Studio Production - Final Reflection on Being a Studio Director/ Critical Reflections.

To me, this has been my favourite unit on the course so far. I really sank my teeth into the job role In terms of the team I was working with, I could not ask for a better team. As stated previously Vic and I had the chemistry, the communication between myself and Chris was second-to-none, our directorial vision equalled each other’s, as it shows in the production.

I feel that even though others may have had problems amongst their own groups, the most important thing to me was to keep my head down and work to the best of my abilities. My main jobs were to do my camera script and keep it updated to the actual script, keep up to date with the set design, keep constantly evaluating myself in the workshops and of course direct on the day.

I feel I did the role to the best of my ability and so did my co-director. I feel that the communication between the UCA courses (TVP and CATF) was weak, leaving the commissioned set nearly late to the studios because of budget, but this can be ironed out next year. 

Overall I am happy with the progression of myself on this course and I feel I served my purpose as a director. I will no doubt be implementing the skills I learnt through Hans and the technical experience I learnt through filming a television production at a studio into my career in television.

Studio Production - CATF Final Thoughts

After being on edge all morning, CATF really pulled it out of the bag. Aside from the poor communication and tight deadline, they produced a truly outstanding piece of work and should be commended for it. The colours were great, the angles were beautiful and it really strayed far from the typical conventions that UCA television production has always had. The lighting on the flats brought the set out and made it more than just a backdrop, it made it something special and I absolutely love it.

Maybe next year for the development of both courses the schedule should be done much earlier to take into consideration anything that could go wrong, because when you live in a world that when everything goes wrong does, it doesn't make life easy. Aside from that, thank you so much CATF for producing an equally great set to match our content.

Studio Production - Post Production Day Thoughts

The shoot went amazing.

No other words can explain! The communication I had with the team and the structure of the day was brilliant. I was happy with my performance as a director, the contributors were great and really brought the best out of each other. I could never understand why an audience was so important to have in a production, but upon hearing the sound of a real audience nothing can quite come close to it.

There were a few hiccups in the day. A few vision mixing errors but nothing that can't be touched up in the final edited piece. Chris and I made sure that all cameras were recording to cards so therefore we can touch up a lot of the show (cuts, vts and astons) ensuring it looks good for when we submit on the 27th.

Anyway, I'm happy with how the story came to an end so to speak. Everyone really tried to make this show the best show that UCA television production has ever made. Props to everyone that was involved. GROUP PHOTO TIME!

Studio Production - Direction Confidence?

As I director, I feel I have matured from what I did when I started the unit. Being a television studio director has made me think more on my feet in terms of shots and what looks good to cut to. Film directing doesn't have the level of time constrant that tv directing does. I keep getting told I have the 'eye' for a good shot and that keeps me motivated to try harder and achieve the best I can in the coverage I have made for myself. Myself and the vision mixer have great communication and also share the vision that me and Chris share.

So to answer the question of the post. Yes. I've matured not just as a television director, but as an overall director, it will transition great into the third year when every shot I do matters, has to serve a purpose, etc etc.

Studio Production - Final Thoughts Before Production

Tis the day before the production and to be honest, I can't wait. I can feel that the live audience is going to bring so much energy to the live production, and really bring the best our of the contributors. I'm not a person to feel nervous and live the idea of being put under pressure. I am still worried about the set but I have been asssured that the set will be arriving tomorrow in its full state so its not all bad. Hans has been great in really bringing out the bests in me for multicamera shooting. I feel that I can really do this unaided and its because oh Hans' guidance that this is all possible, so kudos for his teaching style and I really appreciate everything he has done for the team and for myself.

The camera shots look great and the timings are almost perfect. Cutting to VTs are now silky smooth and I know it drags on the guys in the studio but there is a lot of work going in the gallery that may seem little but is helping me a great amount. I'm happy with the inclusion of a position B and the coverage that I have achieved from it.

Looking up!

Studio Production - CATF Development

After a small meeting with CATF, it seems like they are behind schedule by quite a big amount. Chris and I viewed the project and there was not a lot to show since we last spoke to them in the pitching session. This is a very worrying sign as the deadline is creeping up insanely fast. Apparently the cash code was released late by our course, so therefore the budget wasn't sorted on time, pushing the time-scale back by quite a fair amount.

