R+P Post 33: Reflections on my role and contribution during Research and Planning

I feel that I was an active and present member of the group and have been involved in the following aspects of Research and Planning.

Storyboarding

Being a keen cinematographer and working towards a career within media production this was very much one of my strengths.Story boarding is a vital process as it allows us to plan out our music video in great detail without even picking up a camera. Although I'm not the best artist I feel I completed this task to a great degree as I had a clear vision for the project.
After our feedback from our test shoot I also revised the storyboard to include more interesting camera movement and shot variety for the studio as well as simply making the male narrative clearer to the audience.

Me drawing a shot for our storyboard

Filming our test shoot

With Olamide acting and Matt directing the responsibility of filming the vast majority of the shots was given to me. One of my deepest passions is cinematography and thus I jumped at the chance to be the one behind the camera. Working with the Canon 5D was an amazing experience and I cant wait to use it again when it comes to our main shoot. Although this wasn't the first time I had used a DSLR I think I greatly improved my camera skills as I was introduced to more functions in order to make our shots just right, for example white balance options. 

me operating the camera 

Light-desk

Although I had no previous experience operating the lights I worked the light desk in order to get our different coloured lighting set ups for our test shoot. This was initially extremely difficult for me as it was like nothing I have ever done before. Simply learning how to change the brightness and colour of a single light proved to be a challenge due to the sheer amount of options available with the light desk. This issue was especially hard as there we had multiple different set ups, each with their own unique lighting needs. However despite this I think I have learnt a lot from operating the lights and I feel as if I am well prepared for our main shoot

Shoot-board

A shoot-board is vital for any shoot. It makes sure we do each shot that we set out to do as well as containing vital details such as framing and movement. I personally produced the storyboard for the studio shots as I drew the majority of them. I used a template given to us by the media department, however despite this it was an extremely time consuming process due to the large number of set-ups we have. However now that it has been done, we can easily alter the document and make amends to use for our main shoot. 

R+P Post 32: Test shoot and rough edit

A test shoot is essential in the production process as it allows us to see if our ideas actually work on camera visually. However we also thought of multiple shot ideas during the test shoot for both studio and location shots. You can see our test shoot below.

Our test shoot was split into two sections, narrative and studio. Our narraive test shoot took place in Shoreditch and various train stations on two separate days. Our studio shoot took place over a week in the Seward Studio.

In order to split the studio time equally between the three media groups we were given a media schedule that detailed when our allotted filming times were.

Overall the test shoot was extremely beneficial as it allowed us to isolate any issues within our production after watching it our-self as well as feedback from our target audience and teachers. For example

• Male narrative story line was unclear audience did not realise it was a dream sequence and was left confused. 
• Train cross cutting shot does not look effective
• Audience did not realise that the male character was of importance
• Train shots look to suburban
• Running sequence was too longd out
• Studio shots are too static and boring
• Lighting was often too bright or too dark for the studio shots
• Strobe light shot looks extremely grainy
• Integrate the male narrative and studio shots more

These were our main issues however main smaller issues were highlighted and can be seen below. 

Although we found many issues with our test shoot i am glad we isolated them at this early stage instead of after our final music video. This is because we have plenty of time to go over these issues and resolve them well before our main shooting begins.

R+P Post 31: My call sheet

A call sheet is vital in the smooth running of a shoot. It enables that all cast/crew members know where and when to meet. This makes the overall shoot much more efficient with few delays. Below is an example for the call sheet for one of our shoot days. 

Our groups call sheet 

As you can see the call sheet covers all aspects of the shoot in terms of organisation. The "crew" section not only details which crew members are involved in the day, it also highlights our specific roles. The call sheet also displays the exact location and what time each crew member  should be at that location. 

Health and safety is also outlined in detail in the call sheet, it lists all possible risks to look out for during the shoot as well nearest fire exits, first aiders and hospitals. 

The call sheet is an extremely useful tool in the organisation of the shoot, and as long as we stick to it our shoot should run efficiently and smoothly. 

R+P Post 30: My shoot-board

For our shoot we created two shoot boards: one for on location and one for in the studio. This made it easier in terms of organisation and efficiency as we wouldn't need shots from our studio on location and vice versa. Extracts from our shoot-board can be seen below.

Two extracts from our On-location shoot board

A shoot-board is necessary as it acts as a tick-list to make sure we have covered all the planned shots during our shoot. An image column with a drawing of the shot and a description is present in the shoot-board in order to help us visualise the shot whilst on set. A props column is used to ensure we remember to bring our required props to the shoot as well as to remind us which shot we're using them in. The last column is a "identify Good-takes" column. Using this column we will make a not of which take was the best whilst still on set. This will make editing much more efficient.

