Overall there are good and bad points within this unit:
Good
- The trailer looks good: I am pleased with how the shots held up and all participants did a great job helping me out with it. The text on screen was a miscommunication between me and Vic: I envisioned text that was inside the world; floating around with Jamie. However I didn't explain this well enough and Vic took it as twitter tweets on the screen.
- The behind the scenes footage is good also: the scripts tell a better story and are easier to keep up with. Charlie and myself worked well together in our behind the scenes to script and film some good material. Although the scripts weren't followed mostly and it's only one video Vic did a great job piecing footage together and creating something that's pretty cohesive and feels like a true behind the scenes video.
- I'm very happy with the logo: I think it advertises the show well. The pixellation effect emphasises the online aspect of the show and the silhouette with the text-speech bubble shows the programme's debate aspect. The colour scheme fits very well and in terms of this: our team actually worked well to combine ideas to ultimately create a solid logo.
Bad
- Communication was our team's biggest flaw. Information wasn't passed through the ranks well with members of the group not finding out about things or news unless it was either too last or someone else told them. This is just my Promotions team I'm talking about. In terms of the entire class communication was again a huge flaw: pieces of information that one particular member was supposed to pass was instead passed via someone unrelated to the subject. This happened quite a few times in all departments. There was essentially no hierarchy in our group with the wrong people being notified on things rather than the people who were supposed to be told.
- There were issues with the behind the scenes regarding missing footage or being unable to use/find footage but a behind the scenes video is still of a good standard.
Things to take from this unit:
Only one thing: communicate better - Even if I think I've made my point or explained my idea I should attempt to make sure whoever I'm explaining it to is on the same page as me and understands. Also I should communicate with people in higher positions about events, ideas or changes in things just incase they are not already aware of these changes etc
Saturday, 25 April 2015
Studio Production Unit: Production - Behind the Scenes: Massive Recap
Here is a recap of the filming for the behind the scenes:
I went to London with the VT team to get the BTS of their Graffiti shoot. Got lots of footage of VT Director Tim directing and the actual filming. Along with shots of some graffiti just incase and an on-set interview with Tim.
I filmed the first workshop we had with Hans. Unfortunately the Canon wasn't able to pick up much light and so the shots are grainy and unusable.
Charlie filmed BTS for the Domestic Violence VT including shots of VT Director Danny talking about the layouts, setting up of the stunt, the sound team recording it and an on-set interview with VT Producer Sophie.
I filmed their rehearsals for the stunt a few days prior: focussing mainly on them figuring out where to put the cameras and setting up the stunt location along with VT Camera Andrei linking the GoPro's to a mac to monitor them.
Charlie filmed the second Hans workshop: this time getting some better footage than I managed: these included shots inside the Gallery of Studio Directors Chris and Andy directing; PA Hannah time-keeping and the Studio Camera team filming.
The new version of the graffiti VT wasn't filmed as our Promotions Producer decided there was no point going to London again. Instead we filmed the next two Hans workshops that were set up in Studio 5. I took one day and Charlie took the other. I focussed on the Studio Camera team setting up and getting a layout along with filming some of the rehearsals and Floor Manager Kate instructing the team. I also managed to get footage of in-between rehearsals when everyone would blow off some steam and chat and mess about. I felt it was important to get some of this to show the lightheartedness the show can reach and almost portray the production crew as a 'family': having a laugh but getting the job done.
Charlie focussed on the sound team as I didn't cover this and there was no point filming more of the same in terms of the rehearsals. He got some interviews with Mike and Mark and also some laid-back moments.
For the set build we both had a Canon 7D each and walked around filming what we could. On top of this we set up a GoPro with help from Alex Rudge on one of the lighting rigs in the far corner to record the set build. Sam M. helped us out with the sound for most of the day switching between Charlie and me. He stuck predominantly with Charlie as I had Mike's zoom attached to the rig I was using to record sound.
For the actual recording day Charlie, me and our Promotions Producer, Aimee, came to an agreement on who would be filming where when the show went live. I was assigned the Gallery and Charlie and Sam M. were designated on the floor. Sam was with Charlie as I still had Mike's zoom as part of my rig and as the Gallery is smaller I wouldn't need a sound man whereas Charlie would benefit from a directional mic assisting in his filming. On top of this we had the GoPro film the audience coming in for another potential time-lapse and also when the set was being packed away.
