Filming Day 3

Today we filmed parts of our music video for the third time. This was a unique shoot, as we used a car for filming, and it proved to be the funnest so far. We think we have some special footage from this one...

Equipment Checklist for Shoot 3

For our third shoot we will be needing;

• Ronin DJI

• Panasonic 4K Camcorder

• Manfrotto Tri-pod

• Roto Light and Reflector

Props for Filming Day 3

The following list is of props necessary for our third shoot.

1 white fur coat
1 Adidas track suit bottoms
1 silver chain
2 gold chaina
6 rings (gold/silver)
1 pair of sunglasses
1 champagne bottle
1 Audi A5

Filming Day 2

After last weeks setback we were finally ready to film our second shoot. All props and equipment ready, and most importantly all actors healthy and ready. We executed all necessary shots smoothly, and there weren't any issues or distractions.

Zacky's Car Accident

Today we were supposed to film parts of our music video for the second time, but there was a major blow. Every Saturday our main actor Zacky has football training for his local club. On the way back from training his car crashed unluckily into a van that skipped a red light on an intersection. Luckily nobody was badly injured, but Zacky alone suffered a concussion from the whiplash of the crash. He should be completely fine within a week and we wish all the best to him on his recovery. This has been a big hold up in me and Bruno's plans, but we will just have to film next week and try catch up the best we can.

Picking up Equipment from Other Group

Today I am going to meet Mo from the other group in our class. This will be in order to pick up the equipment he has (Ronin DJI, Manfrotto tri-pod, Roto light and reflector) that Bruno and I need for our second shoot which will be taking place later today. I am meeting him in Golders Green on the way to Belsize Park, and from Golders Green I will be taking a cab, as a means of keeping the equipment safe especially since it is raining today.

Ronin DJI Tutorial

Today in class Bruno and I learnt how to set up and use the Ronin DJI gimbal. We watched this youtube tutorial whilst practising using the actual gimbal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz0pqreA2OY    - DJI Tutorials - Ronin - Setup Demonstration

This was a great help and now we are completely capable of safely mounting, dismounting and operating the gimbal

Equipment Checklist for Shoot 2

For our second shoot, we will need the following:

• Ronin DJI

• Panasonic 4K Camcorder

• Manfrotto Tri-pod

• Roto Light and Reflector

Getting Help from the Other Groups

Being the driven two man group we are, Bruno and I have not needed much help in terms of crew members for filming, and have gone by just fine by ourselves actually. But, for the second and possibly the third shoot as well, we will need quite a bit more equipment than what we had on the first shoot, which might get a bit out of hand in terms of carrying, moving and operating the different gadgets. So in an attempt to counter this set-back, we have asked our friend and member of one of the other groups, the greatest guy himself, Josh Morrison, to help us on the day of filming, to which he has kindly agreed. His help will be a very much needed aid I believe.

Props for Filming Day 2

For the second shoot, in terms of props, we will need the following:

1 red Ferrari jacket
1 Adidas track suit bottoms
1 silver chain               
4 rings (gold/silver)
1 hoodie
1 face mask
1 Skateboard

These items have all been gathered but the skateboard, which is already at Zac's house in preparation to film.

Filming Day 1

Earlier this evening Bruno, Zacky and I partook in the first session of filming our music video in Golders Green. All went well, and although we've only filmed maybe just about a quarter of the video, its a good start, and we hope to keep up the good work for remaining sessions we have to film.

Equipment Checklist for Shoot 1

The following is a list of equipment we will need for our first shoot:

• Panasonic 4K Camcorder

• Manfrotto Tri-pod

Props For Filming Day 1

For this first shoot, we will need several props in order to produce it as we have planned. The props are as follows:

1 red Ferrari jacket
1 pair of red Nike basketball shoes
1 Adidas track suit bottoms
1 silver chain
4 rings (gold/silver)
1 cigarette

All items are to be gathered by tomorrow in preparation for filming.

Deciding on main Camera to use

For our music video, Bruno and I obviously need a camcorder to film it. We have to high quality camcorder options, in a Panasonic 4K...

... and a Canon XC10.

