Are you a...
-Writer?
-Producer?
-Director?
-Director of Photography?
-Editor?
Do you want to make...
-Documentaries?
-Drama?
-Current Affairs?
-Entertainment?
-Experimental?
-None of the above???
Transition is aimed at enabling you to select how you want yo spend your 3rd year as a creative...
You are not choosing a project you will do in the 3rd year, you are choosing your role and type of output.
Monday, 19 March 2018
Tuesday, 13 March 2018
Second Studio Practice
Today was the second day of studio practice and the first day of rehearsals for our actual show. While everyone involved with the studio side of the production went straight downstairs, the rest of the promo team and I were still slightly confused as to what we should as we are not involved in the studio side. It was decided by the promo director that we should use this opportunity that we should use this opportunity to work on our blogs despite being told that we could start filming behind the scenes footage during the rehearsals. I wasn't in complete agreement with this plan but stayed with them anyway as the decision had been made.
Soon enough the producers had come back from the studios and asked us if we would step in as either talent or as temporary presenters. Tough the others refused I decided that it would be a much better us of my time to help the studio production and went along with the producers.
I was eventually given the job as temporary presenter and was fitted with a microphone and given the script. Unfortunately there appeared to be two different versions of the script so there was alot of confusion caused by this. At last we started rehearsals after a lengthy preparation time and I was paired up with a third year student as a fellow presenter.
I stumbled several times reading the script on camera but this didn't appear to bother anyone. However, there were also plenty of mistakes made within the studio such as cameras not doing what was intended or something going wrong with the director, sound and the visual mixing desk. Thus we had to keep restarting every two to three minutes room the top.
This did become quite annoying though everyone handled it in a very professional manner with little to no complaint. However, by the time it came to having our lunch break, we had only reached page three on our twenty-nine page script.
After lunch I did hang around back in the base room to work on some of my blogs as it was something that needed to be done personally but I did anticipate that I would be called back down again. I wasn't in the end, so my guess is that they were able to work without my help, though Ido feel some guilt if help was actually needed.
According to some others when the day had wrapped up, the session did go really well although they had to skip to the second half of the show to let the other director work as they were still stuck part way through the first half.
Soon enough the producers had come back from the studios and asked us if we would step in as either talent or as temporary presenters. Tough the others refused I decided that it would be a much better us of my time to help the studio production and went along with the producers.
I was eventually given the job as temporary presenter and was fitted with a microphone and given the script. Unfortunately there appeared to be two different versions of the script so there was alot of confusion caused by this. At last we started rehearsals after a lengthy preparation time and I was paired up with a third year student as a fellow presenter.
I stumbled several times reading the script on camera but this didn't appear to bother anyone. However, there were also plenty of mistakes made within the studio such as cameras not doing what was intended or something going wrong with the director, sound and the visual mixing desk. Thus we had to keep restarting every two to three minutes room the top.
This did become quite annoying though everyone handled it in a very professional manner with little to no complaint. However, by the time it came to having our lunch break, we had only reached page three on our twenty-nine page script.
After lunch I did hang around back in the base room to work on some of my blogs as it was something that needed to be done personally but I did anticipate that I would be called back down again. I wasn't in the end, so my guess is that they were able to work without my help, though Ido feel some guilt if help was actually needed.
According to some others when the day had wrapped up, the session did go really well although they had to skip to the second half of the show to let the other director work as they were still stuck part way through the first half.
Tuesday, 6 March 2018
Studio Practice
Today was our first official day of practice within the studio working environment. This meant that we were each able to have a go at using some of the different pieces of equipment such as:
-Operating multiple cameras.
-Operating the sound desk
-Operating VTs
-Operating the mixing desk.
We were also each given a go at being the director for a small segment of a mock-up show created using students as stand-ins. I felt I wasn't particularly great as a director here as I lacked the confidence to tell people what to be doing over a microphone but I think it still went rather smoothly and thankfully there was a lot f help to avoid big mistakes.
