2. Three stages of producing a video
As you know, these are:
1. Pre-Production (planning, planning, planning)
2. Production (the shoot)
3. Post-Production (editing & effects)
The good news is that most of the hard work in pre-production has been done. I.e. the
storyboards., however, there is still plenty of pre-production work left to be done if
you are going to successfully shoot a good music video. There are definitely some
things that need to be done before you will be allowed to borrow a camera!
Any film production is a costly affair for producers. They want to create a product as
cheaply as possible – money is not the biggest issue for us, time is. Therefore, we must
be just as organized as any production company within the industry if we are to create
the best products possible.
Pre-Production
So the storyboards are done. What’s next before we can take the camera out?
Shot Lists
This is essentially being organized and logical about arranging your shoot. This is best
organized into a table, some of which you may not be able to complete until other
decisions have been made.
Things you need to know, and should be able to work out from your storyboards:
• What settings are there
• What shots take place in those settings
• What characters/actors will be needed in those settings
• What props/costumes are needed in those settings
You will also need to add when you are going to shoot each scene – but this will come
later.
Create a table that looks something like this:
Date Setting Shot No. Actors/Characters Props
Bedroom 3,4,5,29,40 Kid, Mother, Annoying Sister X-Box, TV, Posters
Bedroom 1,2,27,2628,33 Kid X-Box, TV, Mobile
Gig 10-15,20-25,41-43 Kid, Band, Crowd Instruments, Amps
Gig 44-46 Kid, Band Instruments, Amps
Busy High Street 29-32 Kid, Passers by none
3. Once you have mapped out your video in this non-linear way, you will be able to start
planning the who, the where and the how!
Cast Lists
Music Videos have people in them. Sometimes just one person (see Radiohead’s ‘No
Surprises’ video), sometimes there are loads (see Bjork’s ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’).
The storyboards you have drawn have all got people in them and you need people to
be in your video.
From your shot lists, write down all the different characters that you are going to need
and roughly how many scenes/shots each character is in. This will give you an idea as to
how demanding and time consuming each role is, as well as issues surrounding what
costumes they will need etc. Next step is t find people that will be in your music video.
Some points to consider:
• Ask people you can trust – this is your music video, the video itself is worth
one fifth of your entire AS grade this year. Do not pick mates who just think it
will be ‘a laugh’ but who may let you down, muck about or bottle it at the last
minute. Not having a decent project, or a project at all because others let you
down is not an excuse and will not be taken into consideration when marking
this.
• Be specific about what the role will entail and how much time people will need
to give up. Sit them down and explain it to them, show them your storyboards.
Talk them through the whole video and ask them if they have any questions for
you. Being vague will only lead to you being let down. So no random texts
asking if people would like to be in a music video, and when they reply maybe,
you put them down for the main part.
• Use the resources of the college – we have a Performing Arts A-Level running
at the college, as well as several Drama and Dance A-Level classes. Many of
these students may wish to pursue performance in higher education and having
something filmed would look great on a CV or show reel. Let them know what
they will be getting out of it. At the end of the day, trained performers are
going to be much more appropriate than the people you play football with!
• When you have selected cast members, exchange phone numbers, email
addresses and find out all about they’re availability. Do they have part time jobs,
if so when do they work? Are there days they can never shoot, are there some
days that are always free? Find out all this information as soon as they have
agreed to do it. Not shooting because you couldn’t get hold of an actor (or
they didn’t contact you) is not an excuse.
• The issue of performing in your video yourself. There is nothing to say you
cannot perform in your own video, but it is important to remember that you
will not get any marks for performance. It is also important to remember that if
you perform, that it may take you away from other duties that you will be
marked on such as camera operation. If you are going to have a significant role
in your video, make sure that you also have a significant part in it’s production,
such as main editor.
Hopefully you will find people that are willing and professional and respectful of what
you are doing and its importance. There will be some more information on working
4. with actors later – but finally note: Get this sorted as soon as possible. You all knew
that selecting music video would entail the use of others. It should have been a
consideration you made when selecting this project. I will not listen to, or sympathise
with the excuse that: ‘No-one wants to be in our video’. It’s whingy and whiny and the
exam board will care even less than me.
Setting & Recces
The next step is finding where to shoot. This should be planned with as much
consideration as finding & choosing cast members.
Some of your videos have fairly simple settings, others have more complex settings.
Wherever they are, you must visit them before you shoot. This is known as a
‘Recce’ (short for reconnaissance). This is vital as it is a waste of time and potentially
catastrophic taking actors to film in a place you have never visited before. Look at this
list of things to consider when on a recce.
• Does it fulfill the needs of the storyboard?
• Is there enough light to shoot there?