I recorded the entire show from inside the gallery: focussing on shots of Andy, Chris and Helen. I also got shots of Hannah counting down to VT's; Sophie readying the VT's and the Vision Mixers cutting shots.
After the easter break we got ready for the interviews that were saved until after the recording: the people we had in mind to interview were Helen, Andy, Chris, Sophie, Danny and Tim. Below are the list of questions for each interviewee.
Due to time running out we only filmed Helen, Sophie and Andy's interviews. Hopefully it will be enough for the videos.
I went to London with the VT team to get the BTS of their Graffiti shoot. Got lots of footage of VT Director Tim directing and the actual filming. Along with shots of some graffiti just incase and an on-set interview with Tim.
I filmed the first workshop we had with Hans. Unfortunately the Canon wasn't able to pick up much light and so the shots are grainy and unusable.
Charlie filmed BTS for the Domestic Violence VT including shots of VT Director Danny talking about the layouts, setting up of the stunt, the sound team recording it and an on-set interview with VT Producer Sophie.
I filmed their rehearsals for the stunt a few days prior: focussing mainly on them figuring out where to put the cameras and setting up the stunt location along with VT Camera Andrei linking the GoPro's to a mac to monitor them.
Charlie filmed the second Hans workshop: this time getting some better footage than I managed: these included shots inside the Gallery of Studio Directors Chris and Andy directing; PA Hannah time-keeping and the Studio Camera team filming.
The new version of the graffiti VT wasn't filmed as our Promotions Producer decided there was no point going to London again. Instead we filmed the next two Hans workshops that were set up in Studio 5. I took one day and Charlie took the other. I focussed on the Studio Camera team setting up and getting a layout along with filming some of the rehearsals and Floor Manager Kate instructing the team. I also managed to get footage of in-between rehearsals when everyone would blow off some steam and chat and mess about. I felt it was important to get some of this to show the lightheartedness the show can reach and almost portray the production crew as a 'family': having a laugh but getting the job done.
Charlie focussed on the sound team as I didn't cover this and there was no point filming more of the same in terms of the rehearsals. He got some interviews with Mike and Mark and also some laid-back moments.
For the set build we both had a Canon 7D each and walked around filming what we could. On top of this we set up a GoPro with help from Alex Rudge on one of the lighting rigs in the far corner to record the set build. Sam M. helped us out with the sound for most of the day switching between Charlie and me. He stuck predominantly with Charlie as I had Mike's zoom attached to the rig I was using to record sound.
For the actual recording day Charlie, me and our Promotions Producer, Aimee, came to an agreement on who would be filming where when the show went live. I was assigned the Gallery and Charlie and Sam M. were designated on the floor. Sam was with Charlie as I still had Mike's zoom as part of my rig and as the Gallery is smaller I wouldn't need a sound man whereas Charlie would benefit from a directional mic assisting in his filming. On top of this we had the GoPro film the audience coming in for another potential time-lapse and also when the set was being packed away.
I recorded the entire show from inside the gallery: focussing on shots of Andy, Chris and Helen. I also got shots of Hannah counting down to VT's; Sophie readying the VT's and the Vision Mixers cutting shots.
After the easter break we got ready for the interviews that were saved until after the recording: the people we had in mind to interview were Helen, Andy, Chris, Sophie, Danny and Tim. Below are the list of questions for each interviewee.
Due to time running out we only filmed Helen, Sophie and Andy's interviews. Hopefully it will be enough for the videos.
Studio Production Unit: Pre-Production - Behind the Scenes Script Versions 2 and 3
With the new format in place we needed several topics of the show to make videos for; we agreed to the following:
1. VT's
2. Set design
3. Rehearsals and Production
4. Promotions
5. Presenter and Panellists
With clearly defined topics now in place we began to script. This actually took some time: around a week to finish due to the workshops with Hans Petch starting.
Unfortunately I do not have a copy of version 2 as it was updated in the same document. So instead I shall list the changes made between V2 and V3:
- Combined the Set Design and Rehearsals and Productions. This was because they were essentially under the same category and besides footage of Studio Director Andy making the presentation of CATF; the style bible CATF made and footage of the actual set being built: we felt this wouldn't be long enough nor interesting enough as a stand alone video. The set build footage would be put to better use as overlays and short segments in the Production video.
