Major Project: Production Day 3

Almost a week after production started, it was time for our third production day.

PRODUCTION DAY 3

Upon arrival we discovered that the location had changed again since out last production day. The company had moved some furniture around and we were not allowed to move it back. We quickly came up with a solution to this. All we had to do was reshoot our wide shots for scene 7, as you couldn't tell were the furniture was in our close ups and additional shots. This was not ideal as we were already behind schedule but we had no other choice.

Once this was solved we moved on to redressing the office and storage room. Unfortunately we couldn't keep everything set up during the week so we needed to do it all again. We had taken lots of pictures during the second production day so we had good references for the posters, props and boxes.

Our actors arrived on time (we had asked Sophie to come in later as we didn't need her for the start of the day), and once they had settled in I ran them through the changes to the day. We had to shoot scenes 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, & 12, so we had a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.

We began by filming the second half of scene 7 with Craig in it as Frank. I ran the actors through the scene, blocking it out with them and then rehearsing it. Once everyone was happy we began shooting the scene starting with all of the wide shots. We then moved into the close ups and additional shots. It was at this point that the actors highlighted an issue with part of the scene. I was able to resolve this issue and we carried on filming.

When we were happy with the coverage we had we continued by filming scene 9 as it takes place in the same location and uses the same two actors. Again I started by blocking through the scene with Nik and Craig and then they rehearsed it a couple of times. Once we were all happy, we began filming. During filming, Sophie arrived so Ellie went to get her ready so we could continue into scenes with her without having to pause for too long.

Once scenes 7 & 9 were wrapped, we filmed scene 8 that had all three cast members in. During the blocking it became clear that part of the scene wasn't going to work at all, so I had to come up with something else. Originally the toy laser gun was meant to fall out of Bobbie's pocket and onto the floor whilst she was hiding. We didn't have a way of doing that. It's something we forgot to plan for, but luckily we were able to come up with an alternative that still worked well for the story. Once this was sorted, we rehearsed it and carried on filming. We also made time to reshoot the wide shots for the beginning of scene 7.

After completing scenes 7, 8, & 9 the office location was wrapped and de-rigged. By doing it at this point, we saved ourselves some time at the end of the day.

We had a break and then continued filming by moving onto scene 12. This is the final scene of the film, and was the last scene we needed Craig for. As with all other scenes I began by blocking through the scenes with the actors, and then they rehearsed it. Once everyone was happy we began filming starting with the wide shots and then moving in for the close ups and additional coverage. For this scene we used George, a student on the course, for a minor character role. He did a very good job and took direction well. Whilst filming this scene we had a section where Craig had to drop a box of apples. I had the idea to shoot this part with two cameras so we could get two angles of it at the same time. This saved us having to reset the box twice as many times.

Once we'd wrapped scene 12, we sent Craig on his way and continued by filming scenes 3 & 4. Because we were running very behind, I decided to cut scene 3 down from 4 shots to one shot. We shot the scene in one shot on a stabilised camera. Fingers crossed it works out in the edit and we don't need anymore coverage for that scene. We then shot scene 4, which was a simple three camera set up so we were able to get through it quickly. Finally we shot scene 10, and all we had left was scene 1 which we could do without the actors so we saved it until last.

As we ended up saving some time filming scenes 3 & 4, we went back and reshot some stuff from scene 2, as when we reviewed the footage during the week, there were some extra angles we wanted to get.

We managed to wrap pretty much on time, but it ended up being a late finish for the crew because we had a lot of de-rigging to do. We did however save some time because we de-rigged the office earlier in the day, and whilst we were filming outside we had people de-rigging the storage room.

Overall I am happy with how the final production day went. Although we had to rush a few things, I think we still got enough coverage and good performances to fill the edit with. I'm looking forward to editing this film together, and I'm very glad the production days are out of the way.

Here are some behind the scenes photos from production day 3:

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Major Project: Production Day 2

Once day one was out of the way, it was time for day two.

PRODUCTION DAY 2

Day 2 started off a little bit less stressful. The sets had already been dressed yesterday so we didn't have to worry about getting in too early to sort that out. Our plan for the day was to shoot scenes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 11. Basically the only scenes we weren't going to do were the ones with the security guard in them as we're doing them next weekend on our third shoot day.

Once the actors had arrived and we had set everything up, I began blocking them through scene 5, which was a pretty simple scene I had planned to do in one shot. We rehearsed it a couple of times, and it became clear to me that one shot would not be enough coverage, so I had to come up with some additional shots there and then. I added some close ups in, as the one shot was only a wide that tracked with the action. We needed the additional shots in case we needed to speed up the pacing of the scene in post.

As we were filming the scene, our actress had to keep reseting her hair and make up in between each take as she had to take a mask off mid scene. I'm very glad that she was keeping continuity for us, however it was time consuming, so after we had finished the wide shots, we did all of the close ups with the mask already off. Hopefully this won't become an issue when we try to cut the scene together in post.

