2. 1. Warm Up
Film some test footage, experimenting with different
camera techniques
Learn to lip sync with a song
Watch some videos in the same genre – take notes
Test around and practice using effects
Check your camera if it has special effects, try use and
test with them
Make sure you have a tri-pod
Can you access the song whilst on set?
3. 2. Choose the Right Track
Don’t go for your favourite track, they will get annoying
Make it short, 3 minutes 30 seconds
Choose a track which stimulates visuals
Make sure the group agrees on a track
Be prepared to listen to the song a lot
4. 3. Plan of Action
Pitch for material, strong simple idea
Clear concept that can be filmed and will work
Be realistic
Be original, don’t use other students ideas
Be prepared to compromise with the rest of the group
Film pitch for the blog
Get a sense of what the conventions are. Break them
down and see how they work? How do they use verses and
chorus’. How do they beat/rhythm?
5. 4. Plan for Everything
Storyboard – always shoot extra
Plan people, props and costumes
Aim to shoot video early, not near the end of the deadline
Make sure performers have rehearsed
Remember basics – tripod, cameras, storage etc
Work around others commitments
Plan for the worst
6. 5. Use Blog Properly
Use it to show videos that influence you
Use it to link your ideas together
Post photos that give you ideas
Do an animatic of the storyboard
Be media rich
Do at least 100 posts
7. 6. The Shot
Shoot performance four or five times with different set ups and angles
Plenty of cutaways to objects
Experiment with extra angles and lighting changes
LOTS OF CLOSE UPS
Enthuse the performers
Shoot more than you need
Check weather report
Health and safety
Locations, choice of clothes and correct props in the right places
8. 7. The Raw Footage
Organise it so it is easy to find on computer
Don’t capture what you don’t need]
Break it into manageable chunks
Upload the first cut as soon as possible
Be critical of your work, strive for the best possible
product
9. 8. The Edit
Get the whole picture than lots of little details, make sure
it flows
Cut and cut again
Aim for a dynamic piece
Use effects
Upload rough cut to your blog and get feed back as soon
as possible
10. 9. Audience feedback
Get feedback wherever you can – sooner the better
Upload all feedback to the blog
Post links to twitter
Ask for their honest and brutal opinions
11. 10. The Final Polish
You have to do an evaluation, take your time with them
they are worth a lot of marks and could make or break
your coursework
Take advice from teachers about what is needed in the
evaluation
Order the blog, make sure it follows a chronological order
