Equipment Used: iPad Pro, Medibang Art Software, Apple Pencil, Canon 1300D EOS Camera
Details: Due to various circumstances mentioned in previous posts, the shoot content for days 18 through 19 were clubbed into one day as it was more convenient to execute. Additionally, I decided to dedicate time towards a digipak shoot as the subject material I chose for my digipak design could be easily found during production time- shooting these images on this day speeds up my digipak design process- Beach shots and a filter coffee cup image.
Learning Experience: I was able to experiment with Photography as part of promotion and its importance in presenting a music video or promotional materials in general. However, most of the learning on this day came from researching and planning a digipak and taking photos for it accordingly- the research post linked here.
From a director point of view and the as the organizer of these shoots- I learnt how much change in weather and political unrest/civil protests can impact shoots and that the filmmaking process must be planned in a way that allows for major changes in schedule and any unpredictable events.
Additionally, this day was spent ensuring that the WordPress blog has been thoroughly updated and going through drafts- this is a step vital to my production as it worked as revision; allowing for me to make sure I did not forget any important shoot or to perform any necessary research before wrapping up shoots by tomorrow (post linked here) and moving into the next stage, Post-Production.
Equipment Used: Canon EOS 1300D Camera, Wide and Zoom Lens.
Shoot Details: The aim of this shoot was to capture footage of the actor Rajinikanth billboards or cardboard cutouts as the actor is mentioned in the lyrics. The reason why it was scheduled for 9th December was that his new Tamil movie, Darbar, releases on this day; the large billboards and other public marketing material including the actor would be a guaranteed find around the city as the actor is celebrated vastly- resulting in a more efficient shoot.
Learning Experience: Filming the large, iconic Rajinikanth billboard outside Kasi theatre as well as the exterior of Udhayam Theatre (As the latter was directly mentioned in the lyrics of the song) was simple and made use of natural lighting; shot in the evening. However, filming the elaborate Rajini display with a DSLR Camera inside Marina Mall prohibited. Because of this, I was put in a position where I had the opportunity to improvise with my technology and shoot with a mobile device (OnePlus 6 Camera) that allowed for similar, good quality in order to get the footage.
Lyrics and Storyboard for Reference:
“Udhayam Sathyam theatre-u…”
“Udhayam and Sathyam Theatres…”
“Silver screen la Rajini…”
“Rajini on the silver screen…”
Storyboard Used For The Shoot:
Rajini Billboard/cutouts
This storyboard drawing made in October included the options of a billboard (exterior location) or cardboard cutouts of the actor (interior location).
Photos From The Shoot:
Rajini Billboard For the film “Darbar” (Exterior)Rajini Cutouts (Interior)
Equipment Used: Canon EOS 1300D Camera, Wide and Zoom Lens.
Shoot Details: The aim of this shoot was to capture busy roads in front of a waterbody on a bright day. This shot comes in the music video as part of one of the choruses and is a simple still shot that captures the essence of Chennai roads; where waterbodies, various vehicles and the bright sun are all prominent features.
Learning Experience: Taking footage amidst moving traffic was a notable experience as I had to ensure I was able to get a good quality shot with the framing and angle I had in mind while being exposed to the roads.
Lyrics and Storyboard for Reference:
This shot comes as part of the last chorus sequence.
Storyboard Used For The Shoot:
Cars passing by a waterbody/greenery on a bright day
Equipment Used: Canon EOS 1300D Camera, Wide and Zoom Lens.
Shoot Details: The aim of this shoot is to film the Guitar Sequence. This shot changes the music videos category from a conceptual video to a conceptual-performance video combination as the guitar is played during a guitar solo in the music. Adding this shot contributed creatively and symbolically to the Endhan Madras music video as it works as both a performance clip (reacting directly to the musical instrumentation) and symbolizes versatility in Chennai’s music and arts culture as the shot follows a classical Bharathnatyam dancer tapping her feet to the beat of the song.
Learning Experience: Capturing the aesthetic of a single instrument being played and experimenting with different angles available to be used was a helpful experience. I was also able to experience trying to synchronize the actor’s guitar playing with the audio during shoot. This required for me to simultaneously handle the cinematography and ensure that the audio played for the actor was on time.
Lyrics and Storyboard for Reference:
This shot and the sequence it falls under plays during the last chorus which focusses on instrument and beat.
