The majority of the filming process took place over two hours during school. This was so as to use fellow pupils as actors in the piece. Much of what they did was improvised, such as one pushing another off the tree stump, which was particularly annoying, as I was not expecting to film it, and I missed the actual push, without having the time to re-shoot. I do wish to include this, as is it perfect to demonstrate teenage behaviour, so I may need to do something to tidy this up in the editing process. There were certain issues with continuity, as pedestrians frequently would cross in front of the camera due to this being filmed in a public place. A simple problem, but still and annoying one, meaning I needed to film certain shots several times. Another issue was that some shots were more shaky than I was pleased with. For most shots I used my tripod, to keep the camera static, but to create pans, tracking and follow shots I needed to pic up the camera. This annoyed me to no end, but however I had no other equipment of use to me, so I will use effects in the editing process to hopefully make this less noticeable I did make the actors run for most of the filming, in order to use many angles for a fast pace running scene, much to the annoyance of the actors, but they seemed more than happy to comply.
However, in that time I ran out of things to film, as the things I’d planned to film in my storyboard, such as short clips of football, we couldn’t film (due to not having a football) and I couldn’t hold enough interest with what I have written. It was here that I decided to include performance. This I filmed in an evening in my house. This allowed a much more relaxing filming process, as the only time constraint I had was of the lack of light at night. I could not include a full band, as the people I had approached were not available on that evening, and that was the only one available. Filming myself was fairly simple with the use of a tripod, and I used a nearby speaker to play the music for me to mime to. The only issue was that I did not know how to play the music, but I improvised as best as possible, to make it seem I was playing the correct note, which I will edit to the music in the editing process.
Friday, 28 January 2011
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Plan to include performance - additional props and costume
Since I have decided to include a performance aspect into my video, here are images of two of the guitars I will be using. I have been given permission to use the school drum kit, which I do not yet have an image of. I will be filming in my house, in various spots for each instrument, connoting a very relaxed and homely recording process the band may have taken for recording their music, as well as keeping true to the folk aspect of their music. However, I cannot use other people in place of the band for personal reasons, so I must film all guitar and vocal parts myself (however, since I am filming the drums in school I will use someone else to play the drums. For this I will need various changes of clothing, to make it seem like there are multiple different band members. This should be possible, as I have already planned not to include the faces of band members, so this will hopefully be possible to achieve.
Monday, 17 January 2011
Changes in filming - the decision to include performance
Through filming, I have decided that it would be better to include filming of a band, as keeping the video interesting is difficult when only showing the teenagers. I will film these at home with my instruments, except the drum kit, which I will film in school, as I do not own one myself. The band may most likely be my friends who live locally, and not the actors I have as the teenagers. I would still like them to represent the teenagers, so I may obscure the faces of not include them at all, and leave the vocals to be sung through close ups so only to show the bottom of the face (similarly to the technique used in Plain White T‘s “Hey There Delilah“, to keep the ambiguity, and the prospect of them being the teenagers but at a different time.
Monday, 10 January 2011
Props
Similarly to costume, there are very little props needed for this video. There are very little props that are needed, other than a bag, such as a schoolbag maybe, and an object to be stolen, perhaps a can of drink or a bag of sweets; something that would seem easily stolen from a local shop. I will need filming equiptment, such as the camera itself and a tripod, but that is all that I will use.
Costume - edit again!
As I want the video to be authentic and modern, I am not going to dictate costume to my actors, and use whatever they are wearing on the day. If I were to choose, I would use clothing most associated with indie rock at present, which can vary from skinny jeans and jackets to chino shorts and flannel shirts.
Knowing my actors, this will probably include colourful hoodies and jeans, or possibly tracksuit trousers. There are no other planned characters, so this is all the costume that is needed However, if I need to re-shoot and scenes they must wear the same clothing, purely for continuity.
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Possible filming locations
Because I am planning to film during school hours, I have been thinking of the best place to film, that both fits the setting, as well as being close enough to return quickly. These are shots of a location that I will probably use for running through, as well as a large concrete area where teenagers could hang out. Here there are local shops that we could film the robbery from.
I have checked with the local shop that I will film the front of if I have permission to use their establishment, which they have given me.
