Risk Assessment

Before we began filming we carried out a risk assessment to assess any possible risks during filming and the precautions we need to take in order to prevent them.

• one of our locations is Chislehurst station. Therefore the priority is to ensure that we find a big enough area on the platform that is away from the track
• also at the station we will need to be aware of the attitudes of the public towards us filming in a public place, To prevent any arguments occurring we would have to ask any members of public who may be in line with any shots whether they would actually mind appearing in it. If they do then we would have to find a different area in which to film. Also we would need to check with the people who work within the station whether we are actually allowed to film on the premises.
• another setting for our video is within a woodlands in West Kings Down. Here would need to be wary of any fallen branches on the floor to ensure that nobody trips over.
• Also, for the day of the filming within the woods, if it is poor weather, we would need to ensure that appropriate footwear is worn to prevent anyone slipping over. Furthermore, we would need to take extra clothing so that the actors can keep warm during shots

Chosen idea

As a group we decided to steer away from the original genre of indie/rock and to instead concentrate more on the dance/club genre that we came across when the song 'Flashback' came up in a previous idea.

One thing that our previous ideas all had in common was a factor of randomness, allowing us freedom with our filming. As you can see with previous posts, we have decided to go with the song American Dream by Jakatta. We chose this song because we feel that it goes perfectly with our video idea. We chose to base our video with a fantasy like theme, which we are going to portray in a woodlands setting with fairy like clothing such as tutus.

The video will begin with a man leaving work after having a hard day. He will set off on his way home by entering a train station. This is where he will have his first sighting of the fantasy girl, staring at him from the opposite platform.As a train passes by, she disappears. He doesn't really understand what is going on but he puts it all down to him just being tired.Time passes, but he can't get the figure out of his head, he nods of into a dream...He finds himself in the middle of a woodland. He wanders through the woods trying to figure out where he is. As he walks, he passes various unusual activities such as a woman and a pram dressed very peculiar. He sees the girl from earlier who tempts him to follow her further into the woods. He then sees two more girls teasing and taunting him. He picks up the pace. He then slumps down at the foot of a tree as he begins to get tired. The two girls suddenly appear from behind the tree and kiss his cheeks. The main girl then appears and looks him straight in the eye. She leans in to kiss him and just as their lips are about to touch, he suddenly wakes up back in his own living room. However he does have lipstick marks on his cheek, raising the question was it all just a dream?

Practice music video

Last year in our groups we were set the task of making a music video displaying an element of change. As this was only a practice to give us an idea of what it would be like this year we were only given a 2 weeks to film and edit it. My group, consisting of Hannah, Dan, Lucy, Louise and myself, chose to make our video to the song 'She moves in her own way' by the Kooks. We achieved an element of change throughout the video by creating a 'Geek to Beauty' situation where a once bulled girl transforms into a beauty that is desired by all the boys at school. I feel that by completing this task we have gained valuable experience in the filming and editing required in making a music video. Considering it was only a practice i feel that as a group we put in great effort however i do feel that this year our standard will need to be improved vastly.

Practise Music Video from Lucy Simonds on Vimeo.

Having now had more research and experience with music videos, looking back at our video I can clearly identify both negative and positive points. Below, are screen shots of the video and I have fully described the negatives and positives of each and any improvements we would make if were to film this again.



This shot is near the beginning of the video. The main character is currently leaving the classroom as she is being bullied. A negative with this is the framing. At the time of filming we didn't realise that the sandals on the desk were visible. If we were to do this now, we would be thinking about the framing of the shots throughout at all times. Furthermore I have realised that we didn't concentrate on the actresses clothing very well because in this shot you can also notice that she isn't actually wearing any footwear, which realistically a girl would be if at school.






This shot follows on from the previous one. A negative with this one is that we can see another student and Louise who was filming at the time, in the reflection of the glass. We didn't think about this at the time. If we were to do it now we would have to find solution, maybe it was due to the light coming through the window. However, if it wasn't for seeing the reflection of Louise with the camera, and we only saw Jack, the other student, it wouldn't have been a problem as it would be a more realistic school setting.
