After a short break we moved onto our exterior scenes. We had to wait for it to get dark outside to do so. Unfortunately, even though we had rescheduled, we still couldn't avoid the snow. It started to snow as we were setting up. I didn't want this to effect our continuity so I decided that I didn't want to shoot any exterior shots. These were the only shots we could do that day. The rest of the cast and crew had to convince me to do it because I really didn't want to.

Eventually it did stop snowing and so we started shooting scenes 2 & 11. The two scenes take place in the same location and use the same camera positions and framing so we shot them both at the same time. It snowed on and off throughout the shoot but we had to deal with it. I ran the actors through the blocking, which didn't take too long because they were sitting in a car for the duration of the scene. Because the weather conditions kept changing I wanted to film as quickly as possible so we didn't spend a lot of time rehearsing.

As with before we started with the widest shots and then moved in for the close ups and additional coverage. Once we had finished filming those scenes, we decided to wrap. We couldn't do any other exterior scenes because the weather conditions were pretty bad, and we wanted to ensure all cast and crew could get home. We will have to make time for scenes 1, 3, & 4 next weekend.

Unfortunately the weather couldn't be helped and it really did disrupt our schedule. We are now behind schedule and will be throughout the entire third shoot day. We will have to start earlier next weekend to try and resolve this. It will be a long day.

Overall I think the day could've gone better. The weather really did screw us over. Here are some behind the scenes pictures from the day:

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Major Project: Production Day 1

After multiple delays because of weather and actor availability, finally the day had come to begin shooting 'Bobbie & Clive'.

PRODUCTION DAY 1

As with all films, the first day was stressful and I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. The first few hours definitely turned me into some kind of stressed out diva. Luckily everyone could put up with that.

Upon arriving at the location we discovered that, as we had feared, they had remodelled the office by knocking down some walls. Luckily this didn't affect us too much, in fact it worked more in our favour as we now had more space to shoot scenes 7, 8, & 9. I had to adjust the blocking slightly to accommodate this new space, but it wasn't anything too major. I feel it actually worked better.

My main focus after solving this initial issue was to dress the office location. I had created some posters to stick up on the walls, and I had very specific ideas as to where I want them to all go. There were some areas were we had to stick posters up to cover up details of the company who own the office location. All our other crew focused on blacking out the windows and dressing the storage room location.

Once the office and storage room sets were dressed, our actors arrived. My main focus after they had settled in was to run them through the scenes we were going to be shooting. I ran the blocking change past them to ensure it didn't throw up any problems. We then sat down and went through any script changes and any other important information.

Our first scene that day was scene 6 that takes place in storage room. It was very cold in the room, so in between shot set ups we ensured that was a warm room for our actors to sit in. As soon as we began shooting the camera began to play up. Batteries were not lasting very long, and we believe this was due to the cold conditions. During the downtimes I used my time wisely and went through notes with the actors. This technical issue also gave me more time to run through blocking with the actors, placing marks down on the floor as we went along.

Once all the technical issues were resolved, we worked our way through the scene. I decided that we'd shoot all the wide shoots first whilst we were establishing timings for all the actions. I followed this process for every scene. We then shot all of the close ups and additional coverage.

Directing wise, I think scene 6 will be the weakest scene as it was the first scene I directed, and prior to it I hadn't directed anyone for over a year. We will probably have to do some work in the edit to improve this scene.

After a dinner break, we moved upstairs to shoot the first half of scene 7. We can't film the second half until our shoot day next week because Craig who is playing Frank is not available for our first rescheduled shoot weekend.

I started by running the cast through the new blocking. We then rehearsed it a few times, and Ellen filmed someone of the rehearsals in case we needed the footage for the film. As with before we started by shooting all of the wide shots first, and then we followed with the close ups and any additional coverage.

Once we were happy with all of the footage for this scene we wrapped for the day as it was getting quite late. We were still on schedule though. Overall I feel the day went quite well. I don't think I was prepared enough at the start. I could've directed scene 6 better. I let the stress get to me too much, and I think this will be obvious in the edit.

Below are some photos from production day 1:

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Professional Practice: Filming Days

I turned up early on day one so I would have extra time to set up my interview location. Upon my arrival I was informed of a small schedule change, so I immediately updated my filming timetable and shared it with my contributors.

The new timetable

The interviews for this film are very important so I wanted the location to look good. I started by clearing out the meeting room I was provided with. I then put a chair in place for my interviewees. It was important I did that first, as everything would be built around the chair placement. I decided to put the chair by the window so I could use the natural light as a key light, a decision made because I only had two lights. Next I dressed the background behind the chair as it was just a plain white wall, and it needed to relate to the subject more. As it was a school, I found some education related items, like dictionaries and books, and a nice plant, and arranged them behind the chair. Eventually I ended up with something that didn't look too bad.

