Next week (week commencing Monday 20th May 2019) is shooting week one. While you can use this week to prep and plan and practice, your teacher will push you as much as possible to go out and film this week. This involves booking cameras, tripods and other equipment, following your storyboard or shot list as much as possible, putting on your costumes and makeup and then actually filming your video. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get the best grade possible
1 - Shoot early
There's no way around this. The earlier you shoot, the higher your grade is likely to be. If you keep putting it off, for any reason (including weather, people letting you down, equipment malfunction...) your grade will suffer. So get shooting!
2 - Shoot lots
Each performance should be shot around ten to fifteen times. Even if something works particularly well, shoot it again. Get used to ad-libbing (making stuff up) and being versatile with whatever is thrown at you.
3 - Insist on the best equipment
Make sure that your equipment works perfectly before you take it away. If the tripod is wobbly, or if the AF (autofocus) on the camera does not work properly, take it back to the technician to be services and swapped out. This leads us to the next tip...
4 - Everything is your fault
If your tripod is dodgy, it's your fault. If someone lets you down, it's your fault. If the bus is late, it's your fault. If it rains, it's your fault.
Sounds harsh? Absolutely. But you need to get used to the fact that you are the only person responsible for your music video, and the only person getting marked for it. If something goes wrong, you need to make it right, and fast!
5 - Be flexible
Let's say it rains on the weekend of your big shoot. What do you do? Perhaps you give up and film nothing. In which case you've wasted valuable time and resources and possibly money. But how about you film something anyway? How about you put an umbrella over the camera and try for a little intertextual reference to Singin' In The Rain? You could cover yourself in mud and shoot some bizarre and striking close-up performance shots. You could shoot a miserable, rain soaked establishing montage to form a binary opposition with the sunshine drenched shots you have already shot. Or you could just shoot some interiors instead.
But whatever you do, never waste a shooting day!
The rules
Although shooting week will involve you not attending media lessons at the normal scheduled time, there are still rules you need to follow
- Always email your teacher for every 'missed' lesson explaining exactly what you are doing
- Make sure you give back equipment intact and at the time you are supposed to
- Never, ever get in anyone's way or impede access
- Do not shoot on the guided busway
- Don't be loud or annoying
- Do not break and enter to film somewhere, even if the space is 'abandoned'
Your right to film in public
You cannot film in private spaces. This includes train stations. However in practice people still do and are fine. Just be cool with it, and do not cause an obstruction.
However you can film wherever you like in public spaces. Public spaces are 99% where you are likely to film. Do NOT be intimidated by people telling you to stop. Be polite, calm, smile. If this doesn't work, just quote this back at them:
"members of the public and the media do not need a permit to film or photograph in public places and police have no power to stop them filming or photographing incidents or police personnel."
The exceptions are if you filming anything inappropriate or indecent (please don't do this!!) or causing an obstruction. So don't get in people's way