Friday Filming: Anchor at the Studios

Yesterday we filmed the segments for the news report which featured the Anchorman in the studio presenting to the camera.

We have all previously worked on the script and have each had some input into what the anchorman should say. This was especially important for me as I was originally intended to be the anchorman; I needed to make sure that what I was saying seemed natural without sounding too scripted.

I had already volunteered to be the anchorman right when we first started this news project and it was agreed that I would be used in the role. However, as the weeks have gone by, there has been some conversation between us and the idea of having Cailan as the Anchorman instead was put forward. To decide, it was suggested that we both do separate takes in the role and the editor would then decide who works best in the role.

The filming itself was quite a task. We first had to make several trips to haul very large equipment from on of our cars to the base room in the Maidstone Studios and then had the difficult task of setting up the equipment. Perhaps most tedious of all was the green screen. We managed to get the frame up easily enough but the actual green cloth itself wouldn't stay on and would often be creased too much one way or the other when we clipped it one. We did eventually managed to find the balance. Then we had the problem of the lighting casting shadows, taking us a further fifteen minutes to try and fix this issue.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have any trouble during the filming of my take on the anchorman. the script had been updated and changed slightly since I last saw and edited it. I found that some of the vocabulary wasn't right at certain points as well as mis-uses of punctuation which caused me to say some sentences in completely the wrong tone. I had too make several changes to the script on the fly and ended up having to put up with some crudely written notes from the others. Also there was a lot of repetition. Due to this, my run had many retakes due to the fact that the script was changing constantly as we were filming and I found it hard to give both a natural performance as well as remember the ever changing script.

Cailan's run went a lot better, however. The script had now been fully updated and he had heard me say it over and over during my take. He was able to remember the script easier and thus was able to give a more natural performance which I did praise him on.

In the end, it came down to who had the least retakes and read from the most updated script. Thus, Cailan's take was chosen for the news report. Though I congratulate Cailan on this, I do feel it is a shame as I felt that, by doing this, it would show more of a physical contribution from me to this news report as I would physically be on screen. Unfortunately this isn't the case. the decision ultimately came down to the editor, George, who had never appeared to be enthusiastic about me being in the role anyway.