Editing

We edited our pop video using Final Cut Pro. First we shot and edited our storyboard to the track so that when we had the footage it would be easier to see where everything went. We assembled a rough cut of the pop video within about a week of digitising the tapes. After this we added and changed various shots for a further week until we were happy with our final cut.

Once this had been done, we had to put in the special effects. This involved exporting every clip with blue screen on it or that needed another special effect. We imported the clips into Adobe After Effects and, using keying, motion tracking and blurring techniques, added the cityscape in place of the blue screen. For the execution scene we layered on stock footage of blood gushes and muzzle flashes:

Once all the special effects were done, we imported the clips back into Final Cut Pro and added them back into our final cut:

We then used Compressor (from Final Cut Studio) to create two copies of the video, a low quality one which was small enough to upload onto my Blog and YouTube, and a higher quality one for DVD. The whole process took about three weeks, working for about two hours most week days.

Magazine Advert

SHOOT DAY

Crew

Rory (Director)
Moritz (Camera)
Elana (Playback/Runner/Continuity)
Luke (Camera Assistant)
Matt (Camera Assistant)
Dan (Set Design/Lighting)
Laura (Set Design/Lighting)
George (Photography)

Equipment

JVC1500E Camera
Vinten Tripod
Spider Dolly & Tracking
Final Cut Pro 7
Redheads and Blonde lighting (3 point lighting scheme) for the studio. Used natural lighting for the Guildford stairwell.

Story
I got in to the studio at about 8:50 am to set up, the drummer had already arrived and started to set up the kit and practice. As he owned most of the guns we had sourced for the SWAT team, he demonstrated how to use them all while we waited for the rest of the crew. Everyone else got there in the next twenty minutes except for one member of the team who, as usual, was almost an hour late. We spent the first hour setting up the lights, rehearsing with the band and framing up the wide shot. After a few takes of the wide shot we proceeded to do various close-ups of each member of the band and finished just before lunch with a couple of tracking shots.
After a quick lunch we sorted out the camouflage uniforms and gave out guns to the actors in the armed unit. We filmed the final shot on the rooftopof the armed unit bursting out the door. We took just under an hour to switch round the set to the apartment and filmed in there until 3:30 pm when we took a minibus up to Guildford to film in the stairwell. One member of the cast had to leave by 5:30 pm so we had to film all the group shots first, after that we concentrated on more close up shots. One constrained we had was that , for all the exterior shots, we had to wait for it to get dark. This also restricted our interior shots because we had to make sure no windows could be seen an any shots when it was still light.
We managed to get everything finished and were able to go back to school at 6:00 pm. Everything ran according to schedule and we got more than enough footage. All in all, it couldn’t have been a more successful day.

What Went Right
On the shoot day the drummer, Max, was very good. He was on time, focused and incredibly full of life on camera. He really lifted the energy when filming allowing the other members to bounce off him and ultimately create a holistic and fun atmosphere. As well as all this he also supplied a number of the props including five guns for the armed unit. He also helped us set up for the shoot and even offered to fill in for an actor that had dropped out of the armed unit.
Our set design, specifically our apartment, was much better than anticipated especially under lights and the last minute addition of the wind machines on the rooftop added to the realism.

What Went Wrong
The day before our shoot, two actors from the SWAT team pulled out so me and another member of the production team had to step in as reserves. Also we only managed to secure costumes for the SWAT team the day before the shoot, however we were unable to get black police uniforms so we had to settle with camouflage. In the end, however, this turned out just as effective. Finally, our bass player in the band let us know on the day that he had to leave at 1:00 for an exam so we had to prioritize all shots with him in so he could go on time.

Good Shots
One shot which worked particularly well was a mid shot of the singer and the bassist. The bassist is in the background and just as he starts to sing backing vocals we do a focus pull to him. This shot was effective due to the fact it obeyed the rule of thirds as both people in the shot were positioned on the first two hot spots.

Another shot I really liked was a reverse POV shot on a SWAT team member. Originally I wanted to have the camera looking along the barrel of the gun to the actor’s face but it was impossible to keep the camera steady without fixing it to the gun. Instead we came up with an alternative which ended up being better. Instead of fixing the camera to the gun, I held the camera as if it were a gun with the lens facing me.

