Live Day Reflection

Summarise Your Role
My role throughout the production of our Magazine show was the Director, this meant that I would have to delegate jobs to the crew that needed to be done as well as being responsible for cueing the cuts/camera angles during the "As Live" recording, as well as doing the same for the pre-recorded interview with Tyra. I had to make decisions about all aspects of the set whilst allowing the crew members to have some creative control.

What Difficulties did you have?
At the begining of production I struggled to maintain a level of control over the camera shots being used whilst trying to solve any problems that arose during the Run-through's. There was some confusion over changes that were being made by each department and so I had to resolve these issues quickly. I also found it difficult to produce the Camera Script on time as it was much longer than I had anticipated.

What Solutions did you find for these Problems?
I was able to complete the Camera Script on time by getting a friend of mine, who also does media, to help me by reading out the lines of the script so that I didn't have to stop and look away from the screen whenever there was a new line. By repeating the Run-through's I got used to the stressful environment and was then able to perform competantly in my position. By talking with all crew members involved I was able to rectify the situation and prevent further confusion. 


What Skills have you gained?
I feel that I have improved my communication skills as I was having to tell Billy when I wanted the feed to cut to another camera angle and by relaying as much information as I could to Raees in the studio so that he could keep control. I feel that I also learned how to work well under pressure as their were some set backs leading up to the "Live Day" and the fact that the role of a Director is a stressful one anyway.


Advice for someone else?
My advice to someone else taking on this role would be to try and communicate as much as possible to the entire crew during pre-production as it ensures that there is no confusion over most aspects. I would also say that getting others to review the Camera Script and Timed running order provides a different perspective which could improve the show in many ways. Also keeping calm in the gallery during recordings means that you will be able to better communicate instructions and get a better feel for the flow of the dialogue allowing you to cut more effectively resulting in a better finished product.


How can you Extend your role?
Next time I would prepare by doing as much of the pre-production work as soon as possible meaning I could get feedback and make more improvements. Also I would attempt to vary the camera shots more by asking the Camera Operators to zoom and pan more and possibly moving their cameras from their original position to gain a different perspective, but this would require much more communication and planning.

Production Meeting Reflection 4

This week I finished my Camera Script and put it in the shared folder so that the others could use it as a base for their own role specific camera scripts. As there are a lot of shots involved with filming a 30 minute programme this took me longer than I had anticipated, and Miss Bains gave me some improvements that I could make on the draft that I sent her such as colour coding the three different cameras used and giving some more detail in the Segment Description column. 

• This week I need to work closely with Billy as he will be creating his cue list based on my Camera Script and specific lines from the Dialogue Script that Shriya and Morgan created. I will also have to make sue that Keren has produced graphics that match the questions being asked and that she has them in the correct order. I will also have to work with Mahdi on getting his cues for the sound effects and Raees about securing the props we need and when we will be able to get them up and into the studio.

• I feel that I will need to work on being confident with my cuts and communicating with the people in the Gallery as well as relaying as much information to Raees via the mic system so that he can have better control over the set.

• My main fear about next week is that I will not perform well in the role of director, meaning I will make bad decisions about when to cut the camera feed and I will not be able to keep a level of control over what camera positions I feel would look best as well as relaying instructions to Raees.

Camera Script

Open publication - Free publishing - More camera

Production Meeting Reflection 3

This week I finished Timmed running order and made copies so that all of the crew had a rough idea of what was going on at what time during the programme. I also helped to finalise the set layout and let Graphics know what would be needed.

• I found that once I had finished the Timed running order  was displeased with the final result so I went back and tweaked the positioning of some of the segments. I was pleased that I was able to work closely with Set Design to get the layout finished quickly which enabled us to move on to other issues.

• In the coming week I am planning to start the Camera Script which details every camera shot that takes place throughout the show as well as any pre-recorded content and VT's. I will also have to include what the set will look like, the positioning of the cameras and what graphics will be needed in each shot. I will also help to finalise the props list working with the floor manager and set design, this will let me plan what equipment needs to be collected when and from what department/ area of the school.

• This week I will have to work closely with the floor manager to finalise the props and set layout, I will also have to liaise with graphics to sort out any problems that may occur due to changes in the script and timming of each segment.

Timed running order

Timed running order:


This table shows each aspect of the programme in order as well as the amount of time that I have allocated for each segment. Using this running order the production team knows their time frame for each part of the show and what order that part is in, in relation to the others. This allows people to prepare for their roles and lets them know what other members of the production team they will have to liaise with.

Open publication - Free publishing - More running order

Risk Assessment: Gallery

Open publication - Free publishing - More health

Production Meeting Reflection 2

This week we were given ours roles within the production team and I was assigned the role of Director. We also had our first production meeting where each of  us pitched our ideas for the music magazine show. Shriya's idea was voted in and we spent some time modifying it to include aspects from other people's ideas that we thought were unique and should be incorporated into the show.

• I had to create a Timed running order of the programme which involved working with Morgan, Shriya and Billy to work out what order each of the aspects should go in and tying to get a better idea of what Shriya's idea for the programme was. I also had to write a Risk Assessment for the Gallery as that is the area I will be working in during production.

• One of the problems that I had this week was trying to coordinate my time so that I was able to complete my work whilst still answering any questions the other team members had about the programme from the graphics to what the layout of the set was going to be. I overcame this by planning my time better and finishing my work outside of lesson time leaving me time to help others during the lesson.

• During this weeks production meeting I was given suggestions about pre-recording the artists interview in order to put less strain on the presenters. Another suggestion I was given was to liaise with the camera crew on the final positioning of each camera and whether to use the track system or dollies for the best outcome. Also I was able to see what stage each of the production team was at and what they were planning to do in the coming week.