• How much does it cost to get there (it might be rude to expect your actors to
pay, if they have agreed to be in the video)?
• Do you need permission to film there? High Streets are usually fine, but
shopping centres usually require permission. But don’t be shy – phone up and
ask. Let them know that filming is for educational purposes and that it is part of
your A-level. Always be polite – even if they refuse to let you.
• Do you need to book a location. Halls, venues, even classrooms will need to be
booked in advance.
• Is it safe to film? Do not put yourself (or my camera equipment) in any danger!
• Does the set need any alterations or dressing?
This last point brings me onto our next section:
Props Lists
Go through your storyboards and shot lists very, very carefully – write down all of the
props that are needed for the shoot as well as the costumes. It is easy to be vague
about this - buy don’t be!
Making assumptions that an actor will have definitely be wearing jeans, or that a park
setting is bound to have a bench – is only tempting fate to make your life difficult. Find
props, make props, buy props – whatever it takes. Once you have a prop secured, tick
it off the list. Only do this once you have it secured, no-one else. Thinking that your
mate’s cousin has got the board game ‘Operation’ that you are pretty sure you can
borrow. Is not the same as having it in your possession!
5. Shooting Schedule
So once you have sorted out all the things above you will be able to put together a
shooting schedule. This is really a combination of your shot list with the availability of
your locations, props and actors!
Use the table you created for your shot lists and add to it dates of when you are going
to get each shots, who will be there and the exact location. Making sure that you also
have a list of contact details for your crew (obviously), your cast and any details of
locations that need contacting, or travel arrangements including exact times.
All this may take time, but it will save time in the long run. I can guarantee that those
who have a bad shoot – where something goes wrong or people don’t show up, or run
out of time and just shoot what they can. Will be the groups that do not follow the
planning outlined in this section!
Booking a camera
Two things will determine whether you can borrow a camera to go and shoot your
video:
1. Have you completed a slip agreeing that any damage or loss to the camera will
be the group’s responsibility?
2. Do you have a shooting schedule for the times you want to borrow equipment?
There are a lot of media students and a limited amount of equipment. I am not willing
to simply give cameras away unless you have a clear and organized plan for what you
are going to shoot, when you are going to shoot and when you are going to return the
camera. This is the fairest way to all groups. Booking will be on a first come, first serve
basis – therefore – get organised, quickly!
The cameras will be booked through the LRC – bringing equipment back late may
result in you not being able to borrow it again or only being able to borrow it for a
short period of time.
6. Production – The Shoot
This can be the most enjoyable part of a production. You are working with different
people, in different places and you are making something on paper – an idea, a concept
– come alive in front of the camera.
It can be challenging, there will be puzzles to solve and improvisations to be made – but
the better your planning, the more equipped you are to deal with these.
A good day shooting efficiently is rewarding and as aforementioned can be good fun.
Here are some tips to get the most out of your shoot:
Enjoying a Shoot Vs ‘Having a Laugh’
There will undoubtedly be funny things that happen while on a shoot. Mistakes &
blunders, people wandering into shot at the wrong time, passers by staring at the
camera etc. all add to the enjoyment of the day. These will obviously be discarded in
post-production. But will make the shoot memorable.
The most enjoyable part of a shoot is the satisfaction of a job well done. Therefore it is
vital that you remain professional throughout the shoot. You are not there to make a
‘funny’ video for your friends and the audience of YouTube. You are there to make a
professional music video, which will significantly count towards you’re A-level grade.
Don’t deviate from your storyboards and planning.
Don’t film people laughing on camera unless the character is supposed to laugh.
Don’t film in an amateur way – this is not a home video.
…& the worst sin you could possibly commit…
Don’t include any ‘in-jokes’ that may be funny at the time to you and the rest of your
crew, but which won’t mean anything to the audience.
Working with Actors
For many of you, this will be the first time that you have worked with actors, and it
may even be the first time that they have acted.
Make sure that you are polite and grateful to them for their time, effort and patience.
Make sure they are clear exactly when and where they are needed and on set, exactly
what they are supposed to do.
Make sure that you direct them. This is your job. You call the shots, this is your video
and they are there to do as you ask them. This does not mean you have to be rude or
confrontational – it does mean that you are in control of what this video looks like, not
them.
7. Lip Synching
On set you will need to have a copy of the song with you and some way to play it. If
there is lip synching involved you will need to have given a copy of the song to your
actor prior to the shoot along with the lyrics.
Have the lyrics with you on the shoot and play the song as you record – if the song
doesn’t synch while your shooting, there is no way it will when you’re editing. Your
actor may want to rehearse this a few times before shooting.
REMEMBER: The sound you record will not be used for the video so if the actor
finds it easier to sing along rather than mime – then this will not cause a problem later.
