Main Subjects and Questions We Asked in the Interviews

1.  Why do you think artists choose the streets over creating artwork indoors? 

2. Can you tell us a bit about why you think street art should be celebrated instead of looked down on or ignored?

3. How does street art differ from other forms of art? ... Is it part of a wider community that brings people together?

4. What are your views on street art as a form of expressionism? (Mention misconceptions about street art and personal views on this). 

5. What does your organization do?

6. What is the danger of expressing street art?

Liverpool Day 3

The last day of Liverpool and again after the previous nights meeting split up into the same two groups. This was to get a wider range of footage from different locations. We went to the skatepark that we had seen when walking with Tristan from his interview and it looked quite a nice place to film with interesting street art. The tracking shots looked a lot nicer than those of previous days as the ground was a lot smoother meaning less jolts in the camera. Having collected a wide range of close up shot as well as wide and expansive long shots we arranged to meet up for our final interview with Zap Graffiti company and we would become a group of 6 again meeting Oliver and Saul near the location.

The final interview we set up in the studio of the company while artists were at their work. Keiron had arranged to be interviewed so having set the camera up he wanted to stand. The problem with this interview is that he liked to move around on the spot a lot. So when wetting up a static mid shot of his head and shoulders he would then move out of frame so we decided to just pan with him as he spoke. This meant he was always in frame and we didn't miss any of the interview.

As you can see in the photo below we have our title (City Canvas) sprayed onto the wall of the studio. Hannah had asked local artist Zener to do this for us so we could use it as a opening title sequence. I decided to film it from dead on as he did it as once again he didn't want his face shown. He put his hood up and walked in from frame left so his back was to the camera. After the title was finished he then walked of again frame left from where he came giving us the opening titles.  

Day 2 Liverpool

The second day we had planned to film a interview in the Hostel as well as meet Tristan for a interview. The first interview as we had only the location of the Hostel I wanted to find a back drop nice looking but also reflect-ant of the idea and approach we were trying to achieve. I found a board that was used to block off a pathway in the Hostel that was arty and could be placed behind the subject matter. I moved it into the room we had booked out and set up the camera a distance so that the subject matter would be in shot with a head and shoulders mid shot. I asked Hannah if she would sit in the chair so I could adjust the camera settings. I changed the white balance as well as the ISO light. Made sure that the camera was filming in 24fps and had a shutter speed of 50. 

The interviewies then arrived and both interviews were recorded with the subject matter right of frame with the interviewer close to the camera but behind and to my left while I sat down and recorded them. The backdrop was to the left of the subject matter. 

We then moved on to our second interview of the day meeting Tristan in a place called unit 52. He then walked us to where we had been filming the previous day in Mann street. Again we set up the interview with the tripod as close to eye level of the subject matter. I had also framed Tristan against the street art backdrop and once again it was to the left of the subject matter. I did leave some head space but only a little. It was also hard to frame it due to his hat and the way he was standing but he didn't move which was helpful in the end as the framing eventually was sorted. The second interview location with Tristan was again a standard camera set up with him this time a little more central but to the right center. This gave the backdrop a bigger emphasise on the place and really showed the audience the type of place we were in. To show greater emphasise on this I shot it more of a long shot so you could see the waist area of the subject matter. Again the interview went smoothly with the camera static and recording the whole interview with no problems. 

Having spoken to the woman by the art the previous day the contact we had rang us up and said he was available for the interview then and there. So when finishing up with the Tristan interview as a group we then walked down the road to Tomo's workshop to gain a interview with local street artist 'Tomo'. Setting up the interview as hard on this 1 as it took a lot of time to think about. He didn't want his face to be shown so I took the decision to film it from a high angle down onto his head and he was wearing a hooded coat so he put it up and looked down at the floor. I still put the subject matter to the right of the frame when he was talking and now I was inside changed the ISO and white balance settings up atone to adjust for the light, then Hannah asked the questions to Tomo while I recorded them with sound recordist Alex gaining the interviews sound. The interview was short but snappy and when it was over Tomo showed us some of his work within the workshop which we were about to get some quite nice footage of using some pans and tilts  had in mind as well as a lot of free hand filming from myself and director Noah.      

Day 1 Liverpool

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When we arrived in Liverpool we didn't stop for much time in the Hostel, our plan was to get out and film as much graffiti and street art we could find or at least find some of the best Locations that we could then film in the next day or day after. We had looked at google maps for where to go and it wasn't long before we had found Mann street which as far as street art goes doesn't get much more covered. 

The most possitive aspect that came out of the first day is when shooting a small piece of art on a door a woman came out explaing to us that she knew who had done it and could get a contact for us for a possible interview with this person called Tomo. 

The first day was also when we would use the tracks and assemble them so that they go along side the certain piece of street art so we could do a tracking shot alongside them. Instantly the shot did look good but we had a problem in the way of the ground the pipes were lay on as it was very bumpy meaning smooth tracks were near to impossible. The jolts weren't as regular as we thought they were when looking back on the footage which meant however we could cut up some of the shots in editing before any of the jolts. We did get quick at setting them up and moving them to a different location which helped gain more tracking shots than we had hoped and in different locations. 

When back at the hostel we had a meeting to end the day, I backed up all the footage taken from my camera as well as the other camera that had been taking cut away shots onto my laptop and hardrive. We then as a group decided that when we have the interviews tomorrow that only the main four production people should be there which would be, meself as camera, Hannah as producer, Noah as director and Alex on sound. This is because it would give a chance for Oliver and Saul to go out and film a few more shots of the Graffiti and street art for the cut aways within the edit while we could film the interviews without them. Hannah then wrote down the questions everyone in the team thought we should ask to the people from Urban Canvas.

  

Call Sheets & Production Schedule

Practice Shots

Before I go to Liverpool these are some of the shots I have been trying to experiment with using obtuse angles and a variety of shot types such as pans, tilts, zooms and focus pulls. These are the photos from the type of shots I want to take in Liverpool...

Overall the shots practiced went well, the statics were all in focus and the obtuse angles worked nicely without much wobble. Some of the long shots were a little wobbly but I forgot to take a tripod with me so when it comes to the shots in Liverpool they should be a lot more stable. The shots did have a street feel to them and a coupe of the tracking shots were stable and looked nice with a pan at the end of.

Equipment List For Liverpool

For camera

Canon 60D
50mm Lens
18-55mm lens
ND Filters 2,5 and 10 ND grades
16gb memory card with magic lantern
Tracks with pipes
Tripod
Canon 600D
Canon View Finder
Gorillapod 
Tripod
2 lithium Canon batteries
Battery Charger
Flashgun

For Sound

Zoom H4n
Boom Mic
Boom pole
Headphones
Wind Protector
Spare Batteries

Other

Laptop to back up footage

Hardrive 1TB
Hardrive 2TB