G7: Tunbridge Wells Reccie

• On 11/10/12 I undertook a reccie around locations we are planning to film in in Tunbridge Wells. The locations were Dunorlan Park, Grove Park and the Pantiles. We are planning to use all of these locations for the flashback shots of the flashbacks to the couple in a happy stage of their relationship and to show the couple separately after the break-up.

• We decided to think about shooting in Dunorlan Park as it has large open space which would enable us to films long shots and establishing shots in these areas.

• As well as the main opening areas of the park, we also plan to shoot in some of the more cut off areas. The shots used in these locations will probably be mainly close ups and mid shots of the couple and they will also be used to show each of the couple on their own after the break up returning to the locations shown in the flashbacks. These are some examples of these locations:

This gazebo would be ideal for shots of the couple sitting together. The shapes of the sides of the gazebo could also create some interestingly framed shots. However, this location is not ideal for filming as the lake next to it means that the camera can only be positioned close up to the entrance (shown on right) or across the other side of the water (shown on left). In spite of this, it is still an appropriate location for our music video and if we decide to use it we will experiment with different camera distances and techniques.

These locations are also in Dunorlan Park and would be appropriate for our music video. We will use them to film similar style shots of the couple together, most likely using a range of camera angles, positioning and shot sizes. The bridge (shown on left) would be an ideal location to
use a track and dolly as it is on flat ground. Once again, the lake is a problem for shooting from certain angles and if we use these locations we will have to think about using the zoom function on the camera or when editing on Premiere to get a more varied range of shot sizes.


There are several areas like this around the park which would be suitable for filming our music video. The environment creates a conventional location for this type of story in a music video and would be ideal for the shots of the couple. As these areas are in open field spaces, it allows us to be able to shoot a wide range of shot sizes and shot types.

• As well as Dunorlan Park, I also looked at the Grove Park. This park is similar to the open areas of Dunorlan Park but would provide us with an alternative location if we wanted to vary the locations used in our video. The pictures show possible areas of the park that we could use, both of which would allow us to do a variation of shot types, including the long shots we plan to do in the open areas of Dunorlan Park. 
• Both of these parks are good locations for our music video and we chose them as we think that as well as being conventional for our chosen genre and concept of our music video, they will allow us to film some interesting shots to include in the video.
• The final location was The Pantiles which includes cafes, restaurants and is a pedestrian area suitable for filming. The scenes shot in this locations will also be a mixture of flashbacks of the couple in the past and each character separately after the break-up. I looked at some possible areas of the Pantiles to shoot in.

These outdoor cafe areas would be ideal for some scenes for our video. A cafe is a conventional location for our concept but as we found on our Brighton trip, shooting indoors can often not look good as we would be unable to make the lighting, background or props look appropriate for our shoot. For this reason we decided that if we were going to use a cafe as a location, it would have to be outside. These cafes shown are both appropriate for our music video. However, as it is in a location that could often be busy, we would have to position the characters and camera to avoid showing unwanted people in the background in the shot. We would also aim to film these scenes at times of the day when they would be least busy to make this easier.

These two areas in the Pantiles would also be good to film in. Once again, we would have to film at times when it would be least busy but the area is appropriate to shoot scenes of the couple both together and separate. If we use the benches, (shown on right) we will need to angle the shots so that the buildings behind are shown as little as possible. We will achieve this through a use of close ups and high and low angle shots so that the background is less visible.

• Overall, I think that these are all suitable locations for our music video. From looking at music videos of similar genres, artists and with similar concepts we agreed that these were fairly conventional locations.
• When thinking about our six key shots, we thought about the different shots sizes, angles and movement each shot would include. Visiting some of the locations we plan to shoot in helped to visualise exactly how and where we could film each shot.

G7: 6 Key Shots

We decided on 6 key shots we are planning to include in our music video and came up with a simple idea of what we hope they will look like. Whilst doing this, we thought about the sizes, angles and movement involved in each shot which we will expand upon after getting feedback from our audience and begin story-boarding our final piece.

