idea that popped into my mind was to have the studio pitch black and have a projector projecting images of the girl in the background, much alike the one’s seen in the video for Drake’s song over.

Going to our chosen location Oxford Street, shown on the image on the left, made it’s easier for us to understand where the actress would be walking whilst we film her. When looking at the location, we looked at the spectrum of light which would be shining in certain parts of the video. For example, we could have light shining from the reflection of buses. We liked this effect which we have seen in parts in actual music videos. We got our model to stand in the location to see whether the shot would look good however our model wouldn’t be standing in the sun light for too long due to health and safety reasons. The camera would be on-going moving when shooting this part of the music video. This location is ideal to portray the successful lifestyle of our actress as she will be representing a successful business woman.

Another location we have chosen is Trafalgar Square, shown in the image on the left. The square will show the busy and hectic lifestyle of our actress as she walks past the square on her way to work. The shots we would possibly use are a mid-close up, a view point and a close up of the actress. We will have to rely on natural light as we will not be able to set up lighting at the square.

Advantages of using a studio

·         Quick, easily accessible

·         Able to conduct various shots in a short time span

·         Easy for actors to meet up

·         Ability to use green screen

Disadvantages of using a studio

·         Not able to get various backgrounds

·         Lighting may not be great

·         Minimum levels of props

Advantages of Trafalgar Square

·         People in the background, authentic

·         Nice scenery

·         Ability to use props

·         A lot of space to conduct various shots

Disadvantages of Trafalgar Square  

·         People may get in the way

·         Lighting may not be effective

·         Actors may not be able to make it 

Storyboard - Nicki Minaj's part

 

As Hannah left the group, she also had Nicki’s part of the storyboard hence we were unable to retrace this. I created a new storyboard for Nicki’s part.

Here is Nicki Minaj's part of the storyboard:

 

Team Meeting

Today we had an urgent team meeting as we needed to get our act together as we are running out of time. We discussed as a group on what tasks we have left to complete and how we are going to organise ourselves in order to finish by the deadline. We came to a conclusion myself and Ismael will conduct the filming separately, outside lesson hours in order to save time and we have also halved the other tasks which still remain incomplete. 

Updated talent release form

As we changed actors and Ismael stepped in to play the role of Drake, this is the updated talent release form:

Equipment Booking

As we had to book the camcorder we had to fill in a form which allowed us to do so. This is the completed form we filled in:

Uh oh

We faced a dilemma as our actor who was going to be playing Nicki became ill therefore she wasn’t able to shoot. To overcome this we got a Performing Arts student to take the role of Nicki and as we still hadn’t had an actor for Drake, Ismael stepped up to take this role. This was the request letter we wrote to Teeyana, our new actor to be Nicki Minaj:

Hey, my name is Ismael Salajee and I’m part of a group conducting a music video.

The role of the character we need to play is Nicki Minaj for a music video which won’t last for more than a minute. It is a solo performance based music video for the song Make Me Proud by the artist Drake. We will need the filming to be conducted both in the studio and outside of the college premises. The scene will be mainly studio based so there will be no travelling. It really shouldn’t take that long to film the scene. If you know the lyrics to the song that would be great but it will be also played in the background for you.

You will be able to have a say in what shots are used. If at any time you do not feel comfortable let us know and we can change the shots. The shot will be filmed on both a white and black background so we can get a variation and we will also use the green screen at some point.

As for the dress code you can dress however you feel. You can dress like Nicki Minaj or the complete opposite. We probably won’t film you from your knees down or if you want us to that’s fine. I’ll be in lessons until 1PM so my group member will be filming with you.

You can contact me directly by phone: 07769226158 or email me at isalajee@hotmail.co.uk

Either way is fine by me. You can always text or email me if you need anything. Vanessa told us that you did media last year and even we thought we could use your media skills in this video as well. I have included a Talent Release Form (Below) which looks really confusing but it’s really not.

It would be greatly appreciated if you would be part of our Music Video and free to email or text me if you need anything.

 

Storyboard - Drake's part

Here is the story board we created as a group:

Prezi

Make Me Proud - Drake Ft Nicki Minaj on Prezi

This is the Prezi which I have created to show some of the tasks I have completed for my music video. I found using Prezi fairly straight forward as the website had guidelines on how to use it therefore it wasn’t difficult in creating a Prezi.