Bad Shots
One shot which didn’t turn out as good as we hoped was when the SWAT team kick open a door in the stairwell. We used an open elevator as the door frame and kicked through it to simulate breaking down the door. However, because of the camera angle you can clearly see that the SWAT member’s foot doesn’t make contact with anything so it isn’t realistic in the slightest. This can be solved with clever editing though.


What Could Have Been Better?
In my opinion, pretty much everything went as well as I would have hoped. The only thing I can think about that might have made it a bit better is if we had an older cast, especially for the band as they all looked a bit young, but this is only a minor setback

Final Pre Production

CALL SHEET
We put together a detailed call sheet to ensure the day ran smoothly and to plan. The call sheet consisted of a cast and crew list complete with contact details, incase anyone was late or we needed to contact them to call them early ect. A list of props to check we had everything we needed. A shooting schedule, helping us to organize the day so we didn’t run out of time and so the cast knew what time their call was. A shot list with camera positions/lighting plans; the shot were put in order of when they should be shot and were accompanied by a diagram showing camera and lighting positions so we could get things done as quickly as possible and we weren’t moving the camera around too much. We had the design sketches for the studio so that the space was set up quickly and correctly. Finally we included a lyrics sheet incase the singer needed to refer to it at any point.

SET BUILD
On Tuesday evening, the day before the shoot, we built our first set: the rooftop. Unfortunately one member of our group was taking a driving test that afternoon and so couldn’t make it and the other member had to leave early for an exam. This meant that for most of the evening it was just me and the set design team. Although at first I thought this would be a hindrance, having less people to clutter the space actually allowed us to work faster. We erected a small wall, with painted bricks on it, at the back in front of a blue screen; we built a door unit in the far right corner for the armed unit to burst through at the end and laid down flooring to give a concrete feel; finally we decorated the set with silver pipes, ventilation units and a TV aerial.


Our other set was a cheap, seedy apartment. During the shoot we had an hour to switch the set from the rooftop into the apartment. After dismantling the rooftop, we set up three white walls with a door then used black, grey and green spray paint to simulate dirt and mould and give it a real run down look. We then set up a table with a computer, a desk covered in magazines, posters and a dirty mattress.

PROPS/COSTUME
Originally, we wanted the armed unit to be in a black SWAT team uniform but after weeks of online research and haggling with army surplus stores we decided it was far to expensive. Instead we settle with camouflage outfits that we sourced from the theatre department. This ended up looking just as effective. Through a friend, we managed to obtain the additional guns we needed (the theatre department could only supply us with two assault rifles) we finished with three assault rifles, two shot guns and six handguns.

Initially we wanted the band to dress smartly in all black with one item of purple clothing i.e. a tie or pair of shoes. This proved impractical as not many people actually own purple clothes, instead we changed the purple part of the costume to white or silver.

COPYRIGHT PERMISSIONS LETTER

As part of our Pre-Production we studied http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p13_permission
To find out how things worked on copyright.

We had to ask for the copyright holder’s permission before using the song, and so wrote a letter which went off by e mail and post to the copyright holder. The letter is laid out below:

Rory Skeoch
Hurtwood House
Holmbury St Mary
Dorking
Surrey
RH5 6NU


Head of Copyright
The Warner Building November 18th 2010
29 Kensington Church Street
London
W8 4EP

Dear Sir or Madam

We are a group of A Level students working on an A Level project for a qualification in Media Studies. We are writing to request permission to use the following track as part of this project:

Assassin by Muse

With your permission the track would be used as the accompaniment to a short form video that is made purely for assessment purposes and will have no commercial usage. The video will be viewed only by members of the school community and the assessor of the examination board.

The artist and the copyright holder will of course be fully recognised in the pre-production and evaluation material that accompanies the project. We can also include a full copyright notice if required both in the planning material and on the video itself.

Yours sincerely


Rory Skeoch Moritz Riewoldt Elana Bryan
Hurtwood House School

Lighting Plans