Filming Test Shots

Practice: Close up Shot

Here is an example of my raw material filming before editing the shot to follow the correct sequence. My plan for my music video is clearly shown in my storyboard, I have planned for 3 close up shots of the rose filmed below to be edited in a short sequence showing the process of it dying. As a rose is a symbol of love, its process of dying should create an negative atmosphere in my music video and connote the heartbreak of my female model.

By creating this test shot I have had valuable experience using the video camera and exploring the different settings on the equipment that I could use creating different effects. I found that it is very difficult to keep the camera steady during filming due to alternate factors such as the wind. This could prove to be a problem as my music video is focused on a poetic ideology. This means the positioning of my camera for long shots with movement will be very difficult to create without much movement from the camera. This has reinforced my decision to use a large HD camera as this piece of equipment is much more bulky therefore less likely to move and cause a disturbance in quality of the video. This HD camera also allows me to make certain objects become in and out of focus which I have planned to do during my music video.

I am looking forward to filming the rest of my music video with the inclusion of my models in the shots.

Practice: Green screening using Clouds 

The technique of using green screening was much more advanced than I anticipated. My media classmate Olivia agreed to let me film her for a simple practice shot giving me the opportunity to judge how effective this location could be. To begin with I placed a fixed tripod in the green room and filmed her standing still then slowly zoomed into a medium close up. Using the editing machines I disposed of the green background using the different applications and then used the Chroma Key tool to place the clouds shot onto a higher layer from the previous shot of the Olivia simply stood. This converged both the shots of the background and the model. It was quite difficult trying to adjust each individual setting on the tool to completely hide the green background to make the overall shot appear more accurate. 

I am very glad I chose to create a test shot and practice using the green screening tool first hand. When I shoot my actual music video I need to ensure there are no other props or items in the shot as this completely affects the realistic outlook of the shot. Also I should use frequent long shots to show the whole of the models body in the shot as the introduction of a medium shot can make the appearance of the sequence appear very odd and unfamiliar.

However, regarding the choice of locations from the CD I am very happy with the use of clouds. It directly relates with the rest of my music video and the tone of simplicity I am trying to incorporate. It also continues the ideology of time moving on and how the artist must move on from the man she previously fell in love with.  The shots containing the green screening location will provide the majority of the performance structured footage.