Schedule: November 7th, 8:30 Am

Equipment used: Canon EOS 1300D Camera, Bounce

Venue: Pallikarnai Marsh Lands, OMR Streets.

Shoot Details: The plan for this shoot was to capture elements of the city during the day time, including the greenery and hot, sunny atmosphere. By the end of the shoot, I had taken some shots including trees and greenery, as well as some shots taken en route to the location (Pallikarnai Marsh Lands, a place where numerous birds visit) of traffic, people and vehicles.

Learning Experience: November 7th, today, was scheduled as the second day of shooting. My focus for shots were nature, trees and birds. While I did get some shots of the environment I wanted, due to certain planning issues I was not able to reach the location as early as I needed to in order to find shots of birds that I had in mind. I was able to get some interesting improvised shots of the roads in traffic, construction work, etc, as well as one of the shots I drew in my storyboard.

Lyrics and Storyboard Used As Reference:

Photos From The Shoot:

These images above are extracts of what I filmed today. The balance between visual aesthetics and realistic representation is something I was hoping to achieve during my shoots and in the final product.

Schedule: October 27th, Morning and Night.

Equipment Used: Canon EOS 1300D Camera

Venue: House Of Hiranandani, OMR streets.

Shoot Details: October 27th was the first scheduled day of shooting as it was Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Deepavali or Diwali is celebrated lavishly in Tamil Nadu and and it is considered a celebratory practice to burst crackers. While creating my shot-list and storyboard, I decided to add shots where firecrackers are lit by the excited families and children.

The song itself is considered a celebration of Chennai and its customs, hence depicting even the incorrect practice of lighting up crackers that pollute and contaminate areas. As the song carries a larger message of water conservation and the importance of a healthy environment, these shots add value to the music video overall.

The shoot took place during two parts of the day, the first being at 8:30 AM where shots of the damage and pollution caused by firecrackers lit the previous night are shown, and the second depicted firecrackers being lit and families celebrating in the dark, smog filled land at around 8:00 Pm.

Learning Experience: Shooting at night was an interesting experience as working with lighting and clarity in shots proved to be challenging. However, taking the shots with the practical lighting helped set a more natural tone and this was necessary as it links to the original vision of the music video and song.

Lyrics and Storyboard Used For Reference:

Images from the shoot are attached below:

The shooting schedule for the music video, Endhan Madras, is given below:

Outdoor Shots:

Day 1: October 27th- Diwali Shots

Day 2: November 7th- Trees, Birds Shots

Day 3: November 9th- Beach Shots

Day 4: November 10th- Auto Rickshaw, Bus, Bike Shots.

Day 5: November 11th/12th- Temple Shots, Traditional Function Shots.

Day 6: November 16th: Deer, Dogs, Cow Shots + Street Cricket/events Shots

Day 7: November 17th- Restaurant/Food Shots +Remaining Street Shots (Tea Vendor, etc)

Day 8: November 22nd- Airplane/Airport shots + Train shots + Water Truck Shots

Day 9: November 23rd- LIC, Engineering Buildings Shots + Theatre shots

Day 10: November 24th- Church, Mosque, Temple Shots.

Indoor Shots/Scripted Shots:

Day 11: November 25th- Conference Room Shots+ Trashcans + Engineering Students Shots

Day 12: November 30th- Beach Shots (with subjects) and Cleanup Shots.

Day 13: December 1st– House Sequence- Alarm, Coffee, Breakfast, Newspapers etc + Plant Watering

Day 14: December 7th- Blue Shirt Sequence + Veshti/Jeans Contrast Shot + Photography/Arts Shots.

Day 15: December 8th- Busy Hotel Sequence + Eating Shots

Day 16: December 13th/14th- Dancers + Guitar Sequence Shots

Day 17: December 15th- Dried Up 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

Broad Plan For The Shoots:

While the shooting dates remain flexible as they are spread out over more than 4 weeks, it was necessary for them to be outlined as that allows me to ensure that I have all preparations for the shoot made (Camera, tripod, lighting sources, props, actors, etc) and so that I can film based on climate, availability of locations, subjects and objects.

