On My Own – The Final Concept
Below is a link to my final video. The final video is actually quite effective and is relatively close to what i wanted. All of it is explained below but it is important for me to highlight a few keys points about it.
This video was meant to be a reflection of a mundane cycle of life that could drive someone to become a heroin addict. The two important shots are the opening shot of him waking up in bed, and the closing shot of him drinking himself to oblivion….he awakes in the same position he passes out in. This was done to show a cycle of self abuse that would one day result in him becoming a heroin addict. Its a little contrived but hopefully gets the point across, whilst leaving it open to interpretation
Below is an intervciew with Mischa that is to be included in the final DVD i am to make for him. It sums up his creative influences as an artist and his inspiration for making such a moving song.
Up until this point all my efforts have been focused on developing a theme and graphical style for this music video. All of my ideas, sketched and visual experiments were carried with a view to defining my own interpretation of the song, whilst relating it to the context with which it was written. The song was initially written about a man who Mischa used to play the guitar with in Bournemouth. He found him dying of a heroin overdose in a pool of his own vomit outside his house. Nobody stopped to help. It was this that inspired him to write the song, but also, having known the man….what brought that very talented person to end up in such a state.
The song itself in my eyes is actually quite surreal, there is a calm tranquility about it but it is actually quite sad. The lyrics remind me of someone who is lost, socially and spiritually but still has something to offer to the world. I for one can relate to this personally, and this is where most of my inspiration for the song comes from. I remember some long, cold and depressing years of my life working in call centers for low pay, relying on public transport and not having any money, it is a very depressing sad existance and i began to drink heavily and take alot of drugs. This is irrelevant now as i have turned things around, but it could have been very different for me…as it is for many other people my age, lost in a world with no goal or focus, and i consider myself very lucky. For me, a large part of the problem is boredom…which is born out of routine and mundane cycles of daily life. It was that routine that bored the hell out of me and drove me to seek artificial fulfilment through other means.
Anyway, my video shall be a combination of those two elements. My own interpretation of the song and the impact it has had on me, against the inspiration from which it was written. My story for the song is thus. A Heroin Addict Tramp is under a bridge for another cold night. With his fire blazing, sheltered from the rain he shoots up the remains of the skag he bought hours earlier. As the heroin takes affect his consciousness fades as he slips into a comatose state, past memories or what he once had begin to emerge in a dreamlike sequence. This sequence will be something to reflect the mundane nature of his previous existence. I have chosen a symbol of my depression, a journey home from work on public transport, in the cold weather all on your own. The details of this journey are yet to be decided, but along his way home, I shall incorporate images of Mischa, the musician who wrote the song, into reflections and elements of the mise-en-scene in a very subtle and hopefully very effective way, such as the reflections on a bus, or a puddle or a shop window. The end of the song comes when he gets home from his journey… and falls asleep watching television….the camera fades back to reality, and the tramp under the bridge has died, and choked on his own vomit!…the camera fades
For me, the journey is acting as a visual metaphor of boredom and routine, and is supposed to insinuate what drove the main character to where he was now. Whilst everyone has choice in the world, some people are weaker than others…but everyone knows there mistakes. And by dreaming of what he had, it is also reminding him of what he could have been and i feel this will act as a very beautiful paradigm between reality and the dream!
Initial Storyboard
10 Seconds
18 Seconds
31 seconds
46 Seconds
1 Minute 4 Seconds
1 Minute 12 Seconds
1 Minute 37 Seconds
1 Minute 53.5 Seconds
2 minutes 1.5 Seconds
2 minutes 17.5 seconds
2 minutes 40.5 Seconds
2 Minutes 54.5
Creative Influences – Cinematography
Dead Mans Shoes
Somers Town
Location Scouting
Here are some photos taken that are meant to reflect the type of camera shot i will be looking for and possible locations for my film. The lighting is not that good at this stage but i am interested in trying to put my conceptual storyboard into visual practice.
The House
This is the beginning of the dream sequence. apart from the bedroom the lighting in the other rooms is poor so this is something i will need to address. There are alot of shots to film in this house but luckily, my house is perfect, so i can take this footage relatively easily so this should not be a problem.
The Journey to & From Work
This will again be relatively easy to film as bournemouth provides some of the ideal locations required. I will be relying on the weather to ensure the lighting is correct. Most of the shots are from a distance, so it will be difficult to control the lighting on the shots…but i would like it to look crisp.
