Investigation Post 3/13

Work Log

Monday: Writing ideas down for film music video

Tuesday: Writing ideas down for film music video

Wednesday: Storyboarding

Thursday: Storyboarding

Friday: Storyboarding

Investigation

This week, I put all of my class time into the pre-production of my upcoming music video that I'm doing for my next independent film project. I am doing it with my friends who have a band called The Visitors, and we are doing the video with a cover of Weezer's song "Burndt Jamb." With this video, I wanted to hit upon themes of making high school memories and the bonds that come from those years and juxtapose that with the uncertainty of what comes when those friends leave for college following graduation. So, with this video, there were two things I focused on doing this week. One of them was doing something with silhouettes, and the other was my planning for alternate video ideas earlier in the week.

Silhouettes

https://www.keynews.org/opinion/pay-no-attention-to-that-man-behind-the-curtain/

Evin Olson, one of the guitar/bass players of the band, said that he thought it would be cool if we did something with shadows. I liked this idea, because shadows can be used to simplify the "true person" of someone or the dark underside of their personality. In my case, I will be using silhouettes to add cool aesthetics as well as show the more "raw" personalities of the players as only their foundational figures can be seen behind the silhouettes. It would be as if they are also trapped within the areas that their silhouettes are stuck in. So, with this want to do silhouettes, I needed to figure out how and where to accomplish this. With the how, after thinking about how the lighting would work, I'm pretty sure I have it figured out. I believe that if I have the curtain in front of the camera, the person behind the curtain, and then put a bright light behind the person, then I will get the desired silhouette effect I want. I can do this in the photography studio in the school and that should work out well. If it doesn't, then I looked up how to do silhouette shots without curtains as well and the video that follows explains it well. Turn the lights off, have a white board/wall behind you, distance your subject away from the wall (like a couple feet), and then have the lights not point at your subject but aim them at the wall (and try to have them match!).

Alternate Video Ideas

I've actually created rough pre-productions for three different kinds of music videos for this one I'm making now. The first one was before the band had decided on a song. I was thinking they'd probably do something stereotypically rock so I made something for that, but then I was told they'd probably do the song "Is This It" by The Strokes so I made something for that, but then the band finished with deciding on "Burndt Jamb." With this third and final pre-production, I am happy with what I am doing, and I even took inspiration from my first two ideas to do this one.

First Idea:

• First shot is of the garage that they will hold their concert in later on, it is closed
• Dimly lit of them beginning to play in the studio
• Light shines on a close up of a guitar
• Light shines across a microphone
• Light shines across a drum set
• Light shines across two guitars/basses
• The boys all have an individual shot at their houses or wherever they are, sort of uninterested
• They each look at the time and leave the places
• Shot of cars pulling up to the house that isn't the garage concert house (probably Evin's)
• Shot of everyone walking in (might want to do cuts for each person walking in)
• Everyone hangs out for a second, dapping each other up or talking
• Big shot that then cuts to close ups of the following:
• Two guys playing video games and a third watching
• Two guys going over the song
• Back to big shot and everyone's phones are going off with an alarm
• Close up of one of the phones showing the alarm maybe a reminder saying "It's time" or something to that effect
• The guys rush out the door
• 5 or so cuts of the car pulling up, the trunk opening with the guys behind it, them trying to push stuff into it, them pushing more, them pushing just the last little bit in, and then the trunk closing. The boys are all either in the car watching the trunk or outside behind the car trying to get the stuff in.
• The car drives off
• POV shot in the car looking out the windows
• POV shot in the car as the guys are grooving or talking or having fun. A couple of them look at the camera and so something funny or hype
• (Maybe) shots of them stopping at like a Wendy's and ordering food and then a POV of them eating in the car
• They arrive at the house they are doing the garage concert at in a rush (Cole's house?).
• POV of them running in the house from the front door with equipment/instruments, at least one of the guys is looking at the camera and calling it forward.
• Three-five shots of people showing up to the closed garage for a concert. Including people walking in and putting up chairs and pulling up in cars
• Show more shots of them playing in the studio
• The guys looking at each other, ready in the garage. Their phones buzz and they all take them out to check the time.
• The garage opens up and the crowd gets excited to see them.
• Shots of them playing at the garage.
• Shots of the crowd.
• Last shot is a long one of them putting their instruments down and the garage slowly closing as they walk past the camera.

Second Idea:

Starting part is photos of the guys separately from when they were younger.

The shot starts with the lyrics where the camera is up close to the stack of photos and moves out to reveal the room, where the boys are together in that room hanging around with each other.

- Close up of the same shot

Then to them playing the song

Then move camera from a different angle of watching them talk to the calendar

Before car seen have a calendar going through the months

After first "I'm just way too tired" transition to the car

About everything is with this calm old film kind of filter. 

Them sitting at the school, alone in desks. Looking at photos of themselves. One of them is watching the THON Factor performance and it zooms into it.

- Another shot of one of them in the photography studio, taking a picture of simply a stool with a white background. The shot goes from looking at the stool/background to moving backwards to an OTS of the camera/person taking the picture. Worm's eye from the corner shot after that of them looking down at the camera.

Videos of the guys playing back at THON Factor with old filter over it

The guys playing around sunset on the cul-de-sac near Cole's. No filter here.

The guys chilling in the car (POV)

The guys leaning on a bench or railing looking into the distance (rhythm).

Get them playing at the park

- Shot of them sitting on the swings looking away from the camera

Bits about the senior guys looking at college acceptance letters. The juniors of the group look at them looking at the letters. Have one of them drinking water

- After this shot put one in of that same room, but it's empty with a close up of the water.

Bits in the studio? Like a photoshoot or something?

Ends with the guys looking at each other, and then walking through camera to a long shot of them walking down a road with a little distance in between them. The filter comes off.