Planning: Filming Schedule

This is my Filming Schedule. I felt that it would be efficient to make this, as it will help me to stay organised and on track when I film. It also allows me to clearly see what props and actors I need at each time.

I decided to prioritise the narrative shots, as the majority of them are set outside. Therefore, my filming schedule is heavily dependant on the weather and the amount of light. However, the performance shots are using artificial light, so I can film them at any time of day.

I also decided to film the shots in order of location, rather than the order they will appear in my finished Music Video. This will save me time, as I won't have to repeatedly travel back and forth between locations. It will also mean that the lighting is consistent, and there won't be any unintentional changes in the frame.

Planning: Casting

Casting is a very important part of the planning process. Because the character features in almost all of the shots in my production, my chosen actor must be professional.  I came up with a list of factors that I will be looking for when choosing my actor.

• Confidence- My chosen actor must be confident in front of the camera. If the actor is uncomfortable, then it will show in my final production and make it look unprofessional.
• Lip-Syncing- My actor must be able to lip-sync to my chosen song. Therefore, they must learn the lyrics beforehand, so that it looks professional when recording. If the actor is unable to lip-sync, then I will find it very hard to match with the song when editing.
• Target Audience- My actor must match my target audience. They must be comfortable in wearing my chosen costumes and enjoy the type of music to make their performance believable.

My first candidate is Rhys. Rhys is fan of my chosen artist, Biffy Clyro. He likes my chosen song and knows the lyrics, which will be useful for when I ask him to lip-sync along to the song. However, he isn't very comfortable in front of a camera and would look very awkward in my video. Also, he cannot play a musical instrument. Therefore, I think that he is a weaker candidate.

Peter is 18 years old, and is currently studying for his A-Levels. This means that Peter may have a busy schedule. However, he is very passionate about music, and is a big fan of my chosen artist, Biffy Clyro. This means that he may already know lyrics to my chosen song, and would be passionate when performing. Additionally, Peter plays the guitar, which I think is a very important part of my music video. To test Peter's confidence infant of a camera and his lip-syncing abilities, I asked him to perform a short clip of my chosen song, Below is Peter's audition.

This video proves that Peter is confident infront of the camera, and it is believable that he is performing the song. Therefore, I decided to cast Peter as my main actor.

Planning: Lighting

Lighting is a very important part of any media production. If used effectively, it can have a large impact on the mood and emotions of the audience. Bright lighting portrays happy emotions, whilst a dark scene creates emotions of fear or sadness.

Because my chosen song is based on the end of a relationship, a lot of my scenes will feature dim lighting. However, the content of each scene must be visible. Therefore, I must carefully choose what devices I use for lighting in my video to achieve the right balance.

Option 1- Natural Lighting

One option I have is to use natural lighting. Because the majority of my narrative shots are set outside, it would make sense to use natural lighting. There are multiple advantages of using the sun as a light source in my production. One is that it is completely free, and saves me from having to invest in any artificial light sources. Additionally, it means that I will not have to transport any lighting equipment, which makes filming easier.

However, because of the time of year, I will have to carefully plan when I am going to film. This is because I need enough light so that the audience can still clearly see what is happening in each shot. To do this, I will have to take note on what time it starts to get dark, and keep this in mind when making a Filming Schedule.

Option 2- Artificial Lighting

My second option is to use artificial lighting for my music video. A benefit of using this is that I have control over the amount of lighting that features in each shot. I can use this to help influence the emotions of the audience watching my music video, and help portray the mood of the song.

 However, there are some disadvantages to using artificial light. One is that the cheaper lighting equipment only has On and Off settings, rather than an option allowing me to control the amount of light that is created. This means that I may struggle to create the intended emotions in my music video.
Also, the chosen equipment must be small enough to transport to my locations. This means that larger equipment may be unsuitable to use, as I may struggle to get them to each location. It will also waste time having to set up the equipment at each location.