Showing posts with label studio production. Show all posts
Showing posts with label studio production. Show all posts

Thursday, 13 April 2017

Studio Production: Project Evaluation


STUDIO PRODUCTION PROJECT EVALUATION

 PRE-PRODUCTION

 I started this unit with a few clear ideas. I wanted my final idea to be chosen, but initially I was unsure on whether I actually wanted to be the producer or not. After much thought I decided to further develop two of my four ideas in an attempt to become the producer.

I spent the beginning weeks of this unit developing ideas for two different game shows, and I ultimately ended up pitching The Big Movie Quiz to the panel. For my pitch I tried to work out as many of the details as possible (format, questions, style, set design, script, etc...) to prove to the panel that I was ready to do this, and that my idea would be a success. I beleive the panel enjoyed my pitch and in the end my idea was selected as this years studio production.

As producer, my role was mostly pre-production. I knew I was going to spend a lot of time working out the small details, sending lots of emails, completing lots of paper work and attending lots of meetings. I'll admit I did not enjoy having a more hands off experience on this production, in terms of the technical side. I was a big learning curve for me at the start but I got used to it eventually and got on with it.

I wanted this show to be a success and I felt a big part of this would be ensuring everyone was on the same page. I tried to check in with everyone as often as possible to see if things were on track and looking great. I feel I should've spent more time with the VT team during the development stages, as they had to reshoot, and this may have been partly because I hadn't explained what I wanted clear enough. This delayed us.

When it came to scripting I used examples from real TV shows, and information from relevant resources to ensure each script was correctly formated and up to the standard the industry expects. It was noted by Del during our first rehearsals that this extra time spent on the script actually helped in putting us ahead of schedule. I often found it difficult to get the contents of the script right. Every new draft received a lot of feedback, and once we started rehearsing lots of changes were being made almost every day. I was able to keep up with these changes, and although I found the idea very daunting, I was able to make almost every change that was suggested.

 In terms of casting, I let the assistant producer take the lead, and I came in during the audition stages to help make the final decision. We originally cast two male contestants but this was quickly shut down, so, with the help of our tutors, we found a female contestant, meaning we had a balanced show. I understand why this was originally an issue. If we'd had a female contestant to audition, then I definitely would've chosen them, but initially we didn't.

Set design was important to me. I felt an amazing set design would make our show amazing. Initially I found my contact on the set design team a bit difficult to communicate with, but this was soon rectified when I started to email a different team member. All of our design requests were met, and in the end the set looked fantastic and really helped sell the idea that this was a high budget production, rather than a student production.

 PRODUCTION

 See more about show day here: Dress Rehearsal & Show Day

 During the production stages I took a backseat and let the Director take the lead. My job was mainly to keep track of and make script and format changes, and to keep the presenter happy. In rehearsals I was either in the gallery or on the studio floor helped everyone understand how the show works. The Director would then help everyone understand how the show looks. I was constantly keeping notes on any changes and ensuring the scripts were updated as often as possible.

When it came to the actual show my role was mostly over. I sat in the gallery and spoke to the presenter through an earpiece, feeding him information like scores. Initially I was also keeping track of scores but I found it difficult to do both things and so I gave that job to our gallery runner. This allowed me to concentrate on the presenter and ensure he could do his job well.

On the morning of the show a change to round 4 was suggested. I beleive this new idea was a good idea, however I ultimately had to make the decision not to make it. My reason for doing this was mostly because we didn't have time to do script rewrites and format changes. This changes would've affected every department and we wouldn't have had time to rehearse them. This was not a risk I was willing to take, and in the end I think the team appreciated me not making that change so close to the record.

I was and am very happy with how the actual production (record) of this show went. I beleive I did my job well and when I watch the show back I am extremely happy with it. The show is exactly 30 minutes long which is fantastic.

POST-PRODUCTION

 As this show was recorded live, there isn't a lot to say about the pre-production stages. We have edited the show slightly by correcting a few minor mistakes and fixing the sound levels. The director, vision mixer, and I agreed that these small changes needed to be made to ensure our viewing audience at home can get the same experience the people in the studio on the day of the show had, without any distracting mistakes.