Always see the silver lining, the basic wireframe is there but the overall decor is not, so hopefully this can be a quick turnaround so we can get this done.

EDIT 28/04/15: Upon investigating further, the mix up was on the side of CATF. The budget was released on time, but internal communication at CATF lead to misinformation to myself and chris which has now been sorted out.

Studio Production - Developed Camera Script and Final Camera Placement.

Upon discussing with Hans my coverage wasn’t as good as it could be. This introduced me to the methodology of ‘position B’ and variation of my shot sizes. After certain cameras were given a position B it gave new life to the production, it turned a 6 camera shoot into an 8 or 9 camera shoot. After I received this information I wrote my camera script which ran alongside the main script compiled by the producers. The template was from myUCA and it gave me the terminology of what is included in a camera script. As the rehearsals of the show took place, the timings were then added to the camera script, after communication with the PA. If you compare my 1st and 2nd camera setup to now, you can see the progression in camera layouts. 

The camera personnel were given an array of camera cards with their shot list on which when directed they would then cut to. I was advised to do this by Hans and rehearse the shot beforehand to get the right timings. This was also the case for a position B. 

Example of camera cards.

Studio Production - Mid-term Reflection

Working with the producers on the mood board and helping with the fruition of ideas has really been such a giving thing for me. Even though I am only credited as director listening in to the production meetings and getting a feel for what the television show will contain and giving my feedback to everyone on my opinion has been really nice. The communication between myself and chris in creating the mood board, camera scripting and amongst others has been second to none. I have always wanted to work with chris and starring in the same role in the studio production for me was nice. It feels like its not just me who is directing so someone who can assist me in getting the best out of me creatively has been brilliant. I am excited for what the show is going to be like and how it will transition to the little screen will be a feat in itself.

Studio Production - CATF Pitch and Cemented Idea.Up

For our set since the fruition of broadcast media, UCA has always crossed over with other courses to get the best out of each other. This is where Creative Arts for Theatre and Film came in. They have experience making sets for theatre and one of their units is a commision based product, similar to our course. So therefore we pitched the idea of our show to them.

I do like designing presentations and prezi is my favourite deliverable format. Tasked with creating the pitch document I included as much as I could about the product we would be featuring, plus some extra bonuses that our course achieved (such as royal television society awards etc) just to sweeten the deal. After the pitch was sealed, the CATF team pitched an idea back to us that we really enjoyed. What I liked was that we essentially, based on the content we privided, gave them free reign over what they can have on the set design aside from our restrictions. As far as I know, the team did not have prior television set design experiences, so were not limited to the conventions of it.


Updates soon on this project.

Studio Production - Researching the Studio Director

To understand how to be a studio director, I need to delve into some material that will assist me in doing so. The first book I picked up was Basic Studio Directing by Roy Fairweather. The problem with the studio director role is that previous units don't necessarily link into this role, which is making  it hard for me to transition. The methodology, terminology and execution are all different from film directing, but I think the hardest transition is the script. However. Here are my notes from the first book I read. 

'The key to holding this type of show together is for the director to know exactly what is happening next and what options are available.' (PG.10)

Basic stage areas is a big thing. Knowing what stage left upstate stage right and downstage are needs to be learnt before I step into the gallery. This can easily be remembered as the left and right are switched, so when you look at the plan stage right on the left and left is on the right. 

PG12

Keeping composure is also a big thing, 'Never shout. Do not shout unless there is a dangerous situation and you need 100% attention'

Direction is more of a journey than something you can get from day one. 'Don't expect to be brilliant from day one'

Now I turned to page 41; commands for script. I found writing a script before I knew the commands challenging and nobody quite understanding what I need from it, calling it on-the-fly isn't advisable. 

This is pretty much all of the commands that I need to use for the script, my first draft of the script was abysmal so now I have all of the commands I can optimise the script to fit it. Especially the pans and crabs from the crane. Some stuff I would never think of using are in here.

Here is some extra parts that will  be fine to add on the script for the vision mixers to use. (71)

Now I wanted to learn more about reaction shots, and this book actually has a lot of information about the methodology behind reaction shots and the over saturation of them. 

