14.Shooting Diaries

Here are the first two shooting scripts what i took with me during filming. These are used to log down what takes were the best so that in editing they're easy the look out for! So far, most of the filming had been planned randomly filling in gaps between verses displayed on the lyrics in blog8. So far it has been very stressful as many shoots have been interrupted, one was to go shopping. Constant taking breaks each time we took one take was an issue and time wasting is consumptuous in terms of time and patience. As i was acting in the music video i had to wait for the rest of the group.it proved quite annoying!I was responsible for bringing the cameras in from home ( me and the other actors shot footage from my house several times without their appearances).I bought all the costumes and borrowed a few props from friends. I wrote the original and new storyboards with a little help and editing, I have done most of that too. I do take full credit for the whole concept of an horror movie and was my original idea for my Digipak and advert to have Lady Gaga 'In' "Monster". I do feel that actually this is mainly my project.

13.Shooting Schedule

This was the proposed and agreed shooting schedule for our group.

Many of these plans weren't met due to issues within the group.

I took it upon myself to act in the video as we as a group couldn't find anyone who could fit the time. So I was therefore in charge of props and costumes etc. and finding the male character!

23rd Jan - Station Shoot

Feb 9th - Lewes shoot

Feb 23rd - 2nd Lewes Shoot

9th March - Eastbourne Shoot

18th March - 6pm Night Shots

23rd march -Eastbourne

Camera/Tripod

Costumes -

Dracula Cape/Shirt

Wolf Costume/everyday wear

Face Paints

Gaga Dress/Make-up/shoes

Masks

Props

Phone

Ipod

Time

Daytime shots and night time shots

Make sure we fill out risk assessment forms!

12.Health and Safety

In terms of health and safety, when we book a camera out, each time we have to fill out a risk assessment form which we tick each of the potential risks that could cause damage to the camera, the environment and indeed ourselves. This also covers the college insurance policy and to make sure everything run smoothly during filming. An example of this would be filming in a licensed area and gaining access and permission before you go ahead and to not break any laws!

Everyone in our group is required to give our names and our mobile numbers, in case the camera isn't given back at the agreed time, and the teachers need to be informed in case there is an accident during filming. I have learned the importance regarding safety when using the equipment and that these factors can restrict your choices of location in terms of danger i.e heights. These sorts of shots and planning the narrative of the video need equipment like harnesses and safety mats which cost a lot of money, so compromising shots to add height may be required like turning the camera angle upwards.

11.Storyboards

A Storyboard is the most important part of planning a production as it is always there to alter if needs be and it is important that all members are aware of any changes that may have been made.This is used for designing and stylising the film so that it will stick to the narrative and keep the audience captivated! These are the new storyboards that were planned for the final edit. Due to miscommunication within the group, time held us back so looking at the footage that I had taken we stripped back the beginning to be more mysterious and dark like many of Gaga's choice of introductions, an elaborated story isn't very Gaga! The short,jerky cuts between the alley and the woods give the audience room for questioning and rumoring the reasons for what she does. These first 30 shots are a rough idea of how it will look and editing in short clips of Silent movie subtitles give it an authentic Charlie Chaplin look! using still the idea of eye line matching, shot reverse shots and fast zooms, I feel it is probably better than the original flat plans!

original storyboards:

Our idea is to recreate Thriller in a Gaga way! so projecting our film onto a screen for the beginning sequence sounds so much fun! and goes along with Gaga and her intertextuality!The proposed shots and locations look manageable and fun!We each get a turn to film (I will be filming shots that don't have me in them!)

Each shot follows the story and on each beat we plan to jump cut to the next scene and shot. There are lots of close ups of eyes and mouths to create shot reverse shot sequence and eye line matches. Also, the mouths to link with Dracula!