Both camcorders are great to use, and of a very high quality, but we have made a mutual decision to use the Panasonic 4K camcorder, as it is as good as the other in film quality, but I own the Panasonic 4K, so it will be more easily accessible than the Canon XC10.

Recce of Golders Green

Today Bruno and I looked around Golders Green to do a Recce of the area before filming. We decided that the ally way located behind the Cafe Nero (Accomodation Rd) would be ideal, as it has the potential to look like a gang's ally.

Zac Agrees Again

I am happy to say that Zac Badawi-Crook is now part of the cast. He will be filmed by us skating, for parts of me and Bruno's music video.

Hiring the Skater

In our music video, we plan to have scenes of person skate-boarding on a dark road. Being an adequate skater myself, I have come about to have many skater-friends (some of which are extremely talented) and who else better than our friend Zac, who is also hosting us for filming in his house, and is also a very skilled skater. If he's up for it, we'd be grateful for his help. However, I do have a number of other friends in mind, so if Zac does decline, we wont be in the wilderness. 

Verdict on Zac's House

After negotiating when and if we could film at his house, Zac was very positive about the whole situation, as even though it wasn't possible to film at his house in Belsize Park for the necessary time, he suggested that we start filming in Belsize Park, and then finish filming at his house in Hampstead. For Bruno and I, this will be just fine, and we thus agreed and set it in stone with Zac. We will be filming there in 2 weeks.

Cast of the 'Other Thugs' in our Video

Of the 6 candidates we had for the 3 roles of 'other thugs' in the music video, Bruno and I have come to a verdict. After exchanging several conversations and what you might call 'interviews' with all 6 people, we believe the decision made by us is the best for our video, considering they were all happy to help.

The three are:

• Theodore Voutiras
• Cassian Lewis
• Michael Benderson

Using Zac's House

For our second shoot, we plan to use our friend Zac's house in Belsize Park. It has the space and furniture necessary to fulfil what we have planned. We have asked him and await his answer, but if he says no, we have other options, including a house in West Hampstead, and one in St Johns Wood.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Casting the other Roles

For what we have planned ahead, we are going to need around 5 more actors - Zacky alone wont cut the chase. So, Bruno and I will be selecting 3 of  our friends who are very comfortable with the style and rhythm of our genre of music, and another actor/actress to drive Zacky in a few scenes.

We have only 6 candidates remaining, as we have cancelled out other people we had in mind, so our final cast will be announced within the next week.

Main Character

Now that we have selected and produced the music for our video, we needed to hire and actor to play the main character of the music video, lip syncing the song. When me and Bruno were left with this decision, the first person in our minds was our old friend Zacky Agama. He is a trained actor, who also raps on the side - what else could we have wished for! We called Zacky and after a couple questions, he seemed delighted but needed to confirm with us after checking his schedule. We are currently awaiting his confirmation.

Music Video Treatment

This is the treatment Bruno and I have come up with:

Breakdown:

Music video is structured A-B-A-B-A.

A: This is a section when the camera is generally following our main character through a specific area, where things occur to him where he passes through. But there will still be brief cuts and different types of shots slotted in at different moments during the section.

B: This will be during the chorus, and is not a following shot. It presents our main character and his gang in a run-down urban spot.

A1: Belsize Park/Hampstead Garden Suburbs – The song begins with him leaving a house in Belsize Park, and then walking through the area while rapping. During this shot, he is about to light a cigarette until someone takes it out of his mouth, he turns around to chase him, trips over (falling out of the shot), then stands back up in a different outfit. He also gets in a random car – pulling the front seat passenger out of the car, then the car drives off.

B1: Golders Green – When the verse finisher, the following shot cuts, and shots of the main character and his gang in a rundown alley begin. These brief shots will involve the gang doing gestures, jamming with & without the decks.

A2: St Johns Wood – This shot follows our main character through the area of St Pauls. Again several things happen to him while he raps this verse. For example, he passes a couple, and snatches the woman from the man’s arms, kisses her and returns her.

B2: (same as B1)

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Edit (Feb 2018): Although this was our original plan, when we were out filming we came up with plenty of ideas on the spot, and through editing we channeled even more new ideas, leading to a video that is in fact almost completely different to the original treatment.