Drafting & Planning: Frame Footage

I have filmed some footage of my actress holding a photo frame with the photo of her and her boyfriend in. I really like these shots and have made sure I used a close up and a medium close up so that there is a range of shots used. These clips emphasize the broken relationship in my music video as in the image they are happy together but in the clip my actress looks quite mournful and sad about the break up. In the third clip I asked my actress to hold the frame to her heart and close her eyes and this further emphasizes the loss and sadness as she is holding it to her heart which was broken and her eyes are closed showing further sadness.

I will definitely use these clips in my music video as I feel they capture the sadness I am looking for and there is also a reason that can be seen to help understand why my actress is sad.

Organisation: Directing

Whilst filming some happy scenes of my actress I came up with the idea that it could be her boyfriend who was holding the camera and recording her in their happier times. This makes some scenes in my music video seem more personal and it makes the happy scenes more relevant and clearer as it will now be known why they are featured and who was recording metaphorically.

I love this idea because it makes much more sense than just recording my actress being happy whereas now there is a reason even if the boyfriend isn't shown in person in the video.
I have also attached some clips which I have filmed that feature my actress and these clips make it clear that her boyfriend was filming her as she is smiling and content in them all. The one clip featuring the church shows my actress looking at the church and this could have been filmed as a record of their adventures together.

Drafting & Planning: Filming Practice

I have done some more practice filming so that I make sure when my footage is filmed or reshot that I know what positions to use and how to position the camera so that a shot looks good. Here I filmed a cat near a photo frame of the couple who have broken up in my video just so that I could further develop my directing and filming skills and even though these are practices I think they look decent enough. I feel more confident about my filming now and feel that I know what shots look good and I will make sure throughout my music video I will have a range of angles as well as shot types. 

Organisation: Props

I have decided that I will not use any of the props that I have previously mentioned. I have decided to use other props instead such as a necklace, a photo frame, printed photos, a blanket and a microphone.
These props are all much more important than my old props of a flower crown and a flag. The necklace symbolizes my actress' relationship that she used to have before her break up with her boyfriend as it is a gift from him. The printed photos and photo frame also represent this as they are reminders of the happy past.
The blanket is there as a prop for my actress to lie on and the microphone is used for a lip syncing scene in my music video so both are equally as important.
I'm glad I am using new props instead of my old ones as they have a lot more relevance in my music video compared to the old ones which were used as they were similar to props used by Lana Del Rey (my chosen artist) in her music videos. Although it seems ideal to have some of Del Rey's style throughout my music video I felt like these props were poor and unnecessary and added nothing to the story in my video.

Drafting & Planning: Footage

I have filmed footage for the lyric, 'drunk and I am seeing stars' from 'Video Games' for my music video.
I filmed my actress with a birds eye view shot standing over her as this adds an extra shot type to my music video so that I have a wide range. This shot also fits with the lyric it will go with as my actress is lying down it may imply that she is disorientated from 'drinking' and confused and she is also looking straight up which fits with the 'stars' as it is like she is watching the stars or seeing them.
The natural outdoor lighting worked really well as it made my actress' eyes look glazed and glossy like she has been drinking but also made her eyes look sparkly like she has stars in her eyes.
This shot is very natural due to the lighting as well as the fact my actress just lay down which made her hair and clothing, etc, fall too which is natural and realistic which is what I want my music video to be like.
I also used a blanket as a prop as it was wet outside but this adds to the clip as it makes it seems like my actress wanted to lie down to see stars so she lay on a blanket.
I adore this footage so it will definitely be used in my final music video.

Research into Similar Products: Front and Back Album Cover

I have looked at Lana Del Rey's album front and back covers for Honeymoon. I decided to look at this album cover because I am using Del Rey as my artist for my music video so would like to have some resemblance of her within my digipak too. I love this digipak because it is so simple. The fonts are clear and bold and both 'Lana Del Rey' and 'Honeymoon' are both in different fonts which makes the cover unique and interesting to look at. The colours are also mainly red, blue and white which I like as they are simple but effective and tie in nicely together.The artist is featured on the front but she is looking away from the camera which I like because although she is not directly addressing her audience it makes an audience wonder why she is not looking into the camera.
The back cover of the digipak is different from the front as it has a different colour scheme (which I like although it does not make the digipak consistent) of pink but it still uses white. I like this back cover as it is simple and the track list is easy to read and is very pretty.