OVERALL EVALUATION: CRITICAL REFLECTIONS

 Strengths-

  • I beleive because I was very prepared from the start, we were able to just get on with creating the show. Nobody had to wait for me to write the first script because I had already produced one for my pitch. The graphics team had my example graphics to work from. The VT team had my story outlines to work with. The sound team had my example music tracks to use. I think if I wasn't as prepared as I was, we may not have been ready to rehearse as much of the show as we did on our first rehearsal day.
  • As producer it was important that I was able to communicate well with everyone, both on the course and off the course (like the set team). I beleive I was able to do so. I received feedback from one person who said they appreciated how professional I was over email as it made them feel less like they were taking part in a student production, and more like they were working on a real TV show.
  • I am a perfectionist, and I beleive this helped ensure we produced an amazing show. I always had feedback for everything everyone showed me, and I tried to be as constructive as possible, whilst ensure the high standard I wanted the show to be at was still being met. In the end I think we had a very slick and professional looking show that had a clear style and tone.
  • During the show I think my calm manner over talkback helped our presenter get on with his job better. He told me he liked it when I spoke to him and gave him positive feedback during the show because it made him feel more confident. 
Weaknesses-
  • I feel my main weakness was my team leading skills. I feel at times I wasn't always able to maintain a good level of leadership. There were many conflicts, which can be expected from a group of students with clashing personalities and opinions, and I feel at times I was not able to manage these carefully. In the end the conflicts did not affect the final show, but I still wish we could have avoided them all. I could've and should've been a better team leader.
  • At first I found it hard to accept feedback and make changes to the show, but over time I learnt that for the show to be a success, I had to. The show was my idea, and I guess I just found it difficult to transform it from what it was, into something else. In the end however, I am very happy that I began to listen to everyone because it made the show 10x better than it would've been. I think from the beginning everyone knew they'd probably find it difficult to get through to me, even the tutors did, but eventually I listened, considered, and made changes.
Possible Developments- What did I learn?
  • I learnt that teamwork makes the dream work.
  • If I were to do this again, I would:
    • Work more on developing my team management skills and work to gain the respect of my team a lot earlier into the production.
    • Prepare myself straight away for possible changes and developments.
    • Spend more time with the VT team to ensure the vision is on the right track and the relevant skills are being applied.

CONCLUSION

 Producing this show has taught me a lot about the work that producers put into making a TV show. I learnt a lot about myself and the way I handle stressful situations. At the start of the production if I didn't like the way the show was going I would just say no to every idea. I quickly found that that wasn't the best way to do things and by the end of the production I considered every idea carefully before I made a decision. Even during the dress rehearsals, I was still being given ideas on how to improve the show, and if I'd had the time, I would've put those ideas into action.

Producing is all about having ideas, being creative, being confident, being able to manage a team well, and being able to stay calm in every situation. I feel that by the end of production I developed each of those skills to a high level. I enjoyed working on 'The Big Movie Quiz' and although Producing is not my first career choice, I will never turn down the chance to produce another TV show. I am very proud of what we have created and of everyone in the team for helping me bring my creation to screen.


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.

Studio Production: Set Design Progress

SET DESIGN

Below are all of the changes made to the set design before it arrived at the studio:

- The set design team couldn't get access to the laser cutter they needed to make the large lattice pieces. They will come up with a different solution that is as similar to the original design as possible.
- We asked them to create a spinner for us to use during the pie face game. They agreed to include that as part of their design. On the day of the show they did have to change one of the numbers. This was due to a mistake by me as I forgot to tell them which numbers we originally wanted on it.
- They had to remove the light tubes from the set as they couldn't get access to the materials and lighting they needed to pull those off.

THE ORIGINAL DESIGN

THE UPDATED DESIGN

THE FINAL SET DESIGN

In the end we decided not to have the red carpet as you can see. We also ended up with a black floor instead of a grey one which is great.

 I found working with the set design team enjoyable. At times it seemed as though they weren't communicating with us very well, but in the end they did everything we asked of them and the final set design was amazing!

Studio Production: Final Script, Final Running Order, & Final Round Breakdown

After our third rehearsal I produced the final script, running order and round breakdown that will be used during the show.

 SCRIPT 10

For this new draft of the script-
- I cut down a lot of dialogue to help shorten the length of the show.
- I added in new questions during the contestant chat to match what they had told us about themselves.
- I added more questions to each round to ensure we wouldn't run out during the show.
- I added all of the new timings to reflect the new running order.
- I rewrote the intro to round 4 so that the contestants would be on set from the beginning of that section, instead of having to come out again.

This script will still change during the final rehearsals, however any changes will be made to the 'live script' that George has and everyone else will use the director's annotated script.

