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.

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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.

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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.

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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