Notes from an Executive Producer

Notes from an Executive Producer

Today we were able to talk to an Executive producer, Ollie Allgrove, who works in a company called ‘The Mill’ and he helped us with tips and techniques for our music video's. I found it very interesting and useful and made a few notes during the talk:

•   In charge of production department across UK

•   themill.com

•   helping people tell stories in a different way

•   ‘we are artists, technologists and makers for all media, working at the frontiers of visual narrative’

•   competitive environment, creatively and financially 

•   30 in house rosters

•   250 artists within 400 people working in London

•   design back end technology allowing new techniques to be made

visual effects Oscar for ‘Gladiator’

SSE Advert 2016 

•  An orangutan walking around.. not normal 

•  non of the shots of the orangutan are real

•  4th month study on the animal

•  reference for movement with an ape impersonator

Anything is possible!

•  collaborating with record label and artist

•  treatment at the end of it

•  What’s the big idea?

•  Write a treatment!

•  has to have a voice

•  doesn't have to feel like an essay

•  trying to make and do something that is interesting

•  back things up with images

•  choose tracks that you are interested in and that you can respond to

•  think about the images that you can balance your words with

•  find references to how the style worked so you can help people understand where you are going

•  story boards are very useful to set an idea going

•  you are trying to make an image

Jolene and the jing jang jong

•  location blagged

•  simple effects

•  simple props 

•  someone running through a building, wanted someone in a POV shot to a rough top 

•  single move

•  extremely low budget

•  helium balloon for the falling bit

•  2:22 long consider the timeline, don't make it too long if the budget is lower

•  companies such as youtube etc nowadays allow careers to launch more easily as it gives them a platform to work from, giving room for music videos to bloom

Chemical Brothers

•  simple treatment e.g. 'ballerina turns into robot'

•  with your treatment think, how do you hook the narrative

•  a lot of technical work

•  7200 frames

•  scan the dancer and track the 3D model over her performance

•  witness cameras, having a constant reference as to what her body is doing throughout

•  begin to erase her body 

•  cloth stimulation with her clothes etc

•  4 and a half months are hard work to complete

•  budget was a slight issue but wanted to really execute the producers idea

wasn't about the budget, was more about creating a quality piece of work

•  Don't feel like you are copying other artists as you can use their work to be inspired by!

•  set your own treatment

•  don't make band look uncomfortable- get a performance out of a performer

•  people have to understand what they are doing so over think it, over story board it and really be organised for the shoot day. Nail it!

over shoot if you can, make sure you have full coverage in the edit