Task N - props list

For my production the required props are:

• Guitar
• Drums 
• Microphone
• Various musical stands
• Flowers
• Phone
• Car
• Note

The instruments will add an element of verisimilitude to the video; the mobile phone is used to give every day naturalism to the plot; the bunch of red roses convey the underlying theme of unrequited love in the narrative and become a symbol of lost hope; and the love note conveys the conventional image of an arrow through the heart drawn originally from Cupid. 

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Task M -camera movement practice shots

The embedded video provides an example of a long track shot which I took when filming on set. Overall I feel this type of shot is effective in conveying the location and stressing the importance of the environment in relation to the protagonist. I believe this could be used successfully in my narrative. Practising these shots will help me when it comes to the actual construction of the product.

Task L - Risk Assessment

This is the risk assesment for the construction of my music video. Some of these risks are very real and both tough to control and hard to predict the outcome. For example, you could fall over and not suffer an real injuries whilst alternatively you could land awkwardly and twist your knee or ankle which would result in a much more severe injury. During our filming we are going to be very careful whilst using all of the equipment and will specifically keep an eye out for loose wires and tri-pods to avoid injury. Having a proper risk assessment in place is vitally important when shooting scenes to comply with health and safety standards. What I have tried to do above is identify potential risks, assess the potential dangers they present and put in place control factors.

Task K - Filming Schedule

Above is the filming schedule for the production of my music video. I intend to follow this schedule as discipline in sticking to deadlines is a crucial ingredient to success. In planning the above schedule, I believe I am giving myself sufficient time to film each section of the song. However, if I feel any areas of the shoot could be improved and need to re-shoot, I will act quickly and schedule more dates for re-shooting in the subsequent weeks. It is important to film the various scenes within a tight time frame so that a sense of character and plot development, shot by shot, for my narrative is achieved.

Task J - Location recce shots

Above are some photographs of the various locations used in my production. These locations have been each identified to suit the narrative and conventions I am trying to apply and they give a strong representaion of my ideas. One is an image of the studio I used to film the chorus of the song, however I had to move locations due to there being insufficient space in the original studio. Moving locations enabled me to get a wider range or shots and camera angles in order to give a more professional 'studio' feel to the piece. The top photograph is of an old abandoned building which was selected to convey a sense of loss and isolation for the main character. The two 'natural' scene locations were selected to reflect specific lyrics in the song.

Task I - Costume shots

Here is a selection of the costumes that will be seen in the production of my music video and the ancillary tasks. It was my belief that these types of costume relate to the style of video I am trying to create. For example, the costume worn by the main character in the narrative, jeans and a hoodie, match the type of person I am trying to create. I also feel that the costume seen on the band members, dark clothing and plain tee-shirts, bears a strong resemblance to the clothes the band members in U2 wear. During shooting, there may be changes that I will need to make at the time to meet the needs of the narrative.

Task H - Storyboard

Task G - Draft of each ancillary text with photos off the internet (Magazine Advert)

Today I used my technological skills to put together a magazine advert using images found on the internet. Overall I feel my attempt was weak as I found it hard to find suitable images from google. Another factor contributing to this attempt was the colour I chose for the title. I want my title to be bold and stand out, however I feel that what I have produced here does not achieve this aim and therefore when creating my own magazine advert in the near future, I will firstly ensure that I get multiple photos so I have a choice of images at the editing stage. Secondly, I will aim to project the title more powerfully so it is striking to the audience and communicates a sharp message to the viewer. I will ensure that I apply this learning.

Task G - Draft of each ancillary text with photos off the internet (Digipak)

This is a draft of a digipak that I created using images of the internet through search engines like 'Google' and 'Yahoo'.  I felt this task challenging and struggled to find images that matched my ideas for my own digipak. However, after saying this I believe I can take some knowledge away from this task as I now know that I want to use natural imagery within the digipak to match the theme I am trying to create both with my magazine advert and music video.

Task F - mock of digipack

Today I drew up initial ideas for my digipak and magazine advert. Regarding the Magazine advert, I want to apply Richard Dyers 'Star Image' theory and therefore I want the biggest aspect of the advert to be of the lead singer to promote and project his image to the band's fans.
As well as this, for my digipak I want to relate the images to the music video. Therefore I intend to use natural imagery with a strong level of cinematography in order to create a professional look to the final product.
Overall, I feel that hand drawing these ancillary tasks will help me in my shoot as I will be prepared and know exactly the type of photograph I want to take.

Task E - Pitch

Today in Class I presented a pitch to the class on my ideas for the music video and received feedback from the group as to what they feel was good about my idea but also where we may run into a problem that I had not thought about. The opening to the presentation showed an example of another music video that I liked and which I wanted to follow the style of. This video, James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful' involves a number of clever features including shooting the piece in black and white, which I feel would suit the song I have chosen to work with. Another feature is that there are a variety of movement speeds that match the speed and tone of the music. The final feature is that the camera movement is a tracking shot of the performer singing the song. This would be a great feature for me as it adds a great element of performance. The feedback I received was that it was a good idea that could lead to a great production. However on the other hand one problem they felt could happen was that when filming long tracking shots it could be hard to keep the camera still for long periods of time. This could lead to the performance looking unprofessional showing a lack of camera skills. A method of prevention for this could be to use the balancing harness to avoid a bumpy feel to the picture. I took this feedback on board.

Task D - Analysis of song lyrics

Today I took the time to analyse the lyrics of the song I have chosen and reflect upon their significance. In addition to this, I have made annotations along the side showing ideas for the visuals when shooting the music video. I noticed when completing this task that there were many references to natural imagery and more specifically the weather. I am intending to meet Andrew Goodwin's theory of music videos, where he states that the visuals seen on the screen must relate to the lyrics heard from the song. Therefore I feel I should include multiple shots of natural imagery and maybe even some filming during specific weather conditions.

Task C - Mood Board

Today I created a mood board as part of my planning for my final production. In this, I have included images from other bands from the genre I want my own music video to fit under as well as stereotypical items associated with the 'rock' genre. For example, band photos of artists such as 'Coldplay', 'U2' and 'The Red Hot Chilli Peppers'. In addition to this, I have also included album covers for these various bands along with magazine adverts for the bands.