R+P Post 26: Set Design, Locations and Props

Our music video will be a studio based shoot. This is very convenient as it can be shot in the studio of our school, saving time and money. Also it means we can have a range of different set ups, which can be seen below.

1. Panel backdrop

When researching backdrops, I found this image and I really liked how sophisticated the set up looks with the panel. The lighting in the image above would tie in well with our 'red' theme as an orange-red colour is produced. We want to try and re-create this for our video as a background for one of our group performance shots as it has a clear visual appeal. We will make this ourselves by placing floor lights with red filters over them behind the panel, which will be made of white fabric, Gaffa tape and cardboard. The colour should match the overall red theme of our video, as it will hopefully look like a soft orange/red.

Pictures of us making the panel

2. Industrial, graffiti set up

The Script ft Will.i.am - Hall of Fame

In order to tie in with our urban, street image we really wanted a set up which incorporated these themes. The music video above would be an ideal setting as it really incorporates the image that we are trying to achieve with our band. We have decided, therefore, to have an industrial theme for one of our set ups and we will reinforce this by having D4MES in graffiti on the wall and more information on this can be seen below. This will make both our video and the band look really cool. We know that similar looks have been achieved at our school and so we can make use of the equipment that our school has, such as the scaffolding and the ladder.

More information about the  graffiti....

This is the backdrop that will really bring out our street image. We will use this for group shots but also for individual shots. We have put a lot of effort into this as we designed and made it ourselves. It was a complicated process as we had to stick and re-stick different parts of the original card board onto the sheet so that it would be perfectly stenciled:

We first spray painted the shadow in silver

Finally we went over the outline of the letters in black paint

Then we spray painted the letters in purple and the '4' in red

3. White lighting

Swedish House Mafia ft Tinie Tempah - Miami 2 Ibiza 

We don't want to use white lighting for too many shots but we think it would suit our beauty shots where we don't sing and just look and gesture to the camera. The gif above of Tinie Tempah in 'Miami 2 Ibiza' demonstrates the effect of having white lighting; it makes him stand out and gives him a certain limelight, this moment to look cool in front of the camera. We will use it for similar reasons; we want to allow each member of the band to have their individual beauty shots to highlight that everyone has different personalities and we also want to allow each member to show their fun side to the audience. It is good too stay safe with a plain background but it is also good for variety and depicting the facial expressions of the band, as we will use it for close ups of each member.

4. Individual spotlight

Neon Jungle - Trouble

We want a tension building, dramatic opening and introduction in our video. The spotlight from the video above allows this vision to be achieved as it gradually shows each member's face, as if their identity is being revealed. We think that if we did this, it would build up anticipation for the audience and give us a proper, debut introduction. However, we want to the light to be half red (by adding a red filter) to correspond to our red theme.

5. Laser/strobe backdrop

Flo Rida ft David Guetta - Club Can't Handle Me

Strobe and laser set ups are exciting and great for party scenes. Although we don't have a party scene, we do have an energetic chorus and we are always dancing in it. In the video above, it creates and exciting, youthful atmosphere which is more interesting for the audience. The strobes achieve a flashy effect, which would make our music video even more eye catching and visually appealing, as well as professional. If we used it for the last chorus, it would be a great climax in the song. These are quite expensive but we have managed to cut corners by a member of staff having a contact.

6. Red silhouette lighting

The colour of the image above is the ideal look that we want for this set up, the look of both the artist and the background is enhanced. If we did this, our video would provide the 'wow' factor, in terms of its look. This red lighting set up will be central to our red theme and also make our video look edgy and mysterious. This will be edited in flashes at the started of the video which should look really cool. We also plan to have dance shots with this to cut between for the chorus. 

List of props for our music video:

• Balloons (red and silver)
• Confetti
• Gaffa tape
• White fabric
• Spray paint (colours: red,purple,silver)
• Wine bottle or Champagne bottle
• Ribena or sprite/appleade (to replace real alcohol)
• 2 tables
• 4 chairs
• Maroon tablecloth
• Baseball bat
• Scaffolding
• Ladder

Photo of us making the confetti