Welcome to my A2 media coursework blog. My name is Maisie MacGregor (candidate number 0506), and I will be working in group 4 with Molly Sullivan (candidate number 0816), Ellie Brackpool (candidate number 0100), and Mari Leach (candidate number 0440).

To the right of my blog are labels for my A2 Preliminary task, A2 Research and Planning, A2 Construction and A2 Evaluation, and an archive of each individual post. There is also a live link to the Latymer Media Music Video Blog.

Click here to access Group 4's faceboook page.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my blog.

Music Video

Our Music Video

Digipak Front and Back Cover

Digipak Front and Back Cover
Our digipak front and back cover

Digipak Inside Cover

Digipak Inside Cover
Our digipak inside cover

Click on the image to open our website in a new tab

Click on the image to open our website in a new tab

Sunday 23 November 2014

Shoot 17/11/14

This shoot was an after school session until 9:00pm. As we had about 5 hours straight to film, we decided to get all the shots for the balloon scene done in one go. 

We began setting up in our free periods during the day by setting up the lights and blowing up the rest of the balloons. During this time we realised that the mushroom prop made of balloons that we had planned wasn't going to work out as we couldn't get it to stand up and were worried that the balloons would bust under the hot lights. In its place, we decided to cut out and paint some card in the shape of mushrooms to hang up in a similar way we did with the giant playing cards. We thought that this would look better while still creating the same Alice in Wonderland imagery, and it would create a link between the performance and narrative scenes. We then filled the floor of the set with light pink, dark pink, blue, white and marbled balloons, and two 24" balloons, so we were ready to start as quickly as possible when the actors arrived.

Me, Mari and Molly setting up the camera
For this scene we had our three main actors and seven extras. Despite them all being very cooperative, at the start we found it hard to organise and direct this many people. As the shoot went on, they got more used to what they had to do, more into their roles, and looked better on camera. We filmed the whole song in a wide shot several times. We switched roles around every take, with one or two people directing the actors and the others at either side of the stage throwing the balloons back into shot to keep giving the actors something to interact with and to keep the shot looking lively.


After shooting the static wide shots, we used the dolly tripod to move around the actors and get close-ups as they danced, mainly aiming to capture Georgie interacting with the extras and the DJs.

Here is a montage of some of our footage from the shoot:

We were happy with how our footage turned out, however when it came to editing it in to the sequence we realised that we didn't get the range of close-ups that we wanted, so we have scheduled pickups of this for our last shooting session.

Shoot 16/11/14

This shoot was our only weekend slot, and so to make the most of it we arrived at 7:30 to put the set together and position the lights. We had all three actors available for this shoot so we decided to film wide shots of the performance scene. Since it was our third time setting up for this scene, it didn't take too much time and we were fully prepared for Georgie, Eugene and Gavin when they arrived at 8:30.


Using the GlideCam
As we had already filmed some shots for this scene, all of our actors got into role fairly quickly and didn't need too much time to practice their performances, meaning that the shoot ran smoothly. We filmed an extreme wide shot, wide shot and mid-long shot. For the mid-long shot we had to cheat a little bit and push the DJs' desks closer together to fit them in the frame while keeping it a nicely framed shot. We were really happy with the chemistry our actors had on screen, as they looked very convincing as an artist.

Once we had filmed these static shots, we had another go at using the GlideCam. This time it was even more tricky to use as when filming Georgie it often swung around to reveal the rest of the studio rather than the set. Despite this, I think there are some clips from the footage which we can use.

We had learnt from previous shoots how to manage our time well, and so when it came to this shoot we had time left over to take some promo shots and start making props.
We took over a hundred shots to pick the best ones from later. Here is one of the edited shots from the day:


One of the promo shots from this shoot

While the promo shots were being taken we were also blowing up balloons and making the balloon mushroom prop for the balloon scene which we planned to shoot the next day, to save time. 

Chris and I making part of the mushroom out of balloons and clear wire
Overall, I think this shoot was productive and successful as we got everything we planned to do done. The promo shots were good practice for the next slots we have allocated for these, as we will be more restricted by time and so knowing what we're doing will save time. They were also a good opportunity for the actors to bond, making it easier for them to look comfortable and convincing around each other.

Shoot 14/11/14

This was our second performance shoot. As we had Gavin and Eugene arriving at the start of period 2, we came in at 7am to set up the desks, cards and lighting for the scene. This meant we were able to start on time and stick to the shoot schedule.

For periods 2 and 3 we only had the DJs, and so we re-filmed some close-ups that we felt hadn't been shot well enough in the last shoot. We then shot some movement shots using a GlideCam, being careful not to frame it too widely as we didn't have Georgie.


Mari and I shooting CUs

A GlideCam similar to
the one we used
The GlideCam was more difficult to use than we had anticipated, and so the first few takes weren't usable as we were till getting used to the camera swinging around and tipping downwards. We eventually started to get the hang of it and in each of the later takes there were some clips that could be used in the video. However, we realised that if we are to use it in later shoots, we will need more practice with it.


Me using the glidecam

For periods 4 and 5 only Georgie was available, but this wasn't a problem as we needed several angles of close-ups and mid close-ups of just her.

