Role Allocation

INTRODUCTION

For our music video, it was important for carrying out proper role allocation to ensure that the characters do justice to the role. We selected the characters based on the physical appearances and  expressions.

Here are our cast and the roles allocated to them

MAIN CHARACTER

This is Mustafa Gaffar, he is a student at the school we study in. He plays the role of the teenager, we thought he would suit the teenager, because of his physique and his over facial aesthetics. We chose him because his physique aligns well with the gym-based narrative allowing us to realistically portray themes of hardwork. Additionally, his facial features suit the emotional journey of the character, enabling him to convey feelings of struggle.

SUPPORTING CHARACTER

This is Anshpreet Singh Sahni, who plays the role of the father who catches the son eating in the car. We thought that he would be the perfect actor to play the father due to his mature look. His presence adds authority to the scene helping to establish the power dynamic between the father and the son. This is important for developing the narrative as it introduces the conflict and motivates the journey of self-improvement.

CASTING DECISIONS

Our casting decisions were based on :

• Appearance & Physique
• Facial Expressions
• Body Language
• Natural Performance

Overall, our role allocation was carefully planned to suit the visual style of our project. I believe we were able to enhance the authenticity and effectiveness of our music video.

Behind The Scenes

 

Behind The Scenes

Here are some behind the scene pictures that were clicked while shooting for our music video.  

This is a picture of Me, filming a scene where the car is being parked

This is a picture of my partner and I handling the camera to film the car scene where the teenager is caught eating his junk food by his father. 

Lakshya and I filming another scene of the car parking 

Day 1 of shooting the gym scene where the teenager is shot doing different movements

Day 2 of shooting the gym scene, this is another shot of him sitting on the bench, and where we are taking a close up shot of his face. 

Technical Trials

Prior to filming, we conducted a series of trials to explore the key aspects of our production including shot composition, camera angles and clarity of audio. These initial tests allowed us to experiment with how different shots would appear on screen. By testing all these aspects, we were able to gain a better understanding of how the emotional tone of the narrative would be represented visually.

Here are a few pictures of us testing out the waters, with aspects related to the shot, how the shot looks and how the sound is heard on the mic. 

Regarding the technical trials, as per our experience, the technical trials were done on the final shoot itself, this was because we were extremely confident and we trusted the equipment that we had utilized for the shoot of the music video and to match our expectations, the technical trials had gone smoothly as advanced cameras, and mics were used to capture moments that will be included in the final music video. We used good quality equipment which minimized the risk of technical errors and storytelling rather than troubleshooting. Overall, the combination of preparation and adaptability contributed to a technically strong final product.

Location Scouting

This explores the 3 gyms we had scouted for. This Blog shows 3 exhibits and shows the space, lighting and overall vibe of the gym that we are looking for in the music video.

Exhibit A 

Exhibit A is the most likely and competent gym of all variants, this is because, despite it being less on the size of the gym, it provides us the correct form of lighting which would make it more convenient to define muscles, and since it is a relatively newer gym, it also gives us a more variety of equipment to get better shots and newer movements  

 

Exhibit B

Exhibit B shows a combination of good space in terms of the size of the gym, it provides us with ample amount of equipment to get various shots in, however, the only aspect that the gym lacks is the aspect of a dark theme and the availability of good lighting to help us define muscles and get good shots 

Exhibit C

Exhibit C shows a good combination of colors that could set the vibe of a very gothic, dark themed video, however this gym lacked the advancement of equipment which means that it would have been a little difficult task for us to get multiple shots of movements and exercises for the character to execute. 

Behind the Look: Building Realism Through Makeup

INITIAL CHALLENGES

Collectively deciding on whether we should use make up or not has been challenging because we were confused and a little worried about the characters final look on the screen, however after the trial shoot we shot, we were satisfied with the characters final look. We were unsure about how the characters would appear on the screen and were concerned that a wrong decision would negatively affect the authenticity of the music video. As the project focusses on the emotional transformation of the character, visual note was extremely important. 

