I really enjoyed this project as it was really interesting, everybody did such an amazing job, well the people who turned up, did an amazing job. The whole project has been a strange mix of being really easy and yet really stressful, I think, especially this past week, is probably the most stressed i've ever been in the shrtest amount of ime, as opposed to with the Music Video Project in which i was quite stressed for a few weeks, this project i was amazingly stressed for about 3 days, but they were long three days, and i never did sleep properly, mainly becausei just wanted to get work done.
My responsibilities from this project have been many, I've been the content producer for the Quickfire round, I've made a lot of decisions about the size and colours of the set even though i'm not an art director, I've helped paint the set, I made us have 7 boards instead of 5, i don't assume this was only me, as if everyody had wanted 5, we'd have had 5, I've helped sophie with the Dialogue she wanted written, I wrote a 19 page script, and i've basically helped everyone stay on task, and when recording the proper thing i was AFM and then FM. So that's alot of roles, oh and i also had to redo the Cue Cards a few hours before we started recording, so yes, a whole lot of responsibilities.
I think that my contribution to this project has, in a completely not big headed way, has been really effective and quite vital, as sometimes people would rather have paint fights and i've made them work, sometimes people just want to go and mess around instead of work and i've quite made people do things, I also had to wash the Magnolia Bucket out. Which took a good few hours, as we needed somewhere to put our mixed purple paint. If i hadn't of wrote the script, i doubt anyone else really would have, well no, i'm sure somebody would have, just, probably not to such a standard, Ohoho. No, i'm kidding I'm sure one of the better people would have done a good job of it, just if say Marc or Reece did it, we'd all have died. I also made a very rough script to start with that helped everyone see what the whole show would read like, so the VT people would know where the VT's were planned to go for every round, not just individual rounds, however, the cue card people copied and pasted this very rough, work in progress script on to the cue cards, which i told them not to do as it would change, but they did it anyway, and poor sophie didn't know what was supposed to happen next, as it didnt completely match the proper proper script, which i also did, so i then had to re-do the cue cards, while writing out all of the questions again and while reconfiguring the quickfire round, at about 12 o'clock at night on the night before it all had to go ahead, i then really fucked up, as i just had to get to sleep and decided to finish them the next day and go in earlier, i however didnt quite finish in time and peter was in a mad stress and so was i. but that was the only big big issue that i had, and during that time everyone else was just lounging around not doing too much, which really made me feel special.
I learned a lot from this project, i've learned that people do what i say, I've learned how to write a near proffesional multi camera tv script, i've learned to never quite assume that people know what to do, I've learned how to DVD operate, which i knew at the age of 6 anyway but still, this was a refresher course :) I've learned how to Floor Manage; of which i don't think i did a brilliant job as everyone knew what to do, as Declan was floor manager in the first half and had covered everything, and as this was the 3rd rotation all of the audience knew what to do, and also i was just so happy tyo be actually finished all of the paper work. Although i then realised on the bus home that none of that written work was going to be marked really, and i still had a big essay to do, So i guess i'd like to say that i've learned not to leave written work to the last minute, but if i'd done that, i'd never have time to do the necessary written work for the actual doing of the project, so i'm not really sure of what i;ve learned in that respect. I knew to start with that sometimes i get really stressed, but the good kind of stress that you can do something about, not the bad kind of stress like the Music Video one, in which i couldnt control what people wanted to do themselves, so i couldnt do much about that type, this type went away when i woke up last thursday morning, which was unfortunate as i'd lost the urgency to work, but luckily writing all of this makes me relive that stress so i have the urgency to work and that's why i'm doing this now, granted it's late but still, it's getting done :)
Errrm, the technical quality of the finished project i think was brilliant, as everyone had enough practice in there respective role, and yes that included reece's audience role, he was a brilliant audience member! If i had to do this again, i would probably do it one week earlier, i'd have the script finished earlier because i now understand them, as opposed to being handed somehting that genuinely looks like a mental array of words on a page, and therefore, i'd have spread out all of the work that i'd done in that three days, over a course of about 2 weeks, but knowing me i'd still have left it to the last minute, I think I get a sort of thrill out of doing it just in time haha,
But overall i think it's the best we could have done, i regret wasting such time on the earlier incarnation of the Quickfire Round that looked so good on paper, but in reality was basic dog shit.