Areas that I felt I did succeed in more than others were operating the sound desk. I had little to no problem using the sound desk and was able to easily mute and set each individual (wearing a clip-mic) to the right level so they were neither too quiet or too loud and distorted.
The other was operating the cameras which most people have become quite accustomed to by this point and I found that following the instructions through a headset was easy and the instructions were clear and easy to understand.
Its a shame that the snow during the previous week meant that we were a week behind on practice but we thankfully managed to get up to speed, almost doing two weeks worth of session. Now we can start properly rehearing our show next week.
I, along with the promo director and main promo camera operator, are unsure as to what part we shall play during these rehearsals as we are not involved in the studio part of the production. However, we should be able to think of something.
-Operating multiple cameras.
-Operating the sound desk
-Operating VTs
-Operating the mixing desk.
We were also each given a go at being the director for a small segment of a mock-up show created using students as stand-ins. I felt I wasn't particularly great as a director here as I lacked the confidence to tell people what to be doing over a microphone but I think it still went rather smoothly and thankfully there was a lot f help to avoid big mistakes.
Areas that I felt I did succeed in more than others were operating the sound desk. I had little to no problem using the sound desk and was able to easily mute and set each individual (wearing a clip-mic) to the right level so they were neither too quiet or too loud and distorted.
The other was operating the cameras which most people have become quite accustomed to by this point and I found that following the instructions through a headset was easy and the instructions were clear and easy to understand.
Its a shame that the snow during the previous week meant that we were a week behind on practice but we thankfully managed to get up to speed, almost doing two weeks worth of session. Now we can start properly rehearing our show next week.
I, along with the promo director and main promo camera operator, are unsure as to what part we shall play during these rehearsals as we are not involved in the studio part of the production. However, we should be able to think of something.
Saturday, 24 February 2018
Promo Test Shoot Day 2
The second shoot day consisted of recreating a catwalk inside the UCA Rochester Campus as a continuation of the test promo.
The idea was to have the same actor as before walking down a catwalk with the items of clothing that had been stolen and pointing towards the camera. It was decided that this scene should be enacted in the 'cheesiest' way possible which our temporary actor fulfilled to great effect.
A last minute idea involved having somebody sat behind the actor in the room, with the actor not knowing they are there. This would allow some comedy to be included in the trailer. Eventually, the person behind would then cough and the actor would suddenly realise they are not alone in the room and walk off, embarrassed. I was chosen to fill this role.
The filming itself went rather smoothly as we thankfully had our director with us, meaning that all the majority of the creative decisions came from the one person, meaning that there was a lot more focus on the direction. The shoot ended up only taking ten minutes.
Overall I am happy with what has been shot. A rough edit was put together and I feel it looks good but needs to be cut down considerably as several shots linger for far too long.
The idea was to have the same actor as before walking down a catwalk with the items of clothing that had been stolen and pointing towards the camera. It was decided that this scene should be enacted in the 'cheesiest' way possible which our temporary actor fulfilled to great effect.
A last minute idea involved having somebody sat behind the actor in the room, with the actor not knowing they are there. This would allow some comedy to be included in the trailer. Eventually, the person behind would then cough and the actor would suddenly realise they are not alone in the room and walk off, embarrassed. I was chosen to fill this role.
The filming itself went rather smoothly as we thankfully had our director with us, meaning that all the majority of the creative decisions came from the one person, meaning that there was a lot more focus on the direction. The shoot ended up only taking ten minutes.
Overall I am happy with what has been shot. A rough edit was put together and I feel it looks good but needs to be cut down considerably as several shots linger for far too long.
Thursday, 22 February 2018
Test Promo Shoot Day 1
The shoot for our test promo today went surprisingly well and the filming process was much faster than I had anticipated.
We unfortunately started a little later than planned, hoping to start at 9:30 and there were issues with traffic and I personally had a hard time finding a place to park but we eventually met at the shop which served as the shoot location and got to work at around 9:50.
Connor, the researcher for promos, stepped into the role of director due to the promo director's absence and also starred as the lead who would eventually be portrayed by one or both of the presenters during the final promo.
