Green screens

When we first thought of the idea of our media studies project we knew straight away that we would need to acquire green screens. After realising that to rent green screens in Northern Ireland was almost impossible and that we have to build our own green screens.
To build our green screens we first created a plan and blueprints of how to support the green screens. After we created these prints and ideas we got purchasing all the components to build our green screens.

After we bought the green screen material we bought the wood to stand up the green paper. After realising that the wooden poles alone couldn't keep the paper from creasing we set about getting other materials and wood to make a frame in which to hold the poles and green screens.
After we had drawn up plans for the complete frames we set about building our green screen frames. We did this in the technology workshops in school, we knew would need three completed frames with spare boards and poles in case we suffered any problems.

After we had built the poles to hold the green screens we needed to complete the frames. However we would be filming using the green screens in the school hall. So this in mind we knew would not be able to transport the completed frames around as they would be too large (2.75mx3m) and would need to be completed in the school hall. 

After we had built all the frames to house the green screens we set about making the screens. The way in which we had to do this set each of the green screen frames down upon the ground, get the roll of green canvas paper we bought and staple each 3mX2.75m sheet onto the frame which housed it. This took several hours of careful work as we couldn't mess up one of the sheets as all the paper was vital and in high demand.

After the building three complete green screens it was all set up for filming purposes.

After we left the three screens in place, the next day we returned to check on them, it hasd been clear that the three green screens had been moved several times around the stage and had be ripped and torn. 

After this set back we went about mending the green screens. There was serious doubt about two but after careful work we patched up the serious rip on one green screen, smoothed out the creases and wrinkles in another and simply the final screen more sucre in the frame by screwing in screws into the frame and canvas paper. And over lapping the large rips on the green screens, we patched them all up.

First Draft interviews

The first draft in which our group had pitched to our target audience was that of our chosen band preforming their song with certain special effects added to the video to make it stand out.

Donal O'neil an eighteen year old who enjoys rock, metal and punk music was asked by our group for an interview about our initial ideas.

What was your first impression of our ideas?
At a first glance of the storyboards I was very intrigued to find out more and hear more about the special effects and how everything would work.

Do you think this music video would fit into the punk-pop mould easily?
I think that the ideas that have been put forward would easily fit into the moukld and would not look out of place whatsoever on a music channel such as a "kerrang" or anything other music such as that.

Can you think of any changes which we should make?
As i do enjoy the ideas of the video so far i think that the video may become rather repetitive and boring. As yous have mentioned the idea of having something along side the bands performance i would recommend a story line which can link the lyrics of the song to the music video. Something that is personal to this song and maybe anything that the band puts forward.

Shooting Script - strory

Shot 1: Boy and girl walking down a street, medium shot.


Shot 2: Boy and girl walking into a shop, long shot.


Shot 3: Boy and girl walking down an aisle in the shop, medium shot.


Shot 4: Girl picks up a drink from the shelf.


Shot 5: Girl hugs the boy and slips the drink in the boys pocket, tries to do it without him noticing, then walks on.

Shot 6: Boy recognises what she did and looks before setting it back, doesn't say anything to her. We see him looking very unsure about it.

Shot 7: Under a bridge, girl has spray paint can shaking it, boy standing back not getting involved.


Shot 8: Side shot where we can see the spray paint coming out but cant see the wall, boy walks up to behind the girl and tries to pull her away by the hand she isn't using.

Shot 9: Shot of boy and girl sitting in a bedroom, girl on bed, boy on the floor.


Shot 10: girl takes a bottle pills out of her pocket, close up on the pills with an over the shoulder shot.


Shot 11: Girl empties the bottle into her mouth, close up of the girl (or a POV shot from the boy).


Shot 12: Boy gets up and smacks the bottle out of her hand.


Shot 13: She looks at him shocked and punches him in the face and runs out of the room.


Shot 14: The boy, shocked too, runs feels guilty and runs out of the room to get her. He has a bloody nose.


Shot 15: He opens the door and sees that she is stumbling into the toilet and locks the door, over the shoulder shot.


Shot 16: He runs over and bangs on the toilet door.