The same shoot board template was used for our studio shots, as seen below.

Two extracts from our studio shootboard

R+P Post 29: Rehearsals

Olamide, being our main performer, had to memorise all the lines of the song before we begin shooting. Doing this will make our shooting weeks much more efficient as we will be able to film our lip-syncs in less takes and to a higher quality. Above is an embedded video of Olamide practicing her lip-sync to the track. The rehearsals also act as a screen test to make sure Olamide is a good fit for the role.

Along with Olamides individual solo rehearsal we did technical rehearsals on our set. This was too make sure we knew what lighting we could use. Having good knowledge of our equipment allows our shoot to become much more efficient as we become less dependent on help and will therefore have more filming time overall.

R+P Post 28: My kit list

For our shoot we needed two kit lists as we were filming in two sets- On location and Studio

On location

For on location we used the following equipment

• Canon Legaria HF G30 Camera
• Shotgun microphone
• 64 GB SD card
• Two batteries
• Tripod 

We used this equipment as we we will able to film hand-held shots quickly and efficiently. This is an important aspect with on-location as many shots are spontaneous. 

The Canon Legaria HF G30 is a handheld camcorder that is lightweight but can also film 1080p. This meant it was perfect for handheld shots.

We used a Libec TH6F-65 tripod in order to shoot steady shots. this will help with framing and smooth camera movement. 

On set

For on set we will use the following equipment

• Canon Legaria HD Camera
• Shotgun microphone
• 64 GB SD card
• Two batteries
• Tripod 
• Studio Lights
• Studio lights
• Monitor
• Cycloroma 

We used a greater variation of equipment in the studio. The cycloroma will allow us to achieve infinite white. Also the studio lights can be arranged to make three-point lighting that would give a professional finish. A monitor is also used so we can better see the video in real time. This will help a lot with framing and colouring. 

R+P Post 27: Casting

When we we're casting we had to make sure the actors we used we're

• Reliable and local
• Professional
• Confident on camera

These three aspects we're crucial in our selection process. Reliability was a must as if the actor arrived late to the set, or cancelled last minute, it could have a detrimental effect on our project. 

Professionalism was key as we needed to make sure that our shooting process could run smoothly. 

Our last criteria was confidence on camera. This is a clear requirement as without confidence our footage would look unprofessional on camera, and thus would decrease the quality of our project significantly. 

We chose Olamide to play Layla Ade. She would be perfect for the role as she has had previous performing experience on stage, as well as on camera. Olamide is also part of group 3. This means that she will be not only be reliable for our in-school studio shots but also embody the character of Layla Ade well, as she helped create her. 

For our narrative we chose Andy to be our actor, Andy is a close friend of Matts, this meant he was reliable in turning up to shoots as well as acting professional. Andy was perfect as he perfectly matched the character we all had in mind, being a trendy teenage Londoner who is also aware of the issue of oppressive police. With previous acting and modelling experience Andy is confident in front of the camera thus making him ideal for our project. 

R+P Post 26: Set design, locations and props

 Our music video will be shot in two locations, in studio and on-location.

Studio Shots

For our studio shots we have decided to use as little props as possible and focus more on framing and lighting to give a minimalist and sleek look to the production. So far we have decided on the following set-designs

• Blue-light themed
• Red-light themed
• Dark red lighting with stool
• grey lighting with microphone
• no studio lights- strobe lighting
• no studio lights- fairy lighting
• no studio lights- projection.

On-location shots

For our o-location shots we decided to film in Shoreditch. We felt this would be a very bold and colourful area that would contrast well with the studio shots but also allow us to have many aesthetic shots within the narrative. 

Shoreditch would also help connote a gritty urban london look that we were aiming with the graffati and public transport links. 

R+P Post 25: Costumes, props and make-up

From the very start we always envisioned Layla Obi as visually striking, thus the costumes, props and make-up had to comply with this image we created for her. Having a look that stands out is essential for a new artist as it allows them to be more memorable and thus are more likely to succeed in the entertainment scene. This convention of "standing out" can be seen in many mainstream artists such as Ed sheeran with his brightly coloured hair and Sia with her unique blonde wig. 

In order to achieve a visual motif we decided to have large curly hair. This would hopefully make her stand out and could be a reoccurring element in all Layla's content, an example of synergy in her products. Mainstream personalities that achieve a visual motif through hair include Ed sheeran,Sia and Annie Mac. 

In our music video Layla will have three different outfits. A range of outfits is necessary as it hopefully will make the music video more interesting and appealing to our main target audience of trendy londoners as they will appreciate the different outfits. The aim of each outfit was to showcase the different sides of Layla Obi and display her as an artist with dimension/multiple aspects to her instead of a simple 2-Dimensional character. 

Outfit No 1

Our first outfit consisted of a white sleeveless turtleneck, dark green bomber jacket and a black skirt. This unique turtle-neck hopefully represents our artists unique character. This representation is supported by the white trainers which are white with a multicoloured toe-cap. Overall this outfit gives quite a distinguished out-going look which is what we set out to achieve. 

Our third outfit contained a camouflage print jacket, a Tommy Hilfigure sports bra and black leggings.

The sports bra has the instantly recognisable Tommy Hilfigure logo which will directly appeal to our target audience of trendy young people. 

The camo print jacket was chosen as it is a very eye-catching piece that is also seen in popular culture. For example the brand Bape, which is extremely popular among young people, uses camouflage print in a lot of their clothing. Celebrities such as Drake, Kanye west and rihanna have been seen wearing camo prints which furthur prove its popularity. 

Our final outfit is meant to show off Laylas more artsy side. This is represented by our Moschino shirt. The shirt consists of multiple patterns and colours that make it quite bold and instantly eye-catching. This worn over a plain grey bralett underneath creates a nice contrast which makes our artist stand out even further. 

R+P Post 24: Planning my digipak panels

First draft of all four panels. 

Our Digipak consists of four panels: Album front cover(Top left), back cover (Top right), inside left panel(bottom left), inside right panel (bottom right).


Album front cover

flatplan for our album front cover

For our front cover we wanted our artist to be pictured in mid-air in front of a graffiti filled wall. We thought this would would make an eye catching image which would hopefully intrigue our audience. The graffiti filled wall will also appeal to our target audience of trendy londoners as they will appreciate the urban touch. 

An album covers main purpose is to showcase the artist and the album title so this will be the main text present. We hope to use a eye-catching font, but we will have to experiment with this aspect of the cover as it may clash with the graffiti. 

Our main visual reference point for the album cover was the cover for the album art for "Limbo" by Pell, as seen below. 

Album art for Limbo by Pell

Since this is not an album cover and just album art it does not contain typical conventions of an album cover such as Album name and Artist name. However we found the album art inspiring and uniquee and thus wanted to replicate this in our cover. 

Album back cover

flatplan for album back cover

For our back cover we wanted to have a silhouette of our artist that was filled with graffiti, the rest of the image would be black with the album song names placed around her body. The graffiti would provide synergy between the front and back cover as well to appeal to our urban audience. We also plan on using the same graffiti from the front cover in order for the covers to link and aesthetically work well with each other. 

The silhouette would also highlight our artists big curly hair which we have as our visual motif. This is very important as it makes our artist instantly distinguishable despite only a silhouette being shown. 

The back cover will also contain the typical conventions seen on the back of album covers such as 

1. Song names
2. Barcode
3. Website
4. Instituitions and logos
5. Copyright infomation

Our main inspiration for our back cover were the art for the singles "In the morning" and "Pretty things" by Pele as seen below. 

art for the single Pell- in the morning 

art for the single Pell- Pretty things

We thought this art was minimal yet eye-catching. I feel our album back cover will be aesthetically pleasing as the silhouette filled with graffiti will not only highlight our artists visual motif but also be synergistic with the graffiti seen in other content.

Left inside panel

flatplan for left inside panel

For our inside panels we are going to have a side profile of our artist with writing around her. We thought this would be effective as it links well with our artists character of being an activist, the writing around her would highlight her views. This will appeal to our target audience of Londoners between the ages of 16-25 as they are often politically aware and will relate the writing. 

I also feel that a side-profile shot will highlight and emphasise our visual motif of curly hair. 

Our main inspiration for the left inside panel was "Erykah Badu-worldwide underground" as seen below. 

Right inside panel

flatplan for right inside panel

For our right inside panel we wanted a candid shot of our artist. We wanted her to be placed on the bottom right of the panel so the image wont be covered when the CD is placed inside. Our "candid" picture will be taken with graffitti in order to continue the synergy of graffitti as seen in the front and back covers of the album. 

An inspiration for this panel was the front cover for the album "Good times" by Ella Eyre. This candid shot of her is visually effective and seems more "real" and thus would highlights the reliability of our artist to the audience which in turn will make the panel more appealing to our target audience. 