I monitored the sound whilst also assisting the cameraman when they were setting up each shot and advising them on various aspects such as the exposure and speed of which they should move the camera. We only used the small 'shotgun' microphone instead of the 'boom' microphone as we felt that there would not be any proper diegetic sound to this particular segment and there was no speaking. I shall help to work around this as sound editor during the editing process.
Certain problems during the shoot included:
- The Sun- Sometimes the sun would keep reappearing from behind the cloud and would change the lighting during a few of the longer shots, however this can be worked around during the edit and we took multiple takes of each shot anyway.
- I felt that having the person run away from camera after stealing the mannequin and exiting the shot didn't quite work as well as having them run towards the camera. However, this can be decided if this is to be changed for the proper shoot down the line.
Despite this very minor problems, I am very happy with how this shoot went and, upon looking at the playback, I am happy with the footage taken. Now it would just need some polish during the edit to make it work.
We all managed to leave there very early, with the shop owners being gracious hosts as we were gone from there just as things started to get a bit busier.
We unfortunately started a little later than planned, hoping to start at 9:30 and there were issues with traffic and I personally had a hard time finding a place to park but we eventually met at the shop which served as the shoot location and got to work at around 9:50.
Connor, the researcher for promos, stepped into the role of director due to the promo director's absence and also starred as the lead who would eventually be portrayed by one or both of the presenters during the final promo.
I monitored the sound whilst also assisting the cameraman when they were setting up each shot and advising them on various aspects such as the exposure and speed of which they should move the camera. We only used the small 'shotgun' microphone instead of the 'boom' microphone as we felt that there would not be any proper diegetic sound to this particular segment and there was no speaking. I shall help to work around this as sound editor during the editing process.
Certain problems during the shoot included:
- The Sun- Sometimes the sun would keep reappearing from behind the cloud and would change the lighting during a few of the longer shots, however this can be worked around during the edit and we took multiple takes of each shot anyway.
- I felt that having the person run away from camera after stealing the mannequin and exiting the shot didn't quite work as well as having them run towards the camera. However, this can be decided if this is to be changed for the proper shoot down the line.
Despite this very minor problems, I am very happy with how this shoot went and, upon looking at the playback, I am happy with the footage taken. Now it would just need some polish during the edit to make it work.
We all managed to leave there very early, with the shop owners being gracious hosts as we were gone from there just as things started to get a bit busier.
Saturday, 17 February 2018
Test Promo- Final Idea & Shooting Schedule
The final idea for our test promo shoot will be:
A person walks up to a clothing store and looks at a mannequin with clothes on inside the shop window. They will then enter the shop. Then cut to the person running out of the show with the mannequin while the shop owner runs after him towards the camera. The title 'Steal The Style' will then appear on screen.
Another small segment will then involve the person walking along a catwalk wearing the items that were on the mannequin.
We have a location confirmed at a shop in Sittingborne thanks to the resources of a student lives local to that area plus we have also gained access to a mannequin thanks to the UCA. We hope to film this on Thursday 22nd February. Unfortunately we will not have our promo director for this shoot due to their being out of the country which had understandably been planned in advance of learning of these test promos. However, the promo researcher had offered to stand in as director and that decision has been made. I would have happily stepped in but I was beaten to the job.
The catwalk segment will be film as the UCA in Rochester the day after, on Friday 23rd February. Although I have not seen it, there is apparently an area that would be appropriate for use as a catwalk-like setting for this shoot in particular.
I managed to help the camera assistant with the booking of the Sony EX Camera and sound equipment for this shoot and others have devised risk assessments and permissions for shooting locations.
As this is a test shoot, it is yet to be decided if this will be representative of the final promo but we will be hoping that, if this idea is kept, we would use one of or both of the presenters of the live show as the people who would be stealing ad running away with the mannequin. We do have an actor place for this particular test-shoot however.
Other ideas that I don't think we will be filming for this test shoot but may keep for the final shoot involve small ten second 'skits' involving the presenters but we would need to have our presenters confirmed before we would try and do this.