Once I had sorted the room out, I set the camera up as it would help me to see the final image whilst lighting. I placed the camera a good distance away from the chair so I could achieve the desired blurred background. I then leveled the camera so it matched the eyeline of the interviewee. I used myself as the subject to do this. I will frame the camera once I have lit the room.

To light the room I started with the backlight, placing it behind the chair and off camera. I used the camera's viewfinder to see how the light was affecting the scene. Once I was happy with it, I marked it's position so I easily put it back in place on my other filming days. Next I set the key light up, placing it next to the camera, and bringing it down to eyeline level. By doing this, I should achieve an eye light. Once I was happy with it, I marked its position. Finally, I asked a receptionist to stand it for me so I could frame the camera. I framed my subject in the left side of the screen so they were looking away from the window, not into it. I ensured the headroom was good, and I left space at the bottom of the screen for lower thirds.

The final interview set up

The final interview set up

Whilst I still had the receptionist I set the on camera mic, and the clip mic up so I could test sound levels. I had already done a bit of this at home prior to this day, so it only took a bit of minor tweaking to get it right. Once I had set everything up, I put markers down so I could set up quickly on my other filming days. I also requested that the school not let anyone else use the room during my filming week so my background would not be moved.

Framing the shot

Setting the sound levels

Because I spent time setting all of this up, when my first interviewee arrived, they didn't have to wait for me to prepare for them. They came in, sat down, and we got on with it. I started by asking them to say and spell out their name so I could get the information on the lower thirds correct. I then followed my list of questions, rewording, and expanding on them when required. I followed the same process for every interview I shot during the week.

In the afternoon of day one I had to shoot some actuality. I decided to film this handheld as I felt this was the most practical way to shoot actuality. I also felt the camera movement would make the footage more visually interesting. To shoot the handheld footage I used a PMW mounted on a shoulder rig to reduce strain on my arms and back. I also decided to use a second camera, on which I would get a static wide shot of the actuality that I could cut into during the edit when I reframe on the handheld shot. To get this shots I used a Canon EOS M1 on a tripod.

I turned up to the location early so I could set up the cameras, and mic up the teacher before the students arrived and the lesson started.

I followed the same process across my other four days filming interviews and actuality of lessons.

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Studio Production: Dress Rehearsal & Show Day

After all the hard work, the day of the show had finally arrived...

DRESS REHEARSAL & SHOW DAY

Below is a summary of everything that happened on the dress rehearsal and the day of the show:

- There was an issue with the electronic buzzer system we had sourced for the show. Paul our sound guy said it had too much background noise and wasn't going to be suitable for the final show. I came up with a solution where the sound the buzzers made was only sent to the sound room, where it would then tell Sammi the grams op to trigger a SFX manually that would play on the show. Paul liked this idea and so we agreed to go with it. However on the day of the dress rehearsal it was decided it still wouldn't work and so instead we got the set design team to attach too large buzzers to the top of the podiums and when the contestants hit them, Sammi would trigger the correct SFX using her sound programme. This meant it would look like they were triggering the buzzers but actually they were not. I should mention that during the show there were moments when the wrong buzzer was trigger which did cause confusion for George who didn't know who to give the answer too. During those situations it fell to me to tell George who he should go to.

- I spent most of the two days writing and rewriting the script. After every rehearsal something would be changed to improve the show even more. This included cutting down some more dialogue and adding more questions to the script for round 1 and 2 to ensure we didn't run out during the show. I only made these changes to George's 'live script' and informed the gallery team of any changes that affected them.

- Throughout the two days I kept receiving feedback from others about George. As well as me speaking to him, other members of staff also passed feedback onto him. I know that he really appreciated the feedback as it helped him become a better presenter. He also appreciated all of the feedback he got from Del. I'll admit I found giving him feedback sometimes difficult because I didn't want to offend him. However, I do think that eventually he got the message and on the day of the show he was amazing!

- During the rehearsals I found that I wasn't able to concentrate on talking to George because I was too busy keeping track of the scores. I decided to pass this job onto our gallery runner Jack instead. This allowed me to just focus on George during the actual show.

- During one of our rehearsals I was on the studio floor just before the show started and I noticed that George was not there. As the titles began to roll I had to run to his dressing room and grab him because nobody else did. He just about made it onto set on time. I ensured I raised this issue with the floor manager so she could ensure that someone would be on cans and near George at all times during breaks to ensure he is where he needs to be when he needs to be there. This incident was not Georges fault, although he did take his talkback out for which he apologised.

