To prepare for our shoot day, we arranged to meet in the studio at 3-6pm the day before and start painting and setting up our first set. We did this to ensure we were fully prepared for the next day and could start shooting as soon as possible. Painting our set and seeing all our props made us all really excited for the next day! We got all the props ready and in place and made sure that we were fully prepared to shoot the next day.
At 8:30, after breakfast, we met with the band members to get them ready. I curled Freddie's hair to make him look more like the child version of him, whilst Antonia and Emmy did Ellis' hair and make up. Then I applied a bit of make up to each of the members to make their faces look fresher for the camera. I also looked at what the band members had brought in clothing wise and styled them with what I thought looked best together. We made sure that we were prepared and on time and ready to start shooting at 9. Later at 11, Holly and Harvey came in- I curled Holly's hair and put make up on to match Ellis' and sprayed Harvey's hair out of his face. We got them into their clothes and compared them to their "older-selves
When we started to shoot, the studio looked just how we planned! The half set looked so effective on the camera and we were extremely happy how the lighting gave energy to it. I am very please with how we created the look of our concept. Once the props came in: for example, the teddy bears and pencil chairs, alongside toy and inflatable instruments, it helped us really achieve the look our concept. The playhouse looked exactly how we imagined once the band was in, we were over the moon with this set.
On the shoot day we made sure to divide the production roles. Throughout the day we alternated so each of us had a try at each role. This meaning we all got a chance to direct, take charge of the camera and use the clapper board. The person without a role checked the screen to make sure the footage was looking how we wanted it to and checked the styling of the band.
Personally, I think I kept on top of what was going on and was involved in everything. I was checking the timings according to the schedule and took part in as much as I could. I also made sure the actors were getting enough food and drink and had breaks between shots. We all made sure that there was a constant positive atmosphere being created and made sure the actors were happy with what they were doing. I also directed the children quite well to ensure the matching shot was exactly how we wanted it to look and they knew exactly what to do in the narrative shots. We made sure that they saw how the band acted when in the playhouse to show them the amount of energy we needed from them and make them feel comfortable with what they had to do.
There wasn't many problems on the shoot day but I will name the few. The second set's wall paper for the background wasn't wide or high enough so it made it hard in terms of how we were going to film it and you could also see a line where the two sheets met. We played with lighting and placement of the props/ set to make this less noticeable and make the shots work. A problem we had in the first set was because the set was so small in comparison to the members of the band, they found it hard to be constantly crouching, we made sure that they got out and stretched between each shot. This slowed down the process slightly but we were on time and had nothing to worry about. Another problem was, the actors ate most of the sweets for a narrative shot so there wasn't as many as we had got for the shot, this was our fault through miscommunication so we just added some more chocolate bars. At one point Phil's guitar lost a string but that was solved quickly.
The part of the shoot I think was most successful was the performance shots of the band all together (especially the hand held shots). The hand held footage added to the playfulness of the set. The bands aesthetic worked so well and we created their star indie-pop band image we intended to. They all fully committed to the shot with full energy each time which we are so thankful for- the footage looked just how we wanted it to.
I wish we had planned how we were going to link some of the narrative shots to the video. This lead to us cutting some of the narrative shots, leaving us with less footage. Although this may be, i think we have the right amount of footage and got exactly what we needed to make it clear. I think our production team worked very well with each other, making sure we were involved in equal amounts. There were a few disagreements in terms of what shoots we were going to cut but this wasn't a major problem. I think as a group we had a great day and worked very well together whilst also enjoying ourselves and the experience.
In terms of website and artwork, I think we will need to make it slightly more playful in colour and what is included. I think we should include photos of the band together and have fun merchandise. For the digipak, we will now be able to finish it with the photos we have taken of the band in and off set. We could also relate the colours on the website and artwork more to the set now.