Talent Release Form

As Hannah has left the group myself and Ismael have taken responsibility in ensuring we complete all the tasks. We took the liberty of designing a new release form for the actors. The one provided for us was difficult to understand. Our actors found it very complex so we have created a new one from scratch. To make things easier and simple, we have even included Ismael’s personal telephone number to make it easier for the actors contact the group. The template is as follows:

Production Title: Make Me Proud Music Video

Producer(s): Ismael Salajee

Contact Number: 07769226158

I the undersigned ____________________________________ agree to the use of film/video/sound recording of myself being carried out as part of a music video production by a media team within Leyton Sixth Form College.

The production itself will be published on an online social networking site. The video will require at least three days of filming but it should all be completed within 48 hours. The video will be mainly studio based with a bit of green screen for effects so not much travelling will be needed however travel costs will be paid if the actor is unable to make it.

The video may require filming to be done during the half terms so dates will need to be confirmed for availability and timing. Some scenes may require dressing up smart and others in the complete opposite. Some shots may even be filmed outside, maybe in central London or even around East London depending on the shot but most likely we will not need to film in the City.

If you are under 16, we require a parent or guardian to sign this form to acknowledge your involvement in a production involving film.

I agree to be part of the music video production and will be available on request for filming for the video.

Full Name________________________________________

Address__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Email__________________________________________

Phone Number________________________________

Date_________________

Signed _______________ (by parent or guardian if under 16)

 

Location Release Form

As with the Talent Release Form, we have also created my own Location Release Form using our own house style and ethos. The new design is much easier to understand and what we need/require and what they require of us is easily understood and recognised. The template is as follows:

Production Title: Make Me Proud Music Video

Producer(s): Ismael Salajee

Contact Number: 07769226158

I have received details from Ismael Salajee concerning the location on which the music video will be filmed. I can confirm that the location may be used on the time and date that has been allocated. The location and those involved in agreeing to let us use the location for our production will be acknowledged and recognised within the video.

The production team understand and realise the need to keep the location looking exactly how it was when it was given to us and we will ensure it will be returned to the state it was in previously. We will be held responsible for any theft and damage and will be responsible for cleaning up any mess afterwards.

Permission will always be taken before using the studio for the location manager/supervisor to acknowledge our presence on site. It would be greatly appreciated if the form can be filled in completely.

Name of Location ___________________________________________

Address of Location __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Position/role___________________________________________

Company (if applicable) _____________________________________________________________

Date________________________

Signed_________________________

 

Camera Focus Task

Today I learnt how to use some functions on a Panasonic LECIA HDC-HS900 camcorder. I learnt how to use functions such as autofocus, manual focus and IRIS. We carried out a task as a group in which we practiced focusing the camera onto an object/person and making the background blurry. This will help us when filming and will help to save us time when editing as we will not have to add in effects to improve the focus.

Here is an image of the camcorder I used: 

Group Meeting

Today we conducted a group meeting and then printed most of the work which we have completed as a group. We discussed which tasks we still have left to complete and created a plan to have all the tasks completed as soon as possible. We completed the risk assessment, treatment, actor's brief and most of the story board. We still are awaiting for the release forms to be given back to us from actors.


The turnout again was terrible as no one turned up for the auditions therefore we are still missing someone to play the role of Drake and time is running out.

Editing Practice

Today my group learnt how to use a Mac computer to edit a short video clip using Final Cut Pro. We were taught by a professional technician who gave us a task in which we had to work as a team in order to put together short clips of video and audio to create a full length movie. We learnt how to add in transitions and special effects such as a motion blur and captions. We found this task extremely useful as we feel more confident in using the software to edit our music video.

We also spent some time outside lesson to set up another audition as our current one didn't go according to plan. We went into some Performing Art’s classrooms and pitched our music video idea and decided to hold auditions again for tomorrow.

Auditions didn't work out

As we put up the audition posters around the college on a short notice we didn't have anyone come in to audition. This was a downfall however we have chosen a female, a friend of Hannah to play the role of Drake's ex in our music video. I have allocated my friend from outside college to play the role of Nicki Minaj. She was willing to help out as she is a huge fan of Nicki Minaj and knows her songs by heart hence lip-synching will not be an issue. On the other hand, we still have one actor missing, someone to play the role of Drake.

Allocating Roles

We have allocated various roles within our group to ensure that everyone is working efficiently. We have divided the story board into two parts in which myself and Hannah will be working on Nicki Minaj’s part of the song whereas Ismael will be working on Drake’s part. After creating the poster myself and Hannah are in charge of holding the auditions as Ismael is unable to attend. I have completed the risk assessment form in thorough detail. In our spare time, we have started to decide on different locations which we will use for filming. This is critical as we all we need to be able to travel to the various locations easily when filming and we also have to take into consideration that our actors are able to travel.