I think that the Quickfire round is basically the easiest round to plan for, you just need loads of questions, I also enjoy how we inadvertantly made the questions really quite difficult, as we always said we would as Group A has lost both times in the others quiz show, I genuinely think that our quiz show is far superior to both of theres and it was quite well referenced to the title of Media Circus, and i watched it on Wednesday and just thought, How strange, we orginally were gunna paint it Red and Yellow, and yet i couldnt imagine anything being any different, and not in a bad way, it quite made me feel happy, that we'd done the best that we could, well atleast i know that most of us did :)
I think that all of the editing, the mise-en-scene, the sound, the narrative, and the representation were brilliant and the best they were ever going to be, The Circus Theme fitted in so nicely, the logo needed work as on camera it looked a bit brown, and it was kind of Lucy's pet project that she didn't let anyone else touch, and yet complained that when she didnt turn up for a week somebody else had touched it, It all fitted nicely, from the title of Media Circus that Jack thought up, to Sophie's costume, which i silently wish had been red, but i appreciate that that would have melted into the background, so black is better, from all of the circus references we;d squeezed into the script, i also am really happy that the whole "Ladies and Gentlemen etc etc" got put in, even if we had forgotten to do that, which really wasn't anyone's fault, we'd just all forgot, but it was on the script, i dunno, i think we just overlooked it.
I think our ideas came across excellently too, everyones group had there own round, and all of the rounds worked together really well, the only round i found the weakest was the celebrity round, but thats only because it basically had one question repeated 4 times in several different ways, it just felt a bit short and a bit, lacklustre, although still it was brilliant, just more simple than the other rounds.
Our audience loved and envied it. I don't really know, i didn't ask, but they all laughed and seemed to get well into it, whih is why we did it, during all the rehearsals we were all so sick of it, i can probably tell you all of the questions and answers, i practically didn't need the dialogue script while writing the proper one, but when the audience were in and the panellists were there, it all fell together so well, it actually surprised me that peter said that he was worried and had a moment of not thinking it would happen, because i genuinely knew all the way through that it's happen, even when running amazingly late on doing the cue cards, i knew it was going to happen on time, this is either blind faith or just that i knew that we were all fine and knew what we were doing.
I think everything went right in the end, a whole lot went wrong, well not wrong, but unplanned during the making of it, firstly we were going to have it Red and White, although i and a few others wanted red and yellow for the set, peter than told us to have something darker, so they said Red and Purple, i was like OMG thats going to look awful, what circus' are purple and red? even though i adore those colours and are usually wearing them, i just didn't think it would work, We also ran out of paint, alot, Our first purple was horrible, and the Art people were so unhelpful to us, they wouldnt give us any more and not much of it was done, so then we ended up going for a darker more purple purple anyway, although we didnt have any money to buy any, we just found some glossy pink paint and some matt blue paint and mixed them together in the magnolia bucket that me and sophie took about an hour to wash out, i really wasn't convince that A, it would be enough and B that if we ran out we'd never mix it to the correct colour again, although it was fine and perfect, we also then had issues with the Red; it was too light, but Jo came to the rescue and bought some darker red paint, and shes a star for it, i was yet again convinced there wouldnt be enough, i think that I must be preoccupied with falling short on something or other as i also wanted a big table, but that was fine and we got that, then we had issues because people liked to have paint fights and got purple in the red, of which it didnt come off or paint over very easily, but with the darker red it was fine, we also then had to use masking tape to make sure the lines were even and straight, and paint over them yet again, i swear thta they had about 10 coats of various colours. Then we had the big major issue of the script, that Kate was pestering me to write, but i had no idea how, Peter showed me how and that was fine, but then the script didn't match the cue cards as the idiot people; and i won't name names because that's cruel (How strange that i'll offend them but not name them? Double standards i think.),
But anyway, they stuck on word for word the entire basic dialogue script of which i told them not to, which in hindsight doesn't make sense, but whatever, it was a lapse in judgement, but i got them done about an hour later than planned, but ready in time for the show, i also had to redo the quickfire round, but that was fine as it was just to simplify it, it just took ages to write up all 56 (Reece lost 4) of the questions and format them so that when i printed them at college they would fit on the cards, of which they did but we also couldnt find any scissors and glue anywhere, but luckily Declan and Laura went to the Shop and bought some Glue, but apart from that i had to cut them all out myself and Laura helped stick them down, and we actually had one card too many, which was good, because i did so worry that we'd not have enough. It was just all so hectic and i can not even express how stressful and mental these few days were.
But eventually it all got done and it was fine. I think i've given enough examples to back up my points.
