Our Digipack Template

This is the template which we will be using to create our full version of our digipack. We will be inserting our images into the six boxes which will contain photographs from filming and screenshots from our music video.

Planning of Evaluation Questions

Here are some images of our basic plan and first responses to the four evaluation questions. We decided to create a simple plan together so that we could combine our ideas and thoughts onto paper so that we can change and develop our ideas as we come up with new ways of answering the questions. We also thought about possible ways in which we could present each question. We will continue to develop our ideas and go into more depth of the points made above. 

Digipack Ideas

To help us plan our ideas for what our digipack front cover might look like and what we need to put on it, we decided that the best way to get all our ideas together would be to create a mind map which can be seen above. We put down all our ideas for potential imagery and also other concepts such as font. We already knew we wanted to have quite a simple design and use black and white. This is because after doing research into the artist of our chosen song we discovered he uses black and white in his CD covers, which also links to the black and white of his music videos. The red line indicates our final chosen design idea for our front cover. 

Above is a sketch out of our final chosen design idea. This idea is to have a plain white background with the use of a large image of a gun laying in flowers. We decided upon this idea as we felt that the image would be simple but yet quite powerful and symbolic of our music video and the war and peace theme we portray within it. We then decided upon keeping the theme of black and white, like Woodkid himself, as we felt that the image should be in black and white, but the colours of the flowers remain as this then shows the contrast between war (the gun) and peace (the flowers). The text will also be in black and will have a simple font like 'Times New Roman' to keep a simple design, and also in the bottom centre we decided to place the crossed keys symbol of Woodkid as it features on all of Woodkids singles and album.

Permission to film- Bodiam Castle

We contacted The National Trust, who own Bodiam Castle, via email for permission to film at Bodiam Castle as we wanted to ensure that it was okay to do so. We received a reply from Heather Packham, who is the visiter experience manager, which stated that it was okay to film at the location as it is simply for amateur use. She also said that she will brief her staff that we will be filming on Saturday to ensure they all know whats going on to avoid us from being approached, we also must complete a photographers contract to prove that it will only be used for the purpose of coursework and not commercial use.  

Location Update

We will now be going to Deal Castle to shoot the scenes that include the soldier character. This is because after discussing many possible locations we finalised upon Deal as we felt that it had the right military type feel it. Also the location when compared to Upnor Castle there are some aspects that are similar. For example we wanted to to get a shot of the cannons looking out to the river, this shot to some degree can be created at Deal due to its coastal location and collection of cannons.

Location Cancellation

We were planning on filming in Upnor for the shots including the soldier, however this is no longer possible as we discovered that Upnor Castle has been closed until late March, and therefore we will be unable to film there.
Due to this, we will be researching into other possible locations within the local area that hold the same military atmosphere as Upnor does.

We have been considering Castles such as:
Canterbury Castle
Dover Castle
Deal Castle
Fort Amherst

Animal Report

In our film we intend to use a number of animals in our music video, which include both dogs and horses. As our song is 'Run Boy Run' we felt that including animals within our music video would be effective and especially capturing their movement. Another reason we are planning on using animals in our film is due to the fact that the past students work for the same song, which we looked at in detail and which overall gave us the inspiration to do this song, used animals in their music video and it turned out to be very effective and atmospheric.

We will be using two whippets for scenes that feature the 'peace' character. This is due to their elegant and dainty look as this will reflect a much natural and 'free' feel which is desire to reflect the nature of the character. We will be getting shots of them which will capture their graceful motions. We will also try to capture their speed as well as we want a shot of them running as this links to the song title 'Run Boy Run'.

For the scenes including the soldier we will be using a German Shepard. This is because the breed is associated with the police and military work, and have a reputation for being slightly vicious. This then links to the character and will contrast with the elegance of the whippets, which will make the dark and aggressive past of the soldier character clear to the audience.

We will also be using a horse in a couple of scenes which is featured in the photos. We decided to include a horse as we were really inspired by the past students work for the same song, this is because they made some lovely shots of a horse which were rather dramatic and quite powerful and we felt that the horse was effective for this song. Horses can also be used as a symbol for both war and peace so it works with our theme. Another aspect to point out would be that the 'hero' always appears on a steed so the concept of the peace character with the horse links to this. We will also be using shots of the horses feet to create quite a dramatic shot that also reflects the idea of movement.