• The first shot shows the couple who will feature in the narrative of our music video arguing. This will be filmed in the drama studio and we are planning to use mid-shots and close ups of the couple. We are going to film against a black background and will use a mixture of static shots and tracking past the couple.
• The second shot shows a flashback style memory of the couple in an earlier time in their relationship. This will be filmed in outdoor locations such as Groombridge Place and other areas around Tunbridge Wells. The shot on the storyboard shows a medium long shot but we will use a range of shot sizes, angles and movement for these scenes.
• The third shot shows the man from the couple after the break up on his own. We are also going to shoot these scene in similar outdoor locations, possibly the same as the flashbacks to show that the man is missing the girl. We are also planning to user larger shot sizes and more high angle shots for these scenes to present the man as smaller to emphasise his loneliness.
• The fourth shot shows a glass flying through the air. Short slow motion shots of this glass smashing against a wall and shattering on the floor will be shown throughout the video. This will represent the couple's relationship getting worse and finally ending.
• The fifth shot is a long shot of the whole band performance. This is conventional of the genre and band so much of the performance will be made up of similar shots. We are going to shoot this in the drama studio where we have practiced similar shots we are going to use. We are also going to use a mixture of static shots and shots using the tracking and dolly.
• The sixth shot is a close up of the guitar, another typical indie music video shot. We are going to use these shots for the different guitars in the video and similar shots with the drum kit. We practiced some commonly used guitar close up shots in our practice in the drama studio and aim to improve and replicate these for our final shoot.

G7: Audience Research Plan

We are planning on conducting a physical audience research task with members of our target audience to see if our concept and ideas are suitable and appealing for this group. We are planning to:

• Play them our chosen track
• Ask their opinion on the track and band and what their expectations are for them
• Ask what they'd expect to see in a music video for the song
• Describe our concept and ideas for the music video
• Ask is they think this is appropriate for the track and why they think it is/isn't
• What they like and dislike about our ideas
• If they think it is conventional or challenging of the band and genre

We are going to film or record audio of the session and use the responses, along with those from our online survey, to help us come up with further concept development for our music video.

We are also making an online survey using Survey Monkey to distribute via social networks such as Facebook or Twitter. We have also found a Bloc Party fan message board site (http://www.blocparty.net/forum/) where we will post the survey to our potential audience. This survey will include questions about the demographics of the audience as well as their views and expectations of music videos.

We will use the results of both surveys to decide if our video is appropriate for our target audience and if it is realistic idea of the band and genre.

This is the link to our online survey which we will distribute:

G7: Concept Development - Props, Locations and Cast

Concept Development Discussion

• We discussed the aspects of our music video plan such as the props, locations and cast. We developed upon the pre-production planning to decide when and where we would do location reccies and how we would get any props and costumes we need.
• We have decided on the actors in both the band and the couple in the narrative. We have decided that the lead singer in the band will also play the male character in the narrative.
• We have decided to do reccies in Groombridge Place where we plan on shooting some of the flashback shots of the couple. We are also going to do a reccie in Pantiles and other areas around Tunbridge Wells where we are planning to film shots for our video.




• We have decided on the props we are going to use for the performance of the video such as the instruments and eqiptment in the shots. We have also discussed where we will get these props from and the types of shots we will use whilst filming.
• From our research, we realised that most costumes worn in indie music videos are fairly casual and we will not be needing any special costumes items for our video.
• We also discussed our audience and the type of people who would be interested in the band and music video. For our audience research we are going to create a survey to be filled in by as many people as possible to give us an accurate idea of the main target audience. We also plan to post the link to our survey on this Bloc Party fan website - http://www.blocparty.net/forum/
• After thinking about who the target audience for Bloc Party is, we are going to ask people fitting this demographic some questions on our song choice, video concept and the band.

G7: Audience Profile