Final Music Video

Take Me To Church- Behind the Scenes

To show the development of our music video, we have edited aspects of our filming stages to show the process along the way and how we have improved. This is done by various music artists to show the creative process due to the fact many of the target audience enjoy this. Example artists that has done this is Taylor Swift (Out of the Woods), Bastille (Things We Lost In The Fire), Shawn Mendes (Stitches), Coldplay (Up&Up) and many more. As we are displaying our artist as a new artist having a Behind The Scenes video allows our artist to become more relatable and familiar to audiences which will build up her artist profile.

We have enjoyed the filming and practical element of this coursework and we feel this video shows this. The Behind The Scenes video also shows our trial and error within filming the video and how we have persevered in creating this video.

Filming- Day Six

On our final day of filming we had both the dancers and our artist all together to enable us to film all the shots where they are together. To begin with we filmed the final solo shots we needed of our artist, with our clear plan we were able to complete this efficiently and already had an idea of how we were going to film these shots. Having a specific plan for the last day of filming was really helpful as by planning beforehand we knew exactly what we needed to film and not miss out any footage. We have included more solo shots as we feel some of the dance sequences are too long and wanted to break these up with shots of our artist.  

Next we moved onto filming the final solo shots of the dancers, as upon editing the footage from Filming Day 5 we realized we had filmed one shot with the incorrect lighting and we wanted to re-film to improve this. Then we completed filming of the choruses where both our dancers and artist appeared. We experimented with how this look by filming a lot of footage; our aim was have plenty of footage to edit with. Again, the use of the dolly came in very helpful in our filming and while we had to try shots repeatedly to get the shot we wanted we were overall, very happy with the shots we filmed. As our final day of filming both Steph and I are happy with the progress we have made filming, the techniques we have learnt about both filming and lighting and have enjoyed exploring the production side of making a music video.  

Filming- Day Five

On the 8th November 2017 Steph and I completed another filming session with this time just our dancers. Gaining from what we tried in Filming Day 4 Steph and I continued to alter the lights when we felt necessary and use the tripod on wheels to continue filming. Steph and I were more wary of filming the dancers as we knew this could be more difficult and possibly create more problems than filming our artist.

The filming session was successful, Steph and I worked through any problems we encountered and filmed shots we were happy with. We did not change any aspect of the dancers dress or makeup as we were happy with the styling originally, as it fits the genre and feel of the song. Similar to when filming our artist we filmed a lot of a shots a couple of times, altering position and lighting each time to create the best shots we could. Operating the dolly (tripod on wheels) was also developed during this session as we tried different methods of using this to create the best shots. This also allowed us to meet our draft feedback of shooting better shots of the dancers, that follow the dancers, are tighter shots and include more movement within the video.

Overall we are very happy with the footage we gained from this shoot and will continue to use the same methods for our final day of filming.

Filming- Day Four

On 7th October after receiving our draft music video feedback Steph and I began re-filming. For this filming session we focused on our artist and filmed most of the solo shots of her. 

Improving from our draft we filmed much closer, much tighter shots and included more movement within our shots. To do this we used the moving tripod on wheels to film this shots, we found this very beneficial to help us create smoother and steadier shots with more ease. This also allowed us to alter the focus of the camera better and to film more professional shots overall. 

The other changes we made while filming this was the make-up and style of artist. These changes were only slight as overall we were happy with how our artist looked; we changed her eye-shadow slight to create more of a shimmer look and we also did not film her in the same cardigan as last time. After our draft feedback we understood that the cardigan did not fit with what the dancers were wearing and did not fit with the video as a whole.

In this filming session we were also more experimental with the lights as we tried out different brightness and positions to create the look and feel we wanted. We found this to be more effective and although some of it was trail and error taking some time to figure out how we wanted the light to look, overall we were very happy with the shots. 

Steph and I are very pleased with the footage from this filming session and we feel this is better footage than the footage we used for our draft. We are also very happy with the way we experimented with the lighting and the use of the tripod on wheels and we plan to continue using these for the rest of our shooting sessions.

Draft Music Video

Editing Process

Editing update from Ceri Lewis

Filming- Day Three

On Wednesday 26th 2017, Steph and I completed another day's filming. We finished off our final shot of the video, and then re-filmed some elements of the dance performance.

We have chosen to re-film some of the dance elements, changing from our planned story board as we wanted different options while editing. We both felt and have received audience feedback that some sections of the dance look very stationary and still, creating a less interesting scene for that section. For re-filming we have changed the placement, angles and movement of the camera, which added more shots into the sequence creating a different perspective, look and feel. 

