Research into LIVE TV - Why is it so Successful?

To grasp a better understanding of Live TV and why it is still as popular and relevant as it is today, I wanted to further my research into the topics I did not know as much about. 

Why Does Live TV Still Have its place?

Live TV will never have the same production value as a high budget TV show or a Film, but at the same time, live TV does draw in some of the biggest numbers over a week. Take BT Sport 2. A channel that mixes between Live TV and Recorded Shows. From 19th-25th June 2017 - All of its top 10 shows from the week are live shows. Now to make sure this is not misleading information, BT Sport is known for its Live sports coverage and that is what people tune in for. It is obvious when you look at a channel like BBC 1 from that same week that Live TV dominating the viewing is not the case.

From that same week, you can see all but two (Country File & The 10 o'clock news) of the Top 10 shows from that week is Live.  (Illustrations from BARB, 2018)

This shows me that certain channels are suited to Live TV and some use Live TV as a way of telling a story in the easiest way, with the best chance of getting authentic reactions (ie. The News). BBC, for example, is not known for it's Daily live sports shows, but it does have a News show multiple times a day which is live and has very high viewing figures. In essence, the news does not need to be live most of the time, but on occasions, the reality of being live is great for the viewer. If a large event is happening it is the best way to keep up to date with the subject through an authentic source. This is why Live TV still has it's place on TV. It is the best way of addressing news and sports especially. Being Live gives the viewer the best sense of authenticity and for the sport being Live is vital to make sure the viewer knows all of the facts as soon as they happen.

What impact does Live TV Have on the viewer?

As previously mentioned, Live TV has changed the way many of us watch television. Before Live TV was a thing, if you wanted to watch a football match live, for example, you would have to do. Some don't want to, some physically cannot and some cannot afford to. Live TV has opened up the opportunity for people to get involved in a sport they would never be able to watch, especially live without it.

For the viewer of a live show, it does have an impact, however. When you watch a TV show which is live you will notice the drop in production quality as the edits are being made at the time of recording, not after recording and being edited for hours. However, for myself and many others who I talk to, Live TV has been one of the greatest things to be invented. As a motorsport fan, I was not really ever able to attend races live as a kid as I could not make my way there. With the evolution of Live TV it has meant I can watch all of these events around the world. Live TV has opened up the opportunity for sports to grow and personalities (both presenters and sportsmen) to be born.

"Watching television isn’t what it used to be. It used to mean sitting in front of a TV, passively watching live broadcasts and arguing over the remote control. Viewing habits have changed because the ways of receiving programmes have changed. The sequence of the live broadcasts has always been governed by the television schedule (linear television). But the future of the schedule is up for debate because this is no longer the only option." (BFI,2017)

Being live means that in a social media age, as viewers we can message these TV Companies and maybe get our opinion on Live TV in front of millions of people. How crazy is that? Therefore, being live gives the viewer an extra incentive to tune in, the live reaction and interaction that you can simply not get from a pre-recorded show. With the option to be involved directly with what we are seeing, it means that viewers build up a relationship with the channel they watch this service on. Over time these people will inherently see what else the channel has to give. So by building up the interaction and trust between the company and the viewer, the company should see growth in other areas other than that of the live show.

What is the added Value of being Live?

Live TV has evolved over the past few years and is now very important to a lot of people, especially sports fans on weekends. I found a blog that explained three good reasons for Live TV having extra value over a pre-recorded show. They may be seen from the media companies point of view in this instance but it works both ways - the viewers will enjoy certain shows live for a similar reason.

"1) Content control: Recently, an Allen Media Strategies client did a pre-recorded appearance on ABC TV’s “Good Morning America”. While the publicity was fantastic, the final piece that aired edited out one of the key points our client felt was really important, even though the show booker had promised that it would be included.
2) Better chance to steer: An pre-taped interview can be easily edited to eliminate references to your website, any product or service you’re plugging, etc. That’s nearly impossible to do in a live interview setting.
3) Less likely to be bumped: Taped packages are often bumped from airing until weeks or months later (and sometimes, not at all). If you’re live, you KNOW it’s going on the air! (allenmediastrategies, 2011)

Being live gives the person who is on TV the best opportunity to have authentic, REAL opinions. A lot of pre-recorded shows will go over a piece multiple times and iron out parts they dislike. This may be to fit an agenda or to save time - but being live gives a lot of viewers the chance to see someone at their realist. Saying that it gives the person on screen the chance to say what they really feel on a subject that is brought up. However, this can swing both ways as if something like a slip of the tongue or swearing appears on Live TV, it brings down the show and makes it seem much less professional.

