VT Shoot Day 2 - Esty Seller 27/03/2018

Today was the second and final shoot day for our two VT's. This was an interview with an Etsy (Online clothes shop) seller. The premise of the interview/tutorial is to have the seller talk about herself for a little and then show how she makes an item for her store.

We met Conor at the studios and we then headed to the contributor's house. We arrived promptly at 10am and got to setting up the equipment. Sadly the director George Wing could not make the shoot but he prepared a comprehensive list of shots and ideas. He sent us a video he would like us to take inspiration from. We had a look the night prior and agreed we could follow this well in the interview.

In the last photoshoot VT, I did not get as much time on the camera as I would have liked so I made sure that today I did everything possible to do with the cameras.

We had a two camera setup. One was mainly getting a wide shot which we left to keep rolling or Alex Hargood or George would occasionally change its position. As we did have two cameras we needed to make sure that where getting the same pictures (colours, skin tones etc) so we spent a little time making sure they looked the same so that in the edit Alex would have to spend less time messing around with colour correcting.

My camera was the main camera for getting the cutaway shots as they are very important for this shoot to get great stuff that will be needed to keep the energy up in the edit.

The interviewee was really great for this shoot, she was charismatic and relatable meaning I think the viewers will make an instant connection with her. the will also realise what she does for her child really amazing. (She makes these online clothes to pay for speech therapy for her son who has learning difficulties) 

The interview segment ran smoothly with Conor asking the questions, Alex.H on sound and George.N on the camera. I managed to get good shots that we can cutaway from, including extreme close-ups and shots of her hands moving etc. These are all shots Alex.H can edit in when she is talking to make it feel as much like a professional interview as possible. George Wing mentioned the previous day that we need to get as many cutaways as possible, I made sure we did this today!

The interview was pretty simple, however, the DIY making a shirt was a harder ordeal to film. We still stuck with the same premise of one camera getting a wide that was monitored by George.N and Alex.H. I was getting the main cutaway shots. For the making of the shirt, this would include the needle, the sewing machine moving, close-ups of the shirt and so on. I just wanted to make sure Alex had every opportunity possible in the edit.

It has certainly been something that I learned in my previous couple of units, getting loads of coverage is never a bad thing. It may take slightly longer to edit with the abundance of clips, but I think the huge choice of clips will mean the edit looks really nice!

We did slightly crab the camera from left to right to enable that we got the "cleanest" shot of whatever we were trying to focus on. I made sure to take a little control of what I wanted to shoot and bring up my idea of what I wanted to do. As George the director could not make it today, Alex and I took control of the on-site directing as we needed to make sure that the footage we got was of good standard and stuff we can be proud of.

Even though the making of the shirt was no the quickest process, I made sure to be attentive at all times, thinking of possible new shots that I had not covered before. Doing this enabled me to get shots I may have not got if I just stood there from behind the camera waiting for someone else to suggest something. Examples of these are close-ups of the interviewee when she is making the clothes as well as shots like her hands moving and placing parts of the shirt down. If needed I did ask the interviewee to do something again to make sure I got the shot I wanted. A shot that took a lot of time to get was her pinning the shirt together. This was because I would frame something up and then she would move her hands slightly meaning my framing was bad! However, I learned from it and eventually got some really nice takes of this and I hope they make it into the edit!

Throughout the day we made sure we got every angle, wide, medium, close-ups and that means when Alex comes to edit he will have a lot of choice in what to use. I think today was a big success because even without a director we managed to film some really nice shots and ones that right away we knew would work incredibly well in the edit. 

One thing George wanted but we could not do as the interviewee did not want to film was a shot from outside her house, introducing the segment. Alex.H said we could use some footage from one of his previous units to fill this gap. Overall, it was a great day, we acted and recorded professionally and I think we achived some very high quality shots that will look really nice when it is edited all together! We worked really well as a team once again and I am now excited to focus soley on the studio camera operations for this unit!

VT Research - Interviewing a DIY Seller

Tomorrow is our second and final shoot day with our DIY expert Bonnie. She will be talking to us about her story and why she got into creating and selling her own clothes. However, before we went to record this photoshoot I wanted to understand what are the best ways to record an interview like this. I had recorded interviews for university projects before, but they had been a little less prepared for in terms of camera set up time. We would have a good amount of time to set up lighting and cameras before we started, so I wanted to understand how to record a "proper" interview.

Like anything it seems nowadays, a few clicks on YouTube will find you a professional video on how to do something technical! That was the case once again. I feel like my knowledge of shooting factual content like interviews is pretty good as it's my favourite genre of filming styles. However, I always love to learn more and this video taught me a few details I had not focused on as clearly in the past.

At 0:32 the video gave useful information about using the setting to tell the story. I know the director, George W cannot make this shoot so I will have to make my own directorial decisions on the shoot day. I did not mind this - Actually I did enjoy the idea I may get some of my own shots featured so I took the challenge with open arms. Anyway, back to the point... Using the background to set the scene of the interview will be important. From what the group has told me she may have a colourful background to her design area. This would be great to capitalise on as colour is a great way to express yourself and I think if we can capture Bonnie with her backgrounds it would give a great sense to who she is.

The style of the interview is different to ones I have previously filmed, which will be a challenge at first. In all but one of the interviews I have shot so far, there are two people on screen during the interview. In this interview, Bonnie will be answering the questions that are asked from behind the camera. We think either George.N or Conor will ask the questions. These questions will not be used on tape but are more of a hint to Bonnie as to what to speak about. Knowing this, I think that we will set up the shot with Bonnie right of the frame and an object on the left of the frame. (could be a sewing machine or some wool... Something that makes it look like she makes clothes) I will, of course, consult the editor and what he would want to work with within the edit.