The Pub
This has not actually been planned visually yet but i doubt it will be nothing more than another time lapse, with maybe some stop frame thrown in to show his drinks piling up.
…to be continued
The Shoots
Shoot One – The Journey To Work
This shoot was actually incredibly succesful..but slightly incomplete. In the day i gave myself to film this journey i got all the shots except the bus stop ones…as the time of day was a little off. But all of the shots i got of the bridges and derelict landscapes are really nice and there are very few if any that aren’t any good for my final piece. I had a very clear idea of what shots i wanted and how i was going to get them. I wanted my footage to paint a picture of mundane routine and boredom…as if it had been done twice a day, everyday for 5 years! This was essentially meant to put his lonely existence into perspective for the viewer. The only concern i had with this footages was that depending on where i was in Bournemouth, the lighting changes from the sun. this did not have adetrimental effect on my footage really…i just think that a couple of the images look a little grey! but otherwise this was a very efficient film shoot…and the perfect way to start my film!
These first two shots were clearly not very successful. The issue with both of them was the white balance and the gain! the top image was seriously bright so I added a filter to the lense to balance the light a little better, I then adjusted the white balance to give the colour gradients the smoothness they were missing. The second clip was just too dark to be honest! I came back to the same spot the day after to ensure the lighting was sufficient which it was. This made me realise that I had to take into account the timing of my shooting much more than i first though. In the space of 10 minutes the sun had gone in and I had lost the light i had! I had to be much more on the ball next time1 Below are the raw versions of the successful shots! Much better i think!
Shoot Two – The Morning Routine
The morning routine has actually gone really well…besides from a couple of lighting issues. The composition and flow of my footage went as planned, and i was able to film the bits with Mischa alot easier than first thought. I was worried about the timing of the song, and the lip sunchin with Mischa at the same time as making sure my actor was doing everything in time…thankfully i did enough planning and experimentation to make sure i knew the timing of everything. The lighting issue i had was a funny one, as i think it is alsot to do with the camera positioning. for example…in fourshots..the lighting is identical….but on one shot, which is facing away from the light source…the quality of image is much poorer….and looks like standard definition. I am not sure why…as the spread and intensity of the light was the same, but its where i was focusing i think that may have been the issue. so one of my shots must be re shot. But other than that i think my images look nice..they are exactly what i had in my head which is another step in the right direction.
Most of the issues i had with this set of footage was getting the timing right in my shot. This was where all of my planning would come into action and help me structure my footage effectively. The two shots above are examples of shots that do not work and below is one that does. the two above we composed and framed nicely, the lighting was as i weanted it. But the takes did not flow as i intended. The first shot of simon throwing up into the bin did not work because the bin was held too high, and he lingers a over the bucket a little longer than needed, which means the shot would last too long…as i wanted to show him collapsing back into bed to paint a picture of a chronic lack of motivation and will to continue his day! The second shot below was again framed and composed as i desired but at the point of the song which i was planning use for Mischas lip syncing, Simons head is always facing down…where as i wanted him to be facing forward as if he were looking in a mirror.
This shot worked perfectly and was actually one of the hardest shots i have had to film. This is mainly down to the sections of the lead character and the framing of the shot. It was imperative simon got his timing correct and reacted as and when i wanted him too. I think the timing of this shot is perfect and flows quite nicely…Mischa sings, as the chorus comes in simon arrives on screen having just splashed his face….just as he leaves, the second verse starts.
Shoot Three – Mischas Landscape Shots
These were some shots i took of Mischa singing the song in various nice scenes. these are the images i will use as layer throughout my song on the billboards and screens etc I wanted a varied mise en scene for the songs. One to be urban, and the other to be from various scenic areas such as the beach or the forest. all of my takes worked fairly well for me, the only one that didn’t was the beach. Due to the low sun, and the sandy surroundings…it was difficult fore me to sctaully see the screen as i was holding the camera by hand…so the focus is a little grainy. This was down to nothing more poor planning on my part…i needed to bring a towel to put the tripod on, which i didn’t have and i did not want the kit to get sandy. So i must refilm that shot for certain
I am in two minds as to wether or not the above clip is as bad as i first thought. It is a little hazed and out of focus…but that almost works in its favour. This image is going to be placed on screens or billboards, and the dusty bits on the lense give it a very scratchy and rough aesthetic. I am planning to reshoot it as it is far from professional looking but it may make an appearance somewhere down the line. The reason it was out of focus is strange…basically i was facing into the sun, and it was incredibly hard to tell what i was focused on…that, combined with the fact i had the camera handheld without a tripod because of the sand made my task much harder. Better planning is needed next time i think for that that shot!