Here is a shot of the two girls running up the stairs. To do this we have short cuts from different angles which I feel looks very effective. However, the downside to
this is that we filmed it over two days and I (the geek) am wearing earrings here whereas the shots before I'm not. This is something that we would be more aware of in our filming this year.





















Here is a shot that I feel is a positive of our video. Here we have used a technique called an Ellipsis. An ellipsis is when time changes between shots however you don't physically see the change, it is just evident through the different shots. We have used it here to show the girl going into the bathroom dressed unfashionably and then appearing again in different clothing. Although we don't actually see her changing her clothes and the time is quicker than it would be realistically, we still are aware of what she has done.










We didn't realise this at the time of filming, we only noticed when we watched the completed video back but our friend Zara can be seen using the computer in the reflection in the mirror. If this was part of the video then it would be fine but the fact that she doesn't appear in the video at all and isn't supposed to shows how inexperienced we were. However i don think that it is too obvious that she wasn't supposed to be there, nut this is going to be a priority of ours when filming our music video this year.

Geri Halliwell - Its raining men

For part of our research, as a class we watched the music video 'Its raining men' by Geri Halliwell. We then analysed it thoroughly to establish any effects, shots etc that we particularly liked to give us more ideas for our own videos.

• the video starts off like an audition from the film 'FAME.' Geri Halliwell is also wearing a FAME top displaying intertextuality
• it is very upbeat and active throughout
• there is a clear contrast between Geri and the judges whom she is performing in front of. They are very formal wearing suits and appear to look down their noses at Geri as if they are thinking 'What are you doing here? All they say to her is "In your own time miss Halliwell" which is very formal and patronising
• there is a lot of focus on her physique
• having been watching the video for almost a minute, the audience are still unaware of what Geri actually looks like. This causes anticipation and makes us want to watch more
• this video is used in the film 'Bridget Jones' Diary' supporting empowerment of women. The dancer is in control
• it is a form of song and dance routine borrowed from musicals
• the video is drawn heavily to flash dance
• at the beginning of the video, Geri puts on a vinyl rather than a CD this is showing authenticity and is also iconographic
• there are diegetic sounds of her footsteps and her putting the vinyl on at the beginning. All we can see is fragmented shots creating a sense of anticipation and enigma
• when the music starts the camera is positioned being framed by the judges. This is the notion of looking throughout the video with over the shoulder shots making us see the dance from their view
• this notion of looking continues with fellow students watching her through the door
• when she sings "humidity's rising" she raises her hand which at the same time the camera scrolls up echoing the word rising
• as the verse builds, people flock to see her dance
• by the end of the first chorus, the judges have taken their glasses off and are tapping their feet to the music which we are aware of by having a foot level shot. They have abandoned their stern looks and appear to be enjoying the performance
• as the chorus begins, the other students burst into the room and dance carnival style, jumping and rolling wearing colourful outfits
• however Geri is always framed in the centre
• in the 2nd phase of the video, Geri breaks down patriarchal barriers by crawling across the table and kisses the head judge
• she also has an outfit change into yellow hotpants
• she is seen above the other dancers by a low angle shot making her visually dominant
• her 3rd outfit is a red top which we see the top half of as she is given a close up shot of her face and she is singing to the camera, which personalizes the video and engages the viewer
• when she sings "barometers getting low" the camera scrolls down revealing her 4th outfit which is a blue top and jogging bottoms
• there is emphasis of the other dancers as they come in front of the camera doing splits etc however we don't see their faces
• in the 3rd phase of the video we see Geri doing aerobics/ crunches portraying how she got her physique that has been emphasised throughout
• this video is a typical American teen film - rushing to lessons
• there is a contrast between the two dances seen in the video. She is no good at ballet however she leads the flash dance
• towards the end she bursts through the front doors wearing a leather jacket, portraying rebellion
• the filming is taken outside to what becomes a street party tightly framed to make it appear busier
• on the words "stormy weather" there is chromakey present. The shot is low angle and the movements are slow motion. The lighting gets darker which we are lead to believe is to do with the storm
• it starts rain which her actions appear to be sexual
• at the end she blows a kiss to the camera