- On the day of the show after our first rehearsal it was suggested that we change the format of round 4. This change would've meant that both contestants are on set when the correct answers are revealed, instead of the current format which involved them seeing it separately. I thought it was a nice idea and I'm sure it would've made the ending of the show more intense, but I couldn't say yes to that change. This was mostly because we had less than 5 hours until the show and this was a big change to make that close to the record. This change would've meant script rewrites which would affect everyone (lighting, sound, cameras, director). I only had 15 minutes until our final rehearsal and that was not going to be long enough for me to make such a big change. We would not have had time to rehearse it, which would've meant the first time we did it that way would've been during the show. I was not willing to take that risk. I had to think about how it affected everyone, not just me. After discussing it with Del, we agreed not to make the change, a decision that on reflection I am very happy with, and willing to take responsibility for.

- Whilst the set team were building the set in the studio I made some small changes. Becca and I agreed not to use the red carpet in the way it was intended. We decided to get the team to put it in the doorway behind the set, instead of on the actual set. I also sourced a black 'flat' for the set team to put behind the doorway so the audience and the cameras couldn't see backstage. Also, we originally intended to draw the numbers and words onto the box office line up ourselves, but the set design team didn't like the idea and so they created the numbers and signs for the game instead. I provided them with the information they needed, as well as the photoshop files for the signs. Finally, we asked them to change one of the numbers on the spinner, something they were happy to do. They replaced the number 0 with a 4.

- During our last rehearsal I decided to set it up so we ended with a draw. I wanted to test the system I had set up for a tiebreak. I didn't tell the gallery team I was doing this because I wanted to see how they reacted. In the end the show ran over by quite a lot. I needed to come up with a better solution for a tiebreak situation. For the show I placed two tiebreak questions on set, one behind George's podium for the end of round 3, and one stuck behind the box office line up for the end of round 4. Those were the only two points in the show were a tiebreak question would be needed.

THE SHOW

- Prior to the show I went around to the dressing rooms to speak to George and the contestants. I ensured George was happy and ready to go and I ran him through any changes that had been made since the morning rehearsals. When I spoke to the contestants I ran them through the show so they knew what we were asking them to do. I also ensured they were happy and had everything they needed. I did my best to get them as excited as possible so we could get the best out of them during the show.

- During the show my main role was to feed information to George through the talkback system, this mostly included scores. I was also talking to George and reminding him of what was going to happen next during the show to ensure he stayed on track. And finally I kept reminding him to ad lib during quiet moments, especially during round 3. During the final part of the show we had to fill about 40 seconds so I fed George some questions to ask the contestants to help fill that time.

- I think the show couldn't have gone better. I've not watched it back yet so if there are any mistakes on my part, I didn't notice them during the show. The show ended up being exactly 30 minutes long which is perfect. I'm really happy with how everything went and I'm very proud of the team of people that helped turn my idea into an actual TV show.

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Studio Production: Second Rehearsal (21/03/17)

SECOND REHEARSAL

As we had recently had our meeting with the set design team, we had some measurements we could use to create a set layout in the studio which will help us rehearse certain elements of the show. We began to tape the set onto the floor when we realised the measurements didn't seem to match the design the set team showed us. I decided it'd be best to email the set team to quickly resolve this issue. Whilst we waited for a response, we taped down what we thought was correct instead of what they gave us.

These are the incorrect measurements they gave us

I sent this to the set design team as this is what we thought the measurements should be

In the end it turned out we were correct and the set design team had got it wrong. Also after taping the set down, we thought it was too small so we asked the set team to extend the end flats by another 800mm, something they were happy to do.

Once we had sorted the set issues, we continued with the rehearsals by running through round 2, 3 & 4 with Del. To do this Becca and I were on the studio floor showing everyone the current plans for content and positioning for each of those sections of the show. As we went through Del made suggestions as to changes I can make in terms of content. 

By the afternoon I had-

- Made changes to numerous areas of dialogue.

- Added a spinner to the pie face game.

- Added more time to the chat with the contestants at the start of the show.

- Changed the dialogue for the beginning of round 4.

- Changed the way the final scores are announced to make it less confusing for the audience.

For the afternoon we planned to rehearse the whole show from start to finish. We roped in some third years to stand in whilst we rehearsed everything. I came up with a makeshift talkback system we could use so I could practice my role of communicating with the presenter from the gallery. To create this makeshift talkback we used a clip mic. I wore the clip mic, and the presenter had the receiver with an earphone attached to it. I found this system worked quite well.

Same as in the morning we ran through each section of the show to try and nail down all the details. By the end of the rehearsals I was confident we could easily do a full run through.

From this rehearsal I learnt a lot about each section of the show. I found it helped to highlight any issues on my side of the production, and for each issue we worked to come up with a solution that made the show even better. I also found that we kept running out of questions so I will now write some more into the script to hopefully avoid this issue during the real show. I look forward to our next rehearsal which will be with our real presenter.

This rehearsal also gave me a chance to practice my role of keeping track of scores and keeping the presenter happy by talking to them during the show. I think I did a good job, although I did often lose track of scores as I was too busy watching the show. I will work on this before the next rehearsal.