Conor had booked out two cameras for this shoot which was great as it would give us the opportunity to get as many coverage shots as possible. However, this does make it harder to set up the cameras as you want the cameras to match as you don't want the editor to waste time in the edit colour correcting. When we get to the location tomorrow we will set aside some extra time to make sure that the cameras look exactly the same on screen. I am sure this will not be an issue as we will have two cameras which are exactly the same but we will want to make sure as it will save time later on in the project.

Coverage is a big issue that was stressed throughout the previous factual units in university and I feel I always did a good job in making sure I lots of it.

"It is one of the director’s tasks to create a shot list, and thus define how the coverage will be. Before principal photography starts, the director should know where the camera will be and what or who it will shoot. A movie with poor coverage always feels awkward, for it usually impedes the editor from accomplishing the much praised invisible editing." (elements of cinema, 2017)

Thanks to two cameras we will have that opportunity this time by but making sure we shoot the right thing is also important. We know that Bonnie will talk to the camera first and then do a demonstration on how she makes the items that she sells. For the cutaways as a whole, I want to make sure I get extreme close-ups of things like the sewing machine needle and the ball of string as well as possible items like clips and even the basic materials. As I mentioned we have two cameras so getting all of these shots will not be a problem but I assume we will have one camera set up looking at Bonnie while another camera gets all the cutaway shots. If this is the case I will take control of the camera that gets the cutaways as I have the best idea of what will be needed, that is through my research and also as I am the camera operator. I will make sure to understand what the editor wants as well as he may see a great shot that may work in editing. We will work together to form a director in the absence of our actual director.

Even though the sound is not my dedicated role I will work with Alex H who is also the sound man to understand what will be best for the situation.

"Bad audio can ruin even the best video. Consumers of online video recognize subpar sound almost instantly. Like a typo in an article, loud background noise and fuzzy voices suggest inexperience and distract from your message.

The area you shoot in can make a huge difference! The saying "fix it in post" doesn't really apply to audio. It's extremely tough to remove ambient noise from a recording after the fact. Save yourself the aggravation and capture the best possible sounding audio during production.
When you're setting up for your shoot:

• Pick a space without loud ambient noises.
• Steer clear of air conditioning units, generators, traffic noise, and anything else that creates a hum.
• Try to find a shoot location that allows you to control ambient noise.
• If you're shooting in your office, make sure you warn the folks in the background that you may need to "pull a Spielberg" and ask them firmly to be quiet!
• Deaden room reverberation by taping blankets to the walls. You could also invest in acoustic panels that help remove room reverberation." (wista, 2016)

There are a few possible options for the interview. One being the clip mic, one being a shotgun mic on top of the camera and one being a boom pole. Assuming the area is relatively quiet we would probably not use the clip mic as it has an on-screen presence and sometimes makes it look too serious. I think the best option would be the boom pole as unlike the photoshoot VT, we need great audio for this one.

To conclude, I think our biggest issue tomorrow is collecting enough coverage of all the going on in the scene. There will be a PTC which we will shoot on both cameras, I'm thinking on slighting off centre as a wide and another a close up of her face from a 60-degree angle which would have Bonnie looking to the left of the frame. This would be great for cutaways as the close-up especially would be good for its depth of field.

As for the cutaways in the DIY segment, I think we should have one camera always focusing on getting close-ups of what she is doing. This may be hard to do in one take so we may have to take a second try at some just to make sure we get the right shot. I know she will understand as she seems like a really nice person from all I have been told. Cutaways in this DIY segment would focus on the goings on but we may want shots like the foot pedal as well if it may fit. The static camera would get a wide shot of all that is going on as that would be useful if I am mid-move when she does something important. Overall, I am looking forward to getting this final VT Shot. I think we know what we are doing and even without a director we should be fine getting all the shots needed for this to be a great segment.

Bibliography

B and H, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FElRjwAeiRw
accessed ON 26th March 2018



elements of cinema, 2017
http://www.elementsofcinema.com/directing/coverage.html
accessed ON 26th March 2018

Wista, 2016
https://wistia.com/library/choosing-a-microphone
accessed ON 26th March 2018

Production Meeting- 23rd March 2018

Production Meeting- 23rd March 2018

-Script needs to go to the presenters ASAP

VT-

- Callum's VT- Presenter Challenge and Online Fails- all filmed, fine cut ready for the 10th.

- Conor’s VT- old to new- fine cut; Etsy VT filming next tuesday- fine cut ready for the 10th.

Music-

• Andrew: rough cuts of catwalk music on the google drive.

Promo-

• Titles and trailer shoot
• Need a reshoot date

Audience-  @ 61 out of 100

Models- Buy bigger sizes for the models

Set-

• Pick up the set the night before,8-5 set rig
• Behind the scenes- get UCA snapchat/ instagram
• Call sheet- after the 10th
• In ears- need 2

Transition Unit: Initial Ideas

We have recently started our transition unit and we have come up with a few possible ideas for content we would create for this unit. I am hoping to be the director of this unit and I seem to be working with Cailan who says he would like to work as an editor. We wanted a project that would challenge us in our roles. I was unopposed to which topics we would cover but I did say to Cailan that I do not want to do fiction, I would like to do a news or documentary piece.