Saturday, 4 December 2010
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs analysis
After I created my idea for pitch, I realised that Arcade Fire have created a video for their song The Suburbs, with very similar themes in mind. This was directed by acclaimed music video director Spike Jonze, and is part of a yet-to-be-released short film for the album “Scenes From The Suburbs.” The director was already made a name for himself, most prominently in the '90s through feature films such as Being John Malkovich, as well as music video's for bands such as the Beastie Boys, Björk and Weezer. He is particularly noticeable as his style as the auteur can be very comical and off-the-wall, particularly in his films. He also seems to use tributes of his inspiration in his work directly, such as the use of Happy Days and classic cop drama's in Weezer's Buddy Holly and Beastie Boy's Sabotage respectively. This video seems to be no exception, as a tribute to youth and the American suburbs, much like my own pitch.
The video starts with two medium long shots of a teenager trying to climb down a bank. He is wearing an apron, which could represent the dead-end and simple jobs teenagers of his age tend to be employed in, particularly in countries such as America and Canada, where Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire are from respectively. At this time diegetic bird sounds and footsteps can be heard, as the song still hasn’t yet started. This is followed by the same person in a long shot, showing his suburban setting, with the increasing sound of police sirens and helicopters. This single shot is abnormally long, at least 15 seconds, almost connoting on the person in shot, reflecting on his life in the suburbs. The diegetic sounds seem to lull, just as the shot changes and the song kicks in. This is a long tracking shot of a group of teenagers on bikes, slowly pedalling, which mirrors the overall pace of the track. A medium shot of on of the teenagers tracks alongside him as he looks back. He is wearing a beanie hat, iconic of rebellious teenage fashion, and what looks like a BB gun over his shoulder, which is also iconic of teenage rebellion. This returns to another long shot of the teenagers, with him turning around to catch up with them, suggesting he could be the leader of the gang. Next comes a medium long shot of 3 of the teenagers, tracking them from behind as they continue. Continuing this are a variety of shots of the teenagers on bikes as the vocals kick in “In the suburbs I learned to drive.” Here it is noticeable that the shot is a medium close up of the bikes wheels, connoting their tern of “learning to drive.” The following shots represent their friendship and youthfulness, particularly shots which first track alongside on of the teenagers, until they jump off the bike and let it ride away. Here the camera stops with the teenager, keeping them in shot to show his celebration, whilst panning to follow the bike. The next shot is an extreme long shot, of the teenagers looking through a wire fence at a what looks like something used for the military, as a helicopter flies overhead. This could represent the border between the youthful play of the teenagers, and the dangerous adult life of the army, which they may admire, through them carrying BB guns, which is shown in following shots, as they shoot pellets at a telephone wire. Here there is a medium shot, showing some of the teenagers shooting, whilst a boy sits with what is presumed to be his girlfriend under his arm. Next is a close up of the two, showing their intimacy. The teenagers start aiming a man in the distance, shown through a long, over the shoulder shot. When they hit him, his response is shown from the same point, but without the teenagers’ shoulders, as if the camera is a member of the gang that has dared to stay behind to peek daringly over banister. This theme is continued through the next shot, a medium tracking shot of the group running away, where the camera becomes shaky, as if it is running along with them. The next few shots are of the teenagers playing with guns and play-fighting, or the couple gazing into each others eyes for example, which is juxtaposed against the army men in balaclavas patrolling the streets, suggesting that they are not only confined behind the fence, but are occupying the whole suburbs. The juxtaposition could be explaining that teenagers do exactly what the soldiers do as a game, and as a form of release, whereas the soldiers are much more sinister. Following this is more of the teenagers on bikes, as they pass two police officers, played by the two lead singers of Arcade Fire. This is all that is seen of the band throughout the narrative driven video. Clips of the teens on bikes continue until it turns to night, where they ride past a street filled with army trucks and civilians surrendering to soldiers. A medium close of up one teen shows he is looking at what is happening, before a long shot of soldiers dragging a person away. The group carry on through the Suburbs, looking at a house being targeted by the soldiers, again using the same medium tracking shot to show the reaction of individual teens. The camera cuts away from them, to inside the house, with a medium shot of one of the bike riding teenagers, now holding a baby, looking through the curtains at the soldiers. There is a then a point of view shot, half obscured by the curtain. The next shots show the various teenagers are also in the same room, looking panicked about the events outside. One shot lingers as a medium close up of the boyfriend, holding his crying girlfriend, looking distant, as if remembering. Another point of view shot in used, of a bright light directly at the screen. Then a medium close up of the same teenager being blinded with a torch by a soldier. This seems to serve as a flashback to what happened outside, which caused them to find shelter