Media Studies - COMP 3 Music Video Production & Development Process (Behind The Scenes)

This blog post, written by me (Maxi), details the process of the filming of our Component 3 Music Video, which includes various behind the scenes images along with detailed descriptions of each day of filming's problems, our solutions to those problems, as well as the technical processes and techniques we applied throughout each day. The details of the shoot (all information which is seen in this blog post) was written by me, however images were taken and compiled by me, Nayana, and Sharon.

Opening Note: 

The production and filming of our music video took place across 4 different days (Contrary to our plan that had originally included only 3 days, but required an extra day of filming due to certain complications), over the span of roughly 2 weeks. Here you will be able to see the details and process of each day of filming that we had. I was not present for the first day of shooting (Jan 27th) as sudden plans arose which meant I had to be in a different country at the time, however still was able to give input to my teammates on what kinds of shots to take on that day. 

Day 1

The first day of shooting (Jan 27th), as detailed in our shooting plan, was "beach day". Here, the team filmed all the scenes where our artist would be at the beach with her friends. The team had arrived at Gunung Payung Beach by 1:30 PM, which was a bit later than we had initially scheduled in the preparation and planning stage. After arriving, they began shooting the first few scenes for the beach portion of the video, as per the video's screenplay which I wrote (The scenes where KIARA and the girls exiting the car). Problems arose however shortly thereafter, and this is how we solved them:

Problems: 

• The team was forced to leave Gunung Payung Beach, as beach security informed them that they would have to pay a fee of 750 thousand Indonesian Rupiah if they intended to film at the beach. We did not know this when we had originally scouted the location, as we were only there to take pictures of the beach area, and did not assume there would be filming costs.

What we did to fix them: 

• The team informed me of this via our WhatsApp group chat and we decided together that this would be a waste of money and was not a worthwhile investment. To solve this, we looked at nearby beaches and found the next best beach that we could use in the area, which was Pandawa Beach. Thus, the team drove themselves and all our actors there as fast as possible as to try our best to stay on schedule.

Technical Elements: 

The equipment that we brought in on this day to record these scenes include Timo's Sony A7III Camera, Zeiss 24-70 F4 lens, G-Master 16-35 lens, and a GODOX RFT-02 Light Reflector Disc that we borrowed from a friend. We decided to use 2 different lenses as different types of shots would require different lenses that would be better suited for the job. Particularly, the Zeiss 24-70 was better suited for close up shots, which we used when filming our artist and actors singing, while the G-Master 16-35 was used for the wider shots like establishing shots of the beach and the arrival of the actors at the beach. We also decided to use a light reflector as shooting under natural light may cause shadows to form in unwanted areas, particularly when shooting the face's of our actors, and thus using the reflector would help us achieve our intended lighting. We also received help from a few of our friends who decided to come to our shoot, due to them being the partners of our actors. They helped us with holding the reflector and carrying equipment, which definitely aided the smoothness of the filming process and helped us save time. Here are the behind-the-scenes pictures taken on the first day, and a link to the google drive with all pictures from this day in case these images do not appear on this blog.

Filming of the girls' arrival scene

Filming of beach scenes

Filming of practice shots to get an idea of what would look good on camera

Here we conducted a lighting check, with the usage of a light reflector that we utilized to get rid of unwanted shadows, being held up by our friends that showed up to help with the shoot.

Day 2

The second day (February 3rd), as we had previously planned, was "villa day". This day is where we would shoot all the scenes of our artist and her friends at the villa they're staying at. We along with our team of actors and helpers (our friends/partners of our actors, who also came on the first day of shooting who came to provide their help on this day too) had aimed to arrive at Hillstone Villa's and resorts by 11 AM, as to capture the light and therefore ambience of the early morning, to accurately portray that our artist and actors had just woken up by this time. However, various complications arose, and this is how we solved them:


Problems: 

• Traffic conditions delayed the arrival of most of our team and cast to around 12 PM, which drastically shortened the amount of sunshine we would have to shoot all our scenes.
• The original villa that we wanted to shoot in was under construction, at the time which meant that we would have to use a different villa that did not have a filled up pool.
• Due to starting late, we finished shooting on the day at around 7 PM, however we were unable to capture any sunset scenes as there was no visible sunset on the day.