The Practical Issues of being live

As previously mentioned, if you produce live TV there are many issues that are present in comparison to recording a TV and then editing it down. Not to repeat myself in this segment, the last point of the added value segment is also present here. Swearing and messing up lines are big problems people encounter on Live TV which would be easily edited if the show was to be recorded and then screened.

A big issue on Live TV is the chance of equipment being faulty on breaking on air.

“That’s the problem, is single points of failure with a lot of these things,” Rayburn says. “When a backup doesn’t kick in, or you don’t have it, or you haven’t planned for it, or you don’t want to spend the money for it, well, your live event’s going to go down.” (Fast Company, 2016)

Sometimes you can plan for days, weeks or even months for a live show and something will break on the day. In reality, you cannot do anything apart from think of every scenario before it happens and hope you can find the answer.  A lot of the times on Live TV you will notice strange cuts to angles you may not have expected. This will be because the camera operator could have notified the director and the vision mixer that he would have had a problem and not to cut to his shot. This would be in the lucky scenario that the camera operator knew he had a problem. A lot of times that is not the case.

In this funny example, during a weather report, the camera suddenly pans down towards the floor. This would have been a problem with the camera tripod head not being locked out correctly or if it was an electronically powered device it may have run out of power.

Thankfully the broadcaster realises the funny side of the mistake, but simple mistakes like these can cost companies a reputation if it happens repeatedly. Luckily this presenter managed to make a laugh out of the situation but that is more down to the presenter than the company saving a bad situation!

Another issue for Live TV Broadcasters is the chance of people interrupting the shot, especially if it is an exterior location. There are so many clips on YouTube highlighting the issues that represent themselves when something like this happens. Everyone seems to want their 5 seconds of fame when they see a TV crew out on the streets. Thankfully most people walk past naturally but others want to take it into their own hands. Often times when someone does something in front of a TV camera it is a rude remark to the camera or doing something inappropriate behind the presenter. These are all issues that are out there when you decide to film on an exterior location on live TV.

Lastly, going out to a location to film is also hard on the crew as they are taking the kit to locations and often times I expect there is not too much time to recce the locations and understand the possible issues. The clip above also shows clear examples of news crews not thinking about changes in weather as well as possible problems with nature of filming in a certain location.

With live TV you are always balancing the viewers live interaction with the subject with the unknowns of what could happen through getting that show. As equipment and knowledge has got better it has meant that Live TV is much more polished than when it was first introduced. But as with anything live, you will always inevitably experience problems that you may not with a pre-recorded show.

Why do Live TV Shows Get Large Audiences

We have talked about all the main reasons why people tune into live TV, so now it is time to understand why they get such large audiences. Through my research, I saw a lot of conflicting opinions to as if Live TV was dying.

"Watching live sports, of course, will still be very important for some people, he conceded, and big events like the World Cup, Super Bowl, and March Madness, as well as event programming like the premiere of the new season of "Game of Thrones" will continue to draw huge viewership. But with everything ever created available for us to watch anytime, the portion of what needs to be watched live versus what doesn't falls more and more all of the time" (businessinsider, 2015)

Live Sport seems to be the large reason why people want to keep Live TV being a "thing". I personally see no reason why you would cut the chance to show everything live. It may cut costs to remove that portion of television but in reality, we have seen that if you want large figures. Show it live instead of showing a highlights package or delayed coverage.

For some figures to back up the statement, I am going to talk about Formula One's coverage on Channel 4. Channel 4 is strange as it gets to show half the races live and half the races as a highlight package. This will give us a good indication of what a Grand Prix live ratings are vs it's highlight package viewership is.

Channel 4 Live F1 Coverage: 2.30 Million average audience
Channel 4 Highlight Package F1 Coverage: 1.88 Million average Audience
(f1 broadcasting, 2018)

It may not seem like a massive difference but 500,000 people for one country and a relatively niche sport - that is a substantial difference. From personal experience, the reason why I would only ever want to watch a Live F1 Race is that I want to know I am seeing all the drama as it happens. In a social media world, we have so many opportunities to accidentally stumble across an f1 result or football score and that ruins the experience as a fan. Therefore, to make sure you do not spoil it for yourself, you have to watch it live. So like we have mentioned already in this blog post, the reason why Live TV gets the large audience is that it makes us as viewers feel involved and when we feel involved we react to the show differently.

