Phase 2

For the second part of our music video, it is set outside of the nightclub where most of our video will be filmed, so after doing our research into stereotypical nightclubs we was able to find some images we could edit to create a night setting in our video. As most buildings have brick work outside of the building we had to use the Internet to find an image of bricks that were small enough to look normal when placed in a miniature setting. As we have progressed in project we have become more aware of what is needed in order for our work to look more convincingly real.
After finding a background which would work, it needed to be edited using Photo shop to create a dark look on the brick work to give the effect that the scene was taking place at night.
Once we had our background, as we had previously decided through researching into nightclubs, we needed to add fliers and posters to the set to stick to the conventions of a typical nightclub.
Jamie was able to create posters using Fireworks software and once they were created asked the rest of the group for approval.
Once all the props were printed and we was ready to film, we had to cut out all of our images ready to stick onto the walls.

Once the set was completed and the dolls were positioned for the first shot, we placed a lamp from all different angles around the set and took a number of images to see where produced the best lighting for the night scene we was looking at achieving.

The part of the scene which involved the Barbie's was fairly difficult to complete as we had difficulty taking still images without the support holding the Barbie's upright showing. To resolve this we had to place one Barbie in front of one another so that they hid the backs of each other as they walked towards the nightclub.
The males were much easier to maneuver as their feet were flat, whereas the Barbie's were not.

Taking the close up images of the Barbie and Action Men's faces proved to be more difficult than expects due to the light making the images overexposed. To resolve this problem I used a flash on my camera, which made the background dark but also added more detail to the faces of the dolls. Creating a sense of becoming known to the characters involved in the video.

Research into Nightclubs

The majority of our video takes place in a nightclub. Therefore, as a group we feel that it is appropriate to research into nightclubs in the UK and generic conventions of nightclubs. By doing research into this entertainment venue, our video will be made more authentic and believable - which is particuarly needed in a stop-motion animation video which requires a greater emphasis on real-life places, actions and lifestyles.


Through researching several of London's top nightclubs - we have found that the set up and architecture remains fairly consistent. The dancefloor is usually what takes up the greatest amount of space in the middle of the grounds, with a bar normally on the left side and various chairs, tables and lounge areas surrounding the dance floor.

Also through Internet research, we found that PR is also prominent in/outside a nightclub. Posters advertising drink offers and events are particularly prominent and something that we feel we should use as part of our mise-en-scene to make it as authentic as possible.

We are also going to construct the outside of the club (doors, queue etc.) as we believe it will add extra realism to our video. Therefore, I have researched the exteriors of popular nightclubs and found some generic conventions. Doors are usually double or sometimes just an open gap, bouncers are ubiquitous at nightclubs and queues usually consist of red rope and gold stands. As well as this, we found that clubs usually boast logos across brickwork, and sometimes extravagant lighting - depending on the importance of the event.

From doing this research into nightclubs and finding out the basics of what needs to be included, we now need to find a way of interpretting these conventions to a smaller scale and creating/ buying the props and mise-en-scene to look both realistic and appropriate for a nightclub atmosphere.

Planning: Phase 2

Now that the first two scenes are completed, we need to focus on the build up to the main scene in the nightclub. We have already had a meeting to discuss what is going to happen in the next scene we need to film, but we cannot start filming until we have made a prop list and found all the items we need to make the set.
As a group, the date that we need to start filming has to be decided soon
so that we don't become behind on any filming work that still needs to be completed.

Once we make a prop list, we need to arrange a date and time when the whole group is available to go out and find the items we need, however some of the things we need to have before we start filming need to be made, so we need to organise who is going to make which props and be able to rely on them to have them ready before we start filming.

When we have got all the props for the set up of the next two scenes, we can start putting the set together and experimenting with where we want decorations and the dolls to be placed, working out the best camera angles for the scene etc.

To make sure we get a realistic feel in the set, we are going to research into the exterior and interior of nightclubs so that we have some insight into what needs to be included to make it clear to or audience where the video is taking place.