I think our project compares naturally quite amateurly to real examples of proper TV programmes as they have bigger budgets, studio cameras, instead of location cameras and alot more proffesional people, who arent quite sure what they are doing but are trying there best as they don't want to get shouted at, And the studio is small, How i would have loved 9 flats and an even bigger table.. but that'd just a pipe dream! haha, I'm so strange. Things like that make me happy though.
I really do think however, that we all did such a superb job on it, even though 5 or 6 people were unreliable and never or rarely turned up, or did the wrong thing or got quite crazy because somebody was doing "their" logo, even thought they'd drawn it really wonkily anyway, I'm quite a perfectionist really, and even though some things were a bit like the shaky sets out of 1970's programmes, i don't think that matters, we've just made a 1970's style circus quiz show. And it's fucking fabulous :)
My god do I talk crap too much.
Monday, 29 March 2010
Project Diary
First Week
In the first week we were organised into our production teams, in my team were George, Lucy and Marc, Marc wasn't there for the first week so we decided the roles that we wanted, I was Content Producer, which means i made sure everything got done in my group, George was The Technical/Editing Man, and Lucy was Art Director. Marc unfortunately never really got involved so George did his job, which was fine and he wasa good at it.
We then decided what round we wanted; I, originally, wanted the Celebrity Round and Lucy wanted the Music Round, we then ended up with The Quickfire Round, which was fine.
We decided to do 20 questions each, I did mine surrounding Celebrities, George did his about Film and TV and Lucy did hers about Music.
We also had decided on an overall title for out show which was Media Circus, which we were all fine with.
Second Week
During the Second week, because i was waiting for Lucy to be done with her questions, as George and I had finished with them, and there no VT's to sort out in our round, i decided to help with the painting of the set, Which was good.
Once we had actually found the appropriate amount of paint, thanks to Kate's large tub of Magnolia, we got started. We decided on doing Seven Boards instead of the 5 that the Other Groups had done, because we thought there set's looked a bit small, I also pestered everyone into getting a bigger table, which i got, which was good.
Now On Wednesday's we actually got some time to use some of the equipment, as we'd brought in 10 questions each and we took it in turns to be different people, well in reality we rotated only a few times but it helped everyone get a gist of things.
Third Week
I can't really remember much about the third week, so i'm guessing we practically just did painting, but we were still way ahead of where the other groups were at this point, me and sophie were basically finished with the Dialogue parts of the script, so that was good. And On Wednesday it was the Norwich Trip, In which I sat in Costa with Sophie to plan our radio show,
Nothing out of the ordinary happened during this week, apart from we had Peter's usual lesson on a Thursday instead of Wednesday, we were still doing our tiny ten question quizzes, which was benificial.
Fourth Week
I think that the fourth week was quite productive, as by the end of it, the set was basically finished and I'd pestered everybody sufficiently about the big table and by the Thursday we had it, In Peter's Lesson, we were practicing the last group's Quiz Show, just to get a feel for what it'd be like. And Kate was pestering me to do the script, but i was having issues as i really didn't know how to, so i went to see Peter, who basically did the first sheet while i was watching which was actually really helpful as suddenly it all clicked into place and I understood what it all meant. We also then decided that we needed more rehearsal time on the Tuesday, and i was to Email Peter the finished script on the Monday Evening.
Fifth Week
I enjoyed this last week alot, I was stressed off my feet, but it was the good stress that made me do things, not the bad panicky stress that makes you die inside. On the Monday, I drunk too much caffeine so i was in an odd mood, however this helped as Me and Hannah were to do the Script, and from 10 o'clock until about half 2 we sat in the Library and Digital Suite and wrote it, Hannah replaced Sophie, as Sophie wasn't there that Day, but my god i am glad Hannah helped me as she kept me sane and laughing, and by 3 o'clock on Monday I emailed Peter the 19 page finished script.
On the Tuesday, we basically ran through the whole thing, The Quickfire round needed a lot of reJigging as Originally we were going to have Ducks with the Categories and Fishing Rods and it looked so good written down, but in practice it was awful, I also had a few bits to re do in the script concerning Track Numbers. and i also had to Redo the Cue Cards as They had the wrong script on them, so i went home and Mother helped me rip off the old script, i also re wrote the script and emailed it to Peter. I then also wrote down all 60 questions for the quickfire round to stick to the cards on the next day
Now Wednesday was the day of the actual recording, and i was in mega stress, as i was all a bit unorganised, as i didn't think it would take so long. I came in at half 9, as i had to write the Dialogue bit of