A person walks up to a clothing store and looks at a mannequin with clothes on inside the shop window. They will then enter the shop. Then cut to the person running out of the show with the mannequin while the shop owner runs after him towards the camera. The title 'Steal The Style' will then appear on screen.
Another small segment will then involve the person walking along a catwalk wearing the items that were on the mannequin.
We have a location confirmed at a shop in Sittingborne thanks to the resources of a student lives local to that area plus we have also gained access to a mannequin thanks to the UCA. We hope to film this on Thursday 22nd February. Unfortunately we will not have our promo director for this shoot due to their being out of the country which had understandably been planned in advance of learning of these test promos. However, the promo researcher had offered to stand in as director and that decision has been made. I would have happily stepped in but I was beaten to the job.
The catwalk segment will be film as the UCA in Rochester the day after, on Friday 23rd February. Although I have not seen it, there is apparently an area that would be appropriate for use as a catwalk-like setting for this shoot in particular.
I managed to help the camera assistant with the booking of the Sony EX Camera and sound equipment for this shoot and others have devised risk assessments and permissions for shooting locations.
As this is a test shoot, it is yet to be decided if this will be representative of the final promo but we will be hoping that, if this idea is kept, we would use one of or both of the presenters of the live show as the people who would be stealing ad running away with the mannequin. We do have an actor place for this particular test-shoot however.
Other ideas that I don't think we will be filming for this test shoot but may keep for the final shoot involve small ten second 'skits' involving the presenters but we would need to have our presenters confirmed before we would try and do this.
Thursday, 15 February 2018
Production Role- Critical Analysis Guidance
Critical analysis component for Studio Unit:
-30% Production Role Critical Analysis (2000 Words)- Details the production role.
-Crucially it should include research into studio production and specific professional role you have undertaken and how that research formed your actual role and the production.
-Think of this as a piece of writing that teaches the Reader about your role and uses the experience of this production as anecdotal evidence to illustrate typical tasks, issues and skills
-For this reason it should not wait until the production is completed to be written- it is as much about informing yourself during the production about your methodology and approach as it is a piece of critical writing.
-Show the reader that you can critically evaluate your own work and that you understand Professional Approaches and Context through a focus on Academic Referencing Throughout.
-Thus you will demonstrate and evidence that all decision and critical reflections are informed by research and development by use of appropriate quotations.
What do we expect?
-Delivered in a report style, it is a document that allows us to see now just what you have done but rather How and Why you have chosen to do something- Methodology...
Reminder- Journal Content
This should not be merely a narrative describing what you did, but rather should evidence:
-The processes and methodology adopted.
-Your research into the wider context of your chosen area of work and established methodologies and processes- You must research your chosen role.
-Contextual information for each project and background
-Load your prep/ test shoots/ scripts/ paperwork etc to evidence methodology
It is your sketchbook.
Use Journal for presentation/ supporting info- Your blog is the ideal day to day record of your research and development of your work which can then be drawn upon to aide your report writing, however it should not replicate it- precisely, structure and formalise for the report.
What to include and structuring:
-Draw up a general list of areas you will need to cover- try Mind Mapping.
-Ovetall rule- tell them what you are going to say (Intro), tell them (Main Body), then tell them what you told them (Conclusion)!
-Always write a draft!
What to include: Headings and Sub-headings
-Headings guide the reader
Suggested headings to include:
-Introduction
-My production role
-Creative methodologies
-Critical reflections
-Conclusions
-Bibliography
-Illustrations
-Appendix
Layout:
Report Format: 'You need to use a combination of the following:
-Bullet points
-Titles, headings and subheadings
-Illustrations/ jpegs
-Page numbers- essential!
-Footnotes
-Bibliography
-Citations through Harvard method.
Souces of Information:
-People
-Books and other publications
-IT/ ONLINE
-Events and places.
-The usual rules apply- accuracy and check up to date!
Style of writing:
-Always adopt a formal writing style and one which is 'unobtrusive'.
-Argue your points as with an essay by providing RELEVANT RELIABLE RECOGNISED evidence.