The original shoot schedule was updated in the month of October and had been followed with minimal changes until December 13th or day 16. After day 16, the climate conditions in Chennai became more intense, resulting in shoots to be delayed or rescheduled or clubbed together to stick to the deadline I set for myself (December 22nd and space for reshoots on 28th and 29th.) The shots to be taken and their original shoot dates are attached below:
Day 16:December 13th/14th- Guitar Sequence Shots
Day 17: December 15th- Waterbody +Moonlit night shots
Day 18: December 21st– Environmental Friendly Protest/Other shots
Day 19: December 22nd- Extra Nature/Waterbody shots + Any reshoots
Day 20:December 28/29th- Any Reshoots
Some of the shots listed above are outdoor shoots or shoots that require a cast. Due to the frequent heavy rains and protests taking place around the country, the environment necessary is unavailable, resulting in some of the shoots being postponed or the structure of the schedule being altered slightly. The changes implemented are written below, including 3 days of shoot being clubbed into one day as the locations are nearby/it is more convenient to complete shooting faster in order to move on to the next phase;Editing or post-production. On January 9th, both the shots that were scheduled to be completed as well as a separate photo shoot for the Design are to be completed as there would be no more shoots until the photo-shoots scheduled for the website in February.
Day 16: January 5th- Guitar Sequence
Day 17: January 9th-Cars crossing road near a waterbody shot,
Day 18: January 9th- DIGIPAK
Day 19: January 9th- Under “Other shots” , the shots of Rajini Film posters were shot on this day as his latest film, Darbar, was released on this day.
Day 20: January 10th- “Any Reshoots”: Road crossing and miscellaneous
Equipment Used: Canon EOS 1300D Camera (Wide and Zoom lenses).
Shoot Details: The aim of today’s shoot was to film shots taken of a busy, typical restaurant for South Indian Meals in Chennai.
Learning Experience: In this shoot I was able to experience interacting with strangers to ask their permission to film them in the restaurant setting, as my aim was to take a natural shot of the actual crowd of Chennaites that come to popular restaurants such as Anandha Bhavan. I was also able to experience shooting with different angles.
Schedule: 7th December, 3:00 Pm-3:15 pm and 5:00 to 5:30 pm.
Location: Home, Sathyam Cinemas
Equipment Used: Canon EOS 1300D Camera
Shoot Details: The aim for this day was shooting the Blue Shirt Sequence + Veshti/Jeans Contrast Shot as well as Theatre shots. In the music video, these shots directly represent lyrics and hence have a lot of visual value. However, due to the rescheduling of a previous shoot (Shoot post linked here), the entire day required a lot of planning in terms of time and saving enough daylight for the shots- as well as communication with the various actors cast.
Learning Experience: This shoot was also fairly simple as the first 2 sequences were shot at home. The Theatre shots required some travel and adequate natural lighting.
Lyrics and Storyboard for Reference:
“Blue Satta, ID card ah Maati…”
“Wearing the blue shirt and ID card…”
“Jeans-pantu, veshti-sattai, edhavadhu pottu va nee”
“Jeans or Veshti-sattai, you can wear anything and come along”
“Udhayam, Sathyam Theatre-u…”
The above lyrics mentions 2 out of various popular Cinema Theatres in Chennai.
Storyboard used for shoot:
Jeans and Veshti Contrast Sathyam Cinemas Ext.Person Buttoning Down Blue Shirt
Photos From The Shoot (All taken during Shoot):
Jeans and Veshti Contrast Sathyam Cinemas Exterior Person wearing a blue shirt, preparing for work
Equipment Used: Canon EOS 1300D Camera (Wide and Zoom lenses).
Shoot Details: Originally, this shoot was supposed to take place on the 30th of November. However, the shoot was pushed by a week due to heavy rains taking place and the shoot, being an outdoor beach shoot, could not be executed. The aim of this shoot was to film the beach sequences scripted for the music video, including the beach cleanup shot, other candid shots, horses in the beach, etc.
The actors cast for this shoot are Vrinda G, Shreya B, Luis Nestor and Pranay G. These students were cast for the shoot as they are all familiar with beach cleanups and have been residents of Chennai for years. As the shots required were simple and needed a candid look, it was important for the actors to have chemistry with each other. This was possible as most of them knew one another well and seemed comfortable. As the song speaks about diversity with one of its lines describing how Chennai/Madras is a place for everyone from anywhere around the globe, I decided to cast a more diverse bunch of actors in terms of culture and nationality.
Learning Experience: As the monsoon season has begun, it was difficult for me to make sure the outdoor shots had adequate and natural lighting. However, rescheduling the shoot and choosing preferable timings while coordinating with the actors helped ease the process. I also had to be able to shoot the beach sequences along with the other shots planned for that day, such as the shot of a person interested in films and cameras. I was able to combine the two easily as I picked the most convenient day out of the remaining shoot days to film these shots.
Lyrics and Storyboard for Reference:
These lyrics come up at different parts of the song. However, they all had scripted footage to be filmed at the beach. Hence, they were filmed on the same day.
