Location Alterations

Having received feedback that the studio setting was not right, due to the cheap wallpaper and poor lighting, I have decided to re-shoot in a different room. The "White" room and the "Target" room are a lot better in terms of mise-en-scene. Both have plain, white walls which will not distract from the band and provide a clean background for the shoot. The black flooring in the Target Room contrasts with the walls, creating a monochrome colour palette and a more professional-looking backdrop. The drums are of better quality and are elevated for emphasis, making the set-up of the band look a lot more realistic. Similarly, the White Room would also serve the purpose of creating a simplistic backdrop to work with. Once again, the rooms come equipped with a drum-set, microphones and stands, and amps. The lighting in both rooms, as you can see from the images, is much better than in the Orange Room, as the spotlights are white and placed evenly along the ceilings. The fact that the rooms both have white walls means that I can focus on the band without there being any distractions in the background, ie. coloured wallpaper, and I have the option of enhancing the background colour if I wish.

The White Room





The Target Room 

Filming 16/10/13

My second time filming at the studio went much smoother than first. I booked the Orange Room from 5 until 7, as I knew an hour was not enough time to organise myself. The extra hour meant that I could set up the equipment and the camera without rushing, as well as having time to re-shoot footage which I wasn't sure about and being able to experiment once I was used to my surroundings. I made sure that my actors were comfortable in their positions and brought along a docking station so I could play "Where Is My Mind" out-loud and the actors would be able to play in time to the song. I knew that one of my actors had to leave at 6:30, and so shot all of the footage which required him to be present before this time.
The whole process was a lot more relaxed and I got a lot more done because of it. I finished early and so was able to experiment with different shots of the drummer, and filmed from different angles and at different parts of the song.
One thing which could hinder the quality of my filming, however, was the lighting in the room. The only light was hung, as you can see in the images, not in the middle but to the side of the ceiling. It only occurred to me whilst I came to a close that I could use the flash on my camera, and so most of my footage I shot may well be a little dark and need to be enhanced during the editing process. Overall, though, the experience was much better than last time and I was able to capture everything I had set out to.

 

Filming 13/10/13

The filming which took place in Leire was much more beneficial than my previous experience, and I think I managed to capture everything I needed for my draft video.
I filmed on a Sunday, which meant that we could shoot for the entire afternoon until it got dark, and as the location was outside and in a public place, it was free of charge. I could re-shoot entire scenes without the constant pressure of a time limit, which was a great relief.
My actors brought their guitars/bass etc. to the location and were dressed accordingly. The fact that we were outside and were continuously moving around meant that we couldn't bring a drumkit with us, but I brought along a set of drumsticks for the drummer (replaced by another actor who was more accustomed to playing the instrument) to carry around with him. Stemborough Lane was a great place to shoot because the path turned off and led to a field which was overlooked by a lake, and we were almost completely uninterrupted by passers-by. This meant that there was plenty of room to film and also a variation of scenery.
I used a Samsung camcorder when shooting, as this created the shoddy, homemade style I wanted to capture. However, the downside to this is that a camcorder works using a tape, and therefore cannot be imported to a computer as easily as footage from a video camera can be.  If I cannot find a way to transfer the footage to a disc, I will have to re-record the shots on my video camera, using the camcorder's LCD screen, as I don't think re-recording the shots themselves using a video camera would look as good. There was a black and white setting on the camcorder which I used, as I had originally planned to incorporate a monochrome palette within my video, and also because this made the footage look more grungy and would be easier to work with when editing and adding effects.
I was able to shoot everything I wanted to, but I may decide to change and re-shoot some shots.
Here is a sample of my favourite shot. I played the footage on the LCD screen, rewinded and re-recorded it using my iPhone.

I wanted to test out some effects using my iPhone, and so also shot some footage using the app "Video Star". My favourite shot is the double effect which is applied to the final actor.

Filming 10/10/13

Admittedly, filming at the studio on Wednesday did not go too well.
As previously stated, I had booked the Orange Room from 5 until 6, and so arrived beforehand to set up. However, upon arrival, I had to find missing cymbals, sort out which shots I needed to focus on and become accustomed to using the video camera I had borrowed from college at the last minute, as I couldn't use the camera I had originally planned to. I was unorganised and it showed in the quality of my footage.
One of my actors was late getting to the studio, and was then scheduled to play the drums, but wasn't very strong in that area musically, which messed up a lot of the shots and wasted time. By the time any proper filming could take place, the hour was almost up. I didn't want to waste the opportunity and so asked if it was possible to stay an extra hour, but someone had already booked out the Orange Room from 6 o'clock. However, I was able to use the Blue Room, and so decided to move into there. This wasted more time, however, as we had to move all of the equipment into another room and set up once again, and obviously the room was a different colour, therefore creating inconsistency within the shots.
Another of my actors had to leave half an hour later, limiting what I could do within the short amount of extra time I was given, and the shots which were good in terms of camerawork were once again ruined due to the drummer not looking comfortable.
Overall, there is very little footage, if none, which can be saved and used from this experience, and therefore I have re-booked the studio for the 16th, as I was pleased with the location.

Alternative Location

Rather than filming in a garage, as this could be problematic when setting up equipment and clearing space etc., I have been looking at rehearsal rooms at Stayfree Music studios in Leicester. I like the look of the Orange Room, which, as you can see from the images below, is very colourful, comes fully equipped with microphones, amplifiers and a drum kit (guitars are not an issue as I have access to some which I can bring with me), and is a good size to work in. The price of the Orange Room is very reasonable and it would provide a great background for my music video, as well as extra equipment which I wouldn't have had access to otherwise, bringing a sense of professionalism to the performance.

Location Shots

The following photos were taken in Leire earlier this afternoon. I like the country road and the untamed wilderness surrounding the lake. The old shed (image 3) is too run down to film in, however looks quite authentic from the outside and could work well as a backdrop. Some of the filming will definitely involve the pair walking down the lane which has been photographed, but an indoor setting such as a garage may be needed also.

Location Ideas

(From a fan-made video of Talking Heads / Psycho Killer) 

I like the idea of shooting in a garage and then moving out onto a country road, following the vocalist/guitarist.