RUNNING ORDER 8


For this new running order I have:
- Watched our last rehearsal back and timed each section to find out which bits are too long and which bits are too short. I have them made adjustments to the script to fix those issues and changed the timings on this running order to reflect how long each bit actually takes.
- Changed the timing for the Mockumentary VT as it is now 1 minute shorter than before.

 ROUND BREAKDOWN 5

For this new round breakdown I have:

- Changed all of the round descriptions to match any changes made to the format.
- Added all of the new questions and answers I have added to the script.
- Adjusted any timings that have changed since the last draft.
- Written questions for the mockumentary VT, something I could only do now we finally had a finished VT for that round.

All of these final drafts will be uploaded to the google drive and shared with everyone.

Studio Production: PM 9 & Developments

The week before the show we had our final production meeting with Helen.

PM 9 & DEVELOPMENTS

 We used this production meeting as a chance to ensure we had everything we needed to pull the show off. It was also a chance for Helen to ensure everything was on track and ready to go. Here is a brief summary of what happened:

- Helen raised the issues of us needed a female contestant. It was mentioned that a previous student who worked in a cinema would be a good choice, and so Sam began working on sorting that out. We decided to replace Jamie Terry with her as we didn't want to lose Danny.
- Becca and Ellen will continue to work on their lighting plans so the lighting team have a good idea of what is needed from them when it comes to the first dress rehearsal.
- The set design team have asked if they can use the studio floor that Sammi offered. This will be arranged.
- A disagreement over money was resolved and everyone put another £2 into the budget.

Studio Production: Third Rehearsal (28/03/17)

For our third rehearsal we had our real presenter.

THIRD REHEARSAL

 We started the day off by briefing everyone and ensuring everyone knew what we wanted to achieve from the day. We also introduced everyone to George (our presenter) who was with us for the day.

The VT team had some reshooting to do in the morning with George so we used this time to ensure we had everything we needed to rehearse the show. This included ensuring all the other VTs and graphics were on the system so we could use them during the rehearsal.

We are treating each rehearsal like it is the real thing, and we will use the timings from each rehearsal to make changes and eventually get the show to exactly 30 minutes.

Here's a rundown of everything that happened on the day-

- Del noted that I should stand with George during the rehearsals and help him with anything he needs and walk him through each section of the show. I spoke with Del about this and I decided not to do it. I didn't want George to feel like I was treating him like a child who needed to be told how to do everything. I felt confident George knew what he was doing and I decided to let him do at least one run through of the show before I started to step in. I had already ran him through everything and I wanted to test to see how much he had remembered.
- For this rehearsal we used the makeshift talkback system and another idea I had to help George get through the show. This idea was to give him an iPad instead of cue cards. This meant he could have a 'live script' with him that I could edit from the gallery as the show went on. This came in handy during our final rehearsal as I had to make numerous big changes to the script as the show was recording. This also saved time as we didn't need to print out lots of cue cards everytime we changed the script. I also feel technology should be incorporated into television as much as possible if it aides the programme, and I felt on this occasion that it did.
- It was pointed out to me numerous times that George needed to maintain a better eye contact with the contestants, and that he needed to pronunciate more. I took all of this advice on board and spoke with George after every run through to ensure he was taking it on board too. I did as much as I could to help him without it looking like I was criticizing him too much.
- After each rehearsal we were still over the 30 minute barrier and so I had to make changes to the script each time to counter that. I only edited Georges live script each time so he could see the changes. I then informed everyone else in the gallery of the changes so they didn't get thrown off if anything happened. These changes included cutting down a lot of dialogue.
- We decided that the mockumentary VT was too long, and so it was cut down by a whole minute to be just 2'30" instead of 3'30".
- We also cut the credits from 0'45" to 0'35".

For our final rehearsal we decided to record it. It didn't start well as we were interrupted by a fire alarm, but we carried on with the show and I think everyone handled it very well. Below is that recording:



Below is the 'live script' that George had on the iPad. As you can see it is different from the script everyone else has as I have taken out everything but his dialogue and stage directions. That changes was made upon his request. I have also formatted it as white text on a black background to make it easier to read and to follow the format of an autocue.



After this rehearsal I am very confident everyone is ready for next week's full dress rehearsal. By the end of the day the show was 7 seconds over, which will be fixed before the next rehearsal.