• Idea 1: Drug Cheats in sports documentary: I had been recently watching shows on Netflix like "ICARUS" and "STOP AT NOTHING", both of which follow ideas of how people have cheated in their profession. I thought this would be a really solid subject to follow as there are strong leads for stories. I think this idea would have allowed me to be very creative with my directing and likewise with Cailan's edit. However, after talking through this idea with Simon, I quickly understood while it was a good idea, it may be hard to create for this project. Simon mentioned that this subject may not give as much freedom to explore a different story. The main problem with this idea was that there was no new and relevant topic we could use. We would have to follow the same idea as in these documentaries and that would not work with the project brief. After talking to Cailan we both agreed this would not be a topic we should follow up. It was something possibly to bear in mind for the future, but not now.  
• Idea 2: Sky Sports F1 Interview segment: As a massive motorsports fan a topic I wanted to follow up on my 3rd-year project was a documentary about motorsport. Something I thought we could realistically complete in this time frame was a driver interview, possibly at a lower-end motorsport series. We would then follow the ideals that Sky use in their interviews. This is something that I feel I would be very comfortable in completing as I had already previously done similar work for personal projects. This subject would enable me to film a subject matter that I am truly invested in and I feel that I could be unique in my filming style. I showed examples of possible interview styles to Cailan and he agreed that this could be a challenge we could take on. It would enable both of us to fulfil our role and it would work well to complete the project brief. This would also work well because Simon previously mentioned not to complete a one-off documentary or episode as they will be hard to replicate as they do not have a "style". I knew that Sky F1 always had a set of ideas that were used in every interview and that would be easier to replicate.
• Idea 3: Top Gear Car Segment: In a previous unit we had completed a car show which looked really professional and we had an idea noted that we could have this as an option for this unit as well. The style of Top Gear segment that we would replicate would be one where a presenter reviews a car and then we film the cutaways. I liked this idea but was not that fond of completing another subject in the same year that was very similar. It would be easy to change the story in this instance as we would just get a different car, but I feel it would be less of a challenge than the others. Top Gear and Grand Tour both follow a very specific set of shots which may make it hard for me to bring my own style into it. After speaking with Cailan we agreed this would be an interesting subject, but one where we may struggle to bring our own creative decisions into. 
• Idea 4: VOX Documentary: Vox is an internet Youtube Channel which dedicates itself to creating factual content in an academic way. Vox covers a wide amount of subjects under various series titles which are all of interest. I bought this idea to Cailan's attention as we both watch a lot of internet videos and this would give us more creative freedom than that of a regular TV show or even on Netflix. With there being fewer boundaries online, we could push our own creativity on a project and it would be accepted by the online audiences. From watching a lot of Vox created content I think I would take this on as a great challenge as a lot of their projects is shot in a very minimalist way. It grabs the audience's attention and I feel that would be a great challenge that I could try and overcome. There is also room for freedom in the subject, as we could follow the guidelines from a specific series but change the topic matter. I think this would also be interesting for Cailan as there is a chance to have a load of graphics and charts on the screen which would challenge his editing abilities. 

After further contact with course leader Simon, I fully understood what style we should go down. After understanding how our show would have to be unique, I noted how we could do it.

Documentary Format -> Doc Strand -> Within That Strand is the story -> Finally the distinct approach from that series. 

In our case, especially if we go down the Vox route which seems most likely, we will be changing the subject matter rather than a distinct way of filming. Vox especially has a rigid format which is still adapted for most episodes, but it has a stylistic approach that we can base our studies off of. I personally am most interested in the Vox idea even though I have a passion for the motorsport idea. I feel we need to come up with a solid story that we can work with and are both interested in before we commit to it. We will be chatting more over the next few days and should have made a decision soon. There is a chance we could have found some new ideas or topics, but they will be noted in another blog post. 

Live Production - Rehearsals Day 2 (20/03/2018)

Today was the second day of practising our live production, this time with our actual presenters.

After Fergus's suggestion last week, I decided to get in early this week and get my camera set up before 10am. I was the only person to do this and I was happy to have my camera all ready before we were due to start.

Being early also gave me an opportunity to understand my camera position as much as possible before we started filming. Even without direction from the directors I realised that I would be focusing on the two chairs on the left of the set.

I knew my camera would love now and again through the show but the time I Had while everyone else was setting up was useful to go through the script and circle the parts of the scripts where my camera would be used.

We started shooting at around 10:30am with the two presenters being very natural in front of camera. I was happy with my camerawork and I realised after some changing from the director that I would be having the opening shot of the show. This was a lot of pressure, but one I am excited to undertake.

It should also be noted that my fellow camera operator on camera 4, Cailan, called in sick meaning that I had to operate my camera for the whole day. I actually enjoyed this a lot as I got a chance to try parts of the show that I may not actually film on the actual take. It gives me the experience for the live show in case Cailan falls ill come the day of the actual shoot.

I am just worried that Cailan has lost a lot of camera time but I will do my best to teach Cailan all that I learned this week in terms of camera positions and framing etc.

The directors were a lot more natural with their directions to the camera crew today and that eases the nerves when on the floor. I have now marked a lot of what was stated by the directors on my draft script so that next week I have a great idea of what the camera will be needed to do in each section of the show.

As there are 5 cameras for this show it does mean that a lot of the time where are large portions of time when the camera we are on is not being used. In this time I am starting to learn that you need to get your next shot planned and ready before the director next calls for your camera. This should also ease the nerves of the director as the shots will already be lined up for when they are needed.