the below shot is one of my favourites so far! I caught the sun through agap oin the trees above his head…and as Mischa moves his head in time to the song the sun flickers behind him! I think it looks really nice…if a little full on! these two shots were both done for the purpose of lip synching, and Mischa was playing along to my laptop…thats why the sound quality is fairly poor
Shoot Four – Self Destruction
The above PDF file is actually for this scene as well as the morning scene. But this last scene i actually didn’t plan that much. I had an idea what i wanted, but let my actor do his thing whilst creating creative solutions as i went. this is actually the most vital scene…in the context of my film. This is the scene that shows the true extent of the characters detachment from reality and happiness. So i wanted to create a montage of self destruction…a scene that really sold the concept to the viewer…of how our main character endud up in his current state… “destroying” his personal property is a metaphor for self harming essentially.
These two shots pose me with a big problem to solve. The shots above and below were both filmed at the same time, in the same room with the same lighting. The top one looks awful and the bottom one looks crisp and clean! I have no idea why this is but have a feeling it is something to do with the light source. It seems that when the camera is facing into a light source the quality of image is better. As far as i can tell i was in focus the whole time1 I will definitely need to refilm the above shot…it looks crap!
Shoot Five – The Pub
I filmed this on a friday afternoon so that i could catch the post work rush. I wanted this shot to show my characters complete detachment from reality in an “artificial haven”, a sanctuary for his unhappiness in day to day life. so i filmed his “completely” static (oull see what i mean) in the pub, with everything going on around him, and drinks glasses and crisp packets stacking up around him. The actually technical elements of the film worked, but half way through…the lights of the pub dimmed automatically. This was on a timer, andi was not warned about this…so unfortunately i had to film it all again! but it flowed ok, and i have no doubt that once i get the lighting correct then everything will fall into place
This first attempt at doing my pub timelapse went badly. the cause of this was mainly down to my actors inability to remain still, and the fact the automatic lights in the pub i was filming in decided to switch off. The irony is that i preferred the second lighting, but as it happened midway through my time lapse i decided this was best put down as a lesson learnt. I am going to film my new one tonight at the same venue! fingers crossed it goes well!
this shot went much better than before…if only because the lights did not switch off half way through. the other reason it worked was that i filmed at the pub during peak time, so the pub was very full and the time lapse style works better with more people. the only thing wrong with the shot is that i am focused on the bottles as opposed to the main character. Its very difficult to see this on the screen provided on the camera, but i take full responsibility. It doesnt ruin the shot, but it makes it floored!
Shoot six – The Workplace
Examples of Good + Analysis
Examples of Bad + Analysis
Shoot Seven – The Heroin
This was actually quite a good shot. In terms of composition i was going for something relatively plain to show the seclusion of taking heroin. I actually had a whole scene set up but could not get it in shot. The only conern i had with this shot, was the lighting. The lighting i set up was not too bad, and the contrast and shadows work nicely and convey the very skanky, dirty feel that i wanted. But i had a whole idea of having a fire in the room, and the gentle flickering of light on the addicts face as the drug took control. As always these things always seem plausible but the reality was much more dangerous….as the clip below will show you.
These two shots show a variety of failures. The first shot that failed was an attempt at a voyeuristic type shot through the window. This did not work for many reason, not least because of the angle of the character in relation to the camera. the window was too hi for me to get a shot that would remain consistant with the rest of the scene. The second shot is why the style of the scene changed. I initially wanted a very dark room, with the only light coming from a fire in a barrel. This seemed really delicate and plausible in my mind…but once i started putting the scene together the reality of what i was doing hit me…and i was in danger of causing a massive fire, which was unthinkable! So i had to scrap the whole fire idea…for the sake of my shed! Was a nice idea though!
Stylizing My Footage
Creative Influences – Colour & Aesthetics
Dead Mans Shoes
Hovis Advert
Colour Styles
Colour will play a large part in creating the right sort of mood for my video. I am painting a picture of a very depressing mundane existence and i expect my visuals to reflect that! I have found several themic colour patterns that could potentially offer me the style i need to evoke to correct response in the audience. My initial thoughts are that number one and number four are the best. number one because it has a different array of colours, and could therefor give my image some visual depth as well and contextual integrity. Number four for me is incredibly depressing…and looks like the colour scheme for a bleak mid winter nuclear apocolypse. Through experimentation i hope to extract a really good style for my video.
