Filming Diary Entries

First shooting for First draft of music video -

First band performance –

Today was the first band performance which we carried out within the drama studio. The group members which were involved include: Emily Thompson, Jack Tweddell, Guy Blackhall and John Lovatt.

We spent approximately two hours within the drama studio after school from 6pm till around 8pm. The time which we spent in the drama studio wasn’t long enough to get all of the shots which we require in order to create a quality music video, so this meant that we couldn’t get a wide variety of shots. As we didn’t carry out a wide variety of shots, we need to carry out another band performance within the drama studio at a different time so that we can cover every aspect of the band performance within the music video. When we carry out the second band performance, we need to ensure that all the band members are all lively and excited to play so that the music video has a really good effect to it.

Town shots –

Today was the first narrative filming scene which we carried out, and it involved being within Newcastle. The locations which we shot in and on include the Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian subway located underground, variety of different streets and a variety of different staircases dotted around the Newcastle area and specifically the Keyside.

The group members which were involved include: Emily Thompson, Jack Tweddell, and Guy Blackhall. We spent approximately 5 hours shooting within Newcastle from 11am till around 4pm.

As Jack is the main character within the music video, this meant that nearly all of the camera shots focused around Jack, Guy is the mysterious conscience of the main character so he was in the background of nearly all of the shots, and Emily was in control of the camera so she did all the filming within Newcastle. All the members help directing the shots and setting up the shots within Newcastle.

The problems which occurred when in Newcastle were that when we were filming on the Millennium Bridge, the wind was very powerful so it was rather difficult to keep the video camera still when it was placed on top of a very unstable tripod. Another problem which occurred when we carried out the filming on the Millennium Bridge was that, the bridge itself was extremely busy even though the weather wasn’t the best. This meant that we found it very hard to find a time gap because pedestrians kept on walking in front of the camera which made it very distracting and difficult. If the pedestrians who walked in front of the camera didn’t take any notice of the camera then it may have looked realistic and normal, but as they kept looking and pointing at the camera then the footage was no longer usable. A problem which occurred when we were filming within the pedestrian subway located underground was that the subway itself was rather busy with pedestrians walking through it which made it very difficult to find a time gap. This meant that it was very time consuming in order to find a suitable time gap so that we could carry out the filming; this delayed the filming within Newcastle. Another problem which occurred when we were filming within the pedestrian subway located underground, was that there was a skateboard located discreetly in the bottom right corner of one of the shots. We didn’t realise this until we got back and attempted to include the shot within the first draft of the music video. As we didn’t realise the skateboard was in the shot until we got back, this means that we will have to carry out a second shooting within Newcastle at a later time.

As there were quite a few problems which occurred when we shot the first shooting within Newcastle, this means that we will have to carry out a second shooting so that we can get all of the exciting shots which we require within the music video.

Beach shots –

Today was the second narrative scene which we carried out and it involved being next to the seafront. The locations which we shot in and on include the promenade and the beach.

The group members which were involved include: Emily Thompson, Jack Tweddell, Guy Blackhall, and John Lovatt. We spent approximately 2 and a half hours shooting within seafront from 3pm till around 5.30pm.

As Jack is the main character within the music video, this meant that every shot which took place at the seafront focused on Jack and no one else. Guy, Emily and John all did the directing and filming which helped a lot as they could all combine their ideas together in order to get very successful exciting shots.

A Problem which occurred when we were filming within the seafront was that; the weather was extremely windy which made it very difficult to keep the video camera still when it was placed on a very unstable tripod. This meant that it was very time consuming as the camera kept on jittering because of the wind. Another problem which occurred when we were filming at the seafront was that it got rather dark later on when we were there, so this meant that the footage was quite rushed as we were pushed for time because of the light. As the weather was extremely windy and it got quite dark near the end of the filming, this meant that the footage which we carried out wasn’t to our best potential. Another problem which occurred was that we had two cameras but only one tripod so this meant that some of the footage on the camera which wasn’t placed on the tripod was quite jittery; this meant that the footage wasn’t to the best quality. As the footage wasn’t to a high standard, this means that we are going to carry out another filming scene at the seafront at a later stage so that we can re-do the footage and improve it to our best potential.

Forest shots –

Today we carried out another narrative filming scene which consisted of being within the ‘Redder’; the ‘Redder’ is a forest located between Shiremoor and Wellfield.

The group members which were involved include: Jack Tweddell, Guy Blackhall, and John Lovatt. We spent approximately 2 and a half hours shooting within the forest from 2.30pm till around 5pm.

As Jack is the main character within the music video, this meant that the shots which we carried out consisted of Jack running in the foreground and Guy (who is the mysterious conscience of Jack) following Jack in the background. We carried out shots from various angles which gave the footage a specious and sense of direction to it. We brought two cameras to the forest so John was in control of one of the cameras and when Guy wasn’t in the footage he would be in control of the other camera. John was the main director of the footage which we carried out within the forest but Jack and Guy also helped in that area.

