Edited Footage (Erith Pier 1)

We shot our second segment of filming at Erith Pier. Due to our model change, this footage now featured Katie as our model. We found this location to be beneficial as it is really empty and open spaced which will also allow us to film the dance sequence here. We also found that the natural lighting, especially the use of the sun during the golden hour which created a romantic feel we wanted in our music video. The sun created a soft, gentle look on film and highlighted the model's face, particularly during the close up shots. 

We particularly liked the use of the Golden Hour filming with the sun fading into the background which highlighted the model's face. The miming scenes were not as succinct as we would have liked due to angle of which the model was at which made it hard to tell she was miming. As it was our first time shooting with Katie she was understandably nervous and this was conveyed in the video as she also repeatedly swayed, meaning the camera had to move slightly in order to capture the full frame. We are aware that miming is extremely difficult to achieve professionally but feel that this needs re shooting at a better angle so it is clear that the model is actually miming. 
The profile shots of the model, in our view, were a success, however due to issues with the tripod the camera angle is positioned below the model which we did not particularly like. We would re shoot these types of shots at a higher angle.The close up of the model's face miming is something we wish to re shoot as we liked the close up angle yet the hair over the model's face was not something we wanted as we felt it distracted from her eyes- her main feature which we wished to emphasise. 
The walking shots were successful in terms of the sun in the background which is what we had set out to achieve along with the 'industrial' setting we aimed for as this provides the impression the model could be anywhere. Nonetheless, the actual angles were not high enough meaning when the model walked past, shown in the panning shot, the top of her head was out of the frame. Additionally, when the model walked toward the camera she was centered in the middle of the shot, which did not mean she was framed successfully. We wish to re shoot this scene with use of the 'rule of thirds', meaning the model will instead be slightly to the right, with the pole to the left, creating symmetry without being too two dimensional which does not create an interesting look. 
The panning shots of the scenery here with the sun are successful, although possibly jumpy in certain areas. We wish to use this take in our final copy so would editing the beginning slightly to remove the initial shakes. 

One of the major issues we faced, on reflection, was the model's outfit as this was too heavy due to the thick woolen black coat. The texture of the coat did not fit with the cotton white dress which the model was wearing and the silk scarf. The texture was too heavy compared to the lighter textures of the dress and scarf. We also did not care for the clumpy boots and have instead decided to use ballet pumps as this creates a delicate look which we are aiming for considering the use of nature within our video. 
We have decided to remove the coat  yet keep the dress and the scarf. We are aware that when shooting the video our model will have to be outside and will therefore be extremely cold so will be taking extreme measures to try and keep her warm in between takes. This is to ensure we are controlling our setting of the video. 


In Attendance: Katie (Model), Danielle and Hannah 
Video by Rosie  

Proof of Filming (Erith Pier 1)

Initial Edited Filming (Hall Place 1)

The filming we shot in Hall Place was varied in the sense of usability for our music video. Rosie, as our editor, arranged the footage in sections to make it easier to analyse. 

Section A: Animal Life 
As a rule we decided to use nature in our opening scene of the music video. Due to the environment of which we shot these scenes, the main wildlife was primarily geese. The shots of these animals are shaky due to the lack of a tripod which was have realised is essential for a professional, steady shot. They still have potential to be used in the opening of our video if slowed down although we are reluctant to do this, mainly due to the use of water birds not being in our initial concept for the video. We were testing shots really here due to our absence of a model which proved problematic. 

While Rosie was editing the footage, she suggested that a clean cut from clip to clip was rather harsh, not fluid enough for the type of video we are making which is basically a soft ballad. Instead, a fade was used as a transition from one clip to another. We do not plan on using this in our final piece as we hope there will be more flow from clip to clip instead of jumping as this does. 

As a group we quickly established that our most successful shot in this section was the birds flying although it was noted that the unwanted object of a lamp post is in the shot. This has made us more aware of our surroundings when filming as we do not want any extra anomalies in the final cut of the video.

Section B: Leaves 
This was purely a testing shot, determining how we can film from different angles and then assembly these in a video. We filmed the dropping of a leaf many times from numerous angles. Although meant ideally for testing purposes, we could use this footage as this conforms to our concept, more so than the use of the previous section, and would be particularly effective towards the end of the video, where the model walks through the nature. 

Section C: Interaction (Hugging)
Similar to the previous section, this footage is the same action shot from numerous angles, edited in such a way which the camera appears to be rotating around the people and then moving away. Rosie also incorporated a fade transition to show that time had progressed before the previous clip as a way of explaining why the shot had moved from a still shot of the bench to the two people walking. This kind of clip would be used the the first section of our music video if we chose to use it.

Section D: Every Day People 
This section was rather challenging to shoot particularly as we were trying to participate in covert filming in order to achieve the 'day to day' clips. We took inspiration from the initial Birdy video as that music video uses this type of footage. We tried to film actions that were not necessarily noticeable in day to day life, such as a man closing down his shop. These shots are extremely shaky, primarily due to the lack of a tripod and also due to the camera being used on a moving bus- which is not the smoothest of rides. We soon discovered this is not necessarily going to be achievable in our music video to the degree we wanted to include. 


Practically, we encountered some issues when filming. Our main issue was the model and her accessibility. We soon decided as a group that it would be more beneficial for us, and the model due to her own commitments and transport issues, if we changed our initial model. We have decided to now use one of our group members as the main model as we can count on her accessibility. This was a way of overcoming a problem we were concerned about. 

In attendance: Rosie, Hannah and Katie
Edited by Rosie

Vlog: Our First Filming Session

We created a vlog of our first day filming in Hall Place. We had planned on shooting our final scenes of the music video with our model but we had numerous issues which prevented this. We decided to go ahead and film anyway, but without a model which proved troublesome. The vlog follows us around and shows the differing examples of shots we had taken. This is not the footage we shot to be used in the music video. 

Present on the day of filming: Katie, Hannah and Rosie 
Video created by Rosie