It's the Easter holidays so we're all getting a break from uni work! I've decided to use the time to gather myself and get the affairs of our production in order – as well as working on the assignments for my other modules.
Paperwork
Script: the script has been finalised and uploaded to QSmart to be used on the Autocue (I say uploaded, it was actually painstakingly typed out by Joe). There has been one addition, the mention of the hashtag that audience members will be able to use during and after the live broadcast, which needs to be updated but that will have to be seen to at the start of the semester. Phoebe and Mia did a great job at pulling this together, and I think it will serve us well for our final production. You can check out the full script HERE.
Shot List: Calum created us a shot list, and it's absolutely fantastic. This is a document I need to study pretty closely in preparation for my role as PA. You can check out our shot list HERE.
Contingencies: I've worked on a set of production contingencies in case a member of the crew is ill or a piece of equipment fails. It's unlikely that any of these will be needed but it's always better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. Full production contingencies can be viewed HERE.
Risk Assessment: Last but not least, the studio risk-assessment. While it's certainly not the most exciting document to be complied for the production it is arguably the most important. This is the third risk assessment I've undertaken for the production (and the latest in a very long line of assessments I've produced over the last 4 years). It's all fairly common sense stuff, but in such a equipment-heavy and high-stress environment its best to have everything written down. I've added a copy to my production folder. The full risk assessment is available HERE.
Insert 2
The production of Insert 2 is going really well! On the 11th March we went on a trip to Bellymack Hill Farm as a part of our tourism module. For those of you who don't know, this is a feeding station for red kites in the beautiful county of Dumfries and Galloway, and they regularly attract over 80 of the birds to the site – that's a phenomenal number of birds, and absolutely perfect for our bird of prey programme.
We arrived at about 1pm – an hour before feeding time! We settled down in our positions and got busy taking pictures of the already large numbers of red kites already hanging about. My camera lens was... pitiful to say the least (should have gotten a longer one) so I made myself busy getting pictures of other people getting material for the insert. We actually had a really good time and some very good jokes were shared.
At 2pm precisely the staff came out with some large buckets full of meat. Clearly the birds knew dinner was appearing because even more red kites turned up. We were really well placed to see the kites feed and everyone was so amazed with the pictures and footage they were getting. Even I managed to get a couple of decent pictures!
The whole team was very positive about the material they collected, which is always an excellent end to the day. Calum has taken on the responsibility of editing this together over Easter, which is excellent news because I know his editing work is excellent. However, we still have not got a confirmed script or voice artist for this insert, which is something we need to organise next term. I believe Kelsie and Mia are working on Insert 1, which I am also very happy about because I saw the insert they produced for the task and it was amazing! The deadline for both of these has been pushed back to 13th April as we have two assignments to complete over the Easter holidays and I don't want people to be stressing.
Deadlines and Upcoming Tasks
We have a few upcoming deadlines and tasks to complete, other than the things I've outlined in the previous sections.
The titles are also due in for the 13th April. Despite a bit of a rocky start in terms of communication between Kelsie and Isaac I've heard positive things and I'm very eager to see the final result!
Ed has scheduled us a set design session for 19th April. I'm not really sure what this is going to involve, but as things are already well in motion I'm not too worried about it. We shall see what happens.
One thing we haven't discussed as a team so far, and something I need to consider over the holidays, is costume design. So far Lequane has been turning up to rehearsals in all black. This is formal and smart, which doesn't quite fulfil our desired aesthetic. We want fairly laid back, quite rustic but chic. I think I might go back to Springwatch to see what they wear and see what we can come up with. It may also be worth a visit to the university costume store – I'll ask my Performing Arts friend, Lauren, if she can get me a contact.
The final thing that we need to sort out is the media for the TV screen. We have yet to finalise what this will actually be, so that's something for me to ask about when we get back and then assign to someone to sort out. If it's going to be a stationary graphic, I can probably sort it out, but if it's footage I think I'll ask someone to lend a hand.
Reflection
Seeing as it's the holidays, and I'm not rushing around from one project to the next, I've decided that now is the time to sit down and take stock of the semester as a whole. I'll admit that when we first started work on this module I was a bit scared. I have done plenty of production work before, but never anything like this – it was actually kinda terrifying. But it was also really exciting for me to have an opportunity to sink my teeth into something so new. And so far it's been really gratifying.
I'm delighted with the way the team has been moving forward. Looking at the way the team has bonded through the lens of Tuckman's Theory of Group Development we smashed straight through the forming, storming and norming parts of the process and almost immediately entered performing. This was probably helped by the fact that we are all on the same course, and that our class size is pretty small, so we're already pretty well acquainted with each other and that fact will definitely have sped up the process. It's been great to work with such a dedicated and talented team who are eager to bring their best to the production.
From a leadership perspective I think I'm doing really well. Things seem to be running pretty smoothly and deadlines are consistently being met. I feel that the chain of command is clear and that people feel comfortable to make suggestions to me. Everyone seems pretty happy with the way things are going, which means that I'm happy too. The production is definitely taking shape and things are definitely looking good – hopefully they'll stay that way after the holidays. The key definitely seems to have been not to panic and to take the time to stop and think about problems, and to resolve them in a rational way. Here's to semester 3 – may it be just as positive and rewarding!
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