My plan for this shoot is to shoot sequences in a non-linear format. As most of the outdoor shots did not require a team or cast and required improvisation during shoots, I decide to plan and finish shooting them first. Outdoor shoots make up majority of the music video, due to the fact that the video aims to represent Chennai authentically, with real people and real norms or practices.

How The Shooting Schedule Was Made:

To make this shoot schedule, I divided my shotlist into indoor and outdoor shots, highlighting the sequences that required a cast or props to be arranged. After this, I performed location Recce multiple times and set shoot dates for sequences that I felt I found the appropriate locations for. These location ideas can be found in the Location Recce and List blog post, linked here.

To assist in further planning such as setting a shoot schedule, contacting actors or making any other relevant arrangements/decisions, I decided that it was important to search for locations and have a basic idea of the types of locations needed and where I can find them in my region.

As the subject of the music video itself is regarding the city of Chennai, finding suitable locations that consist of various elements from the mis-en-scene required was not difficult. While the shoots have started and I do plan on continuing location search as the shoots progress, the first searches took place during the month of October. While I have narrowed down the various events and locations I will be shooting, all of these factors are open to improvisation based on availability/improved ideas on the days of shooting.

Locations To Be Used:

The shotlist created to complement the music video included indoor and outdoor shots, the latter taking majority. Locations for the indoor shots were easier to set as they were either set at homes (wherein I could use my own home for the shoot, as it was a great inspiration to the idea the music video represents of a typical Tamil home.) or restaurants.

The restaurant taken into consideration that will later be approached for permission in order to execute all shots that make use of a restaurant is a popular chain of restaurants named “Sangeetha” that serve a variety of South Indian meals.

The beach locations chosen to shoot the sequences involving the beach include the Marina and Kovalam beaches in Chennai.

Various neighborhoods and areas in the city including Parrys Corner, Mylapore, Adyar, Besant Nagar, OMR, ECR, Anna Salai (The LIC Tower, Chennai’s first skyscraper), etc will be visited during shoots as they are some of the most crowded, significant and scenic areas respectively and serve the purposes of various outdoor sequences I have included in the shotlist.

As the music video has a key message delivered regarding Lakes and other waterbodies drying up in Chennai, I will be shooting at a number of such locations including the Velachery Lake, Adyar Lake, Perumbakkam Lake, Perungalathur Lake, Pulicat Lake, etc. All these locations are popular and prime lake locations in and around the city of Chennai, many of which have been drastically affected by the drought. Shoots at these lakes will require hours of travel around the city, but would result in footage that represents the city’s beauty as well as the ongoing water crisis accurately.

The Religious institutes I was hoping to film include the Padmanabha Swami Temple, The Anchineyer Temple, The Thousand Lights Mosque, The Santhome Cathedral, CSI Holy Cross Church, etc.

After completing the script/shot-list, I decided to sketch of all the shots I hope to film for the Endhan Madras music video. Drawing out a storyboard will allow me to have a tangible reference of what my vision is for the music video. It would ensure that I have a guideline or ideas to work with in terms of framing, lighting, motion in shots, composition, and other aspects of cinematography while filming.

While my shoot will make use of improvisation in the filming process, I did visualize various shots and options in mind. With the help of storyboarding, I was able to gain a clearer idea of what the final shots my look like or what each shot must contain.

Images of the rough sketches are attached below:

As I had around 60 images to draw, I decided that sketching them on paper would be more time efficient than drawing digitally as I have previously experimented. This was important as the shoot schedule has been set to start as soon as October 27th and would be spread throughout November.

The music video for Endhan Madras is intended to depict the lifestyles of “Chennaites” (residents of Chennai) authentically as well as represent cultural norms, practices and the environments present. The video will conclude with an important message regarding the major drought faced in the city as Chennai was known for its numerous water bodies and also has a strong identity as a coastal city.

On 24th October, I listened to the final track on repeat and was able to come up with a detailed shot-list.

While some shots may make use of a set cast and a script, I decided that in order to represent the city authentically, improvisation is necessary. Hence, various shots in the list are outlines or concrete ideas to be represented within a shot. With the help of the shot list and improvisation, I will be able to find appropriate and available subject matter to film on the day of the shoot.

