Diary Entry: First Day of Filming

Saturday 3rd December 2011

Myself and my partner, Monica, had previously given a call sheet to our artist so that he had an understanding of the filming schedule for the day (times, specific locations, costume requirements etc). Also, in addition to our storyboard, we created a prop list and scene list for the day.

Café (Narrative)

After meeting with our artist, Olly, at 11.30am we made our way to South Kensington to film the 'Café Scene' at Costa. This scene expresses a part of our narrative where the artist is surrounded by loving couples at the café, whilst he on the other hand, is a mere solitary figure sitting at a table alone, longing for his lost partner.
Petersham Place (Narrative/Performance)
At 2.00pm we began to shoot the 'Running Scene' at Petersham Place. Firstly, we filmed a sequence where Olly runs, almost breathlessly, down the secluded road which is metaphorical for the sense of isolation and loss he feels; forever running away and trying to escape reality. Since it is important to always film a variety of shots at different angles, we captured long-shots of Olly running towards the camera; mid-shots of his profile (side-view) whilst he ran through the frame and extreme close-ups of his feet lifting off the ground (side and point-of-view). Furthermore, we also shot an element of performance where Olly is positioned in the centre of a close-up frame and sings directly to the audience, emphasising his star image and the commodity on sale. Although this is a close-up shot, the frame is not tightly packed but instead, quite spacious to showcase his desolate surroundings as we aimed to convey his loneliness and vulnerability. Moreover, the fact that he is singing directly into the camera enables the artist to establish an intimate connection with the audience.

When myself and Monica went location hunting, we discovered Petersham Place in Kensington; a quiet and cobbled mews. We thought this was perfect and on film, the terraced houses and narrow, secluded road looks as if it's closing in on the artist whilst he sings; his world is crashing down. Furthermore, we thought this location would look great on film since it appears symmetrical and picturesque; an idealistic location to associate with a love song.
(photos from our Location Recce Photoshoot - see on group blog here).

Millennium Bridge (Performance)

Once we left Petersham Place, we became worried that we would run out of daylight by the time we reached the Millennium Bridge. However, once we arrived at approx. 3.30/4pm, we realised that the natural lighting was perfect since the dull, grey-ish tone that lit our shot helped to convey a sense of despair; providing a link between the visuals of our music video with the lyrics. Also, the sunset skyline looked incredible and contributed to a romantic setting, contrasting vividly with the artist's melancholy emotions. We filmed a mid-shot of Olly standing stagnant in the centre of the bridge, singing and emoting directly into the camera, whilst the busy, jostling public rushed around him, almost appearing as a blur.

Artist Photoshoot: Olly Patriarca

Finalised Song Choice

'What We Started' by JR Aquino

After much discussion, we arrived at a finalised song choice - 'What We Started' by JR Aquino. Instead of choosing a song by a recognised and established artist/band, we decided to opt for a song by an unsigned solo artist who frequently posts original material on YouTube. Ultimately, this gives us the freedom to construct a unique self-representation (star image) for our artist (marketing through music video, digipack, website) since it seems almost impossible to escape from the already 'built-up' star image of a well-known artist. Furthermore, since the song doesn't possess a music video, it provides a 'blank canvas' onto which we can project a variety of creative ideas.

Musically, we chose this song because in terms of structure, texture and tempo, it is very minimalist and simplistic without being too dull, since the possible meanings behind the emotive lyrics shine out as the focal part of the song. Therefore, we can focus on the artist's emotions and lyrics which we can then channel into the visuals; either through direct narrative, lyrical references, thematically etc or alternatively, not at all - in turn providing the video with a strong link to the lyrics.

An additional factor which persuaded us to choose JRA's 'What We Started' was the data that we collected from a survey that we conducted in order to discover what the public thought was a better song.

Between a narrowed choice of Snow Patrol's 'Set The Fire To The Third Bar' and JR Aquino's 'What We Started', our results concluded that JRA's original composition was the favourable option with a victory of 8 votes to 2.  Our volunteers commented that 'Set The Fire To The Third Bar' was a 'predictable choice but diverse' (in the sense it features two lead vocalists on the track), whereas 'What We Started' was 'more heartfelt and emotional with a story behind the lyrics.'

Initial Storyboard

 

Pre-Planning: Shortlisted Song Choices

Today we began to consider possible song choices for our music video by scrolling through our iPods and browsing on YouTube. Whilst looking through our iPods, we noted down artists/bands that reflected our own individual music tastes and began to realise that deciding on a song was harder than we initially thought. As a result, we went onto YouTube to browse through fairly unknown and unsigned artists who showcase their material online. We began to contemplate that perhaps choosing an unsigned artist would give us the freedom to create a music video that wouldn't be compared to an existing one and we could construct an original star image, as if we opt for a well-known artist/band, there is the constant concern that we won't be able to escape from their already 'built-up' star image and how they market themselves etc. Therefore, our final song decision will stem from a combined shortlist of well-known artists and unsigned artists.

  

Revised Shortlist: