Filming Blog

Unfortunately, my group has yet to begin filming our music video. Many of the groups with in our class had begun filming since last week. Due to our conflicting schedules after school, we were given no other option, but to push back our start date to November 27 as that will be the only time the whole group could be present. It was kind of crazy how incompatible our schedules were. As we discussed our availability.

Storyboard for Music Video Blog

Today our group worked on the storyboard for the music video that we will be filming. After countless deliberation, brainstorming, and replaying, we managed to finish our storyboard, laying down the framework for the filming process. For our music video, we decided that we will be doing the song “Kiss Me Through The Phone” by Soulja Boy Tell’Em featuring Sammie. This song was a perfect choice as it lacked profanity and would be easy to recreate with the resources we each have access to. We would detach all audio and let the song tell a story itself. Since we were given a minimum of a minute and five seconds and a maximum of a minute and 15 seconds, our plan was to cut various parts of the song given that it is a total of three minutes long. We chose to use the introduction, a phrase towards the middle of the song, and the ending. From there, we divided the song by increments of five seconds, establishing what exactly would be taking place within the said time frame. We knew that it was essential that the audio not only fell between the specified range but also still flowed together. This would help us avoid any inconveniences that could potentially offset our productivity during the filming and editing processes. Since the goal of this project was not to create an imitation of the original music, the creative juices had no choice, but to be activated. Our vision for the project took a sharp detour in regards to the general direction of the original music video. The overall plot of our music video goes as follows: A young teen’s love at first sight quickly evolves into a mesmeric obsession, resulting in the pursuit of a connection to an oblivious boy by all means necessary. Initially, one of the ideas presented was a love story in which the guy pursued the girl with good intentions and romantic interests. We ultimately decided to stray from the norm and go with a more “stalker story” as it was more original. 

Within our storyboard, we divided the music video amongst 15 boxes. The first six take place in the mall. During these scenes, we anticipate there to be bright, white lights as it is a shopping center. There are four actors, all which are members of the group, Autumn, Emilio, Victoria, and Jeffrey. The actors will all be dressed in casual clothing and will be carrying shopping bags. The next 4 take place at a park. Lighting will depend on how the weather is looking that day, though, we intend to film on a sunny day. Emilio and Jeffrey will be dressed in sports apparel, playing basketball, while Victoria and Autumn will be in casual clothing. The final 5 take place in an apartment. During these scenes, Jeffrey and Emilio will be dressed in light clothing such as pajamas. Victoria will once again be dressed in casual clothing. We will likely use dark lighting in order to build the suspense of being stalked. We intend to use jump cuts, inserts, establishing shots, point of view, and various other cinematographic elements in order to not only transition between the scenes (boxes) but also effectively portray our vision. For example, the first box, marked the 0:03 seconds to 0:8 seconds of the actual song, displays a wide shot in which Victoria and Autumn find Jeffrey and Emilio at the mall and Victoria becomes infatuated with Jeffrey. This will jump to the second box, marked 0:8 to 0:13, a close up in which Victoria and Autumn look at each other and notice that Emilio and Jeffrey are gone.

If everything goes as planned, we intend to stick to our story board and end the music video with a minute and fifteen seconds. 

Planning for Music Video Blog

The first day of our planning process was November 18th. The teacher gave us instructions on what to do and we began. The first thing we discussed is what we wanted to do for the music video. We know we didn’t want to follow the normal convention of the music video. The original video shows a couple who is dating and even though they can’t see each other they call and text each other. We decided to change the theme and now instead of it being a couple, a girl has a crush on a guy and she’s delusional thinking that they are together. For this project, things were a little harder because the concept was more complicated than the commercial. The biggest problem for us was figuring out when we were actually going to be able to film. We wanted to start filming this week, but we couldn’t figure out a day when we were all free. Some of us had to work and others had after school activities that conflicted with each other. We talked about our schedule for about 20 minutes before I suggested a solution.  Since not everyone was going to be in all of the scenes, the people who were free a specific day could go filming and film the scenes that they can get, then another day the other people in the group could go filming. 

By the time we figured out our individual schedules and the plan it, the class had ended so we got on group call at night to discuss the video in more detail. We discussed the health and safety issues, the props we were going to use, the costumes and the schedule we were going to be following. 

Location

To create our vision, we figured that the best place to film would be the mall because the mall is a crowded area where people can easily be followed without being spotted. So when the female is stalking the male interest, he wouldn’t be able to spot her in a crowd. The next location that we chose was someone’s house. In one of our scenes, we have the female looking into the window of the male interest’s house trying to see if he’s home while calling him. A one-story house or an apartment with windows on the first floor would be the perfect place to film the scene. The last location that we chose was the park. The male interest is going to be hanging out with his friend playing basketball and the female and her friend are watching him. Once again when stalking someone, the person stalking normally does it in a crowded area. In the scene, you would see the female fawning over the male interest while he is up and active. An important task we had to do was make sure that we were allowed to film in all of the locations that we chose. Autumn was in charge of getting the approval of the people in charge. At first, she called the Galleria Mall, the mall we wanted to filmstrip.  and the manager stated that it was fine as long as we gained permission to film the people in the mall. The next part was getting the house. Our new member of the group offered to use his house so he asked his mom and she said yes. We figured that since the park was a public area as long as we had permission from the people playing on the court, filming shouldn’t be a problem there.

Health & safety 

Because we are filming outside of school campus, we have to make sure that our group, the equipment and everyone around us isn’t put in harm's way. We will have to drive to the locations so everyone in the car will use the seatbelts. Another safety issue is the weather. The weather forecast says there will be days of thunderstorms. To protect ourselves we will stay inside and shoot all of our inside scenes. If we happen to get caught in the rain, we will bring umbrellas to protect the equipment and raincoats to protect us from the rain. 

Props

The props we will be using 

1. Phones
2. Basketball 
3. Shopping bags
4. The room in the house

Costumes

1. Basketball shorts with a t-shirt
2. Jeans and a hoodie
3. Pajamas 

Schedule 11/18-12/9

11/18- Discussed the theme of the music video 

11/20- Plan the props, location, and costumes

11/22- We are going to storyboard, our video, write the script and figure out the kinks with our individual schedule. 

11/26- We begin filming. We will start off at the mall, then make our way to the house to shoot our opening scenes.

11/30- Film the scenes at the park and go back to the mall because we need a shot with all of the actors/actresses in it. 

12/2- Begin the editing process, figure out the scenes and takes we want to keep and what we want to get rid of, adding the music, and doing the voiceovers needed

 12/4- Double check to make sure that the music video looks put together, add any last-minute details that we might have missed and play it back. 

12/06- Turn in the final music video 

Intro to New Project: Music Video

After finally completing our previous project, the production of a Gatorade commercial, we have now been presented a new task: producing a music video. Based on prior experiences with the production process as a whole, we have come to several realizations in regards to our overall effectiveness in completing our previous project. For the most part, our commercial was success. We managed to secure our locations and record all of our footage without any major inconveniences. We were also able to relatively follow our storyboard. Story boarding played a major part in our project as it enabled us to efficiently plan out what we would be doing and ultimately made the filming process much easier. Taking notes and actively discussing and assigning who would do what made organization much clearer and aided in the fluidity of the commercial. One thing we struggled with a lot  was the editing software. Though we ultimately managed to finish the project, we struggle with certain features such as split screens. For this music video, we will ensure that we have better knowledge and practice in regards to various  the features of our music video. As group, we decided that we will be doing “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” by Soulja Boy Tell’Em.

The original music video has the typical mis en scene that a Hip-Hop/Rap music video would have. The different camera angles, sound, and editing techniques. In a traditional music video for Hip-Hop/Rap, the camera angles are usually low-angled close up shots in order for the main artist of the music video can seem like the most important focal point of the video. Shots that are taken in a Hip-Hop/Rap music video include many two shots, typically with the main artist and a love interest to indicate that they are desirable. It also includes shots like club/party scenes where it gives the artist credibility because it shows how large groups of people are enjoying their song. Depending on the song itself, there can be a range of sounds that are not including the song. There can be sounds of engines revving to depict the luxury the artist or people yelling their name so it shows their importance. The editing, like the sound, also depends on the song and how the director and the artist want the song to be interpreted. 

Within the Hip Hop/Rap genre, artists tend to wear a variety of apparel. This may range from designer clothing such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Ferragamo complimented by expensive chains, watches, and other forms of jewelry. This aims to emphasize the wealth that the artist has accumulated and is often a reflection and even a product of the rags to riches story they likely experienced.

In a music video there isn’t a lot of acting involved unless there is a background story to the music video. In the original music video you see spots in the video where the person is looking to be having a conversation on a cell phone. They did this to signify them calling the other person through the phone.

The makeup is also an important part of Hip-Hop videos. Back in 2008, the girls wore vivid makeup that popped on screen. For example bright eyeshadow colors, or and big eyeliner. Some videos would showcase the girl in a scene where she would just need normal makeup. The guys however, didn't really a lot of makeup due to the fact that makeup was more fememine. 

Props that are heavily featured in many of the videos of the hip-hop genre would include phones, jewelry, clothing, and stacks of money. They serve to captivate the audience’s attention, and portray the characters in the video as wealthy and well off in terms of power and status. 

Setting is very important for these types of videos, as they help to demonstrate where the video is taking place. Most often in the Hip-Hop genre, the setting is usually on the street, or a neighborhood, parties, and social gatherings. 

Filming Commercial Blog

Yesterday, my group finally began the filming process for our Gatorade commercial. If I am being completely honest, it was a little harder than I initially anticipated, but at the end of the day we managed. I didn’t expect us to be masters of the craft on our first try, though,  with practice, we will eventually. Even so, when I reflect on what we accomplished within 90 minutes alone, 

Storyboard Blog

Today, we finally managed to complete the storyboard for a Gatorade commercial, a step that will ultimately make the filming process much easier. Storyboarding was quite the group experience. Coming together and allowing our creative juices to flow from our minds, intertwining with one another and spawning even more ideas, resulted in what we saw as the best path to take for this project. In a nutshell, our commercial will go as follows: The commercial will begin with a full Gatorade bottle displayed on the screen placed on the field of grass and instrumental music will start playing. For our score, we decided to use the song “Hot” by Young Thug as it coincided with our vision for the commercial. Then, it will transition to 3 different scenes, each carrying a dull, dim atmosphere. This works to give the impression that the individuals in the scenes are tired, completely deprived of the energy and unable to carry out the tasks at hand. With this, slow transitions will be used in order to have the effect of the sluggishness that our actors will have. Transitions like slow pans and slow tilts. This develops the idea of a problem, which Gatorade will soon provide a solution. After this, each actor will take sips of Gatorade and this will be shown on a three-way split screen. The colors would change to a more vibrant setting and the music will be at a more upbeat tempo. Then, the same tasks that were attempted before will be attempted again, but performed better, illustrating the ‘liquid power’ of the Gatorade. As typical conventions used in Gatorade commercial, faster transitions, and dynamic shots will be used in order to get the attention of the audience. To end the commercial, an empty Gatorade bottle will be placed on the same field at the same spot.

Editing Lesson Blog

As I have stated in my introductory blog, one of my goals for AICE Media Studies is to expand my skills within the field of cinematography. Today has brought just one step closer to reaching my goal. In class we began to go over the editing process. Learning how to edit would not only be critical for the development of our commercials, as mentioned previously, but also how well we do in the class. Recording shots and using various types of camera angles is important as well; however, but what you can not have a good movie without editing. It just

Planning Blog For Gatorade Commercial

During class, we continued our discussion from the night before about the props, costumes schedule, location, and the back-up plan to film our commercial. Figuring out the props, costumes, and location for the commercial were the easiest to discuss. Going into the planning, we all had our ideas for the commercial and what we wanted it to look like. We were trying to decide what route we want to take for the commercial, if we wanted it to be different from the ‘traditional’ Gatorade commercials or put our own twist to it. Inevitably, we all decided to steer from the norm and make the commercial school oriented. Since all of us partake in activities for school like percussion, auxiliary, and even studying for a big test, we thought our commercial can have a larger target audience if we made it revolve around school. Our group went ahead and decided the slogan that we wanted. Even though Gatorade has their own slogan, we wanted to change it up and come up with our own. We decided on “Liquid power, Liquid drive, Liquid intensity, Gatorade”. 

Props

·                     ‘Quints’, drum sticks, and a harness for the percussion scenes

·                     A baton for the auxiliary scenes

·                     Books, writing utensils, and glasses for the studying scenes

·                     Gatorade bottles (different sizes and colors) for almost all scenes

Costumes

·               A black visor, grey band tracksuit, and marching band dinkles for the percussion scenes.

·                     A blue and white leotard that is long sleeve, tan tights, and white gogo boots for the auxiliary scenes.

·                     A crimson sweatshirt and glasses for the studying scenes. 

Schedule

·                     10/7- We researched our product and explained what it takes to make a Gatorade commercial.

·                     10/10- Today, we explained our idea and planned out what the costumes, props, and locations.

·                      10/14- We are going to storyboard, write the script for our commercial, and start to brainstorm creative ideas to how we’re going to film our scenes.

·                     10/21- Our group is going to start filming for our commercial. Go to the locations and figure out how we want to film.\

·                     10/23- Start to edit our scenes, figure out which we are going to keep and have to cut out of the final product. Voice overs and different editing styles.