Today was once again a great learning experience. I now know much more about the script and where my camera will be located in each segment of the show. We still have a lot of learning to do for the actual show, but Del said we all did a good job today and acted very professional with the presenters.

I liked that the presenters understood that we were still learning and really understood when the directors called for a cut half way through a take. Overall today we did a great job on the floor and I  really started  to ease into my role and I feel a lot more confident with the camera in a studio environment than I was 2 weeks ago.

The only problem is that we have nearly a three week break before our next rehearsal and we hope that the actual set will be ready soon as we can finally visualise where the cameras will work when they are ready. I am really excited for this unit and now that I am fully focused on my role I feel I am learning at a really quick rate.

Old To New Photoshoot VT - SHOOT DAY

The old to new photoshoot is going to be a montage-style sequence with period music as the backing track. The idea for this photo shoot was to get a mixture of shots for each of the four styles in which Alex.H will edit together a 2-minute sequence. Each outfit would work out at 23 seconds of footage with 7 seconds of transitions between each clip. 

As with the studio, I am the camera operator for VT which meant I was in charge of rigging the camera, tripod and sound and then getting the shots that George.W had planned. I enjoy getting the camera set up and getting the perfect shot but we were rushed due to only having three hours of shoot time in the project area. This meant in reality, we would have about 30 minutes for each photo shoot as we would have time for rigging and de-rigging as well as changing set. We set up within 20 minutes and Alex.H checked the sound on the camera before we started shooting just in case it may come in handy.

We had three large tungsten lights set up for our lighting which created a really nice backdrop. The photoshoot looked professional as well, with one of Conor's friends standing in as a photographer. This added to the whole shoot as it looks like there is a reason for the model posing to the camera instead of just posing for the camera which would have looked a lot worse.

The project space was not the largest but we did the best with what we could get. We had a nice (if slightly dirty) background in which the models would be modelling in front of. The area also had some nice props which we ended up using eg. Stall, Heater which gave us more of an interesting backdrop than just a wall. Conor had also sourced such things as a record player meaning that the props would keep with the era themes that we were filming.

George was really good as a director as he constantly had the shot he wanted on his iPad as well as having a good idea in his head what this would look like. This means that even though I was setting up the majority of the shots, I would ask George if he liked it as well. I did also use my initiative for times when George was thinking about how to plan shots, by filming some shots that I think would be useful for cutaway shots if needed in the edit.

As Alex.H did not have anything to do after he checked the audio levels and quality, I decided it would be fair to give him the opportunity to film some shots for the piece as he was editing and may have some ideas for good shots that I may have not got. Of course, I would have loved to have been able to do the whole shoot myself, but I didn't feel right hogging the camera when others had a creative vision as well. I still shot the vast majority of the shoot, but I think a change of operator for a few minutes would be good for the edit if there where shots Alex.H could think of, that George and I couldn't think of. 

To make sure the four photoshoots where different, we decided to change the set design between each model. This was a good idea because then we would have a nice variety of backgrounds for each segment. I particularly liked the last one we did for the 90's segment. We had the projector playing with some 90's content playing but we used the blur on the projector to avoid any copyright problems.

I knew we were tight on time and George.W had a lot of shots to get through, but I was constantly making sure that the camera settings were correct. White balance was constant but sometimes I had to let more light into the camera depending on how many tungsten lights we had on.

We de-rigged quickly and efficiently before our cut off point of midday and had around 10 minutes to spare. The models and photographers acted in a very professional manner even though all of them were novices in the roles they had been put in. I hope this was easy for them as all of us operated professionally but also friendly so that we eased the pressure on them in something they had never done before.

I feel like we worked really well as a team because we did not have any problems with the filming, the only thing was the time pressure which we dealt with really well. We got all the shots that were on George.W's shot list as well as capturing other great angles to make sure we had the coverage for the 2 minute segment. As with my previous projects, I feel you should always shoot way more footage than needed so we do not need to worry about the edit. 

Overall I was really pleased with the whole shoot day. It was really well organised by Conor.D and George.W gave really clear indications about what shots he wanted. I feel like I did a good job with the camera capturing the shots that I was asked to do as well as using my initiative in getting extra shots to make sure we had coverage. I think giving Alex.H the camera for a few minutes will give us variety in the edit, in which his main VT role starts. George.N took some great pictures for the blog as he did not have much else to do as he was mostly involved in planning the VT. He was very helpful when rigging and de-rigging and moving equipment. I feel considering the short time we had in the project space, we optimised it fully and it will look great in the edit. 

Filming Photoshoots - VT Research

Before filming our Photoshoot at UCA Rochester I wanted to understand how the professional's film photoshoots, and hopefully pick up a few tips about what coverage shots may be needed to ensure the piece is as good as possible.

Our shoot is almost replicating a "Behind The Scenes" style where you can often see the photographer in the shot and a lot of the time the model is focused on the photographer and not the video camera. The first photo shoot I found that I thought to be relevant was this one by Kurt Von

(Kurt Von, 2016)

This photoshoot is relevant because of the shots more than what is being talked about in the video. The video focuses more on the technicals of the photographer but I was more interested in what the Videographer was creating. 

The first thing I noticed was that lighting was incredibly important, even for the videographer. A lot of the scenes in this video are dark and grungey and we will have a few scenes in our photoshoot which will be similar to this. 

