Filming Session Three (9th November)

Location: Drama Room
Sequence: Shots with Mannequin to be placed throughout each section of the song

Location, Mannequin and Costume Choices After the half term holiday and a week of initial editing we carried out our third session of filming. We filmed in College after the end of the day in our drama room. We chose to film there because of the room's blank black walls and stage light which could be used to create various lighting effects. In addition it supplied a studio like setting to film in as only the floor and walls were needed, with no surroundings in the mise-en-scene that could distract from the artist and mannequin. It also created a dark, atmospheric and mysterious setting which with an unknown feeling it contrasts with the other locations in the video. These shots are seperate from the main narrative of the girl's journey between personalities but offer a seperate section of narrative in which the girl sings to a mannequin and moulds and moves him.

The mannequin symbolises the perfect or model boyfriend and the idea the girl would like to design her boyfriend to be better than he is to suit her (linking to the lyrics 'designed for this'). The mannequin can also represent the boyfriend himself as the girl sings to him. In addition it creates an intriguing and mysterious theatrical aspect to our video that links to the darker and rockier side to the song. We chose to have the mannequin bare and naked in all the shots because it makes it look vulnerable and powerless and gives the impression that the girl is now in the stronger position and is controlling/manipulaing him whereas before she was controlled by her boyfriend. This prop was chosen so that Sophie could physically move it around and because is easily breakable, therefore as the song progresses she can become more agressive and remove parts of the mannequin to symbolise taking him apart and hurting him for revenge. Sophie had three costume changes during these shots to create different looks and enhance the variety of appearances and add to the voyeurism of the artist. Moreover, a range of costumes is evident in all female music videos as they portray different emotions and characters of the artist and enhance the visual appearance of the video. To make the lighting more atmospheric in these sections we used the strong lights from Media and re-adjusted them in every shot to create shadow effects and avoid it being too bright on certain areas within the shot.

Bird's Eye View- Mannequin Sequence To start with we cleared the room so we had as much space as possible and to avoid seeing anything you are not suppose to in the shot. A blank room creates the effect that the setting is nowhere and perhaps within the girl's mind or a mysterious setting unknown to the audience. We then placed a black sheet across the floor (so there would be a blank black background rather than the blue carpet) and placed the mannequin lying down on top of it with Sophie next to it. We filmed this sequence using a bird's eye view shot to clearly show her laying down on the floor and it adds further variety to the shot types in the video. To create the bird's eye view we placed the camera on wooden block from drama that was large enough and heavy enough to hold the camera which we then pointed towards Sophie laying on the floor. We precisely lined Sophie up within the shot and showed her how much she could move without leaving the shot. I filmed her looking at and hugging the mannequin without singing to start with. This was to fill the instrumentals throughout the song and to portray more of her emotions and character to the audience. I then filmed her singing the first verse from this position so when we edit it can be placed with the bench shots we filmed in the first session. For this sequence Sophie was dressed in a black dress with a cream coloured bow at the chest. This costume is more sophisticated and adds another image alongside the vulnerable and confident/ sexy styles. As Sophie could move easily in this dress we only used it for this sequence as she was laying down and little movement was involved.

Another shot we filmed was of Sophie singing the chorus as she turned over onto her side whilst laying on the floor, this shot was at ground level and showed her shoulder quite provocatively therefore increasing the voyeurism of the artist in the video and again adding to the range of angles the action is seen from. In addition we also filmed Sophie sitting up against the mannequin with camera to the right of her using a long shot from a high angle . Here she sung the parts of the second verse and chorus and manipulated parts of the mannequin. However on reflection we will not use this shot because it highlighted too much attention to the groin area of the mannequin so people may be distracted by it and you see the end of the black sheet and some of the carpet which revealed the look of the filming location.

'Dance' Sequence with Mannequin The next sequence we filmed we moved the mannequin to a standing position against one of the walls of the drama room. This was all black which again created the plain and dark background that creates the mysterious and darker setting for this section of the music video. The mannequin did not stand freely so we had to lean it against the wall for support. For this section Sophie wore a shorter black dress with a lacy pattern/ material at her neck and chest. This costume looks sophisticated like the longer dress she wore in the bird's eye view sequence but gives her much more freedom to walk around in. She also wore the classic black slip on heels here which further create a more sophisticated image to contrast with the vulnerable and sexy costumes in the other parts of the video and create another voyeurism angle. I filmed this sequence using a long shot so you could see most of Sophie and the mannequin and her moving around it to the beat of the music and moving its arm around. This sequence will be used for the section before the second chorus, the second chorus itself and parts of the final chorus. I also filmed Sophie looking away from the camera and manipulating the mannequin for a shot that will be placed in the instrumental. Sophie performed well in this sequence, we told her to really go for it with the singing and performance. We said to improvise moves that would fit with the music and interaction with the mannequin such as singing to it and holding it to convey a connection between them and symbolise her relationship with her boyfriend. Andrew also played around with the stage lights in the drama room, pointing them at the mannequin and trying a blue colour to add variety to the colours and lighting effects in our video (however we intend to screen the video in black and white).

Sitting and Singing with Microphone The final sequence we filmed in this session was of Sophie sitting on a block (which we covered in a black cloth to maintain the darker feel from the rest of the shots) singing with a microphone while parts of the mannequin were placed around her dismantled (implying she has broken him apart). Shots of the artist singing with a microphone are often used in music videos to create a performance of the song within the video and this is something we have tried to recreate here. For this sequence Sophie wore a long pink dress with flowers on it. Although the pink will not show up once in black and white, this type of dress highlights a change in mood for the girl in the video. This shot will be used in during the final section of the song leading up to the final chorus where she is perhaps becoming happier after getting revenge on her boyfriend- symbolised by the pink and flowers. The colour and flowers also contrast with the act of revenge, dismantled mannequin and darker surroundings, so therefore an interesting juxtaposition is creat visually created. I filmed this sequence using a long shot- so the audience is introduced to the new surroundings, props and costumes and a close up for more intimate moments where you can see the artist's expressions as she sings with the microphone. This perhaps recreates the feel and style from the start of the music video with the close ups on the bench but now she is in a stronger position- illustrating the journey she has come on throughout the video. Overall, another great filming session with lots of interesting shots filmed, including new angles and costumes that add varitey to the music video. I think the mannequin is a strong idea as it brings symbolism/ representation to our music video. In addition it allows our video to have the repeatability factor because it has a sense of mystery around it, therefore the audience may have to watch it several times to understand its purpose and what it symbolises.