A problem which occurred when we were carrying out the footage within the forest was that; we had two cameras but only one tripod which meant that one of the cameras footage wasn’t to the best quality because it was hand held. This meant that the majority of the footage which was done using the hand held camera was mostly unusable because the footage was too jittery to use. Another problem which occurred was that the forest which we used is rather popular for dog walkers and unfortunately when we were carrying out filming; a dog ran in front of the camera. Even though this was rather funny at the time, the footage was unusable and it was rather time consuming because we had to spend more time filming. As Emily was unable to be present when we were filming within the forest, this meant that Guy had to be in control of one of the cameras when he wasn’t used in the footage. This meant that we had limited shots with Guy following Jack through and within the forest.

Pier and Cliffside shots -

Today we carried out another narrative scene to be used within the music video, and it involved filming next to a cliff side. The locations which we filmed on included Cullercoats pier, and the Cliffside which is located next to Cullercoats pier.

The group members which were involved included: Jack Tweddell, Guy Blackhall, and John Lovatt. We spent approximately three hours filming on the Cliffside from 5pm till approximately 8pm.

As jack is the main within the music video, this meant that the shots which we carried out consisted of jack running in the foreground and Guy (who is the mysterious conscience of Jack) following Jack in the background. We experimented with different angles which gave the footage a really different but effective feel to it. We took one camera to the scene and John was in control of the camera. John was directed the footage which we carried out. Even though John was the director of the footage which we carried out, Jack and Guy gave their ideas to John so that we combined everyone’s ideas together so that we had a mixture of ideas.

A problem which occurred when we were undergoing the footage was that everyone who was involved in the filming was busy during the day which is why we didn’t start filming till 5pm. As we didn’t start filming till 5pm, this meant that it got rather dark early into the filming so we were rather limited on how much filming we could do. Another problem which occurred was that we carried out some panning shots which appeared to look really good on the video camera, but when we copied the footage onto the Jacks laptop the footage didn’t appear to be to a high quality. The panning shots were really jittery and weren’t to a high quality which was bit of a shame because we didn’t realise until we copied the footage onto Jacks laptop. As the footage wasn’t to a high quality and we were limited with sunlight, we are going to carry out another filming scene at the Cliffside so that we can re-do the footage to our best ability.

Black track shots –

Today we carried out a narrative filming scene which consisted of being along a black track which is a black paving track which leads from Wellfied to the Re House Farm estate.

The group members which were involved include: Jack Tweddell, Guy Blackhall, and John Lovatt. We spent approximately 20 minutes filming along the black track from 4pm till around 4.20pm.

The filming which we carried out today consisted of Jack running past the camera then Guy (who is Jacks mysterious conscience) walking past the camera following Jack from a distance. We tried this specific shot with various angles including adjusting the tripod legs so that the camera is on a tilted angle. As Jack and Guy were both involved within the filming, this meant that John was in control of the camera and directing the footage. Both Jack and Guy contributed with ideas to John which allowed us to combine all of our ideas together so that we could get the best from the filming which we carried out.

A problem which occurred when we were filming along the black track was that; the track itself is a rather busy track for dog walkers and pedestrians wanting to get from the Wellfield estate to the Red House Farm estate. This meant that it was quite difficult to find a suitable time gap so that we could film; this was because we kept on being interrupted by pedestrians and dog walkers.

Emily dying scene -

The group members who were involved during the shooting of the Emily dying scene shots included: Emily Thompson, Jack Tweddell, Guy Blackhall, and John Lovatt. We spent approximately forty five minutes during our Media lesson and we went to the back of the school hall so that we could film.

The story behind Emily dying is that Emily is Jacks lady friend and something happened previously which no one knows about. So the filming which we carried out today consisted of Jack shooting Emily with the same gun which his conscience shoots himself with.

A problem which occurred today was that the location was really boring and wasn’t an exciting location. Even with the media lights, the lighting within the back of the hall was still really poor because there are no lights at the back of the school hall. Another problem which occurred was that there was no graphic close ups of Emily dying, and the shots which were used were mostly medium shots; this meant that the footage was really boring and dull.

As the filming which we carried out today was really boring and dull, this means that we are going to carry out another scene of Emily dying. For the second filming of the Emily dying scene, we are going to carry out a lot of various shots so that the footage is exciting and has a lot of mixed shots. This scene within the music video is rather important for the storyline making sense so we need Emily to over exaggerate so that the footage looks really effective and realistic.
Second shooting for second draft of music video -

Second band performance -

Today was the second band performance which we carried out within the drama studio. The group members which were involved include: Emily Thompson, Jack Tweddell, Guy Blackhall and John Lovatt. The roles which we carried out during the band performance include; Emily in control of camera and directing the footage, Jack as lead singer and playing keyboard, Guy as bass guitarist, and John on drums. We spent approximately five hours within the drama studio during half term from 10am till around 3pm.