The important thing is that their lips are in time with the music.
TIP: There is no doubt that good lip-synching is very difficult. There are some things
you can do to make it a bit easier to edit with. For example. Using a microphone as a
prop can be a great way to hide an actors mouth. You can also experiment with the
angles which you film the actor lip-synching.
Setting/Costume & Continuity
Ideally you want to make sure that you get all of your shots in one setting done on one
day. Similarly it is handy to use actors on one day- but this is not always possible for
your main characters or other issues surrounding the weather etc.
If your shoot in a specific location does last for more than one day – make sure you
have the relevant permission for shooting on other days. Also make sure that your
actor can make the new day planned.
You then have to think about continuity – make sure your actor will be wearing the
same costume. This is particularly important if the costume is the actors own clothes.
Write down what they are wearing or take a photograph to make sure that they are
not wearing anything different when your shoot resumes.
Other considerations include hairstyles, make-up, tan etc. You do not want one scene
to seem obvious that it has been filmed over several different days!
8. Using a Video Camera & Filming like a pro!
The guidelines of how to operate the camera is in the booklet: ‘Shooting & Editing a
Film’ which also includes information on how to use the editing software: ‘Adobe
Premiere’.
The information in this section is a guide on how to make sure your film looks as
professional as possible and can also be used as an outline of the things that I will be
looking for when I mark your work.
Tripod
I expect every shot to use the tripod. This keeps a shot steady, still and level. It is easy
to see when a shot has not used a tripod. The use of handheld shots can be effective
but only when it is supposed to be. Not using a tripod actually draws attention to the
film making process and can be very distracting from the action that is taking place on
screen.
Tapes
You will be given a single one hour tape to record all of your footage you shouldn’t
need any more than this – if you do then let me know.
Using a board & logging shots
As part of your equipment you will be given a small whiteboard to put in front of the
camera before each shot. This should have the scene and shot number and the number
of the ‘Take’ – a take is the attempt at getting a shot. Some shots will have several
‘takes’ as you attempt to get them perfect.
Recording Room
Makes sure that before any take, you record for 3 seconds. Then put the board in front
of the camera, take it away and wait another 5 seconds – the director can then yell
‘Action’ and the actors/shot begin. Once a shot has finished the director can yell: ‘Cut’
but the camera operator must continue recording for a further five seconds.
This may seem elaborate but it is vital – cameras which use tapes will wind themselves
back a little bit every time record and stop are pressed, to avoid recording over other
footage you must go through this process. A second reason for doing this will become
more obvious when you start to edit your film – suffice to say now, that you will need
time wither side of your shots to make your transitions work smoothly.
Watching Back
Resist the temptation to watch footage back as you are recording it. It is a waste of
time and it is suggests that you are not paying attention as you direct or operate the
camera. Watching footage back at the time will also risk recording over the beginning
or end of good footage. If you are unhappy or unsure of a take then do it again! It is
better to have a few options rather than just one.
9. Lighting
Light is the basis of all moving and still photography. Without light, cameras cannot
work. Editing software these days is very good at making shots look darker than when
they were actually filmed. There is nothing you can do to make a shot look convincingly
brighter after it has been shot. Remember this!
If specific shadows are needed or contrasts in light are important then by all means
experiment with this – but remember to use the view finder rather than the LCD
screen to see if something is too dark. Quality of images gets worse the darker
something is. Artificial lighting can also make things look orange so be careful to get a
good mix of natural and artificial lighting,
Lighting can be used to great effect – you must remember Halloween when your dad
would put torch under his face to make a scary face. The same principles apply to
filmmaking. Light someone from above and they look angelic and saintly, light someone
from below and they look sinister and evil!
Zooming
This one function can make or break your project. Zooming is used on Dad’s holiday
videos, bad wedding videos, You’ve Been Framed, and dodgy BBC 1970s Science
Fiction shows. The only other place you will find it is on bad student GCSE & A-level
media studies projects.
Avoid it unless absolutely necessary – it is difficult to use consistently and if used badly
just looks naff!
There is nothing wrong with having another shot which is closer to the subject you are
filming – a zoom will attract attention to the film making process and detract from the
narrative.
Once you’ve pressed record, keep your finger away from that button!!!
Tracking Shots
The acceptable face of zooming is tracking, where you actually move the camera. On a
professional shoot – a tripod would sit on a ‘Dolly’, which has wheels or runners that
sit on a ‘Track’ – this makes the camera glide smoothly and effortlessly. We
unfortunately don’t have the budget for any track, which makes tracking tricky! You
can try it handheld but it can look very clumsy and messy. You can try it attached to
something with wheels – but it can be difficult to control the speed – and if it goes over
any bumps then this will be noticeable. The best idea for a homemade way of making a
tracking shot work without any track was to get the camera operator to be pushed
along in a wheelchair that has the tyres slightly let down so that it would roll over any
bumps unnoticed. I have never tried this, therefore cannot comment on its success!