"For me, nothing trumps watching the game. Nothing. I follow my teams because I love watching them play. I love everything about it. I love the rush, the ebbs and flows, the subtle sequences that aren’t flashy enough for SportsCenter." (Huffington Post, 2016)

When a show is live, especially a sport, you can jump up in joy or hold your head in your hands as you know this is happening right as you watch it. If you watch a highlights show or a pre-recorded sport shows you can not elicit those same reactions. That is why for me at least watch Live sport especially is a no-brainer. As good as you can make a show through editing techniques and flashy graphics, nothing quite gets me in the same way as when I see an overtake in F1 or a goal in Football.


To conclude
I saw a lot of people saying Live TV was not needed in a world of streaming apps and YouTube, but I will always disagree. There will always be a place for watching something (most likely sports) live on TV. There is an experience of watching it live on a TV which makes it so different to watching it on a laptop or a phone. But the main reason why Myself and many others love Live TV is that feeling of being apart of something. When it's live you react differently and you perceive what is happening in a different way. Live TV may have been hurt by the ride of the internet and the services that come with it. but live TV will never die, it has that raw uncut feeling which many people see as more genuine and relatable than highly edited pre-recorded content.


References

BFI, 2017
http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/television-interactive-age-changingtimes
Accessed on 1st April 2018

allenmediastrategies, 2011
http://www.allenmediastrategies.com/live-or-pre-recorded/
Accessed on 1st April 2018

Fast Company, 2016
https://www.fastcompany.com/3058268/march-madness-live-stream
Accessed on 1st April 2018

business insider, 2015
http://uk.businessinsider.com/live-tv-is-falling-in-importance-2015-7?r=US&IR=T
Accessed on 1st April 2018

f1 broadcasting, 2018
https://f1broadcasting.co/tag/ratings/

Accessed on 16th April 2018

Huffington Post, 2016

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/brent-stoller/is-watching-prerecorded-s_b_9213758.html

Accessed on 1st April 2018

YouTube Clips
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnEHMAhqUZM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1dQz5pY-oM
Accessed on 1st April 2018

Illustration List

BARB, 2018
http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/weekly-top-10/

Transition - Feedback From Presentation & Jobs Going Forward

Today we had our presentation for our Transition unit in front of the class. Our Documentary had had a quick turn around and we had already come up with a lot of ideas and got a lot of information so we wanted to make sure we got all that information in the presentation without it being too cluttered.

We had worked on the presentation for the days prior and we think we had done a good job at making sure we included all the important information without it being too cluttered. I think the presentation in front of the class actually went really well. I have always been a quiet person and being in front of any type of audience has always been hard but thankfully the University and the previous presentations we have had to have helped me prepare for this. I felt a lot more confident that I had done for previous presentations, I think that would be because I really believed in this project as well as spending a lot of time practising for it.

I was worried my nerves would get to me and I would stumble and mess up, however, for what I feel is the first time I managed to do a presentation without any issues. We got some nice feedback from Simon and the group about the idea of how relevant and interesting it is. We are happy we chose a genre an topic that would be relevant to all.

Here is some of the feedback that was suggested by Simon after the presentation

• Try to secure a presenter as quickly as possible
• Focus on our roles More - Alex to focus on being a director & Cailan to focus on being an editor. Then split the other roles accordingly between us.
• Understand who creates these projects on VOX and how they are created. Roles. Equipment.
• Secure interesting Locations
• How are the VOX videos put together? Are they multi-camera? If they are not ours should not be as well? 
• Make sure the story element is strong like VOX and make sure it is not just flashy graphics
• Sourcing Old Source material may be an issue - However, we plan to shoot all of our own footage.
• Stop motion and graphics need to fit the theme of VOX
• Need to make the topic interesting - Mixture of techniques
• Do we have a presenter or a contributor?

Finally, I devised a Schedule for us as a group for deadlines and possible shoot days.