What we did to fix them: 

• Since we arrived late, we decided to not have any breaks and start shooting immediately, wasting as little time as possible, while lighting issues that may have been caused by starting late could be fixed later on in post production.
• Since pool scenes were a notable portion of the music video, we improvised and created a solution of replacing these pool scenes with other fun activities that the girls could do that would fit the theme of the video, which included ordering and eating food, as well as playing a variety of games on the lawn. This allowed us to fill in the gaps that would've been created by the lack of pool scenes.
• Since we couldn't shoot our sunset scene at the villa, we decided to move the scene from the villa, to Peninsula Island Park, which is where we'll be shooting next week, and film the scene next week instead.

Technical Elements: 

The equipment we brought in for this day remained mostly the same as our first day, however had the addition of a GODOX LEDP260C Lighting Panel that we used to provide better lighting when filming indoor scenes, inside of the villa. We were not able to use a reflector panel for our outdoor scenes however as it was not available. In the end, the natural sunlight on the day ended up being just fine for the shoot and we did not cause significant issues. We had also decided to bring in Timo's MOZA AirCross 2 Gimbal that allowed for more stabilized shots, which worked well in the shooting of pillow fight scenes and bedroom scenes, as well as our establishing shots. We also decided to test out some practical effects (which was not planned in the screenplay or storyboard) using real feathers that the team had purchased beforehand, using slow-motion capture settings on Timo's Sony A7III camera. Images of us producing these effects are also included below. 

My role on this day included aiding Timo in the directing process, since as the screenwriter, the vision of all the scenes and how they looked were laid out in my mind during the writing process, and thus I helped instruct actors with their movements on camera, including their body language, facial expressions, and more, as to most accurately convey the emotions and feelings of the music video. This, as well as helping instruct Timo on the different angles and shots that we'd need to get, led to a smoother filming process as we were able to make sure we got all the shots we planned out, and that we stuck to the plan of the original screenplay, while still being able to experiment with additional shots and scenes as well. Seen below are the behind-the-scenes pictures of the day, as well as a google drive link to a folder with all the pictures on the day, in case the pictures don't show up properly in this blog post.

Filming of Pillow Fight scenes - I (Far Left) helped instruct and make sure actors were energetic and showed animated emotions throughout the pillow fight.

Filming of practical effects shots using Feathers, where we filmed in slow-motion as the feathers were thrown up in the air by some of our helpers, as they flew down onto the cast and on the bed.

Filming of bedroom scenes

Filming of driveway scenes

Day 3

The third day (February 8th), as we had previously planned, was going to be Car and Park day. This day is where we would shoot all the scenes of our artists and her friends where they'd be driving on the beach in their car, as well as the scenes of the artists and her girls having a picnic at the park. We had decided in the preparation and planning of our shoot to arrive first at Griya Alam Pecatu to shoot the scenes of our actors in the car, and then drive after around 2 hours to Peninsula Island, where we'd shoot the park scenes. The team arrived at Griya Alam Pecatu by 12 PM, and began shooting all the scenes of the actors in the car together on the roads throughout the residential area. This process went quite smoothly, as we were able to get a large variety of shots from both the inside and outside of the car. We finished shooting at Griya Alam Pecatu at 4 PM and began driving towards our next location, Peninsula Island Park, and arrived at around 5 PM. However, once we arrived, problems began to appear. 

Problems: 

• After arriving at the park with our filming equipment, we were able to enter and set up our props before we were approached by park security and were informed that we were not allowed to film using our professional cameras in the area. We were not aware of this rule when scouting the location, as we had only used our phones to take pictures of the area, and did not think there would be such a rule.
• Since the sun was beginning to set and daylight was running out, we could not move quickly to another location, and thus we decided to end the day short, meaning we would require another day of shooting to get all the shots we would need for our final video.