10. Panning & Tilting
This might just be the answer to your tracking needs. Moving the camera from right to
left fixed to the tripod is simple but will require practice to ensure that you pan at a
steady pace. This can be extra tricky with small cameras as they do not weigh very
much. The best advice I can give is to shoot several takes and to also start the pan well
before the start of the shot and finish your pan – after the end of the shot. This will
help you maintain a constant speed during the shot.
Cut Aways
Throughout your shoot you may want to shoot alternative shots to what you have on
your storyboard. This is fine so long as you also get what is on the storyboard as a
back-up. Something else that is useful as a back-up are called cutaways. These are little
bits of film that might come in useful when you are joining everything together.
For example: Your storyboard may have your actor singing at the camera for ten
seconds. You film this a few times and when you watch your footage back you realize
that the shot is either too long or that the shot is great apart from a bit in the middle
that you want to cut out but have nothing to put in its place.
A cutaway would be the footage you get to fill these gaps, a tapping foot, or ECU of
the actor’s eyes – anything that can bridge the gap that may not have been in the
original plans.
Watching Rushes
Once you have finished all your shooting and before you start your edit – you will have
to sit down as a group and watch the raw footage you have recorded – this is known
as ‘The Rushes’ (or ‘The Dailies’ in America).
Have a pen and paper handy and write down which take of which shot is the one you
want to use in your final project and whether any shots are going to require a re-
shoot.
Once you have done this you’re ready to start putting your film together!
11. Post-Production: The Edit
This can easily become the most complicated and time consuming part of any project –
it can also become very addictive (if you are a perfectionist) and hugely rewarding.
As with everything else – the biggest problems you will run into will be directly due to
how organised your shoot was and whether you followed the guide outlined above.
You will undoubtedly need to spend plenty of time doing this. So make sure you leave
plenty of time.
There are many computers available to Edit your work on throughout the college so
there are no excuses for not getting it done on time. However, do not leave it until the
last minute – until you start editing you will not know how long it takes you.
Saving your work
You have access to a special folder in the Student Shared Area which will allow you to
save your project. It must be saved in there as it will allow all of your group access. It
means I can check up on your progress also.
By the time you have come to the edit you should have probably chosen the best
‘takes’. From then on, editing is a fairy straightforward process.
1. Download your footage clip by clip
2. Import your track
3. Put the clips over the track in the right order
4. Trim your clips so that everything fits to the music as you want it to
5. Add any transitions and effects
6. Render (make the effects permanent)
7. Save on to DVD
Sounds simple – but as mentioned, can be a painstakingly addictive process.
Some of you will love editing, others less so, but at all times remember that this is a
team effort and you should all be involved in the process. If one person isn’t pulling
their weight, I will know and this will be reflected in their grade…
…which brings me to the last point…
12. Having a Clearly Defined Role
This is the exam boards term for ensuring that everyone in a group is doing something,
and learning something from the production experience.
Largely speaking this is broken down into three roles:
1. Camera operator
2. Sound
3. Editing
Obviously we do not need anyone to be responsible for sound which leaves us with
two roles.
If there are four people in your group it is easy to sort:
• Persons A and B divide camera operating between them – with assistance from
Persons C and D.
• Persons C and D divide camera editing between them – with assistance from
Persons A and B.
If there are three people in the group it is a little more tricky:
• Person A is main Camera Operator & Standby Editor
• Person B is assistant Camera Operator & assistant Editor
• Person C is main Editor & Standby Camera Operator
Alternatively you may just wish to split one of the two roles in half.
Either way you must be clear as to what your responsibility is going to be because you
will write specifically about it on the exam board’s forms.
I would also like you to have experience of both filming and editing.
A final, final word on making a music video…
Making any kind of video project always takes longer than expected if it is going to be
done well.
You have a deadine of _______________
By then you should have finished your music editing, it will give me time to have a look
at it and offer some points for improvement before the final deadline.
A much more sensible idea is to come with me and ask for guidance throughout.
There are jobs to be got on with straight away, so what are you waiting for?
13. How you are marked
This is the mark scheme that I will be using to grade your work. In addition to the
project I will also be asking for a summary of your input into the project.
As you can see, the marks are based on your Technical Abilities – which means a
complete professionalism, perfectionist attitude towards your work and practice when
it comes to things you may have not used before. Creativity is the other main
consideration, which is much easier to achieve, the more organised you are!