The shot-list or script for this music video is made up 58 shots and 10 slides with text, all of which complement the music and visually represent the lyrics and message with relevant elements. Screenshots of the final shot-list formatted and edited on Excel will be uploaded in a separate post along with a script for any of the shots requiring direction and a hired cast.

Shot-List Organization:

Before using Excel to further organize and improve the presentation of my shotlist, I decided that I should use the original draft to help me plan out my shoot schedule.

To elaborate, I made use of a key or color code and segmented my shoots based on whether they are indoor or outdoor, and whether they required direction, props and a cast or not. This was necessary as majority of the shots require authentic representation, showing the people of Chennai as they are in the city, with their permission. However, some sequences do make use of scripting and direction to link back to the conventions of music videos.

Key:

Blue: Digital Slides

Red: Indoor shots

Green: Requires Scripting

Pink: Shot with Information Slide

The first draft of the shot-list was done on paper, before using Excel to further organize the list and add more details, such as lyrical prompts and additional details that would help me sketch storyboards that best represent the shots I have in mind. This handwritten shot-list makes use of informal language, images of which are attached below:

Conventions and Examples: According to this presentation, various technical and symbolic techniques contribute to music video conventions. The technical aspect of conventions refer to the type of shots, equipment, editing techniques and implementation of audio (whether the music and dialogues are diegetic or non diegetic), etc.

Types and Examples: According to this presentation, there are 3 forms of music videos. Below is my understanding of the three types mentioned in the presentation, along with examples:

1)Performance Videos: A performance video is a video that depicts the musical performance literally, either simply showing the artists performing with focus on mis-en-scene, various shots and angles used, etc, or by using a live performance. However, the particulars of the video are dependent on factors including Genre, stylistic demands of the artist, etc.

So as to make the video more aesthetically appealing or attractive to an audience, other narrative elements may be added to a performance music video production. This style of music video makes use of a parallel narrative while allowing viewers to enjoy a live performance with instrumentalists on stage, in frame.

This kind of video may be boring to some viewers; however, paying attention to editing, color schemes and originality would allow for the audience to feel more connected to the video as the final product would be an entertaining and realistic one, depending on what vision the creators of the music video have in mind.

An example of a dramatic music video that focuses on the performance element while adding variety to the shots by focusing on the set and props, etc is linked below:

Below is an example of a video that almost completely depicts only the performance, with interesting effects used in editing and cinematography.

Another video I found interesting was the Complicated by Avril Lavigne (Linked below) as this video displayed hybridization between Performance and Narrative videos.

The style of performance video that makes use of narrative elements as well grew extremely popular and can be considered one of the more common music video formats. Another example from a different artist or genre is linked below:

2)Narrative Videos

The narrative music video form is more complex, consisting of three types within the form: Illustration, Amplification and Disjuncture. A Narrative video form can be broadly defined as a video that follows a storyline or a protagonist/set of characters throughout the video. It shares characteristics with short films, except for the prominence of the music. The characters may even lip sync to the music or break the fourth wall in some way so as to complement the music- this is a common characteristic, along with editing or filming techniques, usage of FPS, etc.

Below is a video that makes use of a comedic narrative, combining it with heartfelt music, lyrics and performance. This music video is able to achieve effects of irony, humor and depth with its frequent switches between performance video (that makes use of color accentuation, etc) and a narrative film with on screen text, costumes and characters.

The video below is an example of narrative music video that focuses on the narrative story element using the music to complement it- this observation can be justified by the prominent characters and story the video circles, along with diegetic audio heard (Dialogue exchanges, sirens, etc). The subjects also lipsync to the lyrics from within the narrative as opposed to as an external performance (such as the one found in the example above).

3)Concept Videos

Concept music videos usually focus on symbolism, metaphors, dance performances, aesthetics or ideas instead of more literal depictions of the song like a performance music video or a more straightforward video like a narrative one. However, a good concept music video would be one that focusses on the chosen elements while subtly tying the video together with the song.

Below are some of my favorite examples of concept music videos:

“Endhan Madras” would be a Concept Music Video for the most part, however there are shots where characters interact with audience by deviating from the small narratives added to complement the lyrics/bring focus to the song (The shot of a student whistling). There is also a shot in the video that is a performance (Guitarist playing the guitar solo) of the song, however, these small sequences add to the final effect of a conceptual video.