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Studio Production: First Rehearsal (14/03/17)

We recently had our first rehearsal in the studios for The Big Movie Quiz.

THE BIG MOVIE QUIZ- FIRST REHEARSAL (14/03/17)

We started the day off by meeting in the gallery of Studio 5 for a script read through. For many, this may be the first time they've read through the whole script, so this was a good chance for me to ensure everyone knows how the show works and what will hopefully happen during the 30 minute run time. I also found this read through helped me understand the show better. It became clear during the meeting that there was still an issue with fairness in the final round. I also discovered that I had not come up with a way to solve a tie break situation. These are things I think about before I write the next script.

After the script read through, we all went into the studio (minus the P.A, vision mixer, and graphics operator) and Becca began to block the show with the crew. This was an essential part of the process as up to this point, Becca and I were the only people that knew the full blocking for the show, and Becca was the only person that knew the full shot list for the show. This took some time but after it was complete I was satisfied that everyone now had a good idea of how the show should look.

Meanwhile in the gallery, Alex (our technician from the studios) had been able to upload some of our graphics onto the vision mixing desk, meaning we could use them during the rehearsal. The graphics computer had also been set up meaning we could have lower thirds and score cards on screen. Finally, Sammi had programmed her sound software meaning we had music beds, stings, and grams for the rehearsal. We were so prepared to do this rehearsal Del was very happy and surprised.

Because we were prepared, we got off to a good start. We had third years Wez, Harry, & Adele as stand ins which made the rehearsals a lot easier because everyone could do their own jobs. Once rehearsals started Becca went into the gallery to join the other crew, and I stayed in the studio to help with positioning and to help Sammi on sound (e.g. telling her who buzzed and if people got questions right or wrong so she knew which sound effects to use). I would've liked to have been in the gallery so I could actually watch the show, but I understand why I had to stay in the studio.

During the rehearsal we were able to get through almost 7 minutes of the show, which I though was amazing considering the time we had and considering that this was our first rehearsal. I was happy with how the show was looking so far, and I am looking forward to being in the gallery during the next rehearsal so I can observe the visual side of the show. I have a lot of notes on my script, so I have a new draft to write, and a new running order to create. I will come up with a new format for round 4 to make it fairer and to include a way to hopefully avoid a tie break situation.

At the end of the day Del called us all into the studio for a debrief. He is very very happy with the progress we made, and this is all down to the preparation of Becca and I to ensure we had a full script and shot list to start out first rehearsal with. This is also down to the sound and graphics department who had a lot of elements ready for us to use. And finally it's down to Alex and Ferg who had everything in the studio ready for us when we needed it, and were able to quickly respond to every request we had.

I look forward to the next rehearsal, where we will aim to finish the entire show.

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Fiction Adaptation: Filming

Now all the pre-production was complete, it was time to film.

FILMING: 'POEM HEARD ON HEART 105'

To prepare, I spent two hours the day before balancing the steadicam so I could attach the camera and go when it came to filming. It was a tedious, and lengthy task, but in the end it was worth it as I got some good shots.

Before filming began, I got my mum to move the car into position, as I'd be filming the driving shots at the end of the day as the sun was setting. After this I called my brother over to the location and we rehearsed the scenes a couple of times, running through the action, and camera positions.

Next we set up for all the shots filmed from the side, which make up a majority of the shots. Once set up, we ran through the whole script a couple of times, getting a few takes with different camera movements, and frame sizes. Then we set up for all the front shots, which would be filmed from the windscreen. Again we ran through the whole script, getting a couple of takes with different camera movements, and frame sizes.

After this, we moved onto filming all the other shots I needed to ensure I had enough coverage, this included all the detail shots, and close ups. We filmed some from the back seat looking into the front. Some through the rear of the car for all the scenes involving the boot, and some through the opposite side of the car from earlier.

Once all the main shots were complete, we moved onto all of the wide shots of the location. I asked my brother to run through the scenes a couple of times inside the car, so I could get some wide shots from outside the car. After all of these shots were complete, I got into costume as the creepy figure, and we filmed all of the shots involving me. This included the final shot of the film, which is filmed through the rear view mirror. For this, we had to set up a tripod in the drivers seat, and point the camera at the rear view mirror, so it could film out the rear of the car.

Next, we set up the steadicam rig, which wasn't difficult as I had prepared it the day before. I used this to film a few wide shots of the car, and some shots of the boy character climbing from the front of the car, to the back. And finally, I used it to film one of the most important shots of the film, which involves the camera flying through the car, and up to the boy who is sitting in the drivers seat. We did a few takes of this, as the steadicam was hard to operate.

After this, we then set up the audio recorder and recorded all the sound effects I needed to complete the scene. This included the knocking sounds in the boot and outside the car, and the sounds of doors opening, and doors locking. Finally, I grabbed a clean plate of ambience sound inside, and outside the car, and the sounds of my brother moving around in the car as per the script, because I needed to cover up the sounds of my directing him during filming.

