Today was our first day of filming on location in Cornwall. I chose to film in Cornwall as I am familiar with the county, (we live in Oxfordshire but will be on holiday in Cornwall during the half term break which is when the filming has to take place) and I think the rugged landscape and picturesque beaches will make a perfect back drop to the music video. The rural imagery will amplify the lyrics which are focused around nature, and I want to portray the artist as an active, outdoor character who gets inspiration from the world around her.
The first day of filming was mainly done in a woodland area; I chose this location as the colours of the leaves are so vibrant at this time of year which will look beautiful in the background of the shots. I also chose the wood as it has a river running through it which I incorporated into various shots; thus portraying the tranquil, reflective atmosphere that I want in my music video.
I looked at the weather forecast the day before to check that the weather was going to be nice - unfortunately the British weather is very unpredictable (especially in the Autumn) so what I thought was going to be a clear, sunny day was actually a grey, cloudy day but no one can control the weather so I just got on with the filming. We started filming in the wood at around 2:00pm when the rain was just clearing so I managed to film a variety of shots (mainly with the artist lip syncing) within the trees and around the river when it was clear sky. My ultimate goal was to portray a picturesque, sunny location with rays of sunlight streaming through the trees, however I only managed to get a few seconds of sun so I am worried that some shots may be too dark. We left the wood at around 5:00pm (as it was starting to get dark) so I managed to record lots of footage.
Overall I thought it was a very productive day, as we managed to achieve a lot. I found the camera equipment easy to use, as I hadn't used them for a while so I had to familiarise myself with the camera and tripod. I was the only camerawoman, however my Dad took photos of the filming process and he also recorded the 'behind the scenes' footage on a small Flip camera which was helpful as I can use it to document the day. In terms of health and safety we all wore suitable clothing (coats and wellies!) as it was chilly and very muddy in the woods. This meant that Alex's initial costume had to be altered as we had originally planned for her to wear sandals and a dress, however this would have been a health risk due to the mud and tree roots which she could have caused her to trip, so instead she wore wellies, tights, a dress and a leather jacket. This outfit was practical and comfortable yet still attractive as we wanted her appearance to appeal to the target audience.
I was very impressed with Alex as she had learnt her lyrics off by heart, she never got distracted and she followed instructions which meant all of the takes went smoothly and we very rarely had to reshoot. To make sure she sang in time, she recorded her song on to her phone and then played it back while the phone was in her pocket which worked really well. I am really pleased with the shots we filmed today as Alex acted the part and got into the role of the artist, therefore the shots look really professional. We only have a few more shots to film of Alex lip syncing on the beach which we will film tomorrow as it is meant to be nice weather.
Here is a short video depicting behind the scenes footage of our first day filming (filmed by my Dad and edited by me)...
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