'There is a great temptation what directing interviews is always use a shot of the person speaking. This can be visually dull and is completely unnecessary, as the audience knows who is talking and can hear what they are saying even if they can't see them." PG - 100

Also, dealing with performers is something that I'm used to in directing, but not being in the same room as the performers is a different feel and it might not be as instant. plus the fact that it is going to be a debate show its hard to judge how something will come out. If we try to control most of the outcome it would be good. 'You must know who is sitting and their view-point. Then you can predict in advance who will clash with whom.'

Studio Production - 2nd Set Design

Here is the second version of the set design. After talking with hans I thought that this would be the best course of action in terms of coverage. The dolly doubles up as the third camera for the last contributor on the sofa so therefore we can have some nice dolly movements without the need to joeperdise losing a third camera. This works on paper but I do need to put this in motion and work out the timings of the jib and dolly shots.

Studio Production - Show Research/Camera/Shotlist

So, creating a shot list shouldn't be too difficult for this project, if I collate research from shows that I have watched that are based on this type of program it'll help me create a decent shot list. I only have to do the first 15 minutes of the show so essentially 15 minutes I need to consider. Referring back to my set design it'll give you a good idea of what to expect from my type of shooting. The coverage is the most important factor, but at the same time there is enough cameras to transition shots.

Now as of next week I have a studio workshop with hans so I can get some tips on how to formulate a shot list and wanting it to make sense. In the meantime, I have been studying shows such as loose women, sweat the small stuff because they have the same sort of vibe as the show, with panelists.

Now even though sweat the small stuff is a game show but has a really 'hip' vibe thats designed for the same target audience. The shots are quite snappy to keep the viewers attention and has a lot of audience interaction. In our production we shall be getting audience shots before the  production so that is something that won't be in the shot list but shall be captured beforehand.

Now Loose Women has seemed to have a smaller set due to some budget constraints (seems to have cut down since I tuned in a couple of years ago. But saying that, our budget isn't to high so its almost ideal for research. Starting with a crane camera would be nice, snapping to a close up of the anchor, then cutting between the screen and the guests on the panel when they are being introduced. As long as we keep up with whats being said, most of it would be on the fly. alot of the time will be taken on the VT's so when I have my workshop with hans I shall ask about filming many talent at once on the fly and the time taken. 

Studio Production - Mood Board

This is my first mood board ive created, setting the tone for what I want the set to look like. The colour scheme is there plus what type of brickwork we would want for the set. I want a very cosy set with sofas, coffee tables and small tables with lampshades, kind of the 'Starbucks effect' that the young culture of today like.

Starbucks con-notates a relax environment where friends can talk to each other and enjoy their company, and is very appealing to this generation. Also the Friends' coffee house is another link to the mood board as this emulates exactly what we are after. 

Based on the context of the show the target audience, the set design was agreed by all of the production team. The set is a key part to how the show translates to the audience as a backdrop to the panellists. It reverts back to the question of what story are we trying to tell? I wanted the show to give off the casual appeal of friends talking about topics amongst themselves. I have dubbed this methodology the ‘Starbucks’ effect, because when you enter a Starbucks or any upmarket coffee shop there are friends talking on nice lounge sofas about topics relating to them, pet peeves etc. The audience that primary follow this effect just happens to fit the target audience of the show. So we wanted the set to reflect that. 

Studio Production - Auditions for Panelists

We had our auditions for our panelists the other day and I do have to admit the quality of panelists we have are pretty good and I'm proud to announce that our team has been selected. The main thing was their opinions on certain subjects and if they're avaliable, because there's nothing worse than having a great talent that is completely unavalible.

Firstly, we had a young lady called beth. A very ourspoken individual. She came across to me as Katie Hopkins V2 so even though i didn't agree with certain opinions they definitlely would be good for the show. Great start to the day I say.

Next we had a young guy called Jordan. He was very outspoken, homosexual and black. What's key is that is represents that the show is not all one sided and there is a level of diversity to the show. We like outspoken people and he nailed it, again some opinions very questionable.

Then, we had my pick, Rory. He was the typical 'lad' who will no doubt contrast very well with the other two so I am exctied to see how he fits in. Overall the contrast of the panelists is amazing and I think that the show will be a treat with the level of talent we have. We have yet to announce the anchor so in the next blog post that will be addressed. Long Day but im happy with the outcome!

