Today I had my interview with Paul McDonough, we discussed music in the city and what he did. I used him as the interviewee for the music part in the documentary to discuss when music first started, The Beatles and different artists, he discussed skiffle groups, mersey beat, what effect music had on the city and has favourite musician from Liverpool and why.

I  set up the camera on his right side so he wasn’t looking at it and was looking at me who I was next to the camera and he was looking forward and we were on the same eye line. I got this idea from the existing documentaries I had looked at prior to filming my interviews.

It was filmed right next to the window so there was enough light in the room and it brightened up the whole room, this is natural light and will stay like this in the finished product. There was another big window on the other side of the room which brightened it up. The room was also all white so there was nothing dark so it was more balanced on both sides of his face.

I filmed the whole interview as a mid shot so we could see his body language, his hand movements, his face for emotion. This shot shows the background of the location so the audience have an idea where we are and the audience can tell we are in a house and the interviewee shows that he is very comfortable where he is as he is sat on a couch and looks very comfortable. The camera was positioned on the right side of the contributor and he is looking ahead so he isn’t looking at the camera so it isn’t a direct interview; I got this idea from watching existing documentaries and this  it looks like he is talking to someone behind the camera who won’t be on camera so it is like the interviewee is putting it together along with the other interviewees and the voice over.

I had a clip on mic that we put on his shirt that plugs into the camera and the audio is perfect, we can’t hear anything around us and we can only hear the interviewee and everything he says. The audio is really clear and isn’t muffled and when he moves it doesn’t pick it up.

I will have Cutaways over this interview of the music scene so the audience will know what is being spoken about like Mathew Street, Seel Street, and other music bars and venues. I will also use archival footage over the interview rather than just having the interview alone.

These are the questions I asked Paul, he gave some information on what he does and who he is so the audience know who he is and why he is in this part of the documentary. I asked him to give some history and the background of the music in Liverpool then about mersey beat, skiffle groups and the effect music has had on the city. I would ask follow up questions to a previous answer if I wanted to know more. The interview lasted longer than I had intended because of the follow up questions but they will explain a lot more in the documentary. I need to go out and get some shots to go over his interview mainly Mathew Street because he speaks a lot about that part of town and with that being part of Liverpool’s biggest music scenes.

I got my ideas for the questions I asked Paul from when I did my research on the music culture in the city in my Music of the City blog. I used all the information I got and what I already knew and what I needed to know the most and put them into questions and then when it comes to editing I will cut it down and put the most crucial information in it.

I had Paul sign a contributor release form which is a form that the contributors have to sign giving their permission to star in my production. I got Paul to sign it to show that I have had his permission to use him in my work. The location release form I got him to sign as well as we filmed in Frank’s home and had him sign it for his permission to film there.

    

Today, I interviewed my main interviewee, Frank Carlyle who is the historian who gives the background information on the docks and the regeneration projects in Liverpool.

I set up the camera next to the light so it was facing the interviewee, the shot was a mid shot of him which is the most common shot in these types of interviews. we set the microphone by clipping it onto his t shirt so the audio was loud and clear. I got the background in as well which was many pictures of Liverpool which suits the interview and the documentary perfectly as it is on the culture of Liverpool.

I got my question ideas from my research and from also doing a Focus Group with Frank about an hour before filming. We came up with the questions when we discussed the topics from my research and decided to focus on the history of the docks and also the regeneration projects within the city but I have discussed in my focus group blog.

The first question I asked was ‘why did the Albert Dock opened in 1846’ which is what the documentary will open with as it is probably one of the most iconic places in Liverpool and I wanted to give information out on why the docks were built and the purpose.

I then asked what role did the docks play in the war, I wanted to know this because I want the audience to know the reason behind the docks and that they played other roles as well as just the trade with the rest of there world.

I then went on to asking about the benefits for the city since the docks were developed which I wanted to know because I wanted some of the good things about Liverpool and the benefits of the city rather than just having history on it.

I asked about the regeneration of Liverpool One, I wanted this because I know it was the most successful project in the city and I wanted to also know what the benefits of the city was since the project.

I then asked the last question which was about the regeneration of Anfield and how the project benefited the city and the residents. I asked this last because I will then go onto my next interview which is a family member of mine who lived in Anfield and grew up there and what it was like and the conditions they had to live in.

The questions I had wrote to ask Frank were all influenced by the research I had done on the docks and the history and how they are today. I also got the question ideas when asking about the different regeneration projects in the city from the research I did on Liverpool One regeneration and the Anfield Project in Regeneration of Liverpool.

Today, I went into Liverpool City Centre and got some practise shots of the city for my cutaways so when I go back I will know what I want to get footage of and choose what shot is the best for me.

The first shot I got was in Liverpool One where I will talk about in the documentary. The interviewee will talk about the Regeneration of Liverpool and I want to get a shot looking down at the people who are walking around shopping and use it over the voice over. I will be getting more shots of this area including Chavasse Park, the shops and the restaurants. I will also have to use archive of Liverpool One before the regeneration.

 

I then went over by the M&S Bank Arena and got a shot of that so I knew exactly how I wanted the shot. There will be a section on the Music of the City and the Echo Arena will be mentioned so I know I will have to get some shots of that to put over the person speaking.

I took these shots so I knew exactly what types of shots I wanted to get of certain areas and why I needed them. I used my research on what I needed to get for when I am doing my proper shots for it.