Filming Schedule

Why is a filming schedule important to have?

A filming schedule is a vital accomplice in successfully acquiring the footage that you need as it assists the efficiency in which your time is spent as the producers of your material. It is a stage of pre-planning what you will film and the equipment you may need so that this does not come as a surprise to you when actually filming you footage and therefore, will require another slotted time period to shoot again. Our filming schedule consisted of 8 columns to address each stage of planning we must carry out before actually filming. Below are each of the titles in which we addressed and why we felt they needed addressing.

Date & Time:

We pre-planned when we are going to film our footage according date, so that each member of the group was aware when we were filming, to ensure they were available and present when shooting. Also, as a result of the footage we had to film, we also had to take into account the weather as some of the filming had to be shot outside and therefore if it was scheduled to rain, we could not film as this would effect both the equipment we had and the quality of our music video. We also planned according to time so that we gave ourselves a realistic period of time to achieve what was desired and to ensure we didn't waste any time. Also, we had to take into consideration lighting and therefore had to plan times when the lighting was suitable outside. For example, if it were to get too late, ti would get too dark to film and therefore we would be unable to film.

Location:

We planned our locations in advance to ensure that all members of the group knew where they were going and therefore we did not waste time deciding on where we were going on the day of filming. If we were to have not already planned, we would have wasted time deciding on where to go. Also we had to consider the suitability of each location in regards to our music video. For example, when looking for a skate park, we were originally going to go to south bank skate park but realised that it was too crowded to create the isolated effect we wanted and therefore we went to Hainault skate park which was surrounded by fields and unpopular.

Content and Action:

We planned a rough idea as to what content we wanted to have achieved by the end of the filming process so that the outline of our narrative was being created rather the filming random footage and the story of the music video being incoherent and not understandable. In which case, we would have had to re-film what we had done in order to get the required footage, which would waste time.

Shot Type and Duration:

In our filming schedule, we planned what shot we wanted in terms of the content being filmed, mainly for two reasons; the first being that the shot was effective in creating the desire effect we wanted on the audience so that they understood the narrative i.e. when the artist is performing there will be a variation of both mid shots in order to see her playing guitar and conform to convention, as well as close ups to familiarise the herself with the audience. Secondly, the planning of the shots being used ensured that we were using a variation of shots overall, as this increases continuity of the footage and increases realism in order for the audience to relate and understand.

Costume, Hair and Make Up:

We planned each aspect of the artist's image in order to ensure that it was suitable to the footage being filmed. For example, during the performance aspect of the video the artist is much more stripped back, wearing plain clothes. Whereas during the argument scene in the skate park, she is wearing outdoor clothing to suit the scene being filmed. Also, as an Indie artist we aimed to present this effectively in order to appeal to the target audience and therefore the artist typically had; ruffled hair, black eye liner, red lipstick, denim or leather jacket and a dress with boots. Such image subverts mainstream conventions and therefore the audience can recognise the artist as being different an indie.

Iconography:

Planning iconography assisted us in being prepared as to what to take with us on set, to ensure we had all that we needed to complete filming. For example, when shooting performance we needed the guitar and therefore if we were not to have included the guitar within our filming schedule, we may have been prone to forgetting to bring it and therefore the period of time we had planned to film would have had to have been rearranged and done again. It also allowed us to keep track of whether we were conforming to convention or not in terms of iconography used in the indie genre.

Personnel:

We planned as to what positions had to be present in the filming period of each scene in order to ensure each role was being efficiently fulfilled. Although we all took turns as to the role we played, by noting down who was required to be there it ensured that we all had a chance of playing a role during the filming process as well of the post production process. It also assisted in planning travel methods, as if there was too many people required to be present at filming we would have to take the bus instead of a car, which would have had to have been organised, for example.

Equipment:

We planned the equipment we will need for filming to ensure that we remembered to bring each piece of equipment with us. Not only this, but that we had pre-organised to have permission to use the equipment as well as checking they were fully charged and working. Otherwise, this may have delayed us in carrying out our filming.


Do you follow the schedule while filming, or did you make any changes?

Overall, we typically met our filming schedule across all the aspects that we had planned in advance. However,  we did change one area, in which that was the last of the filming schedule. Instead of filming in London to do a time-lapse, we instead filming an argument in the skate park as we felt this was more effective in relation to the narrative of the music video. The skate park had been previously used to show the boyfriend's individual space and therefore by filming the argument in this location, shows how the individuals have lost themselves in each other as a result of delusion.