10.Mise-en-scene

When planning any form of filmed Media, thinking about the mise-en-scene is very important. The setting/location/costumes/props/lighting/colours/make-up etc. For our music video, any eerie or scenic locations would be best suited for the effect we want to achieve. Many horror films are set in Gothic towers and castles, however to give a modern twist, outside houses and inside them can create the same effect by using different filters and transitions and effects during editing! We already know that we want the main part of the video (the song) in black and white however shooting it in colour! the shots of the woods above and below capture the mysteriousness of the video and taking photographs of them in black and white really helps us as a group decide that this is a perfect location to film!the two rows alongside the bank can be used for the lovers looking for each other and sticking to Gaga's videos of using idyllic scenery to open her music videos (Paparazzi-her garden and house!).It reflects the genre and style of the music as wolves are mainly found in a natural habitat so it was perfect for the shots of Gaga and the wolf! Another possible location is by the lake on a bench where a discussed storyline of the wolf and Gaga eating a picnic! again the natural surroundings reflect habitats and the beastliness of the Wolf.

Scenic shots of the lake spark fin and passion with the wolf and gaga, even during the day!

This is the garden shots where Gaga will be filmed dancing. the ground is sturdy enough for me to dance in huge Gaga heels and the fence adds to the trapped effect she feels toward Dracula as she's desperate for the wolf.

Again this is the garden and the backdrop for Gaga and the Wolf dance sequences. The two chairs in the corner of the shots reflect that in a relationship there only room for two people, that's Gaga and the wolf!the Balls symbolise the fun she has with the Wolf and also the juggling of a love affair. The sign flowers has many different meanings, once being the romance and the passion between the Wolf and Gaga (Roses) and arguably the masking of pretence and making up for things you've done wrong (cheating, love triangle).

The stairs were perfect for getting the iconic Silhouette shot of Dracula walking down the stairs to find Gaga with the Wolf! setting up the lighting you can already see the shadow begin to form!it targets the audience through Gaga's infamous referencing to other works and continues the representation of a horror film.

The use of masks on Gaga is to symbolise her masking of feelings for Dracula. She will wear it when shes around him to disguise her betrayal and hide her love from Dracula. The two colour mask shows different sides to her love affair and the repetition of two reflects this.

Here is Dracula! Using a basic Halloween costume and face paints, darkened eyes, pale face and rouge lips he certainly appears the baddie, right?!

And introducing THE WOLF! using just normal everyday wear he is the 'Wolf in Disguise' with pale hands and brown face.Harmless?! The transformation of werewolves is frequently used in horror films to demonstrate not only the horror for the damsel to meet a werewolf, but also for the man himself. his body is changing and therefore uncontrollable, even though Gaga is with Dracula, he is unable to contain his feelings.

Using Phantom of the Opera masks was another was of alluding to other films and to mask Gaga's hidden passion.

Here's the Lady herself (me!).Using a simple fitted lace dress, killer heels and voluptuous carmine lips could she herself be the monster?!

Romantic Gothic meets Flapper meets modern day with the use of mobile phones and ipods!

I carefully planned how each character would look and it took time to find the right face for the Wolf! I also planned how the video would move from day to night as he 'took her home' Dracula awakes in the night, opens the door to find his lover with another beast, but then he dies. So who is the real monster?!

By taking photographs of proposed locations and sharing them with the group, we demonstrated our knowledge of REECE and understanding the potential risks that could happen when filming at that particular location.