"The Importance of light in Photography. Lighting is a key factor in creating a successful image. ... Therefore it is necessary to control and manipulate light correctly in order to get the best texture, vibrancy of colour and luminosity on your subjects." (Shaw Acadamey, 2015) 

It was important to understand this as the lighting that the photographer will want, will set the "vibe" for the video at the same time. George Wing is still preparing the shot list and data for our photoshoot as we speak but I do know there will be four-time eras and the video style will change between each one. The lighting will be important in differentiating between the eras. From a Camera Operating point of view, I will have to adjust my camera on the day to the ever-changing lighting conditions. I will have to open the iris is we have a dark scene. The white balance will also be an issue if we change between multiple styles. I will liaise with the editor, Alex Hargood, on the day so we can make sure he has to do as little colour grading as possible. 

Going back to the Youtube video - Something as a camera operator that was important to understand was the use of movement of the camera. This Behind the scenes video has a mixture of static and moving shots. I wanted to understand why this was. 

"Studies of visual perception show that observer motion provides perspective changes that make information available about the environment. This study tested the hypothesis that television camera movement supplies similar information. Fixed and moving‐camera videotaped versions of a scene were shown to 92 adult participants. Results indicated that moving‐camera viewers better understood and remembered the physical properties of the scene. These findings indicate that the moving camera could benefit productions where knowledge of the environment is important."

Understanding this was incredibly important as I knew now that was would have four time periods in our Photoshoot, we would need camera movement to understand the set and the little details we would have added in. However, upon further reflection, I realise that I will not be in control of the scripted shots as that is the director's Job. If the director decided to let me create some of my own shots I will, of course, take the opportunity to create some movement shots in this project. I will relay any information I deem relevant to the director before the photo shoot so he can include some of my research in the plans. However, I understand my role as a camera operator does not include create all the shot sizes and types so that will be upon the director to ask me what he thinks is best to film. Understanding this research, however, gives me a much better understanding of why camera movement is used even in a scene like a photoshoot. If I get the opportunity to, I will make sure there are at least some relevant shots with movement in the final piece.

Further research led me to this photoshoot of Jackets. I understand the "vibe" of this and our show are slightly different but I think the use of the camera in this video is important and I learned a lot from watching it.

 (BTS Mic Drop, 2017)

The use of the camera in this video is really superb. The use of the slow reveal with the movement of the camera is important as, like previously mentioned, it shows off more of the detail up close. I also really liked the mixture of shot sizes in this video. 

"What really differentiates movies from plays is the way filmmakers manipulate the audience’s field of view. In theater, the audience is in a “wide shot,” always looking at the entire stage and all the actors on it. They are free to look wherever they want. In cinema, however, the filmmaker directs what the public sees and how. While a long shot can show a vast vista of Mount Everest, an extreme close-up can show the silent despair of a child learning that his mother has passed away. These different shots make up the fabric of visual storytelling." (Elements of cinema, 2014)

By changing the shot sizes it gives the viewers different understanding of the scene. I am assuming George will direct a wide opening shot to set the scene of each of the four eras of the photoshoot, and then go into more detail of the outfit. For the closer images, it would be worth mixing up Medium shots, Close-ups and even Extreme close-ups could be used in this photoshoot. I think it is vital to get a variety of shot sizes otherwise the pace of the photoshoot will seem the same throughout. We may even have an era where the background is as important as the actual model and what is being worn so in that instance we would stay on wider shots as that we would be apart of the theme from that era. If the background is plain or not as relevant we would stay with close up shots as there is no point including a background that is not worth showing. I think a mixture of shot sizes will also give the editor, Alex Hargood, a better selection of clips to edit. It will mean that it is not that same shot essentially over and over for 2 minutes. I will relay any feedback or relevant information to the group so we can go into the photo shoot with the best knowledge possible.

It has been really interesting to understand why photo shoots are filmed the way they are. We will be filming in a few days time so I hope to receive the shot list from the director as well as any storyboards as then I can get to work on planning what I will exactly need to do. If I do not recieve any scripts it may hurt my preparation for the shotshoot, but I hope ti does not get to that stage.

Bibliography

Kurt Von, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClKu3B8souI
Accessed on 14th March 2018

Shaw Acadamy, 2015
http://www.shawacademy.com/blog/light-in-photography/
Accessed on 14th March 2018\

Phillip Kipper, 2009
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08838158609386625
Accessed on 14th March 2018

BTS Mic Drop, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LitrlMiawpw

Accessed on 14th March 2018

Elements of cinema, 2014
http://www.elementsofcinema.com/cinematography/framing-shot-sizes/

Accessed on 14th March 2018

Live Production - Rehearsals Day 1 (13/03/2018)

Today was Day 1 of rehearsals for our live TV studio production. We got in around 15 minutes before the day was supposed to start, however, we were then told we needed to be in early each day to rig cameras. This was fine with me but some prior warning of this would have helped ease the nerves! 

One thing that seems to be a constant problem with the rigging is the cables that send the TV feed through to the gallery and beyond! Sadly I had never properly been told how to set it up and everyone I asked seemed to be unsure as well. This led to some of the Maidstone TV Studio staff having to help some of us get the cameras working properly. 

After rigging the cameras we then set up a mock set with marking tape showing the edge of the set as well as the catwalk and main stage. After getting on talkback and being ready to film both Cailan and I (we shared a camera today) followed the directors lead. Del released our camera had been located in a very strange position, right in the middle of the set, we remarked we had said the same thing and he suggested we wait for the directors to realise before we did anything. It was a way for the directors to be able to visualise that this position would not work. 