Below are a series of colour tests, loosly based on the colour graphs above, although not all of them are. Without going into too much detail I am merely experimenting with how certain colours may work with the pace and mood of my song.
the above clip is by far my favourite of all the colour changes. Whilst it is not quite perfect, the essence and mood of the song would work well with this type of colour plan as it evokes a very cold feeling from the mise-en-scene. I do feel however that something needs to be done with the saturation to enhance the gloomy effect further.
This is the clip i like the best, but developed further and is now very close to resembling the aesthetical style i am seeking for this part of my film. I have added a very slight black and white filter to take the edge off the saturation, i think this delicate change is very effective and rounds off the whole feel of the shot and scene.
Editing Techniques
I like the idea of mixing up the saturation, so that the viewer can distinguish between Mischa ‘other worldly’ presence, and simons very real, gloomy mundane existance. The contrast is a little to big for my liking so i will try to find some kind of middle ground. so far i have used various techniques to show Mischas other worldly presence. These techniques included leaving him out of focus and positioning him in the background of shots, or observatory positions.
this clip above is the combination of all the testing i have done so far. It incorporates the mixed saturation levels, and includes the gloomy blue aesthetic of the mise-en-scene that i created the other day. So in a nutshell this shot epitomises what i am trying to achieve visually with this piece.
Colour Grade Experiments
Above are some examples of some more colour grades that i’ve done. The grade depends on the shot being used, so i have mixed up the styles. Warmer colours and textures inside the house, and cold, bleak and blue colours for the outside. These are still to be fine tuned, but represent the general style for most of film. I like them all really, but i think the contrast is far too high on most of the shots, so i may tone that down and decrease saturation further.
Above is a final clip showing the three main stages of my visual development. As you can see the final stage is alot more subtle in terms of balance and i really do like the clips with Mischa in an altered form, as i feel this helps seperate him form the rest of the mise-en-scene. This video acts as a proverbial nutshell for my visual development
Mishas Billboard & Television Shots
These shots of Mischa are to be layered over other shots of billboards and televisions. But i wanted to give them a slighty printed or textured feel. So below are a few examples that show the original and changed footage. They are a little too long, soo move them on about 10-15 seconds!
I think they all look pretty nice, the colours have a very soft matt feel to them that i think will work nicely in the context of their use on billboards and television. The matt colouring just soothes the texture so i think it will integrate well into the background. Below are some texts of these clips on the other parts of my song.
Layer Masking
Above are two of the clips i have made using the layer masking techniques. the first was relatively staright forward and all i needed to do was track the main characters movement which i have done pretty well. But the clip i have used of Mischa doesnt seem to sit there very well…i believe it could be a clash of colour but i am unsure. the second clip was actually easier to do than it looked. It was a simple layer mask with a fake reflection of Mischas clip! the reflection bit actually looks quite good i think. I do believe however that I should ammend the shading on alot of the objects on the table as it looks a little alien at the minute…but you get the idea!
Editing & Structure
Here are several stages of editing development. The changes vary between them but generally the changes are stylistic, with the odd shot and transition added here or there. This is to show the constant thought and development process involved in producing such a piece.
The first edit was made using my initial footage and the storyboard clips I put in so that i could get an idea of timing and structure. What became immediately apparantly was that the pace of my song was going to be much slower than i initially thought and many of the shots i wanted to include had to be taken out. The average ashot length in this song, excluding the time lapses, is probably around 4.5 seconds, when i had pplanned it to be around 3.5. This was not detrimental, and played into my hands in a way, as the song isnt exactly upbeat…especially in the first half, so i felt this added to the general feel of the song.
Building on my last edit i managed to include the last of my footage, and the film is beginning to come together. One concern that began to emerge was a general style of the song was lacking. As seen a few posts above i experimented with many different styles, but i could not find a theme that would work with all of my footage to create a consistent aesthetic, so i decided to scrap all of the heavily stylized themes from above, and opt for a much more subtle, desaturated tone, that seemed tpo lend itself to all of my scenes, and the general feel for the song. It is looking a little plain though, so i wanted to add something to it to make it stand out.
As seen at the beginning of this part of the blog, this is my final edit of my movie. It was exported at a relatively low quality so please excuse that. I am reasonably happy with the final outcome, it was very close to what i had in my head and thats very hard to do. There a few faults with the video, with the occasional shot length being the odd exception i feel it is really something to be proud of both visually, technically and conceptually as it is a very rounded piece. Enjoy!