inside. There now is a close up of one of the teenagers pressed against the fence, as the previous one is turned around to the same position. They seem to nod to each other, before being taken away. The next shot seems to be set in a different time, with one of the teenagers in the apron shown in the first shot. He leaves what seems to be the establishment he owns to see his bike damaged to he cannot ride it, established in an over the shoulder shot. Again another change in time, as the boyfriend is shown running (notably not riding his bike) in a close up shot, down a street, while the lyrics say “move your feet off the hot pavement,” which fits what he is doing. Next is the teenager last seen in the apron, in another close up, in what seems to be a party. The camera shakes, as if being bumped by partygoers, adding the voyeuristic style of the camera as part of the action. He stops and seems to see something which makes him stop. Here there is a medium close up of a teen talking to a girl, who looks back towards the camera, as if giving the previous teen a warning glance before leaving, connoting he was the one who damaged his bike for an unknown reason. Next three of the teenagers are seen in a side tracking, long shot, running, seemingly in panic, across grass. There is a following long shot which follows the teens towards the restaurant which one of the teens work at. There is a medium shot of the teens running up to the glass, banging on it, to get the attention of those inside. Here is an over the shoulder shot to show the teenager who works there sweeping. A medium close up back at one of the teenagers displays her panic at what she sees, before cutting back to the previous shot where the teenager is attacked by the person at the party, insinuating what the warning look he gave meant. A reverse shot back at the teenagers shouting at the attacker through the window. Soon later, when the teens run for the door, the camera shows an unsteady follow shot, connoting again that the camera is part of the action, and the panic of the viewer, as well as the teenagers. This is interspersed by blurry point of view shots off the attacker punching just below he camera repeatedly, and point of view shots of the attacker. There are close up shots of one of the teenagers screaming, whilst the lyrics say “We’re still screaming.” before she runs to get the attention of the soldiers. There is a medium shot of the victim fighting back at the attacker, and a high tilt shot of him looking at the attacker. This is mirrored by a low tilt shot of the attacker breaking furniture and shouting toward the camera, almost as a point of view shot, before the attacker breaks down. The video ends with a medium shot of the victim lying down, and a close up of his face, looking relieved, as the song comes to an end. When it does, the shot cuts to a weather shot of blue sky, with police sirens in the background, ending the video in a similar fashion to how it started.
The video is rather odd, in that there seems to be many storylines occurring in a short amount of time. This may be to give the viewer a chance to interpret the video as they wish, to take their own meaning. It could also be because the short film it is part of is called “Scenes From The Suburbs,” and these are small sections of various “scenes.” All in all, I see this as a very powerful video, which takes the theme of youth in a very interesting way, vastly different to my pitch.
The video starts with two medium long shots of a teenager trying to climb down a bank. He is wearing an apron, which could represent the dead-end and simple jobs teenagers of his age tend to be employed in, particularly in countries such as America and Canada, where Spike Jonze and Arcade Fire are from respectively. At this time diegetic bird sounds and footsteps can be heard, as the song still hasn’t yet started. This is followed by the same person in a long shot, showing his suburban setting, with the increasing sound of police sirens and helicopters. This single shot is abnormally long, at least 15 seconds, almost connoting on the person in shot, reflecting on his life in the suburbs. The diegetic sounds seem to lull, just as the shot changes and the song kicks in. This is a long tracking shot of a group of teenagers on bikes, slowly pedalling, which mirrors the overall pace of the track. A medium shot of on of the teenagers tracks alongside him as he looks back. He is wearing a beanie hat, iconic of rebellious teenage fashion, and what looks like a BB gun over his shoulder, which is also iconic of teenage rebellion. This returns to another long shot of the teenagers, with him turning around to catch up with them, suggesting he could be the leader of the gang. Next comes a medium long shot of 3 of the teenagers, tracking them from behind as they continue. Continuing this are a variety of shots of the teenagers on bikes as the vocals kick in “In the suburbs I learned to drive.” Here it is noticeable that the shot is a medium close up of the bikes wheels, connoting their tern of “learning to drive.” The following shots represent their friendship and youthfulness, particularly shots which first track alongside on of the teenagers, until they jump off the bike and let it ride away. Here the camera stops with the teenager, keeping them in shot to show his celebration, whilst panning to follow the bike. The next shot is an extreme long shot, of the teenagers looking through a wire fence at a what looks like something used for the military, as a helicopter flies overhead. This could represent the border between the youthful play of the teenagers, and the dangerous adult life of the army, which they may admire, through them carrying BB guns, which is shown in following shots, as they shoot pellets at a telephone wire. Here there is a medium shot, showing some of the teenagers shooting, whilst a boy sits with what is presumed to be his