NTLS Album Cover
Album for the self-titled NTLS debut album cover
NTLS Website
Click on image to open the NTLS website
Saturday 19 July 2014
Friday 18 July 2014
Personal Achievement
What do you personally want to get out of the whole A2 prelim experience?
Personally, I would like to gain a much greater understanding of the logistical side of a professional shoot. This includes the approach to setting up and keeping to a schedule and the coordination of your actors and props. I am also particularly fascinated about the technical aspect of a professional shoot. This refers to the operation of the cameras and lighting.
Is it a challenge for you or within your comfort zone?
The majority of this experience has been within my comfort zone thus far. However, the idea of lip synching has always been something that has never appealed to me. Due to previous acting experience I am comfortable with acting in front of audiences, but I have learnt that acting in front of a camera is a completely different ball game.
Have to achieved/learnt anything so far?
I would confidently say that I have learnt how to lip synch properly. I have also learnt the importance of physically exaggerated articulation when acting in front of a camera, especially when lip synching. In addition, I have learnt that acting in front of a camera requires much more attention to subtle details as the audience with have more time to analyse the physical and therefore emotional aspect of performances.
Personally, I would like to gain a much greater understanding of the logistical side of a professional shoot. This includes the approach to setting up and keeping to a schedule and the coordination of your actors and props. I am also particularly fascinated about the technical aspect of a professional shoot. This refers to the operation of the cameras and lighting.
Is it a challenge for you or within your comfort zone?
The majority of this experience has been within my comfort zone thus far. However, the idea of lip synching has always been something that has never appealed to me. Due to previous acting experience I am comfortable with acting in front of audiences, but I have learnt that acting in front of a camera is a completely different ball game.
Have to achieved/learnt anything so far?
I would confidently say that I have learnt how to lip synch properly. I have also learnt the importance of physically exaggerated articulation when acting in front of a camera, especially when lip synching. In addition, I have learnt that acting in front of a camera requires much more attention to subtle details as the audience with have more time to analyse the physical and therefore emotional aspect of performances.
My Role
Describe your role and how you feel about it
My role in the video is "Bassist 3". Due to an excess amount of actors for a rather small pool of characters, each character has been split into a few different roles. So, my role is to act as the "Bassist" for the third major scene of the video. I'm delighted to have been given this role as it requires a decent amount of screen time, but not too much. This will in turn allow me to spend more time viewing the technical/logistical side of a professional shoot.
What does the performance actually consist of?
My role is fairly simple in that it consists of me just playing the bass guitar alongside the rest of the band. However, my character frequently switches between a lethargic attitude and a zoned, excited attitude. Therefore, I must be aware of which attitude I must present to the camera and be conscious of the body language I emit in order to properly represent both attitudes.
Is this a challenge for you, or something within your comfort zone?
My role requires no li synching so I am completely within my comfort zone in regards to switching up the attitudes and bobbing along whilst "playing" the bass guitar.
My role in the video is "Bassist 3". Due to an excess amount of actors for a rather small pool of characters, each character has been split into a few different roles. So, my role is to act as the "Bassist" for the third major scene of the video. I'm delighted to have been given this role as it requires a decent amount of screen time, but not too much. This will in turn allow me to spend more time viewing the technical/logistical side of a professional shoot.
What does the performance actually consist of?
My role is fairly simple in that it consists of me just playing the bass guitar alongside the rest of the band. However, my character frequently switches between a lethargic attitude and a zoned, excited attitude. Therefore, I must be aware of which attitude I must present to the camera and be conscious of the body language I emit in order to properly represent both attitudes.
This shows all of the shots which involve my character
Is this a challenge for you, or something within your comfort zone?
My role requires no li synching so I am completely within my comfort zone in regards to switching up the attitudes and bobbing along whilst "playing" the bass guitar.
My Costume
Describe or list the specific costume/look you are aiming for
My costume consists of black jeans, a black t-shirt, a maroon hoody and black plimsolls. This gives the image of a relaxed outfit whilst still keeping to the rock star themes of black and other dark colours.
Do you have the items you need or are you planning to beg/borrow? Is there anything that may need to be bought?
I already owned a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. I was able to borrow a maroon hoody from Chris our technician. The real problem was with the plimsolls as I have size 14 feet so it would be difficult for me to find someone who has black plimsolls in that size. Therefore I had to resort to buying them online.
My costume consists of black jeans, a black t-shirt, a maroon hoody and black plimsolls. This gives the image of a relaxed outfit whilst still keeping to the rock star themes of black and other dark colours.
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| This is the costume that I was aiming to replicate |
Do you have the items you need or are you planning to beg/borrow? Is there anything that may need to be bought?
