Music Promo Video Location Recce

Before filming our music video, it is important that we have completed the recce questions to ensure we have taken into consideration everyone’s health, and everyone will be safe whilst taking part.

Are there any potential hazards that could pose a health and safety risk where your music video will take place?
As we will be filming our music promo video in outdoor areas such as a forest, wooded area and a derelict  building, there could be a number of potential hazards. Within the woods, there could be a number of tripping hazards such a  branches or rocks. Tripping hazards could also be present in the building, if there are any rocks or empty objects laying around. There could also be sharp  objects present in both areas, such as broken bottles, which could be very dangerous. 

What will you do to ensure these risks are minimised?

To ensure these risks are minimized, we will film in a small part of greenery area, which we will ensure has no broken branches or rocks lying around. However if there is, we will clear the area firstly. In the building, to minimise hazards, we will clear out the place first, not only to ensure we can move around safely but to also ensure we can get all personnel and equipment into the place or building.

Will the time of day/weather affect the outcome of the music video? Have you allowed for this?
As the music video will be recorded in outdoor areas, we need to make sure the weather is clear of both rain and wind. This could interfere with the overall music promo video, the effect we are trying to achieve and the costume and make up of those will be present in the video. This could also damage the recording equipment. We would also like to record a portion of our video at dusk, this may not provide us with enough time to record the entire portion. Therefore we may also need to record that specific portion of the video over multiple days.

Have you considered lighting? What about the ‘problems’ of natural lighting, either outside, or streaming through a window? Will you need to use a flash? Have you considered reflective objects that might spoil the effect?
The majority of the music promo video, will be recorded in a derelict building, which has very few windows. Although we would like the video to have quite low key lighting, we still need to actors and action to be visible to the viewer, therefore we may need at least one source of lighting such as a spotlight or even simply a lamp. The portion of the video which we will be recording at dusk, will be recorded in the wooded forest area, as we may need lighting for both the area and on the camera, to help illuminate the area and ensure the scenes and characters are visible on the camera, this will require a light source which will be mobile and easy to move around and carry. 

Do you need permission to record your music video in the place/venue you have in mind?
The first proportion of the music video will be shoot in the garage of one of the group members, therefore this will only simply require the permission of her, in order to arrange a time suitable to her. We will also be recording a portion of the video in a wooded, forest area, however this is a public area and is particularly rather quiet, so we won't need permission to film or be inflicting with any members of the public. 

Are other people/crowds likely to be an issue for you? What have you done to ensure that it will not spoil the effect?
The majority of the video will be recorded indoor, therefore other then those involved in the music promo video, there will be no public crowds of people. The portion of the video however, which will be recorded outside, people walking around could become an issue. However the locations we are filming in are rather quiet therefore this may not be an issue, but if people do walk past during filming we will have to simply wait or politely ask them to move.

Are you reliant on lifts/props/friends’ equipment/models? How have you planned that these things will come together at the appointed time?
For our music video, we will be featuring a large number of people, to ensure the party atmosphere looks professional and sufficient and gain the chaotic effect we desire. Therefore we will need to get in contact with everyone and arrange a time in which everyone will be available to be in the recording.  The props we will be featuring in the music video such as water guns, belong to the members of the group, therefore we do not require permission, as they have planned in advance to bring them along to the video shoot. The equipment we will be using, the tripod and the video camera, will be borrowed from the media department at our college. Therefore we will need to get permission from our lecturer before borrowing the equipment to record and ensure other groups do not need the recording equipment at the same time, which could interfere with our recording schedule.  

Photo Shoot Location Recce

Before taking our photographs, it is important that we have completed the recce questions to ensure we have taken into consideration everyone’s health, and everyone will be safe whilst taking part.

Are there any potential hazards that could pose a health and safety risk where your photo shoot will take place?

As we will be taking our photographs outdoors, there are multiple potential hazards which could take place. If it does rain, this could damage electrical equipment, specifically the camera, but could also cause electrical shocks if the items are to be touched. There could also be a major risk of trips and falls, over any of the props or equipment, or any other items that maybe left lying around outside.

What will you do to ensure these risks are minimised?

To help minimise these potential hazards, we will make sure to take the photographs on a day which is dry and sunny. However if the weather unfortunately is too change, we could use a marquee to ensure the outdoor backdrop is still visible, but the equipment will still be safe and dry. We will also make sure to clean the entire outdoor area first, to make sure there are no large or sharp objects lying around. The props used must also not be left lying around after using them within the photos, and must be placed in a reasonable place, such as on a table.

Will the time of day/weather affect the outcome of the photos? Have you allowed for this?

As we will be taking the photographs outside, we will need to ensure the weather is nice and not raining as this could spoil the costume and make-up of the models and not too windy as this could disrupt the movement of the camera tripod, however if the weather is too change we will have  marquee nearby. We will also need to take the images during the day to ensure all the models, props and details will be clearly visible in the photographs and we will not need any extra lighting equipment to highlight this, as we will be relying on natural light sources. 

Have you considered the background to your photos, particularly if taken outside? How will you ensure you will get the background you want?

The background we will be using is a fence or a brick wall, which is in a closed area of our friend’s garden; therefore it will be particularly easy to ensure we get the background we want. An issue which could interfere with the background would be the weather however, which we have addressed in the above questions. 

Have you considered lighting? What about the ‘problems’ of natural lighting, either outside, or streaming through a window? Will you need to use a flash? Have you considered reflective objects that might spoil the effect?
For the photographs we will be taking, we will be using all outdoor natural lighting. Therefore an issue which could arise, maybe, if the sun is too bright, this could reflect on the camera lens and cause the photographs to be very bright, making it hard to identify any of the personnel or props within the images, which are important in our photographs to project the right effect. Therefore on my camera I will be using a flash that is best suited to a sunny weather condition, which will allow the camera to take the photographs with as much clarity and precision as possible.

Do you need permission to take photos in the place/venue you have in mind?

As we will be taking the photos in the back garden of one of the group members we will only need permission from her. This is much more reliable as it is easier to plan when we can take the photos and the most suitable time, as she is part of the group.

Are you reliant on lifts/props/friends’ equipment/models? How have you planned that these things will come together at the appointed time? Plan B?

As the entire group will be featured in the photographs and the photos will be taking place at one of the group members house, we have all arranged to come together at an appropriate time in which we will all be available and the venue will be available. The camera we will be using to take the photographs is my personal camera; therefore we did not need permission to use this. I felt this was more appropriate, as I had knowledge and felt comfortable using it could and access the photos afterwards easily. The tripod which we will be using for the photographs, we have borrowed from the media department in our college.  Although these are rather easy to gain access to, it could also gain problems for our group. If the images need to be delayed and taken at a different time, another group may require the the tripod for their coursework, therefore it will not be available to us. Therefore we must plan in advance, when the tripod will be available to us with our lecturer.