-AVOID COLLOQUIALISMS!
-SPAG and avoid overly long sentences and paragraphs! (para NO MORE THAN HALF A PAGE, sentences concise.
-Check it before you submit!
-Be concise and clear- it should be easy for anyone, however unfamiliar whey are with the subject to follow.
-USe simple language and avoid pointless phrases ad words e.g. 'basically'.
Research And This Report
-So why bother doing research and report?
-Well- It justifies your creative methodologies' -i.e. the reason you have chosen a particular way of working and indeed what you are working on MUST be informed.
DRAFT- due after study week (1600- 1700 1st March 2017)
- Use the draft opportunity for guidance- provide evidence of your research plan and quotations you use.
-Show me your report plan re: headings/ subheadings and likely content
-Bibliography surnames in alphabetical order.
-30% Production Role Critical Analysis (2000 Words)- Details the production role.
-Crucially it should include research into studio production and specific professional role you have undertaken and how that research formed your actual role and the production.
-Think of this as a piece of writing that teaches the Reader about your role and uses the experience of this production as anecdotal evidence to illustrate typical tasks, issues and skills
-For this reason it should not wait until the production is completed to be written- it is as much about informing yourself during the production about your methodology and approach as it is a piece of critical writing.
-Show the reader that you can critically evaluate your own work and that you understand Professional Approaches and Context through a focus on Academic Referencing Throughout.
-Thus you will demonstrate and evidence that all decision and critical reflections are informed by research and development by use of appropriate quotations.
What do we expect?
-Delivered in a report style, it is a document that allows us to see now just what you have done but rather How and Why you have chosen to do something- Methodology...
Reminder- Journal Content
This should not be merely a narrative describing what you did, but rather should evidence:
-The processes and methodology adopted.
-Your research into the wider context of your chosen area of work and established methodologies and processes- You must research your chosen role.
-Contextual information for each project and background
-Load your prep/ test shoots/ scripts/ paperwork etc to evidence methodology
It is your sketchbook.
Use Journal for presentation/ supporting info- Your blog is the ideal day to day record of your research and development of your work which can then be drawn upon to aide your report writing, however it should not replicate it- precisely, structure and formalise for the report.
What to include and structuring:
-Draw up a general list of areas you will need to cover- try Mind Mapping.
-Ovetall rule- tell them what you are going to say (Intro), tell them (Main Body), then tell them what you told them (Conclusion)!
-Always write a draft!
What to include: Headings and Sub-headings
-Headings guide the reader
Suggested headings to include:
-Introduction
-My production role
-Creative methodologies
-Critical reflections
-Conclusions
-Bibliography
-Illustrations
-Appendix
Layout:
Report Format: 'You need to use a combination of the following:
-Bullet points
-Titles, headings and subheadings
-Illustrations/ jpegs
-Page numbers- essential!
-Footnotes
-Bibliography
-Citations through Harvard method.
Souces of Information:
-People
-Books and other publications
-IT/ ONLINE
-Events and places.
-The usual rules apply- accuracy and check up to date!
Style of writing:
-Always adopt a formal writing style and one which is 'unobtrusive'.
-Argue your points as with an essay by providing RELEVANT RELIABLE RECOGNISED evidence.
-AVOID COLLOQUIALISMS!
-SPAG and avoid overly long sentences and paragraphs! (para NO MORE THAN HALF A PAGE, sentences concise.
-Check it before you submit!
-Be concise and clear- it should be easy for anyone, however unfamiliar whey are with the subject to follow.
-USe simple language and avoid pointless phrases ad words e.g. 'basically'.
Research And This Report
-So why bother doing research and report?
-Well- It justifies your creative methodologies' -i.e. the reason you have chosen a particular way of working and indeed what you are working on MUST be informed.
DRAFT- due after study week (1600- 1700 1st March 2017)
- Use the draft opportunity for guidance- provide evidence of your research plan and quotations you use.
-Show me your report plan re: headings/ subheadings and likely content
-Bibliography surnames in alphabetical order.
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