I took control of the first run-throughs and we did not get that far in the script. I realise it is very very hard for the directors to call shots and direct shots when they had only just been able to visualise the set moments before going live. We had a lot of short takes were either the director was struggling to get the right shot or the on-screen talent took slightly longer than expected or messed up words. At the time it may have been frustrating for everyone, but it was a good learning experience for everyone to know what the actual pace of the show will be.

As I am one of the studio camera operators, today was important for us to learn how to adapt to the changing of locations on the studio floor. There would often be a quick change from one side of the set to the other to get the correct angle of either the runway or the main sofa section. I thought it was important that even though I was only designated to work in part B of the show, that I lean both parts of the show in case my fellow camera operator falls ill near the shoot and cannot make Part A.

Today Cailan and I also helped each other with details like who is coming up next on screen. This is something that by the actual show we would have learned, but for now, it was really useful having the person who was not filming give tips and hinters of what may be called for next. I knew, from directing and practising before, That getting a shot ready or giving the director options is very helpful. I will always be looking for ways to help the person who is above me job's easier. In this case, this will be lining up shots ASAP for the director.

For this reason, Cailan and I switched about pretty frequently throughout the day so we both got a good an idea of each stage of the show. Even though we only managed around three pages of the first part of the show and five of part B, I feel like this was an experience we really needed as we could learn what works and what does not. 

After putting in a real audience and working out the logistics of where all the cameras could possibly go, we had some good takes and ones that would prove very valuable. I am personally still getting to the talkback system. I know there will be a lot of different voices going on at the same time, but the problem so far was the audio levels. One person would be really loud and drown out the other. This is something that will need to be perfect before we go live as we will need to know all information on the floor. 

I think we all worked well as a team today. When someone needed help there was always enough of us to change roles and help one another. I think that is one of the biggest things we need to achieve in this project, and that is fluid teamwork. Of course, we are settling into our roles and there is pressure to get that right firstly, but we are all treating each other with respect and filling in when need be.

We will be getting the actors in next week so there will be pressure to act in the most professional way possible as well as making sure we achieve more of the script that we did this week. The actors should, however, be better with their lines that us who are just filling in. It may have seemed like a rocky start as we did not get that far through the script, but in reality, we learned a lot today which was very important.

The most important thing today was giving everyone a good run in their role for this unit. I think that was achieved and for Cailan and me, I feel like it was a pretty smooth day. We focussed on what the director wanted and when needed our shots where ready which was important. Of course the directors will get up to speed and ask for shots quicker, but for now, we are all learning and things will only improve. It was a successful day and I am really enjoying these workshops and rehearsals as I enjoy the pressure of getting something done in time!

Project Brief - Transition

• What do you want to do as a role
• What kind of TV do you want to produce 
• NOT choosing a project you will do in the 3rd year - you are ONLY choosing your role and the video output
• Have to chose a source material and reimagine it

Possible Examples

• As a team, YOUR ROLE - Output: Essentially produce a 2/3 min short film
• As an individual, WRITER - Output: Script of 10-20 Pages

Critical Research

• Must demonstrate a critical understanding of your chosen skill set and format
• Must be demonstrated through the online blog with relevant research

Delivery Format

• The most appropriate form of delivery of this project is a dedicated website
• Include final project as well as relevant research information

Bring TWO Ideas to one-to-one sessions on 19th or 22nd.

Possible Source Material

• Grand Prix Driver on Amazon
• Journey To Le Mans

As Live Studio Production - Learning ALL The Roles! 06/03/2018 Workshop

Sadly I missed the last workshop with Del as I had the flu and could not come in, so I knew today was a good opportunity to get hands-on in my role as well as understanding the pressures everyone else will be going through.

Camera Operations:
This was the role I wanted to do most as I had missed the last session due to my illness. This is my role in the studio segment of the show. After rigging the camera, I got on really well with the equipment and I started on the track for my first attempt. I enjoyed using this, but it did get tedious after a few slides left and right. I know this was not a proper shoot and it was only practice, but I feel that I could have done better with this test run and gotten more from it.

I then had a number of runs on the other various cameras we had. We had four cameras in total and I managed to get a go on all of the angels. We all used the talkback devices which I'll talk more about later, but something I was doing to help the director was constantly getting new shots framed up when my camera was not on air. This meant that the director didn't have to ask me to change the framing as I was doing this already. I actually felt good that I had picked up this right away as I could see that it was helping the director. The director on those takes also mentioned it later which was nice!

As for the talkback.... I was dreading this, as I had mentioned in an earlier post. However, after a few runs of being the camera operator and having this talkback, it did start o feel natural. Even though some people shouted through it and others where softer, you could generally adjust the device to something that was not too overbearing and not too quiet.

It will still take some getting used to, but the talkback runs have calmed my nerves somewhat. That was one of my biggest worries going into camera operations and I am glad that I know this early it's not as scary as it looks!

Being Talent:

Now I have never coped well with being on camera with a large group of people around, but over the last few months and last few projects in which I have presented, my nerves have somewhat calmed. I know this is a role that nobody will be doing come to the actual show, but it is useful to know what help they may need come shoot day. As soon as the camera comes on, everyone else is focusing on their jobs so in reality, there I nothing as a presenter you can do apart from doing your best. While making up subjects for this practice was tough and somewhat awkward to get a proper conversation going. I feel like this gave me a better understanding of the pressures of being a presenter, and the do's and dont's!