Pre-Production for a music video includes planning and research, as well as a complete track. However, Pre-production focusses on having a complete shot list/script and storyboard ready. While I have worked on scripts and storyboards before, I decided to research on the specific adaptations of scripts and storyboards a music video as a media product would require for effective shooting.

Linked below are some of the sources I used to research and further understand music video scripts and storyboards respectively.

1) A detailed SlideShare of a script template.

2)A video with an example music video script:

3) A blog post that talks about how to start producing a music video and creating storyboards

4) Another blog post that introduces storyboards, including a template.

To work on my script/shotlist, I plan on using excel, google docs or similar softwares to split the duration of the song, “Endhan Madras” with the help of time stamps and lyrical cues in order to finalize shots for the entire song.

To draw my storyboards, I plan on utilizing templates such as the one linked above and drawing digitally with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil on the art application, Medibang.

I started composing Endhan Madras on Logic Pro X with just a beat and a bassline after I settled on the idea and the genre. I decided that my lyrics needed polishing from someone with more experience writing in the Tamil language and also required a music producer to bring the song to life; I turned to Anniroodh, a friend who is known for his compositions and music production skillset, and asked him to collaborate with me on the production of the song, so that I can continue to work on a music video for it for my A Level Coursework.

As I don’t have a lot of prior experience producing music by myself completely, I decided to watch tutorials and perform research to equip myself for the task. I also practiced it by trying to compose and produce other smaller pieces to get more comfortable with the DAW, Microphone, soundcard, Midi, etc. I used this while making drafts of the song structure, vocal melody and bassline.

As “Endhan Madras” is an original composition by AKR and myself, I decided that the website would depict us as the artists, using the duo name “AKRK”.

During song production that took place on 14th October, we recorded the vocals and finished all other instrumental elements to the song using technologies such as Logic Pro X, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Soundcard, RODE NT1A Microphone, Audio Technica Studio Headphones, Macbook Air, Macbook Pro and ROLI Seaboard as well as Google Docs for sharing of our original lyrics.

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Keeping the artist website in mind, I decided to take a few videos during production to release as part of small teasers of the audio before the release of the single.

The final track has been put up privately on Spotify. The song without any diegetic audio from the music video can be heard as an audio file on Soundcloud, linked here

For my AS Level Media Studies coursework, I chose to work on the 2 minute film opening project. My film opening, titled “PLAY” had a plot that circled the life of the protagonist, a detective called Dikshitha, and her encounter with a case of a murder that took place during a play performance one night in her tight knit, south-indian neighborhood. The film opening itself depicted the event of the murder and established all the important characters- Mohini, the spirit or ghost that may or may not exist, Dikshitha the detective and Jatayu, the victim. As the plot progresses, audience members would learn that the events displayed in the opening 2 minutes could be either reality or imagination of the protagonist- resulting in the genre of my project being psychological thriller/horror with various conventions broken.

Looking back at my AS Level coursework, I realize there are a few opportunities I missed out on that I plan on taking up this year with my A Level Coursework. While I had performed research on and used the basic tools from a few editing software (Davinci Resolve, Premier pro), I could have delved deeper into the software and used them predominantly instead of choosing iMovie over them due to its familiar and basic interface.

For my A level coursework, I’m hoping to perform more in depth research, practice and develop my skills with equipment (cameras, camera settings, etc) and software used in production and post-production stages.

After experiencing film production during AS Level, my knowledge on a vast variety of subjects as well as my skillsets grew widely. I learnt about formats for scriptwriting and how to write them, shooting or drawing storyboards after learning about their purpose, history of technologies in media and other details about the film industry, organization and communicative skills required for planning and executing shoots, etc.

Without that experience, working on a music video for A Level would be impossible as I would lose out on a lot of time having to learn essential skills found in the media industry while coping with the other tasks such as a website and a digipak. Overall, Last year’s experience has equipped me with some vital skills that will help me play a useful part in film production in the future and to understand the media industry as a whole. It will also allow me to expand my horizons and develop this year when I shoot my A Level coursework.