·                     10/28- Turn in our commercial.

Locations-

·                     For the percussion scenes, we are going to film on the football field.

·                     For the auxiliary scenes, we are going to film on the senior patio. 

·                     For the studying scenes, we are going to film on the senior patio at a picnic table . 

Back-up plan-

·                     In case of rain, the locations that are filmed outside like the football field and the senior patio, we are going to film in front of the large auditorium under the pavilion for the percussion scene and the auxiliary scene. For the studying scene we would have to move it to somewhere under a cover. 

·                     In case of an absence, we would lengthen the time of the scenes to where it can make up for the absence of a group member. 

·                     In case of the locations being used by other filmers, we would move to a location that not many people would think of. Possibly a corner of a building or another field like the softball field.

Codes and Conventions

The product we chose to do a commercial for is Gatorade. We chose Gatorade because we all personally like Gatorade better than Powerade, found it to be more accommodating for the location available for us to film at, and it seemed to be a more fun option to film for. We also chose Gatorade because unlike the other options available to us, we all drink Gatorade rather than Powerade. As members of extracurricular activities such as band, swim team, and auxiliary, we all have our experience with how Gatorade truly works and how it can help us go on to do these activities after a seven hour school day. 

When one hears the word ‘Gatorade’ electrolytes typically come to mind. Gatorade has a variety of commercials revolving around how the electrolytes help replenish your thirst and helps you continue on with your task. Since it is an energy drink, these commercials are usually geared towards athletes, but it can target a broader audience because of the dialogue the commercial uses. Within these commercials, they usually have some fast dialogue happening where they’re talking positively about the drink and how it makes one perform better. This can be geared to athletes, academics, and all those that fall in between. These commercials can also include celebrities like Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Serena Williams, and Misty May-Treanor, all of different races, religions, and ethnicities. Having these different celebrities help with targeting the majority of the audience. 

During a Gatorade commercial, they typically use bright colors to try and grab the audience's attention. That’s why you will see a scene of people being outside because outside is associated with exercise and movement. They also use editing styles like ‘action match’, ‘burnouts’, and ‘reaction shots. They do this to carry out the ‘fast pace’ activities related to Gatorade like exercise. Often times there are a lot of voice-overs and dialogue to help move the flow of the commercial as well as bring in another scene.

Introductory

Salutations to whomever may be viewing this body of text. Welcome to my blog. My name is Jeffrey and I am a senior at Fort Lauderdale High School. I am currently enrolled in the AICE Media Studies class during fifth period, which is taught by Mr.Katz and Ms.Marchionne. As required by the course, I have created this blog with the intention of recording my progress within this class throughout the school year. Though I may lack much knowledge on cinematography, I aim to become enlightened on the various aspects of media, grow proficient in the likes of editing, filming, and producing, and ultimately acquire the skills required to excel in this field, all by the end life this year. Though I will not pursue a career in media studies, I am looking forward to this course and what it has in store. By completing this course and passing the AICE exam in May, I will be able to earn more college, making my enrollment in the class even better.

Being a member of the Cambridge Program, I have always been taking AICE classes with the goal of receiving my AICE diploma. After countless essays, last minute assignments and exams, I finally earned it at the end of my junior year. During my 4 years at Fort Lauderdale High School, I have taken a total of 8, going in to 9, AICE classes. These include courses such as AICE Marine Science, AICE Psychology , AICE Sociology, and AICE Euro. Though it was rigorous and often left me ready to give up, the Cambridge program has helped me in several ways: It has provided me with college credits that would not only enable me to advance in college, but also have financial coverage over classes that would have cost me thousands of dollars. It has given me my AICE Diploma, which has made me eligible for the Bright Futures scholarship. It has also taught me various essay strategies and techniques that have improved my writing through the course of my high school career. Most importantly it has made me knowledgeable in a variety of subjects.

With the opportunities, skills, and development I have acquired since birth, I believe that I have the potential to do great things with my life. I must note there are limitations preventing me from being where I need to be academically, financially, and mentally, but once I overcome them I am sure my success will be in arms reach. After I graduate from high school,  I have decided that I want to pursue a career as a pharmacist. I intend on heading north to study my major. I am aware that it will be hard work and may take me 6-8 years to reach my goal, but with determination, perseverance, and faith, it is possible. If I could go 12 years of school with no issue, then a little more should not kill me. I hope. As you continue to read these blog posts, I hope you gain a deeper understanding of my personality and see my progress as a media studies student.