- The Promotions video was removed completely. Originally I intended to film each member of the Promotions team (including myself) to get a story and footage of the marketing side of the show. However due to focussing on the other videos as they were deemed more important and the workshops I never got around to filming anything. I was totally fine with this though as I had doubts whether audiences would be interested in watching how a poster was made or how the vines came about or another aspect of the department. I shot some behind the scenes when Charlie was filming his title sequence but it was on an old camera I had so the footage wouldn't hold up in comparison to the rest of the footage in the other videos. Behind the scenes for my trailer was never thought about either so due to chances being missed and unit work the Promotions video was most likely never going to succeed.
- The original idea for the Presenter and Panellists was for me and Charlie to hang around with Jamie, Rory, Beth and Jordan individually and just film their everyday lives. Showcase who they are as people and to give the audience insight into who they would be watching. Due to unavailabilities though this idea never got off the ground. Instead we changed it so Show Producer Helen, in an interview set up, would talk about each participant: who they are and why they were selected.
Below is a copy of version 3.
1. VT's
2. Set design
3. Rehearsals and Production
4. Promotions
5. Presenter and Panellists
With clearly defined topics now in place we began to script. This actually took some time: around a week to finish due to the workshops with Hans Petch starting.
Unfortunately I do not have a copy of version 2 as it was updated in the same document. So instead I shall list the changes made between V2 and V3:
- Combined the Set Design and Rehearsals and Productions. This was because they were essentially under the same category and besides footage of Studio Director Andy making the presentation of CATF; the style bible CATF made and footage of the actual set being built: we felt this wouldn't be long enough nor interesting enough as a stand alone video. The set build footage would be put to better use as overlays and short segments in the Production video.
- The Promotions video was removed completely. Originally I intended to film each member of the Promotions team (including myself) to get a story and footage of the marketing side of the show. However due to focussing on the other videos as they were deemed more important and the workshops I never got around to filming anything. I was totally fine with this though as I had doubts whether audiences would be interested in watching how a poster was made or how the vines came about or another aspect of the department. I shot some behind the scenes when Charlie was filming his title sequence but it was on an old camera I had so the footage wouldn't hold up in comparison to the rest of the footage in the other videos. Behind the scenes for my trailer was never thought about either so due to chances being missed and unit work the Promotions video was most likely never going to succeed.
- The original idea for the Presenter and Panellists was for me and Charlie to hang around with Jamie, Rory, Beth and Jordan individually and just film their everyday lives. Showcase who they are as people and to give the audience insight into who they would be watching. Due to unavailabilities though this idea never got off the ground. Instead we changed it so Show Producer Helen, in an interview set up, would talk about each participant: who they are and why they were selected.
Below is a copy of version 3.
Studio Production Unit: Pre-Produciton - Behind the Scenes Script Version 2
Unit tutor Helen took Charlie and me into one of the rooms and talked to us about the behind the scenes script and where it was at.
We had a version but weren't quite feeling it due to the constant changing of the subject and the fact some weeks have barely anything in them yet.
Helen wrote a brainstorm on the board to help us and mentioned that we could even do several mini-videos of each area of the production.
This suggestion piqued our interest and afterwards Charlie and me had a chat about potentially doing several smaller videos for individual parts. We agreed that this would be better as the focus for each video would be consistent and not waver to anything else.
With this agreed on we told our Promotions Producer the new idea and began scripting for it.
 |
| The brainstorm Helen made. |
Studio Production Unit: Pre-Production - Behind The Scenes Script Version 1
Below is the script Charlie and myself wrote.
There are blank sections due to us not knowing exactly what will happen in that particular week.
We were going to colour code who films what but never got round to actually doing it.
I feel though that the script is too broken apart: we're constantly switching between different areas of the production and it may be hard to keep up with or keep track of what is going on.
Studio production Unit: Production - Trailer Filming Part 2
Around a week later the corridor that runs beside Studio 2 was booked for me to film shots 1 and 4 in and with a new cast list drafted (due to some being unavailable) myself, Jamie, Andy, Helen and Tim filmed the last two shots.
