Shooting on Friday the 5th

Shooting on Friday 5th of November 

On Friday, 5th of November I filmed the second part of my music video in Camden Town during the evening. The filming began at five in the afternoon. The first hour  was shot in the guest bedroom in my house. The guest bedroom  is very plain with white walls and little funiture. I shot Rowan lying on the bed whilst singing. This gave the audience the impression that Rowan was reflective and melancholy. After shooting this we headed to Camden at around six 'o' clock. During the trip to Camden on the bus I filmed the band sitting as a group looking outside of the window. When we arrived at Camden I took a variation of shots around the market. Some of the band stood by the canal, at cafe tables and by market stools. Camden Market is known for being edgy and alternative therefore it was the perfect location to film my band. The shoot finished at eight 'o' clock.

Camden Town

Breakdown of the Basement Party shoot :


Styling : I chose Camden as my location because it's grungy and world renowned as a place to shop for quirky and alternative fashion. Camden also possesses a lively nightlife with bars and venues for bands that play edgy and punky gigs. The cobbled stones, old statues and market stalls create an old and gothic vibe, especially at night. Camden is a well known hangout place for young crowds and teenagers, therefore the band blended in perfectly into the surroundings. When we began filming in Camden it was already dark therefore the dim lights of the market stalls, and fluorescent street lights created interesting and unusual lighting on film. This matched the unusual and quirky image of the band. Before we headed to Camden I filmed in the spare bedroom. I chose this location because of its white walls and basic layout. Its basic layout and plain white walls made Rowan stand out. It was also a very melodramatic setting. I decided I wanted Rowan to be lying down on the bed as this is a common trait belonging to teenagers who are known for their oversleeping and lazy behaviour. It also suggested a kind of isolation and inertia.




Hair and Make up :
Before the band members showed up they did their hair and makeup themselves, based on the make up we did for the first shoot. Sarah the only female band member wore dark eyeliner and eye shadow whilst the boys wore a light coating of foundation to hide blemishes. The clothing the band wore was similar to the outfits they wore on the first shoot with checkered shirts and darkly coloured hoodies. The clothes fitted the bands unusual image and blended in perfectly with the alternative settings of Camden.


Technical :
The camera I used for the shoot was a Sanyo Xacti photo and film camera and a tripod. For the majority of the shoot I shot handheld and used the tripod for filming close up shots of the lead singer at bars and cafes. The handheld shots were slightly shaky. This created a slightly surreal and drunken effect. I used quick zooms when shooting Rowan in the bedroom , because Rowan was lying down on the bed when I shot him in the spare bedroom I wanted to use close ups so the audience could see his melancholic and moody expressions.

Thoughts and reflections:

Overall I was pleased with how the shoot turned out.  I believe I got some interesting and very useable shots. However If I could redo the shoot I would have used the tripod more as some shots were out of focus. Despite wanting something reflecting confusion the out of focus shots just appeared blurred.