“vandha re vaazha veppom, prachanai illai poiru”
“Come one, come all, because we live and let live”
“Ennathaan cinema arts nu college time la thirunja…”
“As much as we’d like to study film and art during college…”
The other shots filmed are part of a chorus in the song where the complementing video addresses pollution but later addresses citizens cleaning up their beaches, etc.
Storyboard used for shoot:
Photos From The Shoot (All taken during Shoot):
Friends sitting on the beachPicking up trash lying around the beachPhotography/film Enthusiast Horse-riding at the beachAfter the beach cleanup
Equipment Used: Canon EOS 1300D Camera (Wide and Zoom lenses).
Shoot Details: The aim of this shoot was to capture typical morning scenes in a household. Like an alarm ringing, people reading the news or watching television (These shots are directly depicting the first verse’s lyrics) watering plants, breakfast, etc. The subjects for this shoot were members of members of my family and took place in the morning; so as to maintain authenticity.
Learning Experience: This shoot was simpler to execute as there was no travel required to reach the location, etc. It was time effective and the visuals were realistic in terms of set, subjects and lighting.
Lyrics and Storyboard for Reference:
“Kalaila Alarm Adikumbodhu” “In the morning, when the alarm rings”
“When the milkman arrives, its time for filter coffee”
These lyrics from the initial verse of the song depict casual early mornings at a Tamil house. The shots filmed on this day help authentically display these events.
Storyboard used for shoot:
Alarm clock ringingPerson reading newspapers in the morningMembers of the family watching TVA person putting Kolam in the front doorMilk
Initially, my storyboard idea for the “milkman” lyric was the transfer of milk from vessel to vessel. However, the more modernized version was used for the actual sho0t; of the milk packets left by the milkman early in the morning.
Photos From The Shoot (All taken during Shoot):
Alarm ClockReading Newspaper “Paal” Packets Family Watching TVPerson Putting “Kolam”
Equipment Used: Canon EOS 1300D Camera (Wide and Zoom lenses).
Shoot Details: This shoot was originally scheduled for the 25th. However, it was pushed to the next day due to delay in procuring the permits to shoot in school.
The aim of the shoot was to capture the sequences revolving around students studying to become engineers; complementing a lyric from the song that addresses the humorous, popular stereotype that Chennai is made up of software engineers- this stereotype comes from social stigma (now diminishing in society) that resulted in Medicine or Engineering being the only “respectable fields” according to people in this region. However, various media products have tackled this stigma in different ways and “Endhan Madras” mentions this trope comedically in its lyrics.
Another sequence filmed on this day includes employees at a conference meeting, showing the passage of time as well as adding to the representation of a typical life cycle. This shoot included two out of the very few sequences in the music video that required actors, props and costumes.
Another shot scheduled to be taken on this day is one of organized trashcans being implemented and accessed- as part of a different section in the song.
The actors playing the parts of students and employees for the sequence are Sivagurunathan, Shreya B and Sukrit M. These actors were selected as they are all students and are familiar with the academic subjects that the video makes references to; acting in such a sequence came naturally to them as they can relate to the scene presented. They also had easy access to the school location as they are students and these factors resulted in a fast, efficient shoot.
Learning Experience: During this shoot, I faced issues with getting permission to film at the location on time- this resulted in the shoot being pushed to the next day. A solution to this problem would have been to procure permission to film at the location required weeks in advanced instead of just days.
I also was able to experience filming with time restraints. This allowed for me to improve my organizational process and shoot structure as I confirmed locations, actors, mis-en-scene or props beforehand so as to use filming time only to take as many shots as I desired and then to move to the next location/sequence as fast as possible.
Lyrics and Storyboard for Reference:
“Blue satta, ID carda matti” (“After putting on a blue shirt and the ID card”…)
“Tidel parkula meeting” (“There’s a meeting in Tidel Park”)
“Ennathaan cinema arts nu college time la thirunja” (“We may have been interested in the arts during college but…”)
“Kadaisiya nammaalikku ithuthaan… “(“This is the job for us”)
Storyboard used for shoot:
Photos From The Shoot (All taken during Shoot):
All the shots below form a small, non-linear narrative that is simple to understand. The sequence shows the students powering through school and later shows the same individuals as employees- this sequence plays an important role in the song as the lyrics tackle the common stereotype.
Shot of students studyingShot of young employees in a meeting at workShot depicting improvement in cleanliness in the city (different sequence in Endhan Madras) Student whistling- One of the only shots in the music video that is typical to a music video and interacts with the audience in a scripted way.
A Level Media Studies Blog- Priyadarshini K 