First day of filming - D

The first day consisted of understanding how we could use our chosen location (Lea Valley) to the specific shots we planed before hand.

This is an example of where we filmed a couple of different shots. 

We set up the camera according to the shots we needed. As it was our first time filming properly with the appropriate equipment, it took us longer than expected to set up but this is an aspect that would progress throughout the filming process. 

Animatics - D

This is roughly what our music video would look like, we have incorporated the music with the story board. This may change due to the practicality of the filming process i.e. we may rearrange shots if we find that they don't work well.

Audience Research Questions - D

We'll go out to Shoreditch and Dalston in order to ask our target audience some questions, and we'll film this.

1.     What kind of music do you listen to?

2.     What would you expect from a James Blake video?

3.     How do you feel about black and white music videos?

4.     Do you think that a clear narrative is essential for a good music video?

5.     How often do you actually watch a music video, not just tab out?

Film schedule - D

The Pitch D/J

Character and costume - J

We put this outfit together for the character played by Dan. His outfit is a simple, smart/casual look and deliberately lacks colour to compliment the broody and sad character we are trying to create. The look is also inspired by the artist, James Blake. So there is an obvious visual connection between the song and the actor. There will not be any costume changes as he would be wearing the same outfit in the performance shots because they are supposed to show his actions throughout one day.

(Photo: James Blake from the promo of "Overgrown" album) 

Location location location - D

Primary Locations

Performance scenes

The video will primarily be filmed in Lea Valley/Hackney Marshes. I feel as if both of them have large enough spaces of just about nothing so that we can get the extremely wide angle shots. The flatness of both parks is also good as it makes the sky look bigger, and will add to the effect had by the sky's colours in the shots, truly showcasing each period of the day. It also means that on the overcast days (on which we will film) the entirely black silhouette of the protagonist's costume will stand out and pop even more against the all-white/grey sky, and it gives us more flexibility in terms of which angle the shots can come from. There are also multiple forest paths and bridges nearby, meaning that we can potentially film more shots per day than if they were far apart, and it eliminates a lot of the issues with continuity. They're both lonely, distant, and largely empty places, which fits in well with our general motifs, considering the place looks like ever so slightly like Chernobyl.

Here are some inspiration images taken at the locations, in order to give you a visual clue as to what we're going for. The last isn't really the look we want per se, but it does prove my point about the sky.

Montage shots

The majority of the montage shots that we're doing are close-ups and extreme close ups, mainly of situations and images more documentary-esque than what we're filming with the performance scenes. As part of this, some of the shots taken will likely be situational; if either of us have the camera we can take some of the shots when we come across them in real life. The cathedral scenes will be done in one with Gothic architecture, as the shapes and spikes found on/in those would be visually fitting to the theme we're trying to portray. Otherwise, we will use our school's studio in order to use their lighting equipment to add the professional quality, and playing with darkness/light that is often used in the works of James Blake and other sombre, experimental artists.