• 12TH APRIL - Locations Thought about / Contact KENT FILM OFFICE
• 13TH APRIL - Basic Script complete to send to presenters
• 20TH APRIL - Interviews with possible presenters & make decisions on the presenter by end of the 20th
• 24&26TH APRIL - Free days from uni for possible recce and scouting
• 27TH APRIL - Studio Hand in
• 30TH APRIL TO 4TH MAY - SHOOT WEEK
• 6TH MAY - Draft Cut
• 11TH MAY - Fine Cut & Critical Perspectives Hand In
• 16th MAY - FINAL CUT & HANDIN

We are in a good situation with this project now, especially as we are only a group of two. We are happy with what we have created at this point and we feel the project is moving forward fast. However, we need to make sure we keep on top of this even with the studio production and critical perspectives going on at the same. Cailan and I will make sure we motivate each other to keep moving forward with this unit.

Transition Critical Research - Analysing a Vox Documentary

For my critical research for this unit, I wanted to analyse a Vox documentary and understand why it is successful in engaging the viewer and appealing to a wide range of age groups.

Vox is an internet news/documentary YouTube channel that has a large group of people who put together videos on a wide range of subjects. I decided to focus on a series called "shift change" and it is a series that we are basing our documentary off of.

The reason for this is that this series includes a presenter-led documentary with vox pops, graphics and fluid filmmaking. All of these are what interests me and my partner Cailan.

Something that was interesting was that as soon as the documentary starts you are shown a few clips of relevant items moving in the frame as well as text and voiceover accompanying it. This was interesting from a directorial perspective as right away I could tell I would need a lot of B-ROLL Footage to be able to cover the whole show. Something that Vox does really well is that it incorporates fancy graphics and text into a piece which is informative and easy to understand. I think we should be using some of our own graphics in our own project but I understand the time constraints Cailan will be in when editing may mean we don't have quite the level of text and graphics on screen as in Vox. This will not be through a lack of wanting it or forgetting it, rather than just not having enough time to do it to the high standard that we will be holding ourselves too.

It then mixes to a mixture of rather odd shots which follow various people walking through buildings and these shots are slowed down. These may seem out of place but they have a contextual meaning. We are following these people through the building to simulate that we are all constantly being watched - which is what the documentary is about. These are bold decisions made by the director and ones I will incorporate into my storyboards. Vox is always pushing itself to be creative with its shots and not follow the norm. This knowledge has helped inform me on how I will plan my shots, after understanding what location we will be set in.

A note that I will pass onto Cailan is how important a bold logo and the title sequence is to this project. Vox uses a logo throughout in the top right of the screen which will be part of Cailan's job in the edit. The title sequence will also be part of Cailan's edit but I will mention to him how important this title sequence is in confounding the ideas in this project as well as the theme and subject matter. In this case, the title is very dark and sinister, letting the viewer know what is being talked about in this documentary is slightly dodgy.

This story by Vox is heavily moved along by opinions from the public and people affected by this issue. These are shot in a way which is slightly off camera to a presenter. I want to slightly change this for our project and have our presenter actually be on screen with the public opinion. However, this still will be shot in a way where the member of the public is the focus of the shot. This means I plan to shoot from around a 60-degree angle looking at the member of the public. This is how I will change this piece to have my own personal directorial decisions for this project, as in some areas I will have to follow exactly what is normally done in VOX.

I previously mentioned that VOX loves to use bold shots to compound an issue and this one fits that ideal once again. This shot really draws the viewers attention because of its wide angle and how much is in the frame. Seeing more evidence of experimental shots in VOX films compounds the fact that I need to be bold with my storytelling in this project. Understanding the location will be important, as I do not want this issue to seem like it is dedicated to a certain area. I need to make sure I frame shots to look like it could be anywhere in the world because it is a global issue. The reason why this shot works for this documentary is that it really is a localised issue based on truckers in the United States. This shot includes the trucks as well as a big building and a very Americanised scenery. This leaves the viewer with no doubt about where this documentary is set. For our documentary we need to go the other way and make sure the backdrop does not make the issue seem localised, we need it to look worldwide.

The use of graphics and text on the screen is prominent throughout this video. While talking with Cailan we would love to include as many graphics as possible. We both think this would improve our piece and make it fit the style of Vox. The biggest issue is timings and if we will be able to do it before the deadline. We will hold ourselves to a high standard and if we cannot get it looking the way we want it, we will cut it from the project. The reason why these graphics are so important for this video is they give the viewer a visual understanding of what is being talked about in this video. With some topics, graphics and graphs are needed more than others. We feel like inherently we will need fewer graphs because of our subject matter.

