My name is Juliette Wileman (0875), and this is my A2 Media Studies Coursework blog. I am working in Group 3 along with Audrey King Lassman (0397), Brandon Poonwasie (0660), and Chrystal Li (0470).
To navigate around my blog, use the labels on the left side, below the Labels heading.
Thank you!

Website

Album Art Digipack

Album Art Digipack

Music Video

Saturday 25 October 2014

Band Rehearsals

We decided to have the band practise their instruments, so as to make their performance look more convincing on camera. We found the tabs for the song, and then played it through until it looked convincing enough.
Because Brandon can play guitar, he helped Chrystal and Audrey learn their parts on the bass and guitar before he practised the drums.



Friday 24 October 2014

Shoot-Boards


For each shoot, we also use a shoot-board, which is a combination of a shot-list, a shot-log and a shoot schedule. By having one set of paperwork for each shoot, it makes it easier for us to organise ourselves on the actual shoot day, and it means we have all the necessary information in one place.

We make a shoot-board by breaking down the shoot day into shots that we need to get by the end of the shoot. We put the timings for each shot on the left of the table, and the time-code of the song after the reference image. We also put a description of the shot needed incase the image isn't clear enough, along with the set, the cast of each shot, the props needed and the lighting needed.

We used images from our story board in our shoot-boards, as we know what shots are needed from our drawings, and the story board was also colour coded by era and band, meaning we will easily be able to tell which set up is being shot from the colour of the images.

Call Sheets

For each individual shoot, we produce a call sheet, which is an overview of the timings of the shoot, and also has all the information needed for the shoot, such as the props list and the costume lists (shown below).














We worked out the call sheets by looking at our shoot schedules, and working out what set-up would be shot when. We then decided how long we would need to set up and to do make-up, and how long we would need to shoot.

Casting

For our lead boy, we had to decide between Brandon and Jacob, both shown below in the screen tests that we conducted so as to help us choose who would look best on camera, and who fit the image of the indie band.

Jacob's Screen Test


Brandon's Screen Test

We decided to cast Jacob, as he was more lively and fun on camera, and could portray the 'innocent yet cool' lead of the band. We felt he had more of an 'indie', 'hipster' look than Brandon, and we thought that whilst both lip synced well, Jacob had the edge.




We also cast:

Brandon as the drummer in the band, as he is confident in front of the camera. We are also confident that we can make Audrey look 'indie' through our choice of costume.
Audrey as the guitarist in the band, as she is confident in front of the camera, and we thought that having different genders in the band would make the band more relatable to the audience. We are also confident that we can make Audrey look 'indie' through costume and make-up.
Chrystal as the bassist in the band, as she is confident in front of the camera, and we thought that having different genders in the band would make the band more relatable to the audience. We are also confident that we can make Chrystal look 'indie' through our choice of costume and make-up.







Me (Juliette) as the lead girl (the girl in the couples), as I am confident in front of the camera, and I can lip sync to the song. I am also the most confident in terms of performing for the camera, such as the dancing, and am most comfortable to do so in the group.

Set Design

For our sets, we decided to have a small amount of props that referenced the era - we decided this as it was more practical for us to have as few props as possible due to having a large number of sets.

For the 50s era, we have:
  • a juke box, which will stand in the middle of the frame
  • two vintage car cut-outs, which we hope to hang from the lighting frame
These are iconic items from the era, and easily recognisable; for example the televison show Happy Days, that portrayed an idealised version of the mid-50s, which featured a juke box.



For the 70s era, we have:
  • a disco ball, which we hope to hang from the lighting frame
  • a disco floor, which will be in the middle of the frame
These are referencing Saturday Night Fever, which is a well-known 70s film.


For the 80s era, we have:
  • a bench, which will be in the middle of the frame
  • (plants)
This is referencing The Breakfast Club, which is a popular 80s film set in a school. The bench is so we can reference the iconic dance scene where two characters shuffle across a beam:


For the 90s era, we have:
  • a sofa, which will be in the middle of the frame
  • a Central Perk mug
  • a coffee table
  • boom box
These are referencing the television show F.R.I.E.N.D.S, which was a popular 90s show. The sofa and mug are referencing the iconic coffee shop set.


For the modern era, we have:
  • a zebra crossing
  • mobile phones
This is referencing technology, which is prevalent in modern times.


Testing Editing And Lighting


For the first dance of our video, we choreographed the dance shown in the video above. We wanted the dances to be fun and light-hearted, rather than professional looking, so as to mirror the fun relationships of the couples in the different eras.

We also tested our idea of cutting between eras - from this test, we learnt that we need to cut more to the music, such as on the beats, rather than to the dance. We also learnt that we need to mark where the actors need to be so they don't jump from place to place between each era. However, we are all happy with how this turned out, and we know what we need to do for our actual shoot.