The time which we spent within the drama studio was spent very well because we shot a range of exciting and effective band shots. During the footage within the drama studio, we shot an awful amount of footage which consisted of various angles such as; close ups of each band members faces, close ups of each band members shoes, high angle shots which were created by the camera being placed on top of the balcony within the drama studio, panning shots of the whole band, close ups of Jack singing and flirting with the camera, dolly shots of band which included Jack chasing the camera at one stage, and shots purely of different symbols which were on the drum kit which John was using. Also during the first band performance, all of the band members weren’t that lively which made the footage look really unsuitable and unrealistic so an improvement for the second band performance was to ensure that all the band members were all lively and excited to play. When we carried out the second band performance today, we ensured that all the band members were lively and excited to play so that the footage looked more realistic and suitable.

Pier and Cliffside second shots -

The group members who were involved during the second shooting of the pier and Cliffside shots included: Emily Thompson, Jack Tweddell, Guy Blackhall, and John Lovatt. We spent approximately two and a half hours filming on the pier and the Cliffside from 10am till around 12.30am.

A new location was chosen to do these shots in and they gave a much better effect. As they were taken in a different place there were no problems to improve upon and that thankfully, no problems occurred for us when doing the filming, so the filming went smoothly and as to plan.

Town shots -

The group members who were involved during the second shooting of the town shots included: Emily Thompson, Jack Tweddell, Guy Blackhall, and John Lovatt. We spent approximately two hours filming within town from 2pm till approximately 4pm. The locations which we filmed in and on included various staircases near the Keyside area, pedestrian subway tunnel located underground, and various traditional streets located near the Keyside area.

When we carried out the last filming scene John unfortunately couldn’t attend, so this meant that there were only three of the group members filming within Newcastle. But when we carried out the second shooting within Newcastle, we made sure that all group members were available. Fortunately John and everyone in the group were available so the footage which we carried out was rather effective and exciting.

As Jack is the main character within the music video, this meant that the shots which we carried out consisted highly of Jack running in the foreground and Guy (who is the mysterious conscience of Jack) following Jack in the background of the shot.

As the first shooting of the town shots there were problems such as the wind which was a factor we couldn’t change, the amount of people in town, which again was a factor we couldn’t change. These were the main problems with doing this sort of shot.

Do conquer this problem, we went to the bridge to attempt to work around this, but due to poor weather problems and again amount of people it was completely unfeasible for us to complete this task. But with the amount of shots that we took that day it wasn’t such a big problem.

The other problems with tunnel shots were that there were a lot of distraction objects in the way, so we took great time and care with moving a lot of the rubbish out of shot and making sure the shot was not cluttered or messy so that the attention of the viewer was planted directly of what was going on in the actual film and not what was around it.

In the second taking of the subway shots, these were completed successfully, and there were no problems with people walking past and mess and clutter in the screen. The shots worked perfectly and will make a good addition to the video now that there are no issues with people or mess. Also I think we spent a much greater amount of time in Newcastle taking the shots and this added to the overall quality of the video shots.

Emily dying scene (second shooting)-

The group members who were involved during the second shooting of the Emily dying scene were: Emily Thompson, Jack Tweddell, and Guy Blackhall. We spent approximately 45 minutes filming from 5pm till around 5.45pm. The location which we chose to film in was the back of the school hall which has a big black wall; this mise en scene shows the darkness of Jack killing Emily.

The story behind Emily dying is that Emily is Jacks lady friend and something happened previously which no one knows about. So the filming which we carried out today consisted of Jack shooting Emily with the same gun which his conscience shoots himself with.

Some of the problems that occurred when we were carrying out the first shots of Emily dying were that the lighting of the hall was very poor due to the lack of lights at the back of the hall, even when using the media lights. The acting of Emily dying was relatively dull and not so convincing and also there were not any close ups of her in these shots and this was a problem due to as this was a pinnacle part of the music video, a lot of emotion was needed to be caught in this scene and it wasn’t.

When we carried out the second shooting of Emily dying, we took in consideration of the problems and how to improve them. We unfortunately couldn’t change the location due to lack of time and options which meant that we had to carry out the filming in the same place. Although this looked better second time round as we used the lights more efficiently.

But we made changes to the other problems such as acting and close ups. We got Emily to practice her acting in the scene many times before we filmed it, once we thought it was good enough, we filmed it until we had it well done. This was a big improvement from last time due to the fact Emily’s acting was filled with a lot more emotion.
We decided this time to get more close up shots and we did this successfully. This added a lot more depth and showed a lot more emotion in the shots, so this would add a bigger and better feel to the video. The shooting went successfully and these shots will now be featured in the video. Now that the improvements have been made, the filming for this section has been completed.