Contributors are key to VOX videos as they help inform the viewer on the topic from a personal opinion. We believe we should have at least one contributor in our project so that it is clear we know we are not just telling one side of the story. The opinion from the contributor is often more important in moving along the story than what is said by the presenter. In terms of directing this piece is directed in a very bold way. This shot is quite close up and the other shot used is very wide giving loads of headroom. These are both unique camera shots which have been set up for the purpose of making an impact on the viewer. In my decision making for this project, I am making sure my shots are bold and unique to help fit with the style of VOX. I know strong directing is what make these VOX documentaries enjoyable to the viewer as they manage to keep moving the story along with bold decisions.

The use of found footage is also prominent on Vox. This is another outlay which is called upon to help tell the story. The director will work along with the editor and Producer to understand which clips help have the most impact on the story. I will work along with Cailan in this process of deciding what we will use. We need to make sure these are not there just because VOX uses them, rather they are there to improve the story. Cailan has found many clips from Channel 4 and various other news networks that will help move the story along in this scenario.

The presenter on screen happens a little less than we had planned for in our project. Our presenter will be heading all of the questions on screen as well as the PTC. In Vox the presenter does appear on the screen frequently, but it is to voice over a lot of the time. This is where another one of my directorial decisions will come into play. As we will have cast an energetic personality, I want to make sure he gets more screen time than some of the VOX Documentary makers. He will be important in helping tell the story and I feel the PTC section of our shoot will be important in the viewer understanding the issue.

The presenter, in this case, has a strong personality who presents himself well in front of the camera and as well with the voiceover. Casting is important and it shows to be once again with this piece. Because you see the presenter clearly understands the subject and is interested, it helps the whole story feel more real.

Lastly, VOX has a very minimalist approach to it's ending screen which will be important to understand when we create ours. In previous units, we have not had to worry about what the outro sequence is like, but this time we need to make sure all of our graphics and title sequences follow their brand.

The show is appealing for all because of its use of real video and graphics. The mixture helps move the story along in a fluid motion which is interesting for all age groups watching. The mixture is also engaging and keeps the viewer's attention which is important to grow a fan base in the online documentary community.

VOX has a great set of guidelines that it follows in all of its documentaries and it is helpful to have so many VOX resources online for myself and Cailan to understand before we shoot our project.

I found it really interesting to understand the decisions that VOX content creators make when creating a project. My other research into VOX will look more in depth in terms of my personal role as well as what being a VOX director is actually like.

10th April Live Production Rehearsals

 Today was our final full day of rehearsing for our live production next Thursday.

It was probably the most important day of the unit so far as we finally had all the VT's and graphics to use as well as the majority of the contributors present. The only thing that was missing was the set which is frustrating as a camera operator as we may encounter issues on the day of shooting because of the unknowns of the set.

This was also the first time in a few weeks that myself and Cailan were on a camera together as he had been ill before. It was good to be able to share the camera and tell Cailan all I had learned over the previous weeks.

As Cailan had missed some on-camera time we had to decide between us who should take which "side" of the show. After some discussion, I decided it would be best for me to take the second half of the show as it seemed more complex from the script - giving Cailan less to learn in his short-hands on time before we go live.

I feel from our camera position today went really well. As the day went on we did have changes to the script meaning our camera position was moved from where we expected, but not drastically.

I had discussions with Gavin throughout the day and he mentioned that our camera was always set up properly and always in focus. It was great to hear this as we worked hard to make sure our shots were on time but also not sacrificing the normal checks of exposure and proper focus.

Gavin also explained that the second half of the show would be mainly done on the camera I was operating which was nice but sadly for me there was not much of a challenge as I hold the same 2-shot of the presenters for the majority of it.

Even though I always want to challenge myself, in this environment I had to understand this is a massive team game and the other cameras are getting the other shots as need-be. This meant that even though I would be holding the same shot for the majority of the show, I did not need to worry as all the other angles I was thinking of would be covered.

 Right now we are still having issues with the handheld camera, especially with it's transition to the audience segment. It is a hard situation for everyone involved as there does not seem to be an easy fix, as at some point the other camera operators will be seen with the camera rotating 180 degrees on air.

I don't think a sting would particularly work in this instance so we will have to work on that issue more next week as right now that is the only real problem with the camera operators side.