Floor Manager:

I only had one go as the floor manager, and that was shared with George Nicholls who will actually be a floor manager on the day of the recording so I wanted to make sure I didn't get too much in his way. I didn't particularly fit this role as I am not really a loud person, but I gave it a go and it gave me an understanding of what George and Sonia will be doing on the actual shoot. I realised you need clear and precise information from the director and the PA to be a successful floor manager. I do not envy this role as there is a lot of pressure of making sure all is communicated clearly to the floor. I think the two-floor managers will work really well in this role. Even though personally, I wasn't very good at it. This opportunity gave me an idea of what will be going through their heads on an actual day. I know there will be a lot of talking through the headsets and they will have to do their best to communicate that to all on the floor.

Camera Assistant:

There was not too much to this role in the test shoots as all I ever did was hold the camera wires while the tracks were being used. However, in camera set up, it was important to work together as we had two people setting up one camera. I didn't find it useful that Connor wouldn't let me look at the camera for a while as he wanted to figure it out. Once I talked to Ferg and someone else on the floor, to I managed to get the camera in the right settings. This experience will help me on an actual day as I think Jason and I will be on a camera together so it will be important to learn who will be doing what in the camera set up phase especially. Come to the shoot it would be mostly monitoring wires and also battery levels etc.


VT Operator:

Into the gallery, and for this test shoot the VT operator basically had to press the space bar on a keyboard to get the VT Intro clip to play at the start of the show. This in itself was not hard, but I know come to the actual shoot there will be many more clips and timings will be very important to get right. It was hard to appreciate this job in this scenario, but I know come the actual shoot day there will be a lot of pressure on the VT's playing correctly and on time.

Vision Mixer:

For me, this was my favourite job if the. Making sure I cued and cut the clips at the right time was a lot of pressure but at the same time was very rewarding. I had not done this in the last session as I was ill. Without sounding too smug, I did manage to get used to it rather quickly. It may just look like pushing some buttons, but listening to the director and waiting for the correct times to change was a lot of pressure, even in a test run. Making sure to not press cut instead of cue was my first issue, but I managed to sort that out before we actually did a test run. I think Alex.H will be really great at this job and he showed that in his runs as the vision mixer. I would have liked to have tried more complicated roles with the mixer but realise we wanted to make sure everyone could have a good take.

I would love to try vision mixing again in the future and I feel like there is probably a chance to do it before I finish university. It was a surprise to me as going into the project it was one of the jobs I would have never wanted to do, but now it is up there with one of my favourites! As Helen and Simon keep telling us, keep your mind open to new jobs as you never know which one you will enjoy!

Production Assistant:

As I mentioned earlier on when talking about being the floor manager, I am not the loudest person. So when it comes to making yourself heard, I am not always the greatest. However, this being said I wanted to give the PA a go as it was originally my second choice. It was not a really tough job in the test shoot as it was only a 3-minute show and only required a few countdowns. However, come to the live show I can see this being very tough and there being many calculations to be sorted out before we start practising. I actually enjoyed the pressure of calling out the right numbers and I feel by the end of the day, I was doing a pretty good Job. Del seemed to think I was clear as well as making constant updates 45,30,20,15,10-0 seconds as well as on each minute.

Saying this, I am rather glad I am a camera operator rather than a PA for this shoot as I feel camera operating better suits my talents and I think Jemma and Victoria will be much better at this role that I would have been. I will definitely understand the pressure they will be going through when we actually shoot, as it is a very intense job when the numbers start building up.... And they will have at least 10x the number of countdowns that I did as the actual show is 30, not 3 minutes!

Director:

Probably the scariest task of the day was being the director. Over the day we all pretty much got the chance to be director but with the way things played out, I was second to last. In a way this wasn't a bad thing because I could watch and lear, but the nerves definitiely built as the day went on!

Once I got in the chair, I didn't feel as worried as I had thought. Del gives you the first 45/50 seconds with help and then leaves it to you. I think the worry was looking at four cameras plus what is going live all at the same time, it was a struggle at the start. As the three minutes went on I tried harder things like getting cameras to change position and focusing on different subjects. I also tried to cut straight away instead of cuing some clips so we got the reaction shots. I feel this went ok, I am by no means the best at this role but strangely I did end up enjoying it!

Conclusion:

The most important thing to take from today is that we all have our role but we now all understand the pressures of being in each of the other roles. This will be helpful as it should mean we can work together better as a team and understand what is happening if something goes wrong. The opportunity of going in each role also gives us an understanding of the pressures that each one of us will face and I think it is important that we know that now! This was actually one of my favourite days at university and I am really happy I pushed myself into trying new roles that I did not think I would enjoy!

AS Live TV Research - Take Me Out (Entertainment Show)

I recently did some research into a factual "as live" show in the form of the grand tour. Now I will be researching into an entertainment show. I decided to go for a show called take me out which is actually filmed at the Maidstone tv studios. This would then be an interesting show to analyse to see how they utilise the space which will be very similar to ours.

Take me out is an ITV Dating show which airs 60-90 minute programmes and has been on our screens since 2010. They have currently just finished airing the 10th season of the show.

I am reviewing yesterdays episode, Season 10 Episode 8. The first thing to note is Take me out's iconic title sequence. I never actually watch the show but I recognise the theme tune and the graphics. This shows the producers have clearly thought through the decisions of what needs to be in the title sequence. The catchy jingle is one that most of us will have heard even if we do not know the show. This is something that clearly would need to be perfected if "steal the style" was a commissioned project on TV. From what I have heard so far the producers have a set idea of the style of graphics and the tone of the music. This is a great start and we just need to make sure those stylistic choices work for the rest of the show and at the same time would be catchy and rememberable.