Finally, I called my mum back to the location, and filmed her shots, which included a wide of the car driving into position, and a close up shot of her getting out of the car. After this was complete, filming was over.

Overall, I think filming went really well. Both my cast members were really good, and my crew were great too. I was able to film everything I needed and after reviewing the footage, I was really happy with every shot. It was a great shot, and I'm really happy with how it went.

Below are a few colour graded frames from the shoot:

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Digital News: Project Evaluation

DIGITAL NEWS PROJECT EVALUATION

PRE-PRODUCTION

I started this unit knowing who I wanted to work with. I wanted to work with people I hadn't really worked with before, and so I our group consisted of me, Ida, Nisserin, and Becca. We knew from day 1 that time was tight, so we sat down straight away to discuss ideas. We all wanted to do something for students, and so after much discussion, we came up with Student Yak.

And so work on the news stories began. We decided we wanted to do something about viral videos. Whilst the others began to work on the script, I began to work on the graphic, to help us visualise Student Yak. We also started working on the website and social media pretty early, so we could use it for promotion.

As part of our idea, we had to create a viral video, so we also worked on planning, filming, and sharing this. Whilst all of this was happening, Ida was talking to YouTuber Katie Joslin about being our contributor, and I was talking to George Wing about being our co-presenter. Luckily, both of them agreed to take part. I took on the role as the main presenter.

Over the next few weeks, we continued to work on the pre-production, which included finalising the script for the package, live, and studio segments, making call sheets/schedules, buying props, and finalising all the graphics for the final video. We also began to work on our promo.

I think my strength during the pre-production stage was my graphic design skills, which helped the group visualise Student Yak, and therefore aided the pre-production for everything we needed to film, and produce for the unit. I also think my odd sense of humour helped when making edits to the script. And finally, I think my organisation skills helped me say organised, even when the deadlines were tight.

PRODUCTION

See more about the filming days: Day 1 & Day 2.

When it came to filming and producing the required content for Student Yak, we knew there was going to be a lot, and we didn't want to spend too many days filming so we chose to bundle shoots together. On the first shooting day we filmed the interview, and the news package, and on the second day of filming, we filmed the studio segments, and the live.

The first day of filming went very well. We set up our location a day in advance so we had as much time as possible to film the interview and the package. Katie was a great interviewee, and interviewing her was a fun, and educational experience. When filming the package, we thought carefully about how each location, aided the script, and I think in the end, we picked the perfect locations.

The second day of filming went even better. Again we set up in advance to save time. The location for the live had to be changed due to bad weather, but we didn't let this hinder us, as we had already prepared a backup location. Filming the live ended up going great, and we managed to hit exactly two minutes with no issues. Filming the studio segments and the promo went well, and it became clear in the edit, that we had lit the green screen just right. At the start of the day we had some sound issues, but these were fixed very quickly with some help from Ferg.

Overall, the production process went very well. I'd say my strength during this part of the unit was my presenting skills. The way I come across on camera, and the speed at which I work, I think aided us in ensuring we could fit a lot of filming into such a small amount of time. I think the entire group worked together brilliantly during the filming process, and each person played their part well.

POST-PRODUCTION

To see more about the editing process: Editing Package, Editing Live, & Editing Full Video & Promo

During the post-production process I was the main editor, and the group acted as secondary editors, watching back each rough cut and making the relevant changes. Nisserin also acted a the main colourist, doing all the colour correction.

To begin this process I first put the rough cut together. We then sat down as a group and made some changes, as well as sitting down with Helen for some feedback. Next we made changes to form the fine cut. After a feedback session with Helen, we made a few more changes and the final production was finished.

There isn't much to say about the post production process that I haven't already said in other posts. I think my main strength during this stage was my editing skills, in particular my After Effects skills, which I think were really tested. I've never created so many graphics for one project. I had to use processes I'm not used to, so I did learn a few new things. I really enjoyed working in After Effects, and creating original graphics, we didn't use any templates.

OVERALL EVALUATION: CRITICAL REFLECTIONS

Strengths-

• My organisation skills made every stage of this process very easy and quick, which was important considering we had such a small amount of time to complete this unit. We were able to work as a group to sort everything out on time, and we were prepared for every situation. This also aided me during the editing process, and made editing a lot easier because I was able to stay organised.
• I think my editing skills were also another strength. I no point was I every worried, or stressed out about the edit, because we had planned it all out in advance, and I knew what I was doing. I have now really honed in my editing skills, especially on After Effects.
• Communication was key on this unit as it was a group project. I think unlike previous projects, I was able to work really well in a group. I think this shows I have developed since the last project. Our group was constantly in communication with one another, and this meant we always all knew what was going on.
• Overall I think my production skills were a strength. I carried out every task in a professional manner. I was able to keep organised and on top of everything. I did not get stressed, or worried at all throughout this project, and that made it a more enjoyable experience.

