As a large majority of the cast were only needed for one scene we (the dance break) we decided to film this fist, so as the dance company would not miss a whole day of lessons. As we had already pre set the studio for the club this meant we had to reset, luckily we had the time to do this as the cast got into their costumes and applied their makeup. We filmed the dance section from a number of interesting angles including from behind, as we knew that we wanted quick cuts to match the fast pace of the music. After this was filmed this allowed us to send the 8 dancers back to class.
As the set was bare we moved on to the next simplest setting, the prison sequence first filming the couples dance sections then filming several performances of the whole song with the police guards walking past. Once this was done they were free to go. Next we filmed more of the same performance, shot at different angles and distance, including close ups of faces as well as hands and mid shots.
Next the band went and changed into their main performance dresses whilst we set up the studio to resemble the jazz club, not only were they needed in this footage but this also included, Guy, Stewart and Jason who are seen in frequenting in the club. We shot the performance in wide, mid shot and close up several times giving us plenty of material to play with we also experimented with pans and movement of the camera giving extra dimensions and choice in the editing process. We experimented with a hand gesture of a gun with all three girls pointing down at guy, this sets up at an early stage what the video is about which may be unclear to the viewers. It also showed there power over him being at a high angle and using feminine touch to be assertive. Toward the end of the track we also added a tracking shot of Sabrina walking down the thrust of the stage, this was a change from other footage shot so far as they were normally shot as a group. It will also, hopefully make the audience excited as it will make them feel that she is walking towards them.
We then went on to film so front on footage of Guy who is are main male interest. We shot at several angles and even included some shots of Nico walking down the thrust and him observing. Setting him up as voyeuristic and disrespectful towards women, helping build our narrative.
We then striked the set and went on to film the murders, at this point we were aware we were short on time and were in a rush to shoot them all and intended to film them quickly. We first started with the stab victim, as the shot had to be brutal and at the same time simple it was hard to visually create the effect we wanted so took time to sort out Ted’s positioning as well as exploring how we would use the fake blood. We shot the tableau in, wide, mid and close up shots as well as moving the camera around different aspects of his body. Next we shot the spaghetti murder which was easy to set up, using a table and chair from the club, we also adopted similar shots to the first murder as we wanted them to have a familiar feel. Once we had finished that we realised we only had time to shoot one more murder, and it was essential for it to be guy’s as he is crucial to the narrative and will be the last one to be seen murdered as the audience are aware of his existence, unlike the other murder victims. We shot this on the stairs of the studio, draping him in a dead like position and splattering blood on to the wall, making him look like he had been shot in the head. Unfortunately we were correct and had no more time to shoot the remaining murders, we plan to start editing and see if they are crucial, if they are we may do some more filming of the remaining murders at a later date.
We did come across some complications in timings and this may have been avoided if we had stuck firmly to our shooting schedule, but we only used it as a vague guide. However using this time allowed us to end with hours of footage as well as incorporating interesting ideas and shoots we had not considered before.
We will dress the set with, red table cloths, table decorations (candles etc), drinking glasses, ash trays and alcohol bottles. The most important decoration in the set is going to be a red silk like curtain behind the stage, this will bring a sense of elegance setting and era. We will use spot lights from low and high angles to create shadows and a theatre like atmosphere.
As an all girl group, we want to create something we relate to, probably not a boy band but something fun and feminine.