The fading to the audience clapping while the graphics are still in the final ten seconds is also a nice touch. This shows clear decisions made by the director about what will be the most important sound at the time. Personally, when I hear an audience making noise and clapping it get's me excited for the show. It may be hard to replicate in steal the style as it is a factually based show, but there will be times when clapping will be needed for the show to have energy. In relation to our planned show "first world problems" I think audience interaction was key. We wanted a comedic take on a more serious issue. Therefore audience interaction and audience clapping would have been a key point of our show.  Following on from that, excluding the opening shot showing the presenter, the camera goes into the audience right away. I think this shows great audience interaction which we would have loved to have implemented into "first world problems".

From a camera operation perspective, the opening PTC is interesting as it looks like it is shot with a crane. There is a quick movement to go from a wide shot to a medium close up of Paddy introducing the show. As I will be the camera operator for the show I am already looking at ways we could be creative, to get the most engaging show possible. In steal the style we should have nice PTC shots to open the show. It looks like there will be a runway which the presenters will walk down to start the show. This is similar to take me out as the walk down the catwalk/stage gives the presenter time to be seen before they are properly heard. If I were to relate this to our pitch first world problems, I would have said we had probably not thought about the issue of how the presenters would appear on stage. This was an over thought but one we should have had before pitching our idea.

An interesting cinematic shot is the ultra wide shot of the whole studio and the majority of the audience. I highly doubt we will be able to have a shot this wide because, most likely, our set will not be big enough to cover the studio. However, I like the use of the cut to this shot as once again it gives a nice touch of encouraging the audience to be a part of the show. The casting for take me out must have been a hard process, but Paddy Mcguiness it the perfect presenter for this role. He has the wit and enthusiasm as well as the interaction with the audience nailed. This is something we were brought down upon our presentation pitch for first world problems. Even though we cast a presenter we were told he was not very enthusiastic about his role which meant he was not taken kindly upon. This will also be a role that needs to be thought through properly for steal the style as well. They have talked about getting two presenters and from experience, they need to work together well and have a good vibe between them otherwise it could be really awkward and hard to follow.

 The clean audio throughout the show makes for a pleasant viewing experience. I notice that all the contributors are wearing clip microphones as well as the presenter. This will be the case in steal the style and would have been the case in our show first world problems.

Something I also noted from watching the show was its colour theme. The show is heavily based on pink/purple which are colours that are symbolic of love. That makes perfect sense for this show but would not work in steal the style. From what we have seen so far we will be using pastel colours pinks, beige etc but as they are pastel they are not too vibrant. The set the producers had made was very minimalist and easy on the eye. We need to make sure when the UCA design team visits that they have this idea in mind. We need to keep a running theme of colours through the show so it does not seem disjointed. To compare the colours to our project first world problems. We had a colour scheme of grey and white which may seem boring, but that was not really the case. The colours were to relate to what we thought our audience would be, meaning flashy colours and harsh lighting may have been a turn-off.

The set has obviously had a large amount of time and effort put into it, however, in reality, we cannot be expected to have a set which is as multi-dimensional as take me out. However, we can take pointers from it. These include where the presenter stands as well as where the main attractions of the show enter and leave the frame. I will not have much input as a camera operator but making sure the set is somewhat multi-dimensional (which it looks like it will be with its multiple areas of a sofa area, clothing rail and runway) so that we can get interesting shots. If the set is flat and has no texture to it, it will be very hard for us as camera operators to get interesting shots.

As for VT's, take me out does not have many, but on a few occasions this episode they do. They normally have a sequence at the end of the show which is seeing how the couples do on their dates. However, in this episode, they use one to go back in time to see how one of the previous couples is getting on. This is a nice backstory which gives the viewer knowledge of the successful happenings of the show in previous seasons. The use of this could help the viewer trust the show more, as some may think the whole show is a gimmick. For steal the style, we will have 4 VT inserts and I think each one will be quite different from the next. This is different from take me out as all of the cutaways are generally along the same theme. The VT inters will be vital to keep the pace of the show and to not put too much pressure on the presenters to remembers loads of lines. In relation o to our pitch, first world problems, I now realise our show was heavily VT-based ie. Top Gear. This is something in hindsight I would change because we were never going to get commissioned when 1/2 of the show was a VT. In reality about 1/4 of the show should have been a VT and we should have known that sooner.

Finally, the show concludes with a nice roundup of what has gone on in the show so far. This is great to do as it makes sure the audience does not forget the key points of the show. It is also great for the presenter as well as they can usually put their own twist on what is being said to make it funny/happy/sad depending on the scenarios that have taken place. This particular show was a special episode and they decided to make a funny VT to end the show. I think this would be an option for both steal the style and first world problems if it was an established series. I don't think this is the kind of thing you can do in a pilot episode as people may think that is always how you will end the show.

Overall Take Me Out is a heavily thought through the idea with a fantastic presenter and set. The camera operations while basic in some areas are impressive when they want to show the scale of the production (ie. Wide shot showing the whole set and also the crane shot to start the show). We can take heavy inspiration with the audience interaction and hopefully include that somewhat in our show. The most important thing at this stage though is getting presenters that are natural together and do not make it an awkward viewing experience. I hope the producers can find two presenters to fit their agenda as finding presenters who work is very hard.


References

Take Me Out Season 10 EP 8
https://www.itv.com/hub/take-me-out/1a8716a0101
Accessed on 3rd March 2018