15th February
Another week, another production task. Our challenge was to plan, rehearse and record a 5 minute storytime show that could be aired on Cbeebies. We were provided with a copy of 'The Mousehole Cat' by Antonia Barber and Nicola Bayley. There was also an added task to ensure that we used two locations within the studio and to get some movement on Camera 2. I must admit, when I first saw the briefing document I thought that there was no way this was going to happen – but I pushed those negative thoughts aside as there's no point giving up before you've even begun.
First order of the session was to set tasks. We resolved that it would be best to just stick with the roles we'll be undertaking for the final thing to ensure that we get practised at what we do. Isaac was missing for some reason. No-one had heard anything from him so I assigned the role of On-Set Sound Technician to Joe as he is a very capable sound recordist.
Obviously a lot of preparation needed to be undertaken to get everything ready. Mia had already put the word out amongst her acting friends so we knew that two people were on their way – brilliant! I took the reins as producer and began doling out prep tasks. Mia and Kelsie were to scan in the book so that we had some insert material, Joe was to organise the sound equipment, Calum was to begin work on a shot list, and the rest of us were going to sort out the floor.
That meant for some very quick set design! Emily said that she had some massive blankets and a bear and sloth toy that would make the environment look more child-friendly, and in keeping with Storytime. I agreed that this was a good idea and I volunteered to bring my toy cat and octopus to add to the softness. The two of us raced to our accommodation and back to grab the stuff and with some help from Rachael Doran we were back up in no time.
We coordinated with Calum to ensure that our shots looked good in the gallery, and practised moving Camera 2 so that we weren't tripping over wires when we started rehearsing. Mia and Kelsie hurried back up with the book, which I then took to begin writing up the script on the autocue. I left everyone else (except Joe and Calum) on the floor to practise movements with the talent – I know they did a really thorough job with this because the final production was so smooth.
Transcribing the script, however was not such plain sailing. There was so much to write up, and not much time to do it. I started just writing straight up from the book before realising that I would be a lot quicker if Joe read it to me and I transcribed it aurally. This was a lot more effective, but we did keep getting interrupted because the book was also required for the shot list – next time I'm taking pictures of the book and writing it up whilst the pages are scanned.
We got to about half 2 and hadn't finished the typing when it was suggested that we stop to test and see how much material we still needed. I would never have thought to do that because I was so fixated on getting my task done. We did the test run and discovered that we were a minute too short.
Evidently I was a lot more stressed out than I had realised because this information was just too much. I really felt like I had failed and I had to remove myself from the environment to try and calm down. Dave Roberts came and spoke to me and instructed that I go and take a break outside before coming back and resuming work. This really was the best course of action because I felt so much more confident when I came back, although I did feel very bad about just ditching my team like that.
While I had been gone the floor team continued rehearsing with the talent, co-ordinated brilliantly by Mia, and Joe finished writing up the book – we only needed about a page more. I took the opportunity to settle down into my role as PA, something I haven't really had a go at doing before. We had a few rehearsals but I got extremely muddled and didn't do a very good job as PA at all, but I did improve somewhat and did a better job for the live broadcast.
We had a debrief with Dave at the end to discuss what went wrong and what could have been done better. For me the main flaws in our production were the lack of script and shot list in advance and the really short amount of rehearsal time that we had for the full performance. But neither of these things should be a problem for our final production as we will have a script and shot list finalised weeks before the live broadcast and we will be having plenty of rehearsals. Along with the skills tasks, insert tasks and production tasks we should all be pretty adept at out roles by then. I've got a good feeling about the final thing.
Final Product:
This isn't a bad production in my opinion, with some solid camera work from our operators. Listening back now I can hear that's there's quite a lot of noise from the floor during movements so I think I will get Joe to see if he is able to mute the microphones for transitions in the future. The vision mixing is also a little iffy but that's something we can work on for the final piece!
Ideas Development Meeting and Insert #1
After setting Mia and Phoebe the task of writing a script for the project, they emailed me back (separately, which did amuse me) to ask for an ideas development meeting so they could gain a better understanding of the project and what they needed to write. Fair enough.
I did some research ahead of the meeting and found that I couldn't really find a great deal about the role of falconry in the conservation of birds of prey. I therefore proposed that we make the topic of the programme about conservation as a whole, and that one of our inserts would be about falconry – using material collected at the site Emily has a contact with. Besides, as a magazine show the format dictates that we cover a range of topics. Our other insert will be a spotlight on red kites, one of Britain's most recognisable birds of prey.