We are also happy with how the footage looks in terms of vibrancy and lighting - the bright colours means the images are clean and clear, which is what we intended for our music video, as this fits with the mood of the music - upbeat and lively.

Lighting

For one production meeting we went to the Seward Studio and had an induction for the lighting desk, and also a chance to decide and programme what lighting we wanted.

We learnt how to position the lights to where we wanted, as well as how to change the lights from spot to flood lighting. We mostly used flood lighting so as to colour the entire cyclorama.

We also decided which colours we wanted for each era:

  • 50s - red - as this references the lipstick worn in the era
  • 70s - purple - as this is associated with disco, and our reference for the props , Saturday Night Fever
  • 80s - yellow - as this is associated with school, which is where our reference, The Breakfast Club, is set
  • 90s - green - this is referencing F.R.I.E.N.D.S, and the Central Perk logo, along with the props
  • modern - blue - this is associated with technology, which is a large part of modern society

Schedule Of The Studio


We were given a schedule of when we were able to shoot in the Seward Studio - my group is in purple. We are able to shoot in the studio during school, before school, after school and on the weekends. We used this schedule to work out our own shoot schedule, which we also had to work out according to when our lead actor, Jacob, was available.
As we had no shoots on location, due to our video being entirely studio based, we had to make sure we were able to shoot everything that we needed in the time given to us.


Kit List

  • Canon 5D Mark II DSLR Camera - we found that this was the most appropriate camera, as it produces a clear, sharp image.
  • 24mm – 105 mm Canon L Lens
  • Ball head tripod (Manfrotto 546B with 504HD) - because we ave no camera movement in our video, we used the ripod for every shot to keep the camera still and level.
  • Arri 1000K Lights in lighting rig with colour filters - the colour filters are particularly vital, as the colours help to differentiate between eras.
  • Leapfrog lighting desk
  • Audio playback through studio
  • 50 Inch visual playback monitor - this is useful for framing and watching back shots.



Sunday 19 October 2014

Make-Up - 90s


For the 90s make-up, we referenced the film Clueless, and decided to use little to no eyeliner, nude/light eye shadow, and brown or red lipstick - much like the reference image on the right. The hair styles tended to be straight and natural, which I attempted to reference (shown on the left).





For this look, I used light gold eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, rum/brown lipstick, blusher and foundation.

Make-Up - 70s



For the 70s make-up style, we decided to use pastel eye shadows with nude, smudgy lipstick as this was a common style from the era. It was also common to have on colour of eye shadow on the eyelid, and a different colour above this (for this style we referenced Seventeen magazine from the 70s as shown on the top right, and my attempt on the top left)

I used pastel pink, purple and blue eye shadow, nude pink lipstick, blusher, foundation, eyeliner and mascara. I also put a scarf in my hair, as this was common in this era.

Make-Up - 50s


For the 50s make-up, we decided to have matte-red lipstick, nude/light eye shadow and winged eyeliner (shown close-up on the right). We tested this, along with the hair style - we tried both an up-do (bottom right) and a down style (left). However, the down style could be referencing the 40s more than the 50s, whereas the up-do is more recognisably 50s.

For this, I used light gold eyeshadow, blusher, eyeliner, mascara, matte-red lipstick and foundation. I also used hairspray to hold the victory roll in place, and a red bandana.

Friday 17 October 2014

Make-Up - 80s

We met with Olivia to discuss costumes and make-up for our video. After discussing what we thought would work for each era, Olivia showed us how to do make-up for the 80s era. We drew inspiration from Madonna, who usually had bright eyeshadow with pink or red glossy lipstick, such as the image on the right.



















We also chose between two blusher styles - the harsh line on the left, or the softer, higher line (that goes into the hairline) on the right. In the end we chose the style shown on the right, as it was less dramatic than the harsh line.

We chose a lighter lipstick shade as it fit with the light eyeshadow colours (yellow, green and blue). Olivia showed us which order to apply the eyeshadow in - lighter on the inside to darker on the outside.
We also learnt what style of eyeliner to apply - thin line with a pointed wing. We were all happy with the overall look of the makeup, and we think it resembles the makeup that Madonna and other 80s pop stars had in that era.


I tested this style at home, so as to practice applying this make up myself - below is the finished look, and the make up I used. However, due to a change in costuming, we decided that more subdued, less colourful make-up would fit better - much like the character Allison Reynolds from The Breakfast Club, who we also based the female costume on.




Thursday 16 October 2014

Costumes - 90s

We first used a Pinterest page to bring together inspirations and references for the 90s era style.

For the girl, we decided on dungarees and a white t-shirt, as this was a typical outfit in the 90s. We decided this over a tartan skirt similar to the one pictured on the left from the 90s film Clueless, as the video involves dancing which would be harder to do in the skirt.
Lead Girl's 90s costume


We decided that for the lead male, he would wear jeans, a white t-shirt and a shirt over the top, like pictured on the right, and jeans similar to those pictured on the left.








Lead Boy's 90s costume