Locations For Filming

• On our first day of filming we had over 20 actors and actresses taking part in our filming, people were positioned according to height. It was important to have a large number of people taking part as the video was intended to have a 'dance' theme and was supposed to be full of movement. However, on attempting filming with so many people as originally planned, it was realised that ambitions for the video were not going to be completed if so many people were taking part. Many directions were ignored and it was hard to control the direction in which the music video was intended to take. On finding this problem, it was decided that the music video would be filmed on a smaller scale in order to ensure that the brief was met and so that it looked as professional as possible with the equipment available.
• My initial plans then had to be adapted and it was decided that an empty classroom would be used as the initial location to create an office look, moving the camera away from anything which may give the location away e.g. whiteboards, displays. The way we filmed this scene made sure that the most was made out of the space we had to use but also to steer way from the 'classroom' feel of the room. Tables were positioned in the centre of our filming space and actors were sat around the table in the establishing shots.
• The tables were arranged centrally so that between shots, the two main characters of the video who make up the girl band, could dance on them safely and so that the shot ran smoothly.  Many of the camera focus was such that it would emphasise the fact that they are who the audience should be focused on, as would be the demand in real life from the record label.
  
  
• The window at the back of the classroom was used at the end of the music video to create a funny ending as it fits in with the genre we have chosen. We gathered a line of people which we encouraged to gradually build up to walk past the window a few at a time.
  
  
• Filming also took place in a woodland area to give an impression of the two main characters - who were members of the workforce - walking home from work. The ground at the time of filming was icey and made the perfect setting for this part of the music video as it looks magical. In fact, in the end we didn't use this as part of the video as it din't fit in with the specification and planning.

Cast Costumes

• For the office scenes in my music video, I am ensuring that the actors will wear smart clothing which is suitable as serious office wear. This will set the scene for the video as it is vital that the actors are portrayed in a believable manner. The way their costumes will be put together will lead the audience to believe that it is a serious video and will be surprised at how the video pans out from this concept.
• Whilst the manager is out of the set up office, everyone will become far more laid back and so, although wearing the same outfits, everyone will appear far more casual.
• It is important for the audience to understand that the actors are in an office and this should be represented not only in the location but also in how they are dressed. Therefore, it is extremely important that all actors are briefed before they arrive on the set so that filming runs smoothly and in the way that I have planned.

Questionnaires and Results

In order to gather an understanding of the various and most popular types of music people listen to, I have devised a questionnaire. Many of the questions I have decided to ask require simple, one word answers, yet at the same time will be extremely valuable in my production. It is important that Questionnaires were given out and information gathered from these as I am looking to appeal to an audience and not just to my taste. Out of the ten questions asked, I aimed to gather as much information as possible.

Firstly I asked the question 'How old are you?', this would enable me to discover whether certain age groups were more inclined to like certain types of music. We asked an age range of beterr 16-19 year olds and so felt that we were asking the intended audience of the video.

I also feel that gender effects the type of music people listen to, by asking people to circle their gender, I would be able to take this into consideration whilst evaluating their answers. We gave out 20 questionnaires in total and ensured that 10 males were questioned and 10 females were questioned.

I am looking to create a pop music video at the end of all of my planning and so felt that it was necessary to work out a rough percentage of how many people would watch the video out of choice. I asked people to circle whether or not they listened to pop music and if they were to answer 'no', they were asked to state which type of music it was they did listen to.

Furthermore I felt it necessary to ask people what they felt would make a good pop song, whether this be the pace of music, the beat, the video behind it, the specific artist etc. We were looking to understand what would improve our choices with our production and so took people's thoughts into consideration.

For the fifth question in the questionnaire I decided to ask what people felt should be included in a music video in order to make it a success. We could then incorporate these opinions in our own video which would then make it appeal to more people and choose a song which would enable us to do this.

Next, I asked what people felt made a successful pop artist and why they thought this. This will ensure I understand what I will have to do to transform the face of the girl group to become popular and successful. I would have to follow conventions so that they meet the prospective audience's expectations.

I then went on to question people on whether they had seen any pop videos which may have caught their eye in comparison to others. This will help me in my production as I can review these certain videos and evaluate how to incorporate certain aspects into my own video, such as how the transactions are used.

For question 8, we asked 'Do you feel the image of the artist affects the audience?' This will further my knowledge of how important the image of the girl group will be to the audience, the kind of audience they will attract and the way I should portray them.

I already knew that we were aiming to use a song from the 1990's period, this would allow for us to us to use a song which had been released when we were younger. We asked people whether there were any 90's pop songs they may actually still listen to and then we would go through the answers received in order to help us into narrowing down our choices.

For our final question we asked whether people felt like party dance songs e.g. the Macarena, Saturday Night etc. were still popular. We could then discover if our choices would appeal to a modern- day audience, our video will be aimed at.

Brief For Music Video Production

Firstly, I am going to create a music video which follows the expected, traditional conventions at the same time as challenging them. I am planning on using a fast-paced song from the 'POP'/ dance genre to attract my video to a younger audience which includes older teens.

In addition to this, I am planning on using a song in which dance moves can easily be incorporated for greater interaction with the audience of the video. This will ensure popularity and memorability of my music video. I am planning on having dance sections in the video to encourage greater participation of the audience.

Furthermore, I wish to encorporate a large group of people into my video whilst filming. I also wish to film an office scene in which a group of emplyees are in a meeting. I am then planning on filming various party scenes which I will then incorporate into my finished product.

As well as the action scenes, I am going to employ three main characters to bring out the story line within the video to ensure it all ties together fluently. The main characters will tell the story and set the scene for the audience. The three main characters will pose as part of a girl-group and so the song I use will have to apply to the conventions of existing groups of the same kind.

Audience Profile

My intended audience is not gender specific as I believe that dance/ POP music should be enjoyed by all. Aiming the video at a wider audience means that more can be included in the video to ensure that it applies to all who watch it. I would say that the age group of my target audience would be between 17-24 who are College and University students. I am planning to use a song to create a video which can be played at parties and in other similar situations.

My music video will be aimed at those who enjoy dancing and light-hearted music, it will not be over complicated but instead, easy to understand. I intend to capture the imagination of those who enjoy POP music and incorporate dancing, as well as a story-line into the video. The aim of the music video will be to attract a young audience who enjoy the POP genre.