Asking Woodkid

We created a Twitter account so we could easily contact Woodkid's account to ask his permission to use his song 'Run Boy Run' for our A level Music Video. 

Costume Report

Our music video will feature two characters one of which will be a soldier and the other a more 'free spirit' type character that will be a representation of peace, as our theme for the music video is based upon the concept of war and peace. As this is a music video effective mise-en-scene is essential in portraying this concept as this cannot be reflected by dialogue so the narrative must be easily understood through the visuals. A way in which we will be showing the difference between the characters is through costume. For example, the peace character will be wearing a long white dress which will create a natural feel and show to the audience that this character is in fact 'good', so the dress becomes quite a powerful statement within the music video. The white dress will also have an effect on the shots as we will be able to capture the flowing movement of the dress. 

The second main character will be the soldier, as already stated. As we need to portray the concept of war and peace we needed a character that reflects the 'war', and the best way to do this was to create a soldier character. To reflect the concept of a soldier we decided to stick with the stereotypical soldier outfit/uniform. The soldier will therefore will be wearing camouflage jacket and trousers and boots. The dark camouflage will then contrast with the natural look of the white dress, reflecting the differences in the characters and their history. 

Storyboard

Here is our own storyboard which we created to help us plan the shots for our Music video. We did quite a sketchy copy as we felt that a storyboard is not so important for a music video as it is for a film. We sketched out the basics of what will be in each shot and where it will be set, which we based upon our location report. We listened to the song whilst creating our storyboard as we listened to the lyrics, verses and beat of the song as this determined what we put in the shot and how long that shot will be. We also added some notes around the storyboard to help us know whats going on and some transitions, such as cuts. 

Location Report: Upnor Castle

 We chose to use Upnor Castle as it was close and had an eerie feel to it that made it perfect for the soldier's base, especially with it's battle defenses of cannons and large wooden spikes sticking out of the walls. This really created a battle-like appearance to the 

 castle, which made it perfect for the soldier and his war environment. 
Upnor also provides a rather aesthetically pleasing location that will appeal to the audience whilst adding a more ominous atmosphere to the music video. 

 The castle is also rather large with many bare rooms and many floors that will allow us to use many different shots and angles to help us achieve the best atmosphere we can. At Upnor, there are many attributes that will aid us in our filming to give us as many locations as possible.

For example, there are towers,
steps and stairwells, tunnels, battlements, cannons and a small area that stands out into the river. These will all be useful during filming as they can help create a more dramatic atmosphere for our music video.

Location Report- Bluebell hill

Another location we will be using is Bluebell hill. This is because for the paint scenes and the sequence in which the 'peace' character is with the dogs etc. we need a rural setting which will create the desired natural peaceful feel, which is used in folk music videos. This is because we aim to create a contrast between the two characters which are the peace character, which will represent the light, and the soldier, which will represent the dark. We took a visit up to Bluebell hill and got a couple of photos of where we might like to film to help us get a better understanding of particular shots and areas. Whilst at Bluebell hill we also did a couple of tests shots, so that we could practice two shots in particular as we wanted to know if we could effectively create them. These shots include a time laps and also a walking, track type shot. We decided Bluebell hill in particular as for the paint scene we need an area which is quiet so that we can get some clear shots of the paint with no risk of other visitors getting into the frame, we found a particular wooded area spot that we felt would be effective to shoot the paint fight scene, whilst on our location report. 

Location Report -Bodiam Castle

We will be using Bodiam Castle for one of our scenes. We chose this castle in particular as we felt that it had a calm peaceful vibe to it which is necessary for the 'peace' character, as this enables us to create the contrast between the two characters, with the darkness and the light. Bodiam castle has a fairy tale feel to it as it is your typical castle with a mote, which means we will be able to get some interesting shots around the mote and bridge and also from within the castle. The castle towers will also allow us to get some high angle shots from above. The images were taken on a visit to Bodiam castle earlier in the course as we started to think about possible places to film very early. We tried to include as many different shots as possible to show the location off and also to show some areas which we will be filming.

In this image you can see the bridge leading over to the castle. This shot is very effective as it has a 'powerful' feel to it as it not only establishes the location  but also shows of the castles beauty. We will be using this shot in our film as we feel it will be very effective, therefore we will be going on location very earlier to get the clear view of the castle as that particular spot is very popular and we need to have a shot without other visitors in the frame.