I already owned a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. I was able to borrow a maroon hoody from Chris our technician. The real problem was with the plimsolls as I have size 14 feet so it would be difficult for me to find someone who has black plimsolls in that size. Therefore I had to resort to buying them online.
Thursday 17 July 2014
1. Did you enjoy the workshop day? What were your best bits and why?
I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop day as it was both fun and interesting. It was a pleasant day in the sense that both current and ex media students were all actively involved within a single large project, therefore making it quite a sociable event. In contrast, it was extremely interesting seeing how all the different departments involved in the shoot worked efficiently and effectively together.
In particular, I found the lighting and other studio operations very interesting. This department was run by ex-student Nico in the upper deck of the studio. He provided an insightful look into how to remotely operate everything in the studio from fine tuning the lighting to blocking the light from the windows.
Another interesting aspect was the opportunity to see first hand how scenes were blocked on the set and how that corresponded with the framing of the camera. This required cooperation between the director, cameraman and the actors. It was also interesting to see just how vital it is that all subtle elements of a shot must be continuous and make sense, otherwise another take must be shot. Essentially, the whole process opened my eyes to just how difficult it is to capture even the simplest of shots.
A rather trivial yet useful fun part of the workshop was the large screen that was placed in the middle of the studio so that everyone could see exactly what the camera saw. This allowed everyone to pick up on any errors in filming. In addition, it was just just rather fun seeing our colleagues being projected on the big screen and encouraging them to go on.
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| The actors mid-break |
In particular, I found the lighting and other studio operations very interesting. This department was run by ex-student Nico in the upper deck of the studio. He provided an insightful look into how to remotely operate everything in the studio from fine tuning the lighting to blocking the light from the windows.
 |
| Nico overseeing the lighting deck |
Another interesting aspect was the opportunity to see first hand how scenes were blocked on the set and how that corresponded with the framing of the camera. This required cooperation between the director, cameraman and the actors. It was also interesting to see just how vital it is that all subtle elements of a shot must be continuous and make sense, otherwise another take must be shot. Essentially, the whole process opened my eyes to just how difficult it is to capture even the simplest of shots.
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| The camera setup |
A rather trivial yet useful fun part of the workshop was the large screen that was placed in the middle of the studio so that everyone could see exactly what the camera saw. This allowed everyone to pick up on any errors in filming. In addition, it was just just rather fun seeing our colleagues being projected on the big screen and encouraging them to go on.
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| The bike setup with the viewing screen |
2. What have you learnt from participating in each of the prelim tasks?
Audition:
The audition was probably the most challenging part of the whole prelim as it was quite awkward to get into role when just standing in front of a camera. However, it acted as a means for me to practice lip syncing. Although I didn't have to lip sync in the real shoot, it's still a valuable skill for any media student to have. It also gave us the opportunity to get used to the idea of acting in front of a camera as it is very different to the idea of a acting in front of a live audience.
Costume:
I was previously unaware of how much time and effort went into selecting costumes in a professional shoot. Having various costumes at the ready was vital as it allowed us to use the costume that looked best on camera. Furthermore, the actor must have a costume that they can feel comfortable in as this will allow them to act as confidently as possible without any element of self consciousness holding them back. Many of us had to resort to borrowing clothes from others, whether it be from friends, family or simply each other.
Rehearsal:
The rehearsal was a very important stage of the prelim as it allowed me to gauge an understanding of how to present myself on camera whilst on set and in costume. I used the opportunity to refine my performance skills via the use of posture, articulation, body movement, eye movement and facial expression.
Shoot:
From the shoot I learnt of the true importance of logistics when dealing with a professional shoot. It became clear that a professional shoot could only operate efficiently is all those involved do their job within the allocated time. Furthermore, it was vital that the general attitude was always positive as to avoid any conflicts that would in turn hinder the rate of production.
Editing:
Due to the fact that I have had a fair amount of experience with editing footage, especially in regards to the usage of Adobe Premiere Pro, the main thing I learnt was how to sync audio and visuals for a lip sync. In addition to this, I also learnt how to implement a few more effects, such as reversing shots and adding rapid flashes to a shot.
The audition was probably the most challenging part of the whole prelim as it was quite awkward to get into role when just standing in front of a camera. However, it acted as a means for me to practice lip syncing. Although I didn't have to lip sync in the real shoot, it's still a valuable skill for any media student to have. It also gave us the opportunity to get used to the idea of acting in front of a camera as it is very different to the idea of a acting in front of a live audience.
