Production: Behind the Scenes

This is our blog to show the behind the scenes of the production of the music video. We did this blog as a group.

Date	23/12/2024
Scene	Childhood footages recreation for pre-chorus 1
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Challenges	We had no mother actor to display the mother and daughter relationship. Originally, we planned to shoot these recreation scenes at our star actor’s house as it would match the “childhood home” decor that we were going for. However because this was done during our semester break, our star actor was out of town meaning that we could not use her house. For clips inside the house, because we had to use 2 different houses, we had to find areas in Cheryl’s house that could look similar to our star actor’s house as that would be our main location for the upcoming scenes. This was difficult as the design of both houses are really different.  Had to make sure each time that none of us accidentally appeared in the frame as we were all always together in that one specific area during filming, so there is always that possibility. In addition to that, we were outdoors under the sun as well, so we had to prevent unnecessary shadows (other than the actor and the mother’s).
Solutions	We had to create ideas with the perspective of the camera being recorded by the mom. This works well with our intention of building her identity around self-growth and maturity as the main focus of these clips were showing her growing up.  Instead of using our star actor’s house, we used Cheryl’s, one of our team member’s houses as a replacement. She had multiple nature elements around her house as well as the broken down road in front, which in the end would aid to the low-income social group representation. We used areas like floors and corners of the house as we think that they both were common features of the 2 houses. Whenever we started shooting, team members that did not hold the camera had to go a few steps away so their shadows were not in frame. Furthermore, after every shot, we replayed the recording a couple of times to ensure that only the actor could be seen in the frame.
Lessons Learned	Our main problem here was this scene was not shot in the original planned house due to unmatched schedules with the star actor. Therefore we learned to make sure that both our team members and the star actor’s dates of availability had to match far before the shooting began to prevent absence of factors that would delay the shooting.

Date	07/01/2025
Scene	Competition preparation
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Challenges	We had no phone tripod for the jump shot sequence so instead, we recorded it handheld. It was difficult to maintain the stability especially because Cheryl was standing up while recording.  As seen that there is a calendar and to-do list on the white board, we had to make sure to change the date and add to the to-do lists on every clip to ensure the continuity element was accurately implemented. To show that it was a different day on the jump shot sequence, we had to ensure that there were noticeable differences with the star actor, props, and overall background. Then there were a few times where late into the sequence, we noticed that there was a mistake with the earlier sequence. This meant that we had to redo the changes over again, delaying the shooting time.
Solutions	We had to shoot it quickly. Cheryl held the camera while me and Aurel moved and directed Vina around. We replayed the recording at least twice with everyone together, making sure that the changes in the calendar and the to-do list are noticeable and correct. Because we did not want to repeat the same mistake twice as it was a hassle reshooting over again, after shooting a clip, we compared it to the previous clip. This helped us make sure that there were both noticeable changes as well as no repeated elements from the previous clip to properly indicate the different days.
Lessons Learned	Always double check with the team members after recording a scene to ensure that there are no mistakes before continuing on to record the next scene.

Date	16/01/2025
Scene	Stage performance
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Challenges	We had to get a supervisor during our shoot on the stage. We had no access to stage lights. Since the stage we used belonged to our sister school (a kindergarten attached to our highschool building), we weren't sure if we could access nor who to approach when it came to the stage lights. Aurel's camera needed a stand but all of us did not have a tripod for it so we had to borrow it from our school. Another problem was how we weren’t sure how to remove Aurel's camera from the tripod given by school. We had to make sure the tripod placements were placed in a way so they wouldn’t show in each other’s footage because we used a multicam technique  We had to find a way to hide the empty crowd during the spin-around shot.
Solutions	I had originally asked our media teacher but he was unavailable during our scheduled time so I approached another teacher I was familiar with instead and she agreed to supervise. Cheryl had asked the admin from the kindergarten building to link us to the light technician. He turned on the lights and instructed our supervisor on how to turn it off. He told us we were allowed to use it as long as we were responsible and remembered to turn it off after use. In addition to the lights, the light technician also provided a camera stand for Aurel and instructed her on how to clip it on. However, he did not instruct her on how to remove it and this became a problem since he had already gone home and none of us were familiar with a camera tripod. We doubled-checked our filming devices before rolling to ensure our camera wasn't seen by another camera. This relied on our communication so we had to be loud and clear when we're calling out any problems/issues. Cheryl was doing a spin-around-the-subject shot and she noticed that the camera would catch her shadows and the empty crowd sometimes. So I suggested she tilt the camera to a slight upward angle to avoid capturing the empty seats.
Lessons Learned	Since each of the team members are doing different tasks simultaneously (shooting different POVs at the same time), clear and direct communication played a very important role here. We were able to avoid misunderstandings and misdirections, avoiding further delays. In addition to that, though the reason why we lacked quite the preparation which led to a few difficulties, were because we were working with new equipment (lighting system on stage and camera tripod), it would’ve been better if we asked someone experienced beforehand about the things we needed to know or request them to supervise us during the duration of the recording as well. Thus this would lead to a smoother operation.