Phase 1

From our planning we looked at all the possibilities we needed to consider and decided that the models which would fit our music video best would be Barbies and Action men as they are the most human like figures and would make it easier for our audience to relate too as they look the same. Generally, at some point in every ones life they have played with the dolls so that also adds humour to the video as the dolls would be acting out scenes that are not normally thought of by young children.

The storyline at the beginning of the music video involves both the main girls and boys of the video getting ready at home before going out. We researched into films we had seen in the past and used traditional routines that happen before going out. So for the girls we decided that an appropriate scene we could include would be looking in the mirror checking themselves out before leaving for the clubs, whereas for the boys, who like to boast with their friends about their looks work out to make sure they are looking good for the night.

Our group meetings allowed us to gather up props that are normally found in bedrooms/bathrooms and find appropriate colour schemes and posters which would match a conventional teenager or young adults room. The choices we made for our props were chosen to add humor to our set but also add a sence of realism as the posters are quite popular with our audience even if they do not admit to it. We looked online and picked the photos above and below to use as inspiration, aswell as other research from films to make our own set with the clichéd look we wanted to produce.

Filming - 13th July

Pictures from filming today

Production Meeting - 15th July

During this meeting we had with our teacher, we came to the conclusion that there was positives and negatives to our second scene. The positives are that we used a new tele-macro lens which gave shots of higher quality. We also experimented with a wide range of different camera movements and compositions which we feel worked well.

The negatives we discussed was that the shiny wrapping paper we used for the wallpaper in this scene was not working too well as it reflected the light too much which made any slight movements more exaggerated. Also another negative was that the posters and the mirror made on the left side of the set were too small and close together which didn't make the set look realistic.

Planning: Phase 1

After researching into animation videos and finding our appropriate target audience we started to work on finding the best filming technique for our work by using the information we had found out from research to show our choices. We experimented with both a video camera and still camera and noted how each produced the clips and images we needed. Whilst looking at advice from previous animation music videos, we decided that using a still camera would be the best choice for our video, as it would save time and we could produce the images we wanted immediately instead of creating video clips and editing the unwanted parts out, which would ultimately consume too much time which could be used elsewhere in our project.

Now the way we are going to produce the film has been chosen we are going to construct the set for our first opening scenes. We have discussed what we want the video to include to gain the interest of our audience and what would be possible to create, giving the scenes a more realistic and humorous feel in the end result, so that our audience can relate to the scenario.
In order to do this, we are going to discuss all the possible characters that could be included in our video e.g Barbies, Lego, Small toy figures and what will be best for our video in terms of how easy to move around the figures would be and the story we could make up to go along with the chosen music.

We have arranged to have a meeting before filming to see who has any accessories and dolls we could use for the filming and who would be able to buy certain props we need i.e wallpaper.
Together we will be able to produce a whole set which could feature throughout the video for the main parts and for the background in certain scenes to make the video feel more realistic as most music videos have extras throughout. However we don't want to include too many unnecessary features, especially in the nightclub scenes as we feel that we wouldn't be able to produce as much of an effective video if our attention for detail was taken up by a large number of small animation movements instead of focusing mainly on the storyline and making the video looks as humorous as possible and also a scenario people can relate too.

To make the bedroom scenes look more like a stereotypical bedroom we are going to do some research into what are the normal features of any teenage/young adults room and try to replicate this when it comes to filming i.e. posters, wallpaper colours etc.

Summarising Conventions Of Stop-Frame Animation Music Videos

From researching into existing stop animation music videos we have found that they all use synchronous editing in order to make the video run smoothly from shot to shot. By using this form of editing it makes the animation look more realistic as the movements are swift from each clip.

All the videos we looked at used lyrics in order to tell a story to the audience, the subjects of the video - dolls, people, animated characters were used to show this story through the way they were moved in time with the song. Because of this realistic view created onto the animated characters to make them look like real life situations, it added verisimilitude to the videos, which is a feature we want to develop on in our own music video.