Album cover for "Good times" by Ella Eyre

R+P post 23: Planning my web pages

Our flat plan for our website can be seen below.  

flatplan for our website

For our website background we plan to have a video that constantly loops and plays. This would not only make our website seem more professional but it would be very effective in simply keeping the website interesting, This is important as we want the audience to be on the website for as long as possible, so they can fully engage with all aspects.

The idea for a video as a background originally was inspired by official websites for Izzy Bizu and Dua Lipa. It is clear that it adds a certain atmosphere to the websites and gives it a very professional touch. for our video we plan on having snippets of our artist compiled together to make a continuous looping video. Izzy bizu's background video can be seen below.

We also plan on having "Layla Ade" written in large writing for the very front page. This is important as we need to make sure the consumer instantly recognises who our artist is, this is also supplemented by the background video. This source of branding is a common convention in artists websites as seen in the numerous examples below. As you can see they all have the artists name clearly printed as soon as you visit the website, thus making the website instantly recognisable.

Izzy Bizus first website page

Chance the Rappers first website page

Dua Lipa's first website page 

Declan Mckenna's first website page

Our menu options are heavily inspired by MNEKs website. We felt that his menu was slick and easy to use thus we have decided to aim for the same format.

Menu options from MNEKs website

R+P Post 22: Planning my promo shots

Promo shots are key as they decide the initial impression the audience gets of the artist. Thus they must appeal to the TA well whilst still reflecting the artist accurately.

Amy winehouse and Ella Eyre were one of our main inspirations for our promo shots. This is because we wanted to have a "Candid" photography style for our shots. Candid photography is a photography style that involves the subject being unaware that the photo is being taken. This usually results in a truer representation of emotion and personality from the subject

A candid photograph will hopefully make Layla seem more relatable to our target audience, this is because candid photography gives a more relaxed and personal feel, thus our target audience will see our artist as a regular person instead of a celebrity.  Examples of Amy Winehouse and Ella Eyres candid album covers can be seen below.

Candid photo of Amy Winehouse on her "Frank" album cover. 

Candid photo of Ella Eyre from her "Good Times" album cover

We also plan on taking shots that emphasise the visual motif of our artists big curly hair. A visual motif will be a synergistic element that will reoccur in most of our artists content. This idea of a synergistic visual motif was inspired by artists such as Ed sheeran and Sia who display their visual motif (Red hair and blonde wig) across a lot of their media such as album covers and music videos.

Ed sheerans visual motif of red hair seen on his debut album cover

R+P Post 21: My key shots Storyboard

A key shots storyboard is a vital part of pre-production. It is the first time we put our shot ideas on paper. This helped us visualise how music video will look visually on camera and how each shot would work together. We used post-it notes for each shot as they could be moved around easily if we decided to change the order of our shots.

The key-shots storyboard for "Blue Lights"

Different colour post-it notes were used for each shot. For example we used blue to represent a Long shot, yellow to represent a mid-shot and pink to represent a close-up. This meant we could further visualise what our video would look like on camera whilst still in pre-production.  Using a colour code meant we could see the ratio of each shot and then could add/remove shots as necessary.

Our key for the shootboard

An example of a long shot with fairy lights, a storyboard allowed us to show the exact framing we're going for

R+P Post 20: My Music Video timeline

Our music video time-line can be seen below. 

A time-line allows us to put our ideas for the music video onto paper. This has a huge impact on the organisation of the video and can help us visually see if our ideas actually make sense when put in order. 

This was hugely helpful for our project as the story for our male narrative section of the music video was consistently being changed. This started to become confusing as we would have so many different versions of the same story in our mind. Thus writing it all down made the planning process so much easier. 

Overall I think creating a time-line has greatly helped the planning process of our project as it allowed us to see if our male narrative would fit well with each individual verse. 

R+P Post 19: My influences and vision for the project

You can find our Steal-o-matic below.

A steal-o-matic is a montage of clips from pre-existing videos that we have taken and put into a sequence. This was created in order to give an idea of what our music video will look like before our rough cut. Each clip has been selected in order to showcase the atmosphere and aesthetic we are planning to achieve with our final music video

After the steal-o-matic was done we we're able to find out if some of our ideas were actually practical with the resources we have. An example of a shot that was unattainable by us personally was the light shot at 0:08. This is because it was an extreme wide shot which will not be possible in our studio

Creating a steal-o-matic was extremely beneficial in our planning process. This is because this is the very first video we have produced wit our song and thus gave us our first insight on what we can/cannot do. 

