Shooting Practice : Music Video

This post, written by Rachelle and me (Beatrice), contains a mini project that helped us learn how to shoot a music video. We shoot our verse as a group and then created this post together.  

Our teacher gave each group a verse from 'Here Comes The Sun' by The Beatles where we had to plan a scene which included various camera work and edits. The goal was to get us to practice continuity when filming as well as lip syncing for our final music video project later on. Below is the verse chosen for us by our teacher.

We were first given 15 minutes to plan and create a storyboard for our scene. I (Rachelle) made the storyboard, however, my teammates Jasmine and Beatrice helped to think of ideas for the scenes. The storyboard is pasted below.

After that, about another 15 minutes were given for us to film our clips.

Here are some of the behind the seen footage that I (Beatrice) took during the process ↓

As seen above, Rachelle was in charge of drawing the storyboard while Jasmine was in charge of editing.

Here is the link for the video incase of any technical difficulties → 'Here Comes The Sun' - Verse 2

Below outlined the problems we faced during the filming of this mini project, the solutions we implemented, and what we would do to improve when working on our upcoming music video project : 

Problems : 

• When we were assigned this mini project, we faced unexpected heavy rain, which didn’t align with the song’s cheerful and bright theme - especially given the title, 'Here Comes The Sun'.
• The hallway we chose for filming had a constant flow of people passing through, which was both distracting and visually disruptive in the footage. Additionally, it caused delays as we had to wait for people to clear the area, while also having a time limit for the filming process. 
• The heavy rain made it difficult to hear the song we were supposed to lip-sync to, especially with other groups filming nearby and contributing to the noise.
• With only three members and two of us acting, we couldn’t follow our teacher’s advice to use two cameras, as we only had one person available to operate the camera.

Solutions : 

• Due to the rain, filming outdoors wasn’t an option, so we decided to use the hallway to take advantage of natural lighting while staying sheltered. Initially, we chose a hallway near the school’s toilet and lounge, but the high number of people passing through made it unsuitable. To avoid disruptions, we relocated to the hallway near our classroom on the opposite side of the building.
• Listening to the song became another challenge, especially when using the 'tracking' camera movement, as it required us to move farther from the music source (phone). To address this, we came up with two solutions, such as carrying the phone with us while filming or placing it midway along the filming path, which allows us to hear the music clearly as we move forward. 

Next time : 

• To improve for our upcoming music video project, I believe we should start filming well in advance of the deadline. This will give us more flexibility and prevent rushing, especially in situations beyond our control, like unfavorable weather. By having extra time, we can wait for better weather conditions that align with our mood board and plan. This will ensure that the final result matches our vision and maintains a high standard of quality.
• Since we’re planning to use two actresses from our team, it would be beneficial to bring a tripod for the filming process. This will enable us to use two cameras, as recommended by our teacher, allowing for a smoother filming process.

Reflection : My role in this project was the cameraman. I enjoyed this task because although we had to retake several scenes ; either because we felt awkward with people watching or because we laughed at how some shots turned out, we still had a lot of fun throughout the filming process. However, filming was a bit challenging for me as my hands were shaky at times, which I felt affected the quality of the footage and made some scenes less satisfactory. I also wasn't able to take pictures of the behind-the-scene during the filming process because we had to retake the scene a couple of times while rushing to finish it on time. Therefore, it was quite hectic. I think for me, this project has been a valuable learning experience, as it helps us identify areas for improvement. For example, bringing a tripod would make filming steadier and more professional. It also highlighted the importance of preparing for unexpected challenges and starting the filming process early. By doing so, we can address any unforeseen issues, such as unfavorable conditions or problems with scenes that we only notice after reviewing them.