girlfriend under his arm. Next is a close up of the two, showing their intimacy. The teenagers start aiming a man in the distance, shown through a long, over the shoulder shot. When they hit him, his response is shown from the same point, but without the teenagers’ shoulders, as if the camera is a member of the gang that has dared to stay behind to peek daringly over banister. This theme is continued through the next shot, a medium tracking shot of the group running away, where the camera becomes shaky, as if it is running along with them. The next few shots are of the teenagers playing with guns and play-fighting, or the couple gazing into each others eyes for example, which is juxtaposed against the army men in balaclavas patrolling the streets, suggesting that they are not only confined behind the fence, but are occupying the whole suburbs. The juxtaposition could be explaining that teenagers do exactly what the soldiers do as a game, and as a form of release, whereas the soldiers are much more sinister. Following this is more of the teenagers on bikes, as they pass two police officers, played by the two lead singers of Arcade Fire. This is all that is seen of the band throughout the narrative driven video. Clips of the teens on bikes continue until it turns to night, where they ride past a street filled with army trucks and civilians surrendering to soldiers. A medium close of up one teen shows he is looking at what is happening, before a long shot of soldiers dragging a person away. The group carry on through the Suburbs, looking at a house being targeted by the soldiers, again using the same medium tracking shot to show the reaction of individual teens. The camera cuts away from them, to inside the house, with a medium shot of one of the bike riding teenagers, now holding a baby, looking through the curtains at the soldiers. There is a then a point of view shot, half obscured by the curtain. The next shots show the various teenagers are also in the same room, looking panicked about the events outside. One shot lingers as a medium close up of the boyfriend, holding his crying girlfriend, looking distant, as if remembering. Another point of view shot in used, of a bright light directly at the screen. Then a medium close up of the same teenager being blinded with a torch by a soldier. This seems to serve as a flashback to what happened outside, which caused them to find shelter inside. There now is a close up of one of the teenagers pressed against the fence, as the previous one is turned around to the same position. They seem to nod to each other, before being taken away. The next shot seems to be set in a different time, with one of the teenagers in the apron shown in the first shot. He leaves what seems to be the establishment he owns to see his bike damaged to he cannot ride it, established in an over the shoulder shot. Again another change in time, as the boyfriend is shown running (notably not riding his bike) in a close up shot, down a street, while the lyrics say “move your feet off the hot pavement,” which fits what he is doing. Next is the teenager last seen in the apron, in another close up, in what seems to be a party. The camera shakes, as if being bumped by partygoers, adding the voyeuristic style of the camera as part of the action. He stops and seems to see something which makes him stop. Here there is a medium close up of a teen talking to a girl, who looks back towards the camera, as if giving the previous teen a warning glance before leaving, connoting he was the one who damaged his bike for an unknown reason. Next three of the teenagers are seen in a side tracking, long shot, running, seemingly in panic, across grass. There is a following long shot which follows the teens towards the restaurant which one of the teens work at. There is a medium shot of the teens running up to the glass, banging on it, to get the attention of those inside. Here is an over the shoulder shot to show the teenager who works there sweeping. A medium close up back at one of the teenagers displays her panic at what she sees, before cutting back to the previous shot where the teenager is attacked by the person at the party, insinuating what the warning look he gave meant. A reverse shot back at the teenagers shouting at the attacker through the window. Soon later, when the teens run for the door, the camera shows an unsteady follow shot, connoting again that the camera is part of the action, and the panic of the viewer, as well as the teenagers. This is interspersed by blurry point of view shots off the attacker punching just below he camera repeatedly, and point of view shots of the attacker. There are close up shots of one of the teenagers screaming, whilst the lyrics say “We’re still screaming.” before she runs to get the attention of the soldiers. There is a medium shot of the victim fighting back at the attacker, and a high tilt shot of him looking at the attacker. This is mirrored by a low tilt shot of the attacker breaking furniture and shouting toward the camera, almost as a point of view shot, before the attacker breaks down. The video ends with a medium shot of the victim lying down, and a close up of his face, looking relieved, as the song comes to an end. When it does, the shot cuts to a weather shot of blue sky, with police sirens in the background, ending the video in a similar fashion to how it started.
The video is rather odd, in that there seems to be many storylines occurring in a short amount of time. This may be to give the viewer a chance to interpret the video as they wish, to take their own meaning. It could also be because the short film it is part of is called “Scenes From The Suburbs,” and these are small sections of various “scenes.” All in all, I see this as a very powerful video, which takes the theme of youth in a very interesting way, vastly different to my pitch.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)