The corridor could only be booked for a lunchtime meaning time was most definitely of the essence: I didn't want to keep everyone waiting too long and starve them!
We managed to complete both the shots with 20-30 minutes of lunchtime left to spare which was a result. However the time it did take to film didn't come without issues:
- In shot 1 it goes out of focus at the beginning which was my fault. Next time I try something like this I may consider enlisting a focus puller to help take mine or the cameraman's mind off of having to focus the shot.
- Due to the rush I forgot to white balance the Canon: although it hasn't ruined the shots I do feel shot 4 is a bit yellow on the walls.
Despite these niggles I am proud of what I've accomplished. I love long takes: I like to incorporate them into as many of my shots as I can to create fluid storytelling without interrupting dialogues with hard cuts but they are very difficult to achieve. A guy with a standard shoulder rig isn't going to produce steady cam-level results and I was aware of this and it does show but overall I am very much looking forward to seeing how it looks in the final version.
The corridor could only be booked for a lunchtime meaning time was most definitely of the essence: I didn't want to keep everyone waiting too long and starve them!
We managed to complete both the shots with 20-30 minutes of lunchtime left to spare which was a result. However the time it did take to film didn't come without issues:
- In shot 1 it goes out of focus at the beginning which was my fault. Next time I try something like this I may consider enlisting a focus puller to help take mine or the cameraman's mind off of having to focus the shot.
- Due to the rush I forgot to white balance the Canon: although it hasn't ruined the shots I do feel shot 4 is a bit yellow on the walls.
Despite these niggles I am proud of what I've accomplished. I love long takes: I like to incorporate them into as many of my shots as I can to create fluid storytelling without interrupting dialogues with hard cuts but they are very difficult to achieve. A guy with a standard shoulder rig isn't going to produce steady cam-level results and I was aware of this and it does show but overall I am very much looking forward to seeing how it looks in the final version.
 |
| Shot 1 out of focus at the start. |
Studio Production Unit: Production - Trailer Filming Part 1
On 27th February the first day of my filming for the trailer began.
With me I had the script and storyboard along with a cast list so I knew what people I needed.
We managed to film 2 of the 4 shots in the time I had which I'm pretty pleased about but what I regard as the hardest shot (shot 1) wasn't done: that is for the second day.
To create the seamless transition I was after myself, Jamie Terry (the presenter and actor in my trailer) and Sam Mckeown filmed shot 2. I then imported it into my mac and took a single frame of the best clip. I then dragged the still into Photoshop and edited it into a poster thus creating the start point for shot 3. I would then start shot 3 with the camera as close as possible to the poster so that the image filled as much of the frame as possible. I then moved backwards and proceed with the rest of the take.
In terms of editing it makes the edit a whole lot easier with the end of shot 2 and the start of shot 3 being the same thing. I put the two shots into Final Cut Pro and edited them together so I could see whether the transition actually worked before handing them over to Vic to edit. I'd rather know now than wait potentially a week or two to find out I need to reshoot.
Thankfully the edit worked incredibly well and I'm very confident that at this point, the trailer is going to be exactly how I envisioned it and it can pull off the camera tricks flawlessly.
With me I had the script and storyboard along with a cast list so I knew what people I needed.
We managed to film 2 of the 4 shots in the time I had which I'm pretty pleased about but what I regard as the hardest shot (shot 1) wasn't done: that is for the second day.
To create the seamless transition I was after myself, Jamie Terry (the presenter and actor in my trailer) and Sam Mckeown filmed shot 2. I then imported it into my mac and took a single frame of the best clip. I then dragged the still into Photoshop and edited it into a poster thus creating the start point for shot 3. I would then start shot 3 with the camera as close as possible to the poster so that the image filled as much of the frame as possible. I then moved backwards and proceed with the rest of the take.
In terms of editing it makes the edit a whole lot easier with the end of shot 2 and the start of shot 3 being the same thing. I put the two shots into Final Cut Pro and edited them together so I could see whether the transition actually worked before handing them over to Vic to edit. I'd rather know now than wait potentially a week or two to find out I need to reshoot.
 |
| The poster created using the still frame. |
Thankfully the edit worked incredibly well and I'm very confident that at this point, the trailer is going to be exactly how I envisioned it and it can pull off the camera tricks flawlessly.
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