Studio Production - First Skype Audition

Out first audition was actually on skype. Dave is our first auditionee for the role of anchor. He is very charismatic and has impartiality that would benefit the show be a use of the topic we are talking about. Looks like we've found the main anchor! The only problem we have is the level of avaliability that Dave posessses. He's not avaliable for the dress rehearsal days so there may be a chance that it won't go through because of this. Because of previous years, we want this to be the most organised and best production that the broadcast media course has done and we can't do this if we don't have 100% avaliability from everyone involved.

Studio Production - Plan and Justifications.

This is my initial concept plan for the studio production and camera positioning, based off of a small sheet of paper that I was given. As you can see, the layout is a very casual hybrid of loose women and the graham norton show-type vibe. Also, I have implemented a variety of different camera formats and styles so we can get the most coverage out of the set and the contributors.

A crane camera always looks nice and if the set looks great, it shall stand out in terms of production value. the two tripod cameras that are facing the talent ensures that we can pick up the snappy shots of a debate as and when we can. The dolly I want to use sparingly as it can be very monotonous if used too much, the tripod by the door catches the guests coming in to the set and follows. overall, its a simple layout that doesn't need to be too difficult and fif for purpose. There is also the possibility of having a raised set so that the audience vision isn't impeded by the camera guys. The audience is on raked seating and reactions to them will be prerecorded before the show and used during to save the audience being put on the spot and losing that actuality.

Studio Production - Directorial Style

As myself and Chris were underway with the workshops, there is something that isn't quite apparent, our directorial style. When tested, we both opted for different layouts completely. So before we embark on the actual directing and camera placement and what have you, it needs to be absolutely clear that we need the same directorial vision in what we want otherwise the first and second part of the show will be a mishmash!

Studio Production - Appointed as Director!

So, in a turn of events I have been chosen as one of the two two studio directors for the studio production. At first when I was told I was a bit gutted about nto getting the vision mixing role, as my interview was geared towards that and I had a real passion for it. However, I was stoked to be the director of the whole thing, such a big responsibility that I will undertake and do to the best of my abilities.So all in all, bit gutted about not getting the vision mixing role, but directions is something I want to pursue in life.

Studio Production - Second Idea

My second idea relates to an old tv show i used to watch called Gamezville, it focussed on gaming, reviewing games and the finale of a head to head. I want to expand this idea of head to head. Maybe a group (or clan as it is known in the gaming industry), with e sports becoming popular in the gaming industry, a show that focussed on two teams in a best of three would be pretty cool and would fit in the half hour gap perfectly. now the games, gears of war? call of duty? i'll have to assess what's the most popular game and put out auditions for teams in the local area.

Based on viewings on a popular streaming site, twitch, I clicked on the top stream and there are 12,000 active viewers on this stream, with 16 million previous views and 39,000 subscribers on the stream, this shows popularity in this area and this is only one of the many streams with over 12,000 people actively watching

Another source that I want to relate to is an old tv show from the 90's called games world, this is a very aged corny show about e-sports in its infancy, i want to upgrade this by using teams and first person shooters, which seem to be the latest craze in the gaming industry

I was also thinking of having some commentators over the top to introduce the teams, give it a bit of backstory to the games and what is going on. Hypothetically this would help new viewers tuning in if this was on a network and or live stream if they were new to the game as the commentator would explain what is going on. For example, I watched the latest new japan pro wrestling pay per view but i didn't understand Japanese commentary in the previous ppv's so found it hard to immerse myself in the product. when they used english presenters, they explained all the latest story lines, who to like, who to hate, which overall enhances the experience.

Studio Production - First Idea

So my first idea for my studio production is wrestling themed talk show. Something like top gear but instead of cars, it's wrestling. The show will review the current products in major american pro wrestling, casts a spotlight in local indie wrestling, a small game between two hosts about their knowledge of wrestling and much more. here is a recap from today. what I need to do is figure out what 2 other VTs I need to have as a requirement.

So, looking at reference material, WrestletalkTV have a great webshow which kind of follows my theme except i won't have the budget to interview real wrestlers, but the overall format of a sitting on the sofa, very light hearted vibe, this also relates to something like SoccerAM