As with our previous days shooting we have kept everything the same, allowing continuity in our video and helping our video to look more professional. This was our last shooting session before creating our draft video. Once receiving audience feedback from this we will re-film and improve any shots necessary. Overall Steph and I are very happy with the progress we have made and are ready to make any suggested improvements.     

Filming- Day Two

As scheduled Steph and I continued filming with both our dancers and singer on Tuesday 24th October 2017. During the preparation for this Steph and I ensured that everything remained the same: the same costume, hair, makeup, lighting and camera to help our video to look as professional and sleek as possible. 

While actually filming we took in in turn filming the dancers and our singer as this allowed them both to take breaks, rest and refresh themselves ready for their next shot. Any problems that Steph and I encountered, such as lighting when filming from a different angle we tried to fix and also tried different solutions as this would give us more options while editing. We did this with the few difficulties we faces and are ultimately happy with the shots we managed to achieve, after different attempts.   

Filming day 2 was very successful with Steph and I almost completing all our filming, leaving only the last shot left to film which we will complete on Wednesday 25th October 2017. Steph and I are both very happy with the progress we have made and hope to carry on at the same pace and effectiveness we have been.        

Filming- Day One

On Tuesday 10th Steph and I began filming with our artists and dancers. Below are photos of this.

First we filmed shots on our storyboard where Freya is signing solo, then we filmed some shots of Freya and the dancers and finally some solo shots of each dancer. We managed to follow our storyboard plan well throughout the filming allowing us to have a clear plan of what we were doing. In this session we did have to alter some shots and positions of both Freya and dancers to fit the size of the stage and avoid collisions between them.

We are very happy with the effect of the lighting, particularity the projected stain glass window as we feel this look effective, following the theme and genre of the song. Both Steph and I are very happy with the styling and makeup of our artist and dancers, we feel this matches both the indie genre and song well. The artist and dancers complimented each other well, looking part of a set. The makeup was bold and visible particularly during the close up shots, which was what we intended and the style we were going for.

We are aiming to re-create the looks and styles for the rest of our filming days and due to noting down what we makeup we followed this time, we should be able to re-create the looks with ease. We will also be using the same cameras and lighting to ensure the video remains the same and as professional looking as possible.

Filming Preparation

Myself and Steph have spoke to a lighting expert who is happy to offer advice with our video and we have arranged dates to book the Hall (for the stage) in advance to make sure we can all make it. The lighting was set up on the 09.10.17 (photos shown of this setting up process are shown below) and our first filming date is the 10.10.17. We have ensured that tomorrow our artist and dancer duo have brought the clothes we have asked for that will fit with our genre and stand out to our target audience. As briefly shown in our pitch, our dancers will be wearing a black leotard and our artist (Freya) will be wearing Mom Jeans (clearly fitting the indie genre) with a black top and black shoes and possibly a statement cardigan adopting the style of many indie artists. We will be staying after college till 18:00 to ensure we get as much filming as possible completed and we will update our blogs of how much of the filming process we have completed.

Animatic

Storyboard

Storyboard Progress from Steph2000

Representations in our Music Video

Representation In Our Music Video from Steph2000

Change Of Location

As presented in our pitch Steph and I were originally considering/basing our idea on using a Church as our primary location for filming. Due to setbacks with this idea, Steph and I have decided to create still a performance video, however changing the setting to on stage with professional lighting. Many aspects of our idea remain the same; we will still be using "Bows" and "Freya Tamsin" as our dancers and artist, still be using the indie song "Take Me To Church" and will be using a church setting theme within the stage setting-we aim to achieve this by lighting techniques.

Our audience feedback was very helpful to us within making this decision, the problems raised especially about lighting in the Church, are all valid points which enabled Steph and I to re-consider our plan. We are also not totally discounting the idea of the Church, who we are currently working with to understand what we can and can not film. The aim now regarding the Church is to look around the Church and possibly take some photos enabling us to gain authentic inspiration for the look we would like to create on stage. Our overall research and planning into the indie genre has allowed us to make this change without having to drastically change our idea. We intend for our video to benefit from this idea as we believe this setting change will allow us to create a more professional looking video. Steph and I are equally as excited and enthusiastic about our new video, as due to our research we feel this will still fit to the indie genre and hopefully look effective.  

Class Feedback

In our pitch, we handed out feedback sheets so our audience members can comment on the things they like and dislike about our idea whilst giving any recommendations of anything they would do differently. 