Date	17/01/2025
Scene	Box scene in verse 1
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Challenges	During this shoot, only Regine had been available to film so there was 1 cameraman, which made it hard to direct since I was multitasking between filming. This also meant Regine didn't receive any feedback for the footage I filmed so I wasn't confident with what Regine had filmed. The closet POV shot was extremely difficult to get because of the small size of the closet. Originally, Regine had planned to shove herself into the closet but due to the small space, Regine found it difficult to breathe
Solutions	Since there was no other way around our busy schedules, Regine took to shooting a short verse alone. She would first consult Vina (our artist) and asked for her input, then select the view shots that looked good and sent them over to the group where the team was able to comment and give feedback.  Out of fear of lightheadedness and fainting that came with shoving oneself into a small closet, Vina suggested using tape to hold up the phone rather than have Regine sit in it. Despite many doubts, the phone was able to be held with scotch tape however was set to the front facing camera so Regine could see how the shot would look like. This did mean the quality would be slightly off since the front camera and the back camera are not the same quality but we don’t believe the change in quality was drastic and could be blended in in post-production
Lessons Learned	Regine took to doing it alone because of a nearby deadline for filming so it was necessary for us to finish and collect all the scenes we needed for the first draft. This day of shooting taught us the importance of scheduling and sticking to it. We should have been able to clear our schedule to be able to film together as a group but due to our busy school life, this was made difficult.

Date	18/01/2025
Scene	Beach performance
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Challenges	Shooting in this open space led us to experience the extreme heat and high UV where it was dangerous to be staying out in the sun for too long.  Our digital equipment such as the camera and phone were prone to overheating under the sunlight. The team members could not see their phone screen when recording due to the bright sunlight. This led to us being more prone to mistakes such as how the star actor could be out of the frame especially during scenes where she was running.
Solutions	When choosing the spot to shoot at, we chose an area where there was a nearby cover for shade as well. This way both the team members and the star actor could take regular breaks at that spot when the heat was too much to endure. In addition to that, we made sure everyone used their sunscreens before shooting as well.  Fortunately, we recorded mainly with our phones so overheating was not as much of a problem in comparison to if we mainly recorded with the camera which was more prone to overheating. We didn’t really have a solution for this other than replaying the recording a few times after to make sure the star actor’s composition in the frame was good. This is as we brought limited equipment that would have been useful in the situation.
Lessons Learned	We were paying more attention to the clear and brightness of the sky instead of the UV on that day because we wanted to take the closest date as an opportunity to shoot as soon as we could. Not only will this allow us to move onto the next scene faster but also taking into consideration that we were shooting during the rainy season, we had to take that opportunity as it is. However, this was not a good choice as the extreme UV could be dangerous and our health could be affected.

Date	04/03/2025
Scene	Beach extras - Reshooting
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Challenges	The sand where both Cheryl (the one recording) and the star actor was standing on was unstable, so it led to multiple errors in the recording such as shaking and sudden changes of the composition.  Because this was a reshoot of extra clips to fill its continuation scenes, which were also at the beach, we had to make sure the lighting was the same.
Solutions	After replaying the recording and seeing that there were sudden movements from the camera, we decided to move to more stable sand so that the tracking movement was smoother. Furthermore, it is so that both Cheryl and the star actor could focus on their roles instead of worrying about falling in the sand. We used the weather forecast app to choose a day where the sun was brightly out. In addition to that, we came more or less at the same time as when we shot the first beach scenes. Therefore, the sun was at the same position as well as our shadows.
Lessons Learned	Take as many extra or filler scenes when recording the first time as it may be really helpful if later on in the editing, it turns out that there are still blank spaces to fill in.

Date	05/03/2025
Scene	Opening scene - Reshooting
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Challenges	Because we filmed this scene in the middle of the neighborhood street, there were multiple vehicles passing by that led us to having to stop the recording to ensure our safety. We had to take multiple reshoots, spending more time than necessary, as there were few minute delays to wait for the vehicles to pass each time. The distance of the star actor walking had to match with the duration of the intro as it is where we will put the scene in and so that it doesn’t feel too rushed or too extended.
Solutions	When there were no vehicles passing by for a short period of time, we took that opportunity to immediately shoot the scene.  We looked at the duration of the intro beforehand and ensured the duration of the recording would also be the same.
Lessons Learned	Choosing to shoot at the same place where there are multiple vehicles passing by means that we have to acknowledge the risks and dangers incorporated with it.

Self-reflection:

• Personally, filming was often really hard for me. Not that I don't trust or aren't grateful for my teammates and star, it's just that I am not very close with them. This occasionally leads me to feeling nervous and awkward which limited my capability to effectively contribute to directing out the scenes.  Additionally, I often felt unwell during filming sessions which further added to my inability to contribute as much as I wanted to. However, as the project went on, I gradually got more used to being around them and had better health which made things run smoother for me in later shooting sessions.