Workshop - Teenage Dirtbag

Last Friday the 3rd July 2009, we did a workshop where we replicated shot-by-shot (as best we could) the video for Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus. Music video director Jake Wynne (who went to Latymer!) and his team came in to direct and shoot us. It was a very tiring day but it was a lot of fun.
Evalutaion Questions:
1. What do you think you learnt from Friday's workshop? It could be specific things about making a music video OR general things about the production process.
I learnt a lot on the workshop about the making of a music video, it is definitely harder than you would think. First of all we soon realised that everything takes longer than you would expect because we were only doing a short part of the music video but it took all day. We were very busy all day, so it is definitely important to be very organised in the pre production stages, ie- costume, shooting schedule etc making sure all of that is organised well so the day can run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. However I also learnt that as well as being organised its imortant to be flexible. We found this out when the weather became a problem because it started to rain just when we wanted to film outside with the car. So we had to move the schedule around and shoot in door bits while we waited for it to stop. This showed us the importance of flexibilty as even though things didn't go exactley as planned, we didn't waste time. Additionally on the performance side I found out that it's better for the performers to actually sing not just mime and it makes it look far more realistic, and even if you cant actually play the instrument just go for it and look like your playing because the more enthusiatic the performance the better it will look.
2. For you, what was the best bit?
I really enjoyed the whole day of the workshop, it was a great experience. The best bits? Although I was really nervous about being Dora I found it really fun in the end despite having to get out of the car about 20 times because the wind kept blowing my hair into my face! And I also really enjoyed the performance scenes where we were all jumping around in the background because everyone was involved and although very tiring, it was a lot of fun! :)
3. How do you think the work we have done will impact on your group project?
The work we have done will definitely impact my group project in a big way. Ive realised that it's better to have a very simple idea that you can make look really amazing with the way you shoot and edit it, than it is to have a very complicated idea that ends up looking rushed and badly finished. Additionally I know now the importance of thorough pre production so that the shooting days are organised and efficient, which will hopefully mean less re-shoots.