Shot 17: He continues to bang the door before turning and putting his back up against the door, looking upset and fed up. He slides down the door to sit on his bum.


Shot 18: Over the shoulder shot shows him getting his phone out and calling 999.

Background

For the background for the performance part of our video we are using the assembly hall from our school, as stated before. To do this we have had to ask permission from teachers around the school to ask about the background we will use and clearing the stage of the desks, chairs, and set from the recent school music in preparation for our recording. The stage will be cleared before the 14th of February when we go off for mid term. We will be using the massive canvas at the back of the assembly hall as our background. The canvas will be painted black by us to get rid of the scene that is currently painted on the material. Once the canvas is painted black we will paint over it with spray paint and possibly put posters up to give a background with a punk feel to it. In the middle of the canvas above the drummer we will have the logo for the band we have chosen to use of the cassette tape, pictured below. We will be painting this logo on with white (and possibly gold) spray paint onto the black canvas.

New story idea

The lyrics of the song we have chosen 'Ambulance' by The Empires are centred around a girl who is always going to mess up in the relationship the singer and the girl are in. These lyrics could learn towards a few possible stories, one of which being the girl taking drugs at a party and passing up, but we have decided we may go for a new angle on our story. 

This new story idea shows a relationship between a guy and a girl where the girl is a constant bad influence. The girl tries to get the guy to steal things and vandalise and the guy, although reluctant doesn't speak up against it. The girl tries to get the guy to take drugs after she has taken them herself and he finally stands up and refuses. Taken back by this and high from the drugs, she hits him and runs out of the room they're in. He immediately feels bad and chases after her back to her own house where she's ran in and locked the door. The last shot is him getting to her door and banging on it to no answer, he puts his back up against the door and slides down to sit on his bottom. 

This story will feature inbetween in the shots of The Empires performing thier song in our school assembly hall with the different effects we will have in, as well as the variety of shot types used in recording them.

shooting schedule
The time frame in which we are hoping to have a large section of our filming on the 17th of February as the are in which we are hoping to use will be free for a large section of the day and we culd be able to get a large section of the filming all completed. However the lead singer and guitarist is not free on these dates and we will have to work at night with him this will be done after school as we go to different schools.

Timetable
We have to get the the stage ready for filming so we will work on that during free classes and media classes too.

Task list

• Clear stage of all desks, chairs, boards etc
• Have stage cleared of drama set
• Turn canvas backdrop and repaint it black
• Graffiti back drop with spray paints and band posters
• Paint band logo onto the canvas 
• prepare green screen and stands in which to keep it upright and flat
• shoot from all angles and cut together and get all different shots in time with each other

Shot list

• wide shot
• long shot
• close up shot
• mid shot

Props list

• Green screen
• Drumset
• Bass guitar 
• Guitar
• Mic and stand

Location list

• School stage
• outside locations; dark paths/large parties

Lighting needs

• Over head lighting
• Lighting on stands

Actor list
Band members;

• Danny Smart
• Daniel Busby
• Andrew Armstrong
• Unconfirmed female actor

Costume list

• DArk clothing
• skinny jeans
• shirts
• partying clothes/waster clothes

Possible story ideas

We are currently undecided on what song we want to do a video for between Of Corpse My Dear and Ambulance both by The Empires. The song Ambulance is more indie rock while Of Corpse My Dear is more Punk rock.

For Ambulance, the video story would be about a girl who has 2 sides to her, an innocent side and a wild side. The Story would show the girl with either her boyfriend or her dad, then at a party after with drink and drugs. Point of view shots would be used to give a drunken drugged up feel.

For Of Corpse My Dear the story would be about a guy who has recently lost his girlfriend. He would be shown at her funeral or her grave and taking drugs on the way out of the graveyard. The story would then be him back in his house, hallucinating and imagining her in each of the rooms he walks in. Point of view shots would be used to give the effect of what he is thinking and what exactly he is seeing. He would pass out, fall or be sick at the end of the video.

As you can see both possible music videos will include the use of drugs which it typical of videos in this genre, and point of view shots will be used to show the effects of the drugs on the person who is taking them.