Positives:
- Church location
-Two different locations
-Inspiration
-Stained glass windows
-Good outfit and location ideas
-Cover idea
-Locations
-Female artist
-Clear idea on what to do
-Adapted for girl singer
-Good inspiration
-Dancer costumes staying the same
-Location would be effective and interesting X2
-The Dancers
-Mise en scene
-Environment will match the song X2

Negatives:
-Might not have much dancing space
-Lighting in the church and outside
-Check the church is clean and in good condition
-Might not get permission to use the locations you want
-Church lighting
-Lighting jump
-Could be seen as disrespectful so be cautious
-Lighting may be difficult
-Lighting around churches could be hard
-Lighting issues X4
-Ideas may be overused
-Get permission

Recommendations:
-Make sure you have lighting for the church
-Setting back up option
-Be aware of lighting
-Use bright lighting within Church X2
-Try another less typical location

As our audience were 17-18 years old with a mix of both genders it means they fit our target audience (16-24 year olds) which shows their feedback means we can adapt our video idea to appeal to them more. Myself and Steph decided to have a recommations part on the feedback sheet as it means we can actively get our target audience involved to improve our video which ultimately will make the video appeal to them more. We are looking at the Church idea and are considering changing it due to the lighting element which would be difficult to control and our video would not look very professional if the lighting levels change throughout the video. Although we have spoken to a local Church and they are happy to have a meeting with us we aren't sure if the song will be appropriate. We're starting to consider other alternatives and we will update our idea if it changes.

Feedback Survey Sheet

Take Me to Church Survey by Anonymous HINHDPuR on Scribd

Myself and Steph decided to hand out a feedback sheet to our class during our pitch meaning we can then evaluate this feedback and take on board any recommendations our target audience may have.

Class Pitch

Music Video Pitch from Steph2000

Schedule

Myself and Steph have created a schedule (as shown below) to ensure we meet the deadlines of the coursework whilst staying organised so our music video is as well developed and professional as possible. 

Schedule:

September 2017

 15^th September 2017: Presented pitch to class to gain both verbal and written feedback from the class.

17^th September 2017: Contact the Church to understand how much we may or may not be able to film there.

19^th September 2017: Had a change of plan and decided to now film using access to the stage and lighting. Contact a lighting expert to begin to understand what we may be able to use/do with the lighting.

20^th September 2017: Create a picture inspiration of lighting and detail what effects we would like to us if possible, this inspiration has also been posted on our blogs. Learnt that the effects we would like to create with the lighting are all possible and begin to plan for this.

21^st September 2017: Planned to meet to get a tour of the stage and lighting for the 22^nd. Begin storyboarding.   

22^nd September 2017: Shown and taught the basics of the lighting, to have an understanding of what is possible, what different effects look like and a tour of the stage.

25^th September 2017: Begin risk assessment.  

27^th September 2017: Film with basic shots only the dancers within the dance studio, to allow us to fully understand the dance and aid with our storyboarding. Take photos of stage location during this.

October 2017

1^st October 2017: Arrange another meeting to look at the lights and develop our knowledge further.

2^nd October 2017-6^th October 2017: Have meeting about lights and stage.

9^th October 2017 Onwards: Film the music video

Twitter Feed

Link to our singer's Twitter account (Freya Tamsin)

Link to our dancer's Twitter account (Bows)

Myself and Stephanie (Steph) decided to create Twitter pages for our singer (Freya Tamsin) as well as for our dance duo (Bows) who we are featuring in the music video. We have decided to create a page for both our singer and dancers as we believe although the singer will be one of the main focuses of the video however we feel the dancers play an equally important role. By creating these twitter pages, it will make our artist and dancers seem more realistic as well as gaining an understanding of what traditional artists will say on social media apps in order to be recognised by their target audience. As our target audience if 16-24 year olds (both genders) this is the main age group that generally use social media apps therefore it is vitally important artists use this free advertisement platform to get their music heard by their target audience.

For Freya Tamsin's profile (our singer) we have used a photo of her for the icon photo and a concert scene for the header clearly conveying to her target audience she is a performing artist. Myself and Steph have used a slightly more scenic photo for her icon picture which may be more recognised by the audience that she is an indie artist. For her bio, we have said "Other than singing, I don't really know what I'm doing" which will convey the typical sense of humour that may appeal to her target audience as well as making the artist seem more 'relatable'. We have stated her location as 'Liverpool' matching with her biography presenting Freya Tamsin as a consistent artist.

For Bow's profile (our dancers) we have used a silhouette photo of two people jumping mid pose expressing the idea of union between the dancers and for the header we have used a photo of a pair of ballet shoes clearly conveying the fact this duo are dancers. Our bio for them says "dance, dance, dance pretty much sums us up very well" which adds a more informal and friendly approach which should appeal to our target audience. We have set their location as Manchester/London as this is where we have said they met Freya in her biography so this allows us to develop our artist and dancers as much as possible through this continuality.

Myself and Steph will be updating these Twitter pages throughout our Coursework meaning we can link the artist and dancers to the process (such as when we start filming) following the typical connections of an artist adopting a similar style of speech to how