Brick Lane Filming

Today we filmed Brick Lane. We wanted a shot of our artist (played by me) in front of a graffiti wall. We were unable to find the particular wall that we wanted, however, we were able to find other suitable locations. We wanted as bright a wall as possible in order to contrast the white outfit that I was wearing, we also wanted this location to contrast Camden as much as possible - the bright, vibrant colours of Brick Lane compared to the dark, night-time shots of Camden. Whilst we wanted these locations to contrast each other with their distinct styles, we wanted some common elements, for example, we wanted both locations to have a 'grungy', neglected look that helps to symbolise the disorientated mind-set of the character in the music video. We also managed to find graffiti (below) that was in keeping with our previous colour palettes, the contrast of the orange and blue similar to the lighting by the Camden river as well as the light filters used in the studio, thus tying all of our locations together.

 

We filmed some impromptu, unstoryboarded shots after seeing an interesting location (below). We were drawn to this doorway because of its particularly dilapidated state. I feel that the torn paper and grimy bricks help to add interesting textures that capture the atmosphere of the location whilst also mirroring the protagonist's deteriorating emotions as she tries to escape. It has also added to the feeling of being trapped as I am standing in a corner with my hands against the walls, appearing boxed in.

We continued the theme of being trapped by filming in front of this graffiti (below) that had two perpendicular walls extending out towards the camera, again, creating a boxed in effect. We liked the leaves on the floor as they added to the overall decayed feel of the location and, again, help to establish the colour palette - the orange leaves and blue graffiti.

We managed to get a successful tracking shot (below) that we had previously planned. We filmed this by hand, this has lent an intentional unsteady look to the shot. We didn't want the shot to be completely smooth as we wanted to mirror the rough look of the location. The unsteady shot also helps to mimic my movement as I walk towards the camera, making the shot appear natural and unstaged.

Below are some behind the scenes photographs from the shoot:

Here is our vlog where we talk in more depth about the events of the day:

Shot Idea - Spiral Staircase and Possible Locations

On our storyboard we included a shot of our character, played by me, running down a spiral staircase. When thinking of how to frame this shot, I drew inspiration from 'When the Sun Goes Down' by the Arctic Monkeys, which also has a shot of a spiral staircase. I think that the extreme low angle, achieved by placing the camera directly under the staircase, looking up, has really captured the beauty and intricacy of the staircase's structure. A confusing, disorientated atmosphere has been created as the shot appears as though it could be looking upwards or downwards, I think that this would work well within our music video as we want our shots to emulate the character's feelings of being lost and trying to escape. The spiral structure also fits in with our idea of having repeated circular shapes throughout our video, for example, round sunglasses and a birds-eye view of a round maze. I feel that this will help to enforce the theme of 'hypnotism', linking in with the lyric 'hypnotic taking over me'. I like the gritty look of these stairs, I think that this would be in keeping with our other filming locations. I think that, unlike the Arctic Monkeys' video, our shot should be from above, looking down, as this would make the character appear more vulnerable, emphasising her lost mindset.

When the Sun Goes Down

We have thought about various possible locations that we could film this shot in:

Covent Garden Tube Station:

We liked the idea of filming at Convent Garden tube station as it is an easily accessible location and we liked the tight, narrow look of the stairs as we feel that this adds an element of claustrophobia that further adds to the idea of trying to escape, however after looking at the location, it appears to be quite difficult to obtain a birds-eye shot like the one we have envisioned.

Oval Tube Station:

We were attracted to this location as, not only is it easily accessible, but we will also  be capable of filming from above. The spiral shape can easily be seen, so is ideal in evoking a 'hypnotic' feel. I think that the yellow paint on the steps is quite distracting and doesn't fit with our desired colour palette, it is too bright.

Premier Inn - Blackfriars:

We liked the round shape of the stairs, however, we feel that the staircase is too bland and 'clean', we wanted a grittier location that would be in keeping with our other locations - Camden and Brick Lane, both of which have very vibrant atmospheres. As these stairs are within a hotel, it would also be difficult to get filming permission.

Queen's House - Greenwich:

This is one of the most famous and most photographed spiral staircases in London, we were drawn to its beauty. However, we felt that it was too 'pretty' with not enough grit to match our other locations. We would also be unable to film here as the house is currently closed for renovations.

Henrietta Place Car Park - Marylebone (CHOSEN LOCATION):

This staircase is located in a public car park just a short walk from Oxford Circus tube station, making it easily accessible. We liked the grittiness of these stairs as they are not particularly well kept, I think that this helps to symbolise the character's deteriorating personality. Even though these stairs are not circular like other ones that we have looked at, I think that the geometric, harsh angles work in our favour, adding an edgier feel.

Capel Manor Maze - Filming Permission

Before filming at the Capel Manor Maze, we checked their website for details about their filming and photography policy. It stated that we should email them about our reason for filming, below is the email that we sent. We are still awaiting a reply.

Location Idea - Capel Manor Maze

As a group we decided that we like the idea of filming in a maze, I feel that this would be a great location as it is very symbolic of our character's disorientated mental state and her desire to escape. I think that a bird's-eye shot of the maze would look very effective and would help to present ideas of hypnotism through its circular shape and repetitive, winding paths. We also wanted to include a more rural, natural location to contrast the urban locations that we hope to film in, such as Brick Lane and Camden.

We had the idea for our final shot to be our protagonist emerging from the maze in more sophisticated clothing, juxtaposing her previous outfits, this reveal would be symbolic of her finally escaping and feeling free, her clear-mindedness being shown through her costume as she abandons her former, reckless self. Below are photographs of the Capel Manor Maze, a nearby location that would be easily accessible:

 

Storyboarding

We started storyboarding our music video today, below is a vlog where I explain the process:

Last year, our storyboard wasn't particularly detailed, this made it harder for us to follow and we ended up changing various aspects as it wasn't planned out thoroughly. I think that this year we will need to spend more time storyboarding so that way we have a clear plan of what shots we need when we go out to shoot, this will make filming easier and less time consuming. As we are creating a music video, there will need to be a lot more camera movement to match the energetic atmosphere of the song, this is something that we hadn't thought about or storyboarded last year. Below are some photographs of the group storyboarding:

Initial Ideas

After finalising our song choice, we started to brainstorm ideas for the narrative of our music video. One lyric that jumped out at us was 'Make me feel like someone else', we want to show two different sides of the character in the video, her 'normal' side and the 'hypnotised' side. The lyric 'I don't wanna come back down' has connotations of being high, however, instead of drug use we are interpreting this as not wanting to return to reality from her 'hypnotised' state caused by her overwhelming emotions, we have the idea of presenting her as quite a reckless character. We though that, in order to shock the audience, her 'normal' side should be revealed at the end of the music video, showing the character to be a strong, professional woman, this would allow us to explore themes of feminism and what society thinks a woman should be.

We also started to think about location, we decided that we wanted to include urban areas to appeal to younger audiences as well as to create a busy, confusing atmosphere.