Britney Re-creation video Exercise + Reflection

The filming of the Recreation 

Due to having the whole class as the crew members, we created a casting, costume, location, props, filming schedule and technical roles table so that we could refer to everyones role during the filming session. This meant that everything was organised and everyone new their role. 

•  I volunteered for the role of Britneys back up dancers 
• This meant that i had to learn the dance routine well as remembering the shot lists as i had to direct the actors to where they had to look and go
• Due to having a shot list, this was very easy as i could clearly direct people into place. 

• This sheet was also very useful as i was informed of the filming date and time so that i knew when i had to Bring props and costume. 
• The sheet also helped by letting us be organised when trying to bring in the props we needed as it reminded us what we needed. 

Filming Difficulties

1. The first difficulty that we had to over come was the fact the we didn't have a dolly to use for the first shot that was a tracking shot towards the main characters foot. We managed to over come this by placing the camera on the floor and just sliding it towards the subject, although this was not idea, the flat surface of the floor meant it moved smoothly 
2. Another difficulty we faced was that the actress playing Britney Spears was left handed and could not twiddle her pen using her right hand. This meant that I had to step in as her 'arm double' and play with her pen for her. We managed to make this look realistic as i put my arm through the sleeve of her cardigan as she put her arm behind her back. 
3. Another difficulty was that the main actress playing Britney kept looking into the camera which ruined the continuity of the video. 
4. The dance choreography was another element that posed a challenge. This was because we were not professional dancers therefore we were not all in time. Despite this we re filmed several of the shots until it was almost perfect. this made me learn that it is just clear direction and practice. 

Reflection on Editing:

Through this exercise i developed some of my editing skills further by focusing on the matching of the lip syncing and the music. At first this was very difficult as the actress seemed slightly uncomfortable singing at certain points so the timing of the lipsync and the sound track was off. I managed to change this by speeding up the motion of the footage to go a few milli seconds faster , meaning it then was in time with the pace of the music 

I also developed my understanding of 'cutting to the music' as i had to do this multiple time through out the re creation. This taught me that every beat of a song often means cutting to a new shot. This is often done in fast paced music videos to reflect the bouncy fun atmosphere of the music. 

What have I learnt?

• Through filming this recreation, I have learnt that there is a lot more footage within a music video than expected. This is because, the director wants to reflect the music and in order to do this it often has to cut to different shots with each beat or each couple of beats. This is a good tip to use within my Music video because now I am equally aware that If i pick a slow paced song the shot durations would inevitably be slower if i wanted to reflect the song structure. 
• I have also learnt the Huge importance in lipsyncing if i want my music video to be successful. If the artists mouth movement does not fit in time with the sound track then this will look messy and wrong. This would be one of the first things that people would notice. 
• Another Thing that i have learnt is the Importance of having a confident, vibrant, bubbly Actor that fits the part of the music. For example if a Goth type person was to play the character of Britney, this would not match the audio as the sound track is very upbeat and happy. Likewise If the Actor is not confident then they will show as awkward on camera. This also means that the audience will not be able to relate to the artist, making my music video unsuccessful.