Studio Production: Script 9 & Running Order 7

After our second rehearsal I have made some more changes to the script and running order.

 SCRIPT 9

In this new draft of the script I have:
- Added a spinner to the pie face game.
- Re-written numerous pieces of dialogue to make the show less confusing and to help each round flow better.
- Re-written the way the final scores are announced to make it less confusing for the audience.
- Added all the new timings to reflect these changes.

RUNNING ORDER 7

In this new draft of the running order I have:
- Added new timings to reflect the changes to the script. New dialogues have adjusted the timings of certain sections.
- Added an extra fifteen seconds onto the credits as requested by the team producing the credits.
- Adjusted other timings to ensure the show is still 30 minutes long.

These new drafts will be uploaded to the drive so everyone can access them.

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.

Studio Production: Contestant Auditions

As part of the pre-production for studio production, we recently held auditions for our contestants.

CONTESTANT AUDITIONS

 To begin this process I asked Sam (the A.P) to start looking for possible contestants. He acted on this request by posting ads on casting websites and by putting up adverts at his workplace. After a few weeks he had received a few applications and had been in constant contact with the applicants. The next stage was to arrange an audition day.

We worked with Imogen (the P.M) to set a suitable date to audition contestants. As Becca would also need to attend these auditions, we ensured it was a date that was suitable for her too.

Prior to the auditions I asked Sam to send each applicant an application form to fill out, which can be viewed here: TBMQ APPLICATION FORM

By the time the audition day arrived, unfortunately some of our applicants had dropped out, including all the female applicants. This meant on the day we could only audition three males. Sam emailed our applicants to arrange a time to skype.

For each contestant we followed the same process:

- Introductions (included an introduction to the show)
- Find out more about them
- Ask trivia questions to find out some fun facts about them which we can use in the show
- Test their film knowledge to see if they actually know anything about film
- Allow them to ask us any questions

We interviewed each of our applicants and by the end of the day we had two contestants: Danny Eycott & Jamie Terry. Our third applicant was not suitable and did not have any film knowledge.

We discussed how it would be nice to have a female contestant however it was clear we didn't have any female applicants to audition. I'm sure this is something that will be brought up and probably sorted before the show is recorded.

Wednesday, 29 March 2017

Studio Production: Script 8, Running Order 6, Round Breakdown 4

After our first rehearsal, changes were made to the shows format, and so a new running order, script, and round breakdown had to be produced.

 SCRIPT 8


In this new script I have:
- Rewritten round 4 to match the new format where both contestants compete against one another separately to complete as many boxes as possible in two minutes.
- Rewritten dialogue in other parts of the script to reflect the changes to round 4.
- Adjusted the timings in the sequence headings to reflect the new running order.
- Added more questions to the script as we ran out of them during rehearsals.

 RUNNING ORDER 6


In this new running order I have:
- Written new timings to reflect the changes to round 4.

 ROUND BREAKDOWN 4

In this new round breakdown I have:
- Written a new description to reflect the changes to round 4.
- Adjusted the duration of round 4 to reflect the new running order.

These new documents will be uploaded onto the shared drive so everyone can access them.

Studio Production: Set Design Response From CATF

After our initial meetings with the set design team at UCA Rochester, they came back to us with a design.

SET DESIGN RESPONSE FROM CATF

The team started the meeting off by showing us a mood board and colour palette they had created, which they did using the information we had already passed onto them about style and tone.

They then showed us a 3D render of the set (pictured above) and ran us through the measurements for their design, something we will need during our rehearsals.

Finally they showed us the 3D model they had created, which looked like this:


They told us about some of the elements they had included in the set:
- LED strip lighting along the top of the set.
- A TV stand full of popcorn.
- 1920s/30s style designs for set dressing and podiums.
- A redesigned method of playing round 4 (see other blog post)

Below is the presentation they gave us:


Feedback from us on this design was pretty much positive.

*UPDATE* CHANGES MADE TO SET DESIGN

 Since this meeting some changes have been made:

- The large lattice pieces have been reduced due to a laser cutter not being available.
- The lighting tubes on either side of the TV stand have been removed as they couldn't find the lights they needed.
- The end flats have been slightly extended as we found during our rehearsals that they were too short.

Studio Production: PM 8 & Changes To Round 4

We recently had another production meeting where I delivered details of the new format for round 4 to the group.

