PRODUCTION

 PRODUCTION

Opening credits and montage (1st September- 4th September)

   These shots were shot first because we thought that they would provide easy shooting and grading opportunities as well. The shots were all shot in my friend's studio and we had complete control of the setup and environment. The montage shots were not complex since I captured all the shots using the hand-held camera movements, but controlling the lighting in the studio was difficult.

All the members of the band were featured in the opening credits :Muzahir as the vocalist, , Fatima as the guitarist, ,Zainab as the bassist and Shahmir as the drummer, . Their performance contributed to the creation of a realistic band ambience that was in line with Creep.

The scenes were shot in the studio using light from the window made them have natural look, but it was not always sufficient. Originally I was going to use ring lights but our production design lead recommended against it . We instead took a Ruilang torch as an auxiliary. This enabled us to have a dark, gritty appearance without excessive shadows or unnatural light that can be seen with ring lights. The torch allowed us to be flexible with the placement and thus we were able to emphasize the vocalist and instruments by blending it with the studio atmosphere.

To create a perception that the performance was more rooted in the energy of the band, we decided to concentrate the montage on performance shots and details of the atmosphere instead of apparent props. The torch-earned atmosphere of a late-night and intimate atmosphere worked well to capture the unpolished sound of the song. The camera shots also brought out the vocal performance of Muzahir, the camera then switches between Fatima , Zainab and Shahmir to show the entire band. This was a strategic solution that enabled us to capture the emotional weight of the song to make sure that all the shots had the disturbing and yet personal tone we desired.

 BEHIND THE SCENES:

FILIMING AND DIRECTING:

This was my first experience to shoot a music video , since I experimented with the new directing and recording techniques that I had never tried before. I even went to the extent of lying on the floor to take a better shot and this gave the footage a more creative and unique view. Below are some of the pictures that depict what we tried and learned in the process.

   This was me taking some shots of the bassist, drummer and guitarist, using handheld camera movements and the Ruilang torch to make the lighting look more moody and natural     

This was me exploring a new angle that didn't work out.

 

                                

Here, I was using close-up shots on band members in order to focus on their facial expression and make the performance more intense and personal.

I was recording various shots of the band members so as to do variety and capture each member well in the performance.

And this is what we all were doing after the shoot at Shahmir's, and we had to look back at the shots we had taken.

I had a great experience during this recording session. I learned a lot within a short period and got to have amazing memories with my friends.

ACTING AND CINEMATOGRAPHY:

None of us had performed such roles previously, which made entering such roles unconfident and challenging. Nevertheless, we used it as the opportunity to experiment and learn and by going there together we were able to make that fear a learning experience. Next comes a few backstage scenes of us playing it out as we go.

I was helping Muzahir rehearse the lyrics by singing them to him, and he would repeat after me.

There was a guitar solo after the line “I’m a creep,” which my sister Fatima was having difficulty with, so we spent time practicing it together.

The lyrics were memorized by listening to them repeatedly on Spotify Premium.

In addition, we needed to pay attention to cinematography which was:

• Pan: a pan either right or left was used to expose the studio environment and position the band members in their positions revealing their movements and costumes at the beginning of the song.

• Dolly in: this shot served a purpose of a smooth transition between certain instruments and close-ups could be made, resulting in a feeling of intimacy with the performance.

• Close-up: employed to emphasize the instruments that are being performed, as well as to record the minor details in the costumes and faces of the band members.

• Extreme Close-up: tried to give it some variation as well as adding depth to the images by having the strings being strummed or the drumsticks hitting.

• Long Shot: this is a shot that was inspired by studio style music video, the camera shot encircles the whole band with a cinematic effect on the performance and depicts the ambience of the studio.

The editing is as follows:

• Jump Cut: I will not opt to do a lot of editing as the setting will be nearly the same but to add more visual appeal, jump cuts will be employed. These will emphasise gorgeous, intimate, and cinematic shots, making the pace interesting.

• Flashing Light Cuts: this will be utilized particularly in the preliminaries. It will provide dynamism, rhythm and intensity to the images in time with the beat of the music.

• Smooth Cuts: these cuts will be smooth in order to keep the shots flowing as well as naturally, when the performers, instruments, or even wider setting reveals change.

DIGI PACK:

This was made using online green screens and I Photoshopped the album cover on the green screen first and then shot the screen and later cleaned the minor details. Then I proceeded to my local photocopy shop to complete it!

I created this album cover on my laptop and with the help of my sister, a more darker color palette and a more somber atmosphere to achieve the 90s look. The rear side has the entire track information and I used the Explicit Content label online Photoshop to finish it off.

BLOOPERS:

There were few light-hearted slip-ups and mistakes during filming that relieved the tension. These were times of fun in production and our cooperation. Although they did not appear in the final version, they accentuated the learning process. They also told us that filming is no different than fun.

LOCATION:

We filmed the music video in a studio where my friend spends most of his time. The space provided us with a professional atmosphere that had adequate acoustics and light. We had to plan our shoot well because it was on an hourly basis. This place gave a natural touch and smoothness to the entire video.

EQUIPMENT:

IPHONE 13 PRO

                                           YUNTENG 199 SELFIE STICK

                                    

 Ruilang RL-2210 flashlights

                                                             DRUM KIT

ELECTRIC GUITAR AND BASS

                                                        ELECTRIC GUITAR

                                                                          STEREO

SHOT LIST:

BUDGET:

Personal Contribution & How We Came Up with the Idea:

The concept of our music video was formed when Zainab and I were listening to various music genres and iconic songs, especially 21 Guns by Green Day and Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana which made us want to make a pop-rock theme in our music video. Seeing that this style does not have many new examples, we chose to recreate the emotionality and crudeness of the 1990s and early 2000s in a new way. The task was split so that the process could be more collaborative: I worked on the concept development, references gathering, and camera work, shot composition, lighting, and editing, whereas Zainab played an actor and helped to plan the visuals.