We discussed some ideas for guests. We initially decided that we wanted two guests, but after going away and thinking about it we've decided to just have the one. Mia says that she might have a contact so I've tasked her with finding someone. I'm very happy with the direction we're going now. I think the whole thing feels a lot more focussed and I think it will come together nicely.
Script
Phoebe and Mia got together on Sunday and got a first draft of a script to me before the end of the day! Talk about being efficient. I reviewed it on Monday morning (after dealing with my flatmate's missing keys) and was very impressed. I cleaned up a couple of grammar issues to help it make sense when it's read aloud. I gave my critiqued version to Calum for further comments as I know he does a great job of critiquing mine! He provided me with some great notes, which I added to the critique and sent back to Mia and Phoebe with some suggestions. All but one of these were accepted (due to RSPB figures) and the script was adjusted accordingly. First draft of a script down already – this is great news!
Skills Task
Monday blues? I wouldn't know anything about those – it's Skills Task time! Our task was to devise some creative camera angles based on a TV excerpt we were shown, as well as cutting our shots to the dialogue. We decided to stick with our usual roles, with one swap between Floor Manager Mia and Camera Operator Emily. I support this swapping because we should all have an understanding of what each role entails. Kelsie was on talent-scouting duty, and she secured us 3 actors very quickly. Once again we had no Isaac – I'm getting a bit concerned about his lack of attendance now.
We were given scripts for this task (hallelujah!) which meant that the only piece of paperwork we needed to create was a shot list. I left this in Calum's capable hands and headed out to work on studio layout. It was so nice to actually spend a decent amount of time on the floor – I felt like a proper producer!
While taking some time to review the script I devised a neat little ending where we tracked two of the characters as they sat down. We tested this out and it actually looked really great! I'm very proud of myself, and absolutely delighted that I could contribute at a creative level. It also comes with the added benefit of giving some movement practice for our camera crew.
I really felt that I'd done a good job as Producer this time as everyone was content with their roles and things were moving steadily. The main thing holding us back was the shot list but there's only so fast you can write that out. For our final production this won't be an issue – it will all be complied, confirmed and rehearsed well in advance of the day.
The relaxed atmosphere meant that we could have some fun and everyone seemed really positive. The actors did a brilliant job rehearsing and bringing the script to life – they really embellished their roles to real comedic effect. We had a relaxed run-through with the camera movements with Calum and I being present on the floor instead of being holed up in the Gallery – it looked great, and I was so proud of my team for putting together such a polished production. Once the shot list was complete and copied we were able to set about rehearsing.
My role as PA came into play and my goodness was I bad at it. I really couldn't keep up with the pace of the shots. I did start to get the hang of it, especially after I realised that the first two shots on the list were actually obsolete! We did a couple of rehearsals and things were really beginning to come together, but then management (Nigel) brought our broadcast time forward so we only had one rehearsal left! That was carried out successfully and I really got into the swing of being a PA.
We stormed through the final production and I was really able to keep up with the shots, despite them going at a ferocious pace! I was very pleased with my performance. I asked for some feedback from Phoebe and her comment was 'You definitely got better.' I'll take that to mean I'm not up to scratch yet, but that I'm on the right lines to getting there. And there are plenty of rehearsals between now and the final live broadcast. I'm taking comfort from the fact that Ed told us in our last lecture that it takes a lot of practise to be able to communicate as PA to a professional level. I will work as hard as I can to ensure that I give my best performance during production week.
Final Product:
The camera angles are pretty good and the actors did a great job. The final camera movement at the end, along with the comedic music were also nice touches. Again, vision mixing wasn't too hot but I can recall from the day that I was in a mess PA-wise. Also, I can definitely hear my voice from the gallery. Perhaps this means that I need to be quieter, but it may mean that the talk back system needs to be turned down.
Extra Notes: As I was writing up all the edits to the script I noticed that the opening statement is only 8 seconds and I think it needs to be 15. I'm going to leave it for now, with a note saying that it may need to be longer, but we can discuss it once we see how fast the talent (Lequane) actually reads it. We also now have a draft shot list, but the script on it is now out of date and will need reviewing. We may also want to add some more interesting camera movements to it. Oh well, having initial drafts in is a great step forward and I'm looking forward to see how we progress from here!
One thing that has put a bit of a dark cloud over this pretty successful week has been the lack of Isaac. I don't know what's going on with him and any messages that I've sent out have been met with silence. The lecturers have said that they're going to have a word with him, but where will that leave our group? I think we're going to have to be prepared to work with just a crew of seven – but that is manageable so it's a challenge that we can meet!
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