Live Presentation Lecture - Production Design

Staging Your Production

• Just as a stage production will need a set and props, so will the studio production.
• Transforming it from a grey shell into whatever world we are creating
• There are a number of external people that we will be working with.

Sets/Props/Costumes

• Often freelancers
• Production team will work alongside them
• Companies pitch ideas to be commissioned

Collaborative Working

• How do you work with them?
• What can they offer?
• Getting the best out of them
• Briefings

Who are they?

• Set designers
• Costume designers
• Prop designers
• Music (Andrew)
• Graphics (Simon)
• Promos (Promo Team)

Choosing Your Creatives

• Find someone with the right expertise
• Bring a clear idea of what you want out of them
• Spend time making sure the style is the same throughout
• Timescale/budget/genre/content/number of contributors/size of production

Commisioning Them

• Our promos team and UCA Rochester, design for theatre, film and performance
• Get inspo from existing work and what is on TV
• For music, make sure there is no problem with copyright

Working Relationship

• Set clear deadlines from the outset
• Monitor the progress of the work
• Communication is essential
• Managing work schedule
• Allow people their own creative freedom

Audience and The Set

• Staging and camera positions are important to know well in advance
• Practicalities on set
• Look at examples to give you a sense of what is possible

HD vs 2D

• HD makes it more important that the set is done well as you can see every little detail 

Lighting 

• Directors will need to create a lighting plan
• More than functional, consider gels, mood enhancing etc
• Fully certified electricians will rig the lights - They need a lot of INFO
• Make sure lighting is dictated by decision
• Must be worked out in rehearsals

Rehearsals

• Important that the project is: sustainable, fits duration, work on studio camera, be well lit
• In order to know it goes to plan, rehearsals are key.

Schedules and Deadlines

• Must be managed well by the production team

Paperwork

• Schedules
• Call sheets
• Contact Lists
• Risk Assessments
• Camera Cards
• Shot Lists
• Scrips
• Running Order
• Floor and Seating Plans

Production Style 

• Must make sure that all the elements match the "Style Bible". Will make us look unified
• Branding is always Key

Visual Style and Programme Tone

• Research into current shows that we may want to mimic
• Needs to be consistent throughout the whole programme 
• Agree on this style early on with Producer and Director