What we did to fix them: 

• In our location scouting process, we had looked at Lapangan Renon, a park in inner Denpasar, and thus we decided that we could shoot the park scenes there instead. Since it was over an hour drive away though, we could not go there on the same day. Thus, we decided to reschedule and contact all our actors, and finalized another shooting day where we would all be free. Together we decided on February 13th, at 4 PM, after we finished school on that day. This was simple to schedule since all our actors go to the same school as us.
• We would now film as many of our scenes as possible in Lapangan Renon, which should allow us to get similary scenic scenes, due to the lush green and open fields in the area. The only issue that could arise would be crowding in the area since it is a far more visited park that Peninsula Island, which we hope is mitigated by the fact that we chose to go on a weekday afternoon, where there should not be as many people as usual.
  
  
  

Technical Elements: 

The technical elements of filming our car scenes were quite intense and extensive, and thus are split into the filming of interior car shots, and exterior tracking shots, as seen below. Images of the day can be seen below, and can also be found in this google drive link, in case the images do not appear on the blog as intended.

- Filming of Interior Car Shots

The equipment we used remained mainly same as previous days, however with the addition of a INSTA 360 X3 Camera that we borrowed from a friend of ours (the same one who provided us with their light reflector), we were able to capture wide 360 degree angle shots of our actors driving and lip syncing in the car. This wide angle shot inside of the car is something that is often seen in car scenes, however usually filmed with GoPro's, or with the usage of professionally mounted cameras and equipment. However, to capture more high quality shots of the actors lip-syncing and having fun as they drove around, Timo sat in the car, taking the seat of another actor, and got hand-held camera footage using his Sony A7III Camera, to create a more hectic and personal connection with the audience, which is a common effect handheld camera movements have on audiences. These ended up looking exactly how we wanted them to, and were able to achieve high quality and fun shots that encapsulated the excitement the actors showed while driving around in the car.

Setting up the INSTA 360 Camera for us to use to shoot scenes inside the car

Timo taking the place of one of our actors in the car to film the interior car scenes as the actors drove around

- Filming of Car Tracking Shots:

To film our tracking shots of the car and our actors, we had applied the research we conducted on filming car scenes, and made use of Timo's MOZA AirCross Gimbal, which we had used in shooting scenes at the villa, to achieve a smooth tracking effect that is often seen in scenes with cars in music videos and other media products. To film the actors' car while moving, we attached the camera to the gimbal and used a Motorbike, where one person would drive and the other would sit on the back and track the car and our actors as they drove to capture the shots. This worked partially but was not able to get the close up shots we wanted, as maneuvering the camera on the moving motorbike proved quite difficult. To get faster moving and more close up shots, we decided to instead use a car, where a one person would drive the car, and another person would stick the camera out of the car window from the back seat, and follow the actors' car as they drove alongside/behind us, making sure to maintain and keep a steady speed. This proved to be more effective, as sitting down with large amounts of space in the backseat of the car proved to be easier for our friend who was holding the camera at the time, who was also a videographer, since Timo decided that he would be the one driving the car to capture the speed at which he needed the shots to be in more effectively. In the end, this allowed to to capture many different tracking shots of the outside of the car, with actors sticking their heads and hands out the window as well, perfectly conveying the thrilling experience that we aimed to express. 

My role on this day was similar to Day 2 (Villa day) where I provided assistance in the directing process to Timo, while also ensuring that the actors follow the screenplay, instructing them to provide accurate and matching expressions and emotions, by telling them to wave their hands out the window, stick their heads out, keep excited expressions, and more, throughout all the shots. Additionally, I also kept track of all our shots using the screenplay to make sure we get all the shots we planned on getting, while also thinking of new shots that we could use that may have not been in the screenplay, which allowed us to get many different additional shots of the actors inside and outside of the car.

Me (Blue shirt on the right) with Sharon (White Shirt), directing our actors to ensure they maintain the expressions and emotions that we intend them to have

Usage of a motorbike to follow the car, to film our car tracking shots. Here Timo can be seen driving the bike, with our videographer friend on the back holding and recording with the camera. 

After trying the motorbike, here we instead used a car to follow the actors' car (The gray car in the middle of the road) and get our tracking shots. While Timo drove the car, our videographer friend sticks himself out the car window with the camera to record.