Drafting & Planning: Footage - Heaven Is A Place On Earth With You

I have filmed some footage of my actress holding up the lyric, 'Heaven is a place on earth with you' from the chorus of 'Video Games', written on large pieces of paper. I love this idea because it adds something unique to my music video rather than have my actress lip sync this line I have a range of ways for the lyrics to be shown to a viewer.
By putting all of these clips together in a fast sequence they will fit with the timing in the song and a viewer will be able to read them easily. This idea is very simple but effective as the lyric can be read and heard at the same time.
I'm really happy with this footage as the words came out quite clear on the paper and the wind blowing the paper and my actress' hair makes the clips seem more natural which is what I am aiming and it ties in with my whole naturalistic idea for my music video and my digipak, 'The Fall', so I will definitely use these clips in my final music video.

Drafting & Planning: Footage - Drama Studio

I recently filmed some footage for the lyric, 'singing in the old bars' in 'Video Games'. For this lyric I had my actress lip sync the line to see if it fits and some of it fits really well which has changed my opinion on lip syncing and I may now include this one line of lip sync in my music video. I made sure my actress looked serious about singing and made sure that she looked expressionless so that it fits with the clips in my music video where she is sad and lonely.
I used a blue spotlight to make sure that it looked like all eyes are on my actress and this also makes it look like my actress is singing on a stage because there are shadows created (the microphone) from the spotlight and the light is focused on just her. The cool blue spotlight also sets a tone of sadness and links with my idea of nature as it represents the cool colours of the natural world in woodlands, etc.
I also used a range of shot types such as medium close ups and close ups and also a sort of pan as I moved around my actress with the camera. The range of shot types make the clip more exciting and allow the scene/setting to feel more like an 'old bar' because it is clear that the spotlight is just focused on my actress from every angle.

Drafting & Planning: Digipak Photos

Whilst I was out filming my music video I decided to take some photos which could be used for my digipak. I took photos of the woodland area where I filmed as it shows consistency and binds my music video, digipak and advertisement together. I like these images because they reiterate the natural element throughout my music video and they link with my album name, 'The Fall'.
I particularly like the images of my actress standing in front of a tree and the surroundings are all dark black which is an effect I achieved by simply turning the flash of the camera on. I like these because the graffiti on the tree stands out and looks bright behind my actress and it may represent that there is some light in her life but a dull one. These images also just look really pretty because of the darkened background and bright graffiti so I may use one of these when I create my digipak.
I also love the image of my actress walking and the shot is a medium close up of her waist down as this keeps my actress' identity hidden almost like a mystery. I think that this image would fit really well on the back of my digipak and maybe on my advertisement.
I also made sure that my actress looked mournful in the images so that it fits with the sadness of the plot line (the break up) and the sadness throughout my music video.

Drafting & Planning: Edited Footage

I have edited the footage of the medium close up of my actress playing with her necklace and looking sad. I made sure that the effects I used made the setting of the clip seem darker and more dreary than it actually is so that it fits with the feelings of my actress. I also made the colours more cooler so that the river and the trees look more blue and green which is simple but effectively as it is raw and naturalistic. I'm happy with this edited footage and it adds something extra to my entire music video as it reflects the dark tone and unhappiness of my actress' breakup so I will use this in my music video.

Research into Similar Products / Organisation: CD Front Cover

I have looked at different pictures of Lana Del Rey which could potentially be used on the front of a CD cover. I looked closely at the way Del Rey is positioned and her facial expressions in different shots.
In many of the shots, Del Rey just has an expressionless face which could imply that there is an underlying meaning or that something is hidden. In three of the images below Del Rey has her hand placed somewhere on her face or in her hair which I think is really natural as it shows that maybe the wind had blown her hair out of proportion and she wanted to fix it. This makes the shot seem natural as it is a normal thing to do and doesn't look posed at all and fits with my idea of nature in my music video, digipak and advertisement.
My favourite shot is the second one as I think this shows the outside world of nature the most but also features the artist too except she is blurred which forces someone to look more at the nature of the trees in the background than the artist which I really like. The fact that the artist is blurred could also suggest that the contents of the album is important and has a deep meaning and that it should be focused on more than the artist. I also love the shadows in the image and it makes the image look dark even though it is bright outside which contrasts nicely. 

Drafting & Planning: Filming Medium Close Ups / Close Ups

I have filmed some more footage with my actress in the woodland area that we found. I filmed some medium close ups and a close up of my actress which all reveal different things.
The medium close ups of my actress playing with her necklace reveals that the necklace is one which her ex boyfriend gave her and it is a painful reminder of their relationship. I made sure that my actress looked sad and mournful about her broken relationship so that it fits in with my ideas and entire music video. The location also fits in with the medium close ups as it looks empty which is how my actress feels because of the break down in the relationship. Im really happy with these medium close ups and made sure I got a shot facing my actress straight on and one from the side so that I am able to have a range of shots in my music video so it does not look boring and dull. I will definitely use these shots in my final music video.
I am also really happy with the close up of my actress as it reveals her emotions of sadness about what is going on in her life and emphasizes the first two medium close ups and the emptiness in them.