Weaknesses-

• As a presenter, I need to work on not being so reliant on an autocue. I didn't really have time to remember any of the studio script, and so whilst we were filming, I completely relied on the autocue.
• During the interview, I only stuck to the questions, and we realised in the edit that this slowed the pace down a bit. In future, if I interview anyone again, I should try and be a bit more relaxed and conversational in my interview style.

Possible Development- What did I learn?

• If I were to do this again, I would:
• Make time to remember the script.
• Think more about, and do more research into my interviewee to aid the conversational interview style.
• I would look at working with professionals, instead of just students as presenters. However saying that, we had reasons behind using students as our presenters.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I am extremely happy, and proud of the final product. As a group, we have decided that if we have time, we will continue Student Yak, as we believe we have come up with a brand that has real potential, which can be seen by the interest we have already received from others. We're very happy with the news package, interview, live, and studio segments. I can't say I was ever stressed or worried about anything, which actually made the project easier and more enjoyable. To summarise, I think we should all be very proud of what we have achieved, and we should look forward to the future of Student Yak!

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Digital News: Fine Cut Feedback

Before the hand in, we had one final feedback session with Helen.

FINE CUT FEEDBACK

Prior to the meeting, we sat down as a group to identify any issues:

- Change the FRED joke.
- Continue with colour correction
- Make a few additional changes to the interview to help increase the energy.

After we made some changes, this was the feedback we got from Helen:

- Make sure we write on our blogs about all the work that went into the production, as it's clear that there is a lot.

The final video is now complete!

Images:

http://blog.sociusassociates.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/feedback.jpg

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Digital News: Filming Day 2 (Green Screen/Live/Promo)

For our second filming day, we would be filming all of our green screen scenes, our live package, and our promo

FILMING DAY 2- LIVE

We had originally planned to film out live segment outside the studios in the car park, but unfortunately, due to a very heavy rainfall, we had to make alternative arrangements. Instead we ended up filming the live in production room 1.

Before we invited any of the talent into the room, we set up, which involved removing all the chairs, and placing a table in the centre of the room. We then set up the two cameras we were using, one in front of the table with a wide shot of the room, and the other on a shoulder rig, so we could use it for multiple shots.

Once everything was set up, we invited our presenter, George, into the room to run through the blocking of the live, the script, and the timings. Becca decided to give 30 seconds for the intro, 1 minute for the challenge, and 30 seconds for the outro. After we ran through it with George a few times, we invited our two contestants into the room. Becca explained what was going on, and allowed them to get a little practice. She also explained the rules to them.

Before inviting our audience in, we filmed a rehearsal as a backup in case the real thing went wrong. This also allowed Becca to test out her timings. Once all this was done, we invited the audience in, positioned them, and began filming. We explained to George that Becca would keep track of the 2 minutes, and Patricia's score, and that I would keep track of the 1 minute challenge time, and Gavin's score. We showed him the hand signals we'd use to communicate with him during the recording, as we could not speak.

The recording ended up going really well. The audience and the contestant really enjoyed it, and George was a great presenter. Unfortunately, we did finish 8 seconds ahead of schedule but, we can fix this in the edit. This was due to the 1 minute challenge ended slightly before 60 second was up because of a hand signaling mix up. This didn't really matter to us through because the live went really well and we're really happy with it. During the live Nisserin operated the shoulder rig camera, and Ida operated the main wide camera.

FILMING DAY 2- GREEN SCREEN

Before we could begin filming, we had to set the green screen up. First we cleared the room and then we set the green cloth up on the C-Stands. We used sandbags to weigh the screen down and remove any creases that may be visible on camera. Next we set up the lighting. To do this we used to wide LED lights to light the green screen, and two spot LED lights to light me. We angled the lights to help reduce the amount of shadow on the green screen. Finally, we set up the camera, and the auto cue. We chose to use the auto cue to make presenting a lot easier for me, which would help us speed through each shot a lot quicker, ensuring I say the same thing each time.

Once all of this was set up, we got on with filming. We ran through the script in order, filming each segment a few times so we had a few takes. For sound we used a clip mic that was linked straight for the camera to make editing a little easier. This also allowed Ida to monitor sound as we filmed.

Everything went really well, and we had no issues during the filming. We managed to film everything during the time we had. All of the footage came out really well, and we beleive we should get a good key off the green screen as we lit it well, and all the lighting was well balanced.

FILMING DAY 2- PROMO

For the promo, we decided to film in front of the green screen so that I could replace the background during the editing process. As we decided our promo would be in the style of a 1950s/60s TV advert, I dressed as a businessman who was baking social media in his kitchen.

Filming the promo was pretty easy and simple as we had already set everything up for the green screen shoot before it. We used the auto cue for the promo as well as it was still attached to the camera.