We have raised questions throughout about the audience being too close to the cameras and in the way - Today the directors and producers decided to move the chairs backwards. Unfortunately, as we cannot have a raised seating area it will always mean that some of the audience are obstructed by the crews on the cameras.

We are now confident as a group that we have got this production to a very good stage and with hopefully 5/6 more run-throughs in the early stages of next week, we should be able to nail it when it comes to the actual production.

 I was nervous at how this project would all come together as everyone has been focusing on their roles, but it has worked really well. Everyone has put in a proper amount of effort and it means that as a group we are not as worried about the live shoot day as we were all probably expecting.

Del has been a massive help through this production, Cailan and I would always try our best to ask if this or that was right Del was nearby - This was a way of just checking that we were doing a proper job on the cameras.

I now have some nervous anticipation for the actual live production now. I am sure with a live audience and with directors who want to make sure that this will be perfect, there will be raised nerves come next Thursday.

However, in reality, we have done a great job as a team, in coming together and helping each other through the project. In the previous year, we had been told there were issues with people clashing and falling out, thankfully has not happened!

[EDIT: Here is the recording from today's shoot - I am happy with how my camera maintains focus throughout my time operating it]

 

Presentation For Transition Unit

Here is our final presentation for our transition unit. Cailan and I worked on this presentation together and think it includes all the important information for a successful pitch. Here is the presentation in Full. We have practised it multiple times, including some slight tweaks to make sure it will flow correctly. 

Transition Unit - Initial Vox Ideas With Cailan

Transition Unit – Ideas Brainstorm via Skype

IDEAS
All ideas featured below are as of writing this in the conceptualisation stage. We are hoping to ascertain a solid idea by the end of the week and begin working on compiling a presentation for next week’s pitch to the group.

Cailan -

- Vox Inspiration


The YouTube channel ‘Vox’ specialises in journalistic, documentary-esque content with one of the key aspects of it being a fluid combination of editing and animation. I believe this would sufficiently challenge me in my chosen role of editor.


Louis Theroux Style, Presenter-Lead Documentary Piece


There is strength in having a constant presence throughout the documentary, acting as a POV for the audience.


Data Protection Topic


We believe by talking about something generally considered taboo, it could generate interest in the material being discussed. By looking into the ways in which social media companies such as Facebook & Twitter collect and distribute our personal information, we may learn something new about our real privacy.


Alex -

Vox Borders Video - Ireland and Northern Ireland (IRA - “The Troubles”)
Also including Potential Problems of Brexit and how that will affect the two countries


Sky Sports F1 Driver Interview - Adapted into interviewing a Club Level Driver and understanding how they ended up racing cars


Idea To Go Ahead With - Louis Theroux Style Documentary about Data Protection with a focus on “What Facebook knows about me/you?”



Introduction -
Short montage with accompanying narration of presenter, discussing the issue of data protection in relation to the amount of personal data social media companies hold over the average user. We can explain the method of downloading your own Facebook data from their website and analysing what lurks within. (Phone Number, Call details, Message details)

Piece To Camera - Testing the issue
Presenter sits down with a laptop and his/her smartphone to go through their facebook account. This will involve over the shoulder shots and PTC’s in order to show the comparison the presenter will make between the real data on his phone, and the data mined from the downloaded facebook report. The presenter can address Facebook’s own policies on user privacy and data protection, compared with the recent #DeleteFacebook campaign and CEO Mark Zuckerburg’s public apology after the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Does The Public Know - Testing the awareness



Several options as of right now, we could either use traditional ‘vox popping’ in the high-street or we could have something akin to a sit-down ‘area’ in which members of the public can come and discuss their privacy/data protection, or their general awareness on privacy protection, with regards to the recent Facebook scandal.

Conclusion - Summarising The Situation & What Can We Do?

In the conclusion, we will address the results found in our own tests/vox-popping and discuss what both the social media companies and individuals need to do to further safeguard their data moving forward, while simultaneously encouraging the audience to download their own data and see what sort of secrets are being hidden in there. The audience interaction helps grasp the reality of the situation, whilst helping spread awareness about the issue of data protection in 2018.

What to Do Before Monday

Cailan: Understanding The issue - what we need show (what will be the topics we need to show the viewers and find facts eg. how to access your data - The Process)


Alex: Find Possible Presenters, Locations (Film Vox pops or Sit Down interview area), What Filming Gear would be needed

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.