This was Georgie's first time shooting the performance scene, but due to her experience in lip-syncing it didn't take her long to get the performance to a good standard. We filmed her singing the whole song once or twice with each set-up to make sure we could fit them in at any point in the video. We were all happy with the footage from this shoot so a re-shoot will not be necessary.

Thursday 20 November 2014

Shoot 11/11/14

As Georgie was not available for this shoot, we decided to get mid shots and close ups of the DJs with Gavin and Eugene. 

We allowed ourselves a lot of time to set up as this was our first time setting up for the performance scene. As we expected, it took a long time to hang up the giant playing cards and get the lights in the right position. This is because we had three people and five cards to spotlight, and before hanging the cards the technician had to attach wires to the lighting rigs for us. We also had to stick the cards to the DJ desks, arrange the equipment on top, and move them into position. However, when we had finished creating the set we were very pleased with the result.
We took several photos of our set up to make sure that we get the cards and the desks in the right place next time we shoot performance scenes.
The boys were easy to prepare for screen, as they only needed to put on their costumes and apply minimal make-up (foundation, powder, darkened eyebrows), which we did for them. Once they were ready, we played our song on the speakers and got them to practice acting like a DJ to get them in to character and feeling enthusiastic.


There was a limited range of shots we could film without Georgie, so we mainly filmed close-ups in order to ensure continuity for the performance scene in the final edit of the video. When reviewing the shots, we decided that it might be more effective and engaging to have more movement shots, and therefore decided to re-shoot some shots with just the DJs in our next session.

However, we felt that Gavin and Eugene played their roles well and in this respect, the shoot was a success.

First shoot 6/11/14

On our first shoot, we shot the 'white scenes' - the opening narrative scenes of our video. We decided to shoot these because we felt that these scenes were the most likely to need a re-shoot, and also the easiest to re-shoot, so planning them early on in our schedule was sensible.

Mari and Ellie filming a close up
Ellie and I had free periods before so we got there early to set up the lights and the table so that we would be ready to start as soon as Georgie arrived. When she and the other group members arrived, we made sure we were happy with her costume, hair and make-up, which she had done herself to save time. Then we went through the shoot schedule to make sure everyone, particularly Georgie, was clear on which shots we were taking and what they would consist of. Before we filmed each shot, we gave Georgie a chance to practice without the camera rolling, partly for her to feel more confident, and partly for us to be able to give feedback and direction.
Ellie, Mari and Georgie
Considering it was our first shoot, I feel that it went smoothly. We worked efficiently and managed to get all the shots we planned in the time we were allocated. However, we hadn't realised how long it would take to set up the lights in the right positions. Fortunately on this shoot we had allowed ourselves more time than we thought was needed, but for our next shoots we will need to start setting up earlier than we previously planned. Overall, I think the shoot was a success.

Saturday 8 November 2014

Performance rehearsals

Before the shoot for our music video began, we got Georgie to practice lip-syncing to our song. This was partly to get an idea of how she would perform for the actual shoot, and partly to help her learn the lyrics and feel more confident for the first real shoot. We were happy with how she performed, and are sure that we made the right choice in casting her as she is confident in the role we have given her.

The video of Georgie's performance rehearsal:




Shoot-board

Before deciding which shots to film in which allocated slot of studio time, we first made a list of all the shots we need from each set-up, and which costumes, props and people are needed for each one. To do this, we used a shoot-board. Below are examples of our shoot-boards for a range of shots in the white scenes (click to enlarge).


Using the shoot-board, it was easier to allocate each scene to a slot we'd been given as we had a rough idea of how much time each scene will take and which actors we need to be available.

Call Sheets

Example: call sheet for our first shoot

We made a call sheet for each shoot, which details the start/end times and location for the shoot,  the role of each person in our group, times actors are needed for make up and on set, and what set/props are needed.

We worked out the time each person is needed by figuring out how long we need to set up, how long the cast need to get into costume and apply make-up, and how long each shot will take (which we estimated on our shoot schedule).

The call sheet helps the shoot run smoothly as it is clear where and when actors and crew are needed, and what needs to be ready at what time. 

Schedule of Studio and Location Shoots

Each group has allocated times when the Seward Studio is available to them. In these tables, the times when my group (group 4) has the studio is shown in red.


Using this and the shoot board, we made more specific shoot schedules which detail when we are shooting each scene, when to start setting up, how much time to spend on each shot and which actors we will be using.

Here is the shoot schedule for our first shoot:



Final Kit List

This is a list of the equipment available to us in the studio:

We will also be using  a GoPro for some of the balloon scene and forest scenes, for point of view and slow motion shots.

In the studio, for some performance shots we will use a GlideCam to increase the range of shots in our performance beds.


Friday 7 November 2014

Production meeting 07/11/14

After realising that planning to film a powder paint fight in a forest in the winter was pretty unrealistic, we decided to do a location recce on the recreational ground behind the school to see if it would be suitable back up location. We took a Legria HFG30 camera with us to test what it would look like on film. 

Filming test footage

This is a video of some of our footage:



The trees can be framed to cut out the fence in the background, so that it looks like it could be part of a real forest. It would be much easier to shoot here as it we won't have to rely so heavily on having good weather and it will be easier to organise enough extras.

We decided that it is a more suitable location than an actual forest so we are now planning to film there instead.