TRIAL SHOOT & FINAL DECISION

We decided to try out a trial shoot  which allowed us to see the character's appearance on camera without heavy makeup. After reviewing the footage, we all were satisfied with the natural look as it aligned well with the theme of realism. Therefore, we decided not to use noticeable makeup in our final production.

To also add on, we also did not decide to utilize make up due to the fact that we wanted our characters to maintain their natural skin tone, to symbolize rawness and could also have potentially helped us deliver that gruff and unfiltered look onto both our characters. It helped us create unfiltered aesthetic that reflects the intensity of the character's journey ultimately enhancing the visual storytelling of our project.

Character Auditions

To find out the best suitable actor to play our character, we had taken the pictures of different people, along with their profile. We looked at their overall sharpness, hair type and their physique to make sure that it is suitable to play the role. 

Exhibit A:

Body Type: Bulky; almost like a powerlifter (strength athlete)

Facial Hair: Thick bushy facial hair

Hair Type: Straight hair, although due to personal reasons, it would be covered if this is the actor that is selected. 

Background: No athletic background.

Exhibit B

Body Type: Non-athletic physique, lacks muscle definition

Facial Hair: No facial hair, no stubble as well to give the gruff look

Hair Type: Straight Hair

Background: No athletic background

Exhibit C

Body type: A little on the bulky side, however is still lean to give an atheltic look

Facial Hair: stubble visible. to give the gruff look

Hair type: wavy bushy hair 

Background: volleyball player.

Exhibit D: 

Body type: The sweet spot between lean and bulky, has clear muscle definition 

Facial Hair: has shown signs of stubble although its very light, could possibly give a gruff look. 

Hair type: Thick curly hair 

Background: Bodybuilder, has worked as a model. 

Final Character Selection

 Actor Finalization for the music video

For our music video, we are going to choose our friend, Mustafa Gaffar, because he perfectly fits the character description for our music video with good accuracy. This will help out music video have good meaning and will help us convey the message we intend to convey to the audience. 

This is our friend Mustafa, these are his profiles, he exhibits physical qualities such as a wide back, broad shoulder, thick and bushy hair, low body fat and a sharp jawline. This characteristics were achieved by him from an interest in building a sculpted physique. Mustafa also participates in modeling for certain clothing companies and this is what makes him a good match for the actor we are looking for to play the teenager.  

For the father, we have chosen, another one of our friends, which is Anshpreet, his physical characteristics perfectly fit into the bulky type and he has a thick bushy beard which adds an effect of more of an age to him.

From Vision to Reality: Exploring Our Locations

FINALISING THE LOCATION

After careful planning and consideration, we successfully finalized the gym as the primary location for the music video. The decision was based on how well the setting matched with our plot. 

While we had finalized the location for the gym, we had to take trial shots of a subject executing certain movements to test out the lighting and to assess the suitability of the location. From the trial shots, it became clear that the gym's existing lighting played a major role in enhancing the visual quality of our footage. The trial shoot also helped us to decide whether the location was suitable in terms of area and layout. Also, the presence of equipments contributed to the authenticity of the setting, making the scene feel more natural.

                                        

As you can see from the two images above, with the provided lighting and equipment that the gym gives off, we as a team are extremely confident with the quality of the video, as the light gives us an opportunity to showcase deep definition in our main actors physique. The setting enhances the storytelling by allowing us to capture powerful and visually striking footage that reflects the journey of our main character.

Location Finalisation

 For the First scene where the teenager is caught by his father eating processed food, we have picked the perfect parking space where there is a combination of an open parking space and good lighting to make sure that the subjects on the screen are defined well. 

The car scene was filmed in a Toyota Innova Hycross ZX Hybrid model, this car was picked due to the convenience and as well as the space that the car brought along, which gave us the necessary area to fit in camera equipment and shoot comfortably.

For the Scene where the teenager is shown exercising and where he is located in the gym, we chose to film in a private gym, that belongs to one of our classmates, we chose this location due to the fact that it exhibited extra-ordinary lighting and space as well as equipment's that gave us more number of shots as well as the uniqueness of them