R+P Post 18: Analysis of my tracks lyrics and instrumentation

Below is a lyric video for our chosen song, Jorja smith-Blue lights

Our chosen song sends a powerful message about police brutality especially involving people. Analysing our lyrics helped us understand the message of the song. For example the first verse 

I wanna turn those blue lights into strobe lights

Not blue flashing lights, maybe fairy lights

Those blue lights into strobe lights,

Maybe even fairy lights, not blue flashing lights

It is clear that the "Blue lights" represent police lights and the artist has negative connotations to these lights. She says "not blue flashing lights, maybe fairy lights" this shows that she wants to turn the negative situation of police brutality into a more calm and peaceful scene. These lyircs have helped spur our ideas and we are considering having literal fairy lights in our studio shots in order to physically convey the lyrics whilst the audience figures out the true meaning. 

Analysing the track lyrics in advance help us understand the track to a deeper degree as well as supplementing our visualisation for the music video.  

R+P Post 17: My Chosen Track

My chosen track is Blue Lights by Jorja Smith.

Jorja Smith published the track on her sound cloud in January 2016, the official video was released three months later on Youtube. Smith came up with the song after analysing the lyrics to "Sirens" by Dizzie Rascal as part of her school coursework. This inspired her to eventually write and perform her own song "Blue Lights".

It does not appear "Blue Lights" is part of an album and Jorja Smith is an un-signed independent artist.

We chose this track for numerous reasons- for example it has a strong theme of oppressive police, this fitted well with the artist we created as she is an activist who fights against racism. The use of the strong theme also meant that we had the opportunity to make a meaningful and conceptual video.

We also thought that the vocals would fit nicely on video as we plan on having Olamide as our main performer due to her previous performing work.

However the song isn't as fast as our previous choices. This meant that we could not be as playful with our shots as previously imagined. For example I imagined a choppy montage with the cuts on the beat of the music. "Blue Lights" slow and soulful nature contradict this however I still feel we can make an effective music video.

R+P Post 16: My Band or Artist

My artist is called Layla Ade, she is a 19 year old who lives in London and makes songs relating to big issues in the world. This can be seen in her debut song "Blue Lights" which highlights police brutality which is a global issue.

Visual Illustration

Below I have made a mood-board which roughly illustrates what she will look like.

We want her to have big curly hair to act as a visual motif. I felt a visual motif would be important as after researching many different artists it was clear most were known for a single visual trait. For example Ed Sheeran's ginger hair, Sia's blonde wig and Daft Punks helmets. This visual motif was then reflected in their albums to promote synergy as well as to make it instantly recognisable.

Reference Point: Ed Sheerans ginger hair is clearly reflected in his albums 

Activism /Beliefs and Richard Dyers Star Theory

Layla Ade will be a activist with strong beliefs against racism and other forms of discrimination. We wanted this as it will make the artist more than the music. This will help appeal to our target audience who will aspire to Layla and admire her beliefs. After questioning a few of my friends who are British teens, and thus fit the target audience, a common response was that having an artist who stands for their beliefs makes them more inspirational. 

This ties in well with Richard Dyers Star Theory. Richard Dyer believed that a star must have an ideology. This gives the audience something to relate to. We hope that our target audience will relate to Layla Ade due to her age and shared-beliefs, her African-heritage and urban upbringing will also increase relatability among the target audience. 

Key reference points to Layla Ade being an activist is Beyonce. She is known to be more than just a musician she also stands up for big issues in the world. This can instantly be seen in countless interviews and statements but also on her website as seen below. 

Various issues that Beyonce stands up against as seen on her website. 

R+P Post 15: My Record Label

My chosen record label for my artist is Virgin EMI records.

We thought this label would be the most appropriate as it reflects our artist the best. It supports small acts such as MNEK and Elle Eyre however is associated with much bigger acts such as Kanye West. This means it has the reach to push our artist forward. Another reason Virgin EMI is desirable is because it has similar acts to ours including Seinabo Sey and Alessia Cara. 

R+P Post 14: My Target Audience

Our primary target audience will be young British people aged from 16-25. We felt this would be a good audience to target as we ourselves are in this audience and thus could target our project more accurately. Audience feedback would also be easier during the research/planning and construction processes as we could easily get peers in the audience to have a look at our content.

This audience would also be suitable for our artist Layla Ade as we feel that her views and meaningful music can fully be appreciated and understood by this audience as they would be able to personally relate to the issue of police brutality raised in the song.

During the video we plan to have a simultaneous male narrative embedded within the studio shots of Layla Ade. This will hopefully appeal to both sexes equally as they will find relatability in our two main characters.