Costume:
I was previously unaware of how much time and effort went into selecting costumes in a professional shoot. Having various costumes at the ready was vital as it allowed us to use the costume that looked best on camera. Furthermore, the actor must have a costume that they can feel comfortable in as this will allow them to act as confidently as possible without any element of self consciousness holding them back. Many of us had to resort to borrowing clothes from others, whether it be from friends, family or simply each other.
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| Bike band in costume |
Rehearsal:
The rehearsal was a very important stage of the prelim as it allowed me to gauge an understanding of how to present myself on camera whilst on set and in costume. I used the opportunity to refine my performance skills via the use of posture, articulation, body movement, eye movement and facial expression.
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| The bike band in rehearsals |
Shoot:
From the shoot I learnt of the true importance of logistics when dealing with a professional shoot. It became clear that a professional shoot could only operate efficiently is all those involved do their job within the allocated time. Furthermore, it was vital that the general attitude was always positive as to avoid any conflicts that would in turn hinder the rate of production.
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| Our cameraman and director reviewing footage |
Editing:
Due to the fact that I have had a fair amount of experience with editing footage, especially in regards to the usage of Adobe Premiere Pro, the main thing I learnt was how to sync audio and visuals for a lip sync. In addition to this, I also learnt how to implement a few more effects, such as reversing shots and adding rapid flashes to a shot.
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| Syncing the shots of Kayvon and the lead |
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| As part of editing we had to insert flash effects |
3. Are you pleased with the footage and your edit? Is it how you expected it to look?
I was quite surprised at just how professional our footage was. We had an ample amount of high quality shots that we could properly replicate the entire video. However, there were a few minor issues, most notably the lack of continuity in the bike scene. But, we were able to compromise and make the video flow as much as possible and it seems to have worked.
In regards to the set, out footage was very similar to the original. There were a fair amount of differences, such as how we used a moped instead of a car. However, we simply used alternatives in every situation where we couldn't get the exact same image so any problems were nullified.
The lighting on our shoot was of the utmost quality. There were virtually no alterations from that of the original. The most recognisable difference was the lighting of our lead, Kayvon, as his backdrop appeared darker than it should've done. However, that was all resolvable wen it came to editing the footage.
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| Remake of the white setup |
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| The original white setup |
In regards to the set, out footage was very similar to the original. There were a fair amount of differences, such as how we used a moped instead of a car. However, we simply used alternatives in every situation where we couldn't get the exact same image so any problems were nullified.
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| Both the remake and the original have the same effect, regardless of vehicle |
The lighting on our shoot was of the utmost quality. There were virtually no alterations from that of the original. The most recognisable difference was the lighting of our lead, Kayvon, as his backdrop appeared darker than it should've done. However, that was all resolvable wen it came to editing the footage.
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| Remake in comparison to the original for the final shot of the video |
4. How do you think your prelim experiences will impact on your approach to next term's music video coursework?
The experiences that I have gained from the prelim will almost definitely benefit me hugely for when I make my own remake next term.
I feel a lot more comfortable being in front of the camera than I previously did. This is a result of learning how to lip sync properly and understanding how to effectively have a presence on screen. Therefore, if it were necessary for me to be an actor in my own remake, then I would embrace it wholeheartedly.
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| Camera equipment |
Witnessing the shoot unfold has given me a valuable insight into juts how a shoot must be ran if it is to successful. I feel that I would be able to organise a shoot and ensure that it keeps to time, whilst still allowing all departments to be able to efficiently cooperate. In addition, I know understand the importance of retakes at the end of a shoot, in order to allow all shots to be of a high quality whilst not impacting upon the schedule.
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| 1975 drum kit that we used in our shoot |
The experience of shadowing the lighting and camera department of our shoot has provided me with the necessary knowledge of how to operate a shoot in regards to the technical side of things. I now feel confident that I'd be able to keep up with all of the technical aspects of my own shoot.
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| View from the lighting deck |
The prelim has also taught me the importance of costume and makeup. I now know that I must allow ample time for the organisation and gathering of costumes for actors. Furthermore, makeup is vital and we will almost definitely need someone who is a skilled makeup artists in order to fully replicate a character.
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| The girl band in costume and with make up |
In regards to editing, I feel even more confident than I previously did. I now know of all the skills required for editing a music video remake, such as the ability to effectively sync audio and video and how to implement certain effects.
As a whole, I feel that I am more than prepared to engage in the creation of my own music video remake next term, thanks to the the experiences acquired from the prelim.
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| Three Way Colour Corrector and Proc Amp are what we used to grade shots |
As a whole, I feel that I am more than prepared to engage in the creation of my own music video remake next term, thanks to the the experiences acquired from the prelim.
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