Day 4

The fourth and final day (February 13th), as mentioned previously, was now Park day, where we would get all our scenes in the music video where the actors would be hanging out and having a picnic at the Park, due to us not being able to get it as planned on Day 3. Since it was a school day, once school had finished at 3:15 PM, the team rushed to beat traffic and get to Lapangan Renon as soon as possible. Thankfully, we had arrived early and by 4 PM we had began to shoot. We spent around 2 hours shooting and finished by around 6 PM. Everything went according to plan, with only minor problems occurring.

Problems: 

• We were able to get a lot of different shots at the park that turned out very aesthetic, with Lapangan Renon proving to be a very aesthetic location that was nice to shoot in. However, we originally planned to have the final "ending scene" of our music video be a melodramatic/somber scene of KIARA and the girls staring off into the sunset. This would've been possible at Peninsula Island Park, but was not possible at Lapangan Renon as there was no clear view of the sunset. 
• The gimbal that we used had run out of battery while we still had a few scenes to shoot. 

What we did to fix them: 

• Since we couldn't get a sunset scene, we decided to think of other ways to end a music video. Thus, I gave a suggestion of KIARA blowing a kiss to the camera at the very end of the video instead, since not only is it a common convention of "saying goodbye", but it also looks cute and is a form of audience interaction, where her audiences would feel a greater connection to KIARA, as they feel as if since she's looking at the camera, she's blowing a kiss to them directly.  
• Instead of using the gimbal, we filmed the rest of the shots handheld instead, and tried to limit our shots to those that did not require extensive camera movements.

Technical Elements: 

For this day, there were not many intense forms of camerawork that we needed to undergo to get the scenes we got. We had used our basic equipment, including Timo's Sony A7III camera and MOZA AirCross Gimbal, along with the lenses (Zeiss 24-70 F4, G-Master 16-35) that we used on Day 1 (beach day), which again allowed us to capture both close up shots, to focus on the faces of our artist and actors, and wide angled shots, to show the beautiful scenery of the park and the girls playing in it. Other than that, we had originally planned to bring minimal props; that being a picnic blanket, and basket filled with snacks. However, while we were at the park, there were vendors selling bubble blowers, which we thought would be a perfect prop for our actors to use during filming. Thus, we bought it and used it to get shots of KIARA blowing bubbles, which ended up looking great, and added another cute activity that added on to the aesthetic of our music video. Behind the scenes images can be seen below, as well as in this google drive link, in the case they do not appear on blogspot.

On this day, similarly to other days, my role consisted of helping Timo direct our actors, ensuring they perform their roles as planned and maintain the expressions we need them to show throughout the music video. I also helped in providing Timo with the information of which and what type of shots we will need, to fit the originally planned timeline of our music video according to the screenplay that I wrote.

Filming of establishing/tracking shot of girls walking in the park

Timo positioning himself on the ground, to film a shot where the girls lay down their picnic blanket

Filming of additional picnic scenes where girls enjoy the snacks and fruits in their picnic basket

Final output of the shots we got using the bubble blower we had bought at the park

Reflection: 

Overall, the production and filming of our music video was a process that took lots of time and effort in the planning stages, while also requiring innovative strategies, as well as spontaneous and intuitive decision making; skills that my team and I showed and used in the process of shooting, which were needed to adapt to and solve the unexpected problems that we were faced with. Many problems occurred, and concepts we originally planned ended up being scrapped, however were all able to be solved due to the work we put in together as a team, making sure to stay determined and never give up despite setbacks, always trying to find new methods and solutions that would make our music video even better as we went along.

I am incredibly happy with this overall performance of my team and I, as we were able to film our music video very effectively. Some problems we encountered however could have been easily avoided if we had done some more work and planned better beforehand however. This includes the problem where we were not allowed to film in the locations we intended to shoot at, which could have been solved if we had been more informed and asked questions to authorities during the scouting process, which we will definitely keep in mind. Along with this was the issues of late arrivals, which could have been solved by communicating better with our cast, and providing them with more detailed information, or by planning with issues such as traffic in mind, and deciding that it would be better to begin days of shooting earlier instead.

In the end, I hope to be able to keep up these strong teamwork and problem solving skills, as well as improve and learn from the mistakes that we made throughout the filming of this music video in other projects that I may embark on in the future, outside of A-Level Media Studies.