PM 8 & CHANGES TO ROUND 4

 It became clear in our first rehearsal that there were still some issues with the format of round 4. It was down to me to address this, and so I came up with a new format that didn't affect the main elements of the game. These are the changes:

- The two contestants still compete against one another, accept they now compete separately, with the person with the most points playing first.
- Whilst one contestant is on set playing the game, the other will be backstage with sound proof headphones on.
- They each have two minutes to get as many correct boxes as possible.
- The winner of the two gets 10 bonus points added onto their final score, which could change the game.

This new format is fairer as it allows both contestants to have a go at the final game, and it could mean either contestant could still win. It also uses the time up better, as I don't feel the original format would've lasted the time given (5 minutes).

The final change to this game follows a redesign by the set design team. They came up with a prop that will work better for this round than the original boxes idea that I had. Instead it will be a line of sliding doors that the host opens to reveal the amount of money each film has made at the box office.

A model of the new prop
As well as these changes, there were a few other updates during the production meeting:
- Contestant auditions have been scheduled and we will have two confirmed contestants by Saturday 25th March.
- Sam is working to find a warm up act for the show.
- The website is now live (https://thebigmoviequiz.wixsite.com/thebigmoviequiz) and the tickets for the show are now available (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-big-movie-quiz-tickets-32658537565)
- Articles are being written for the website and will be published ASAP.
- A trailer for the show has been completed and is now live on social media.
- Our first day of rehearsals went really well and all feedback from Del was very positive.
- The set has been designed and is now being constructed (see other blog post)
- Stand ins have been sourced for rehearsals

We will now move onto the next stage of the production, following up on any queries made during this production meeting.

Thursday, 23 March 2017

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.


Studio Production: 2nd Set Design Meeting

The set design team from CAFT Rochester recently came to visit us at the studios to discuss the set design for The Big Movie Quiz.

2ND SET DESIGN MEETING

 We started the meeting off by given the team a tour of the studio the show will be recorded in. We showed them the space they would have and what Becca and I were currently thinking about positioning (set, cameras, audience).

After the studio tour, Becca and I briefed the team on the changes that had been made to the show since we last saw them. This was mostly changes to the third round of the show, which is now a different game (American Pie In Your Face). We then opened the room up for questions.

The set design team asked a few questions about measurements, style and tone, flooring, lighting etc.. and we were able to answer all questions to a good degree. We mentioned to the team that we would be providing the TV for the set. They then spent some time measuring the television so they could design a way to incorporate it into the set design.

Below is the presentation we gave them:



In my opinion this meeting went really well, and I think they understand what it is we want from them. I look forward to seeing what designs they come up with.

Saturday, 11 March 2017

Studio Production: Script 7 & Round Breakdown 3

I have now sourced questions for round 3 and so I have updated the script and round breakdown

 SCRIPT DRAFT 7

 In this new draft I have:
- Added further dialogue for round 3 which includes all of the new questions.
- A few minor grammatical corrections.


 ROUND BREAKDOWN DRAFT 3

 For this new draft I have:
- Added all of the questions for round 3 including the additional ones that will be written on cue cards and used if extra time is available.
- Updated the descriptions for all rounds to match the current plans for the show.

These new drafts will be uploaded to the Google Drive so everyone can access them.

Studio Production: PM 7 & New Host

PM 7 & NEW HOST

 We started this production meeting off by discussing our current host Piers Hunt. Since we hired him he has been a bit unresponsive and difficult to make a schedule with. We showed the group his, and George's audition tapes, and straight away I could tell the group prefered George. Seen as we weren't having much luck with Piers we agreed that if Piers were to drop out, George would be our back up. By this point I wished we had chosen George in the first place as on second thought he was actually a lot better for the show and more enthusiastic as a presenter.

Half way through our production meeting Piers emailed to say he was dropping out, something I think we saw coming. Within 10 minutes Imogen had spoken to George and he was on board as our new host.

So our new host is:

George Sesay


I am very happy about this new development.

In this production meeting we also discussed when the VTs are being filmed, what outfit the presenter should wear, contestants, audience, and a warm up act.

We have chosen Making Miracles Rochester as our charity we will raise money for.

Sam will now be our VT operator during the show. The 1st year originally assigned to this will be given a new role.

Studio Production: Masterclass 3 with Del Brown

For our third and final masterclass with Del Brown we focused on everyone's job roles for the show.