9.Pitch

Me and my group are creating a PowerPoint presentation to pitch our song choice and music video in front of a camera. We linked in most of the research we did prior to our blogs; target audience,initial ideas,song choice,effects and costumes,outcomes and why? Why a pitch? This is to show our final ideas and that we have a plan of what our group intend to make. Also to gain other people's opinions they have on our idea. Of course, the feedback was great! I think if it was to be made into an official music video for Lay Gaga's 'monster' it would increase her popularity as it seems exciting and new and links with themes and ideas of her previous videos, like Bad Romance which is heavily influenced within the Gothic genre with Christian Crosses and her 'little monsters' accompanying her dance routines. With our music video heavily influenced within the Gothic B-side horror movies (Frankenstein,Dracula) it references to Gaga's intertexual style she incorporates in her videos (collaborating two genres of music -Beyonce) and pop cultural references (Tarantino films in Telephone). Different subcultures and ages will be interested to appreciate her performances and her songs and the meaning there is behind them! i like to think of her album The Fame Monster as a story, moving through different chapters of her life or indeed a horror movie itself ie. sequels! PowerPoint - https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B8spo8elV8wfNTBkNDg3MDMtNDUzNC00OWZjLWJhMDAtMzdkODBiMjIyOTZi&hl=en Out PowerPoint looked in detail various ideas and thoughts for the video and we have researched a lot into her target audience and how we can achieve this. Recorded Pitch - https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B8spo8elV8wfNjZkYjI4NmUtMjQ5ZC00NGViLThkMmUtNjZiMTJjMjlhNDNk&hl=en This shows the PowerPoint in the background as we elaborate further our ideas in speech!

8.Initial Ideas.

Using the lyrics to the song is key when planning a narrative based song. In order to create the film like quality, we have to understand the song first! Here we gathered a few ideas after brainstorming what Gaga is about (shown below). In my head, i already had a clear idea of how it was going to look, with lots of old film grain and shoddy cuts and props!

I spilled out a few ideas through brainstorming what "Monster" as a song means and the connotations it has with horror. Also exploring Lady Gaga's music videos helped with the planning!

The WolfMan

Jackson Transformation

Thriller film!

Dracula

Many of our initial ideas were inspired by 1920's/B side horror movies. Because Lady Gaga's album track listing for 'The Fame Monster' follows a story, we thought it be appropriate to much the running theme from her other videos like Bad Romance and Alejandro to make a movie themed music video.

At first, planning the video and the introduction leading up to the music was to reinvent Micheal Jackson's 'Thriller'. The beginning of the story was of a couple watching a film in a cinema on a date. They walk out of the cinema because the girl is scared and like in many horror movies, the boyfriend transforms into a beast, or in this case Dracula. Lady Gaga is notorious for her statements among men and women and the objectification of them. Mulvey's The Male Gaze is apparent in many of her videos focusing on close up and detailed shots of Lady Gaga in a sexualised manner. As do the photographs from Dracula and the Wolfman above!

The two iconic character's were to become the main ones in out video. A Love Triangle idea was inspired through her lyrics 'He's a Wolf' and 'Licking his lips' giving us imagery of wolves and vampires. Furthermore, the objectification of women can be seen through these lyrics as it arguably connotes to Red Riding Hood and the danger she faces as do all 'Little' Girls and Gaga's army of monsters.

All of these ideas created the planning for the video like the chain that goes in Gaga's thoughts. You can tell I'm a die hard Gaga fan!

Being a fan of her work i would definitely say this would be a possible idea if she were to make this music video as it tells the audience whatever the audience wants it to. The idea is open for interpretation much like many of her other works!

But this is just the narrative!

Through browsing on YouTube, we researched many iconic films (found in creative camera use blog!) to help us develop ideas for the cinematography, set and location, editing and sound for the obvious spectacular introduction!

I really want to incorporate the famous Nosferatu silhouette shot across the wall and all the fast edited and paced zooms 1920's cheesy horror movies had!

The love triangle story line follows throughout each verse and bridge of the song, through the wolf being introduced first as Gaga's lover, and Dracula second as she is her partner. The theme follows what love can do and unfortunately, sorry to give the end away Dracula dies! OH no! SHOCKING?not until you hear what Gaga's girlfriend has to say!

Using blurred,shallow and narrow and wide depth of fields, different shots will appear to stand out more to the audience so that they follow along with the story.

I don't now whether using effects rather than black and white and visual/lighting effects will work as it is telling a story and in most of Gaga's videos, evrything is in sight and focusing in on her!