Overall we were happy with the shots we got for the promo. Quick and easy.

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOOT

Our setup

Framing the camera

Reading from the autocue

Images:

Credit- Ida Frank

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Digital News: Recording Voiceovers

We had a spare half an hour at the studios, so Nisserin and I decided to record the voice overs for our digital news production.

RECORDING VOICE OVERS

Unfortunately, the sound recording setup in production room 2 wasn't functioning properly so we quickly booked at a Zoom H4N from Ferg and wired the Rode Mic up to it. We only needed to record the voice overs for Katie's X Factor style intro, for the Meme Of The Week graphic, and for our promo trailer.

Once Nisserin had set everything up, we got the script out and began to record the voice overs. For Katie's intro, we wanted to record one serious introduction, and one silly introduction so we had a choice in the final edit. We recorded the intro a few times in a few different ways and then we moved on to the next voice over.

For the next voice over, we wanted to record me saying "Meme Of The Week", for our meme of the week segment. Same as with the intro voice over, we recorded a few serious and a few silly ones so we had a choice. And finally, we recorded the voice over for our promo. As our promo has a 1950s advert style to it, I did the voice over using my best 1950s salesman impression.

Overall we were happy with the final voice overs, and we were glad we decided to use this spare time to do them.

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Digital News: Filming Day 1 (Interview & News Package)

So the time had come. We had written the script, gathered our contributors, and collected our equipment. It was time for our first day of filming...

FILMING DAY (INTERVIEW & NEWS PACKAGE)

The day before the shoot, we set up the room we were using for the interview, so we would have more time to set up the equipment on shoot day. We wanted the interview to have a relaxed, and friendly vibe to it, so we set the room up as a living room, with two sofas, a coffee table, and some nice decoration that fit with our brand. On the table between the two sofas we placed two branded mugs, and some branded cue cards, as well as a clapper board to match the behind the scenes vibe the show has. We hid references to two viral videos on the set. The first was the pineapple on the coffee table which relates to 'Pen, Pineapple, Apple, Pen', and on the clapper we wrote the numbers '9, 10, & 21' which relate to a viral video from last year.

We set up the lighting using ourselves as stand-ins. We wanted the room to have a warm vibe, so we put the tungsten balanced filters on the lights, so they were warmer. We also placed a lamp on the table and pointed it toward where Katie would be sitting to bounce more warm light onto her face. And finally, we framed up the two cameras we were using, one with a CU of Katie, and the other on a dolly with a wide of the me and Katie.

Once everything was set up, we realised we still had about 2 hours until Katie would arrive for the interview, so we decided to start filming the news package. The final step of our step by step guide was set in the same location, so whilst we weren't using it for anything else, we filmed step 4. To do this we used both cameras to get two angles for the package. Ida set up the sound and clip mic, and Nisserin and Becca operated the two cameras. As I was the presenter, I only had to focus on remembering the script and presenting it to the camera. After we finished filming this, we took lunch.

After lunch Katie was ready for her interview. We got her to come in, and Ida mic'd her up. Before we started the interview, we explained to her what we were doing and I gave her an idea of the sort of questions I was going to ask her. We wanted her to feel as relaxed as possible so we were very friendly and tried not to put any pressure on her.

We ran through the questions, cutting a few times to allow the director to give some feedback to Katie and I. Throughout the interview Katie was very relaxed and gave some great answers. We were very happy with her performance. And once we were done, she headed off. After she had left, we filmed all of my reverse shots, so we had good close ups of me asking the questions. And once this was done, we moved onto filming the rest of the news package.

To finish filming the news package, we had to move around to three different locations. We started by moving to production room 1 to film step 1. Nisserin set the camera up on the dolly, and operated the camera, as Ida and Becca were in the shot with me. We filmed a few takes and once we were happy with it, we moved to the next location.

For step 2, we filmed in the library. This shot was supposed to look like I found the camera in that room and picked it up to talk to it. To achieve this effect, Nisserin put camera on a table, and kept her hands on it when I pretended to pick it up so it looked like I was holding it, but she actually still had control of it.

Finally, we moved into production room 2 to film step 3. Step 3 is about editing so it made sense for me to sit in front of an editing suite. We filmed a few takes and once we were happy with it, we packed up, reset the lecture room we used for the interview, and went home.

Overall our first day of filming went really well and we managed to get everything we needed in the time we had. Katie was great in the interview and I think she enjoyed working with us. Becca was a great director, and she kept everyone up to date on the vision of the piece. Nisserin did a great job operating the cameras, and all of our footage came out great. Ida was brilliant on sound, and she acted as a vocal clapper which will make editing much easier. And finally, I'll let the rest of the group decide if I did a good job as a presenter!

Below is an outtake from our filming, which gives you a good idea of our camera, sound, and lighting set up.

Images:

Credit- Ida Frank

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