MASTERCLASS 3 WITH DEL BROWN

 For this workshop we all got a chance to try out everyone's roles which included:

- Director
- Vision Mixer
- Gallery P.A.
- Floor Manager
- 5x Camera Ops
- 2x Sound
- Graphics Op

To do this we rotated around the positions every 5-10 minutes, each time producing a three minute 1+2 chat show. We started off in the roles we had for the show, and kept going around until we got back to those roles. As I'm the producer, I don't have a role that others can try out in the studio, so I started off as a presenter.

I went around each role and got a chance to spend a good amount of time trying it out. I enjoyed being the presenter, vision mixer and director the most. I also found that those three roles were, in my opinion, the roles I was best at (although presenter doesn't count as a role any of us have on this production).

In the afternoon we got a chance to stay in our roles that we have for the show, and we produced a short shopping channel type program, which gave everyone a chance to try out new skills including the camera ops who had a challenge to get good close ups, and to follow moving objects.

I found this final workshop the most useful because I now understand what each person on this production has to do. As producer I don't do any of the roles so if we hadn't done this, I wouldn't have been able to understand what each person has to go through to make the show a success. Now I do understand and I appreciate everyone has an important job to do. This will make rehearsals a lot easier for me as I now know what everyone does, and how they contribute to the final production.

Studio Production: Script 6, Running Order 5

Now that round 3 has been finalised, I have written a new script and running order.

 SCRIPT 6

 In this new draft I have:

- Written an intro and outro for the new round 3. Questions and additional dialogue to be confirmed.
- Swapped some elements around so that Normans Trailer now plays after round 2, and the Trivia VT plays after round 3.

RUNNING ORDER 5

 In this new draft I have:
- Added the new round 3, and it's timings.
- Given an extra 30 seconds to the opening link, and taken 30 seconds away from the contestants entrance and chat. This allows time for the new short monologue to be delivered and means we don't spend too long talking to the contestants.
- Swapped the film trailer and trivia vt around. I did this to give us more time to do a set repo in between rounds 3 and 4.
- All timings have been updated and shouldn't change until we start rehearsals.

These new drafts will be uploaded to the Google Drive so everyone can access them.

Studio Production: Auditions & Host

All of our possible candidates were invited in for an audition, however only two of them could make it, the rest sent in audition tapes.

AUDITIONS

 We set up in one of the small production rooms with a camera and a few chairs. Before any of our candidates arrived we discussed as a group what we would like to get out of the auditions.

Our first candidate was Piers Hunt. We started by asking him a few questions so we could fill out a quick form. Next we asked him about any relevant experience he might have. Once all of this was done we moved onto a test scene. He had brought along with him an annotated copy of the script which was a big positive for me. We tested out the opening of the show and round 1. After a read through with stand ins, we threw it over to him and asked if he had any questions for us. After about 20 minutes, he was done and it was time for the next candidate.

George Sesay was our next and final candidate. We ran through the same process with him as we had done with Piers so I won't go through it again. George was a very confident and funny person. He delivered the script well.

Once our candidates had gone, we sat down as a group and watched the audition tapes of our other candidates. For each candidate we rated them on a few areas like appearance, personality, and mannerisms. We also rewatched the auditions of Piers and George.

At the end of the day, we added up all the scores, and the result was:

Piers Hunt


Piers got the highest score and so if all goes well he is the host of The Big Movie Quiz.

Studio Production: Possible Hosts

For this show we need one host, so I put an advert on Casting Call Pro. After receiving quite a few applications, these are our final 6 possible candidates.

POSSIBLE HOSTS

 George Sesay

George has a good level of experience. He has presented shows for Pineapple Dance Studios for a few years. He is experienced in improvisation and ad libing. He has presented some student productions before.

Olivia Nicholson

Olivia has been a presenter on a live televised casino for the past six months. She has experience doing various screen and theatre roles.

Joe Gale

Joe has experience using talk back, autocue, and sustaining enthusiasm during a continuous shoot. He has also done theatre and numerous student productions.

Arabella Burfitt-Dons

Arabella has real experience as a presenter, however she is looking to get into presenting and sees this as a good opportunity for some good showreel footage.

Piers Hunt

Piers is a RADA trained actor and presenter who has a lot of presenting experience. He has worked on student productions before.

David Wooldridge

David applied to be part of the show after he saw my tweet about it. He is a highly experience radio, TV and live events presenter.

All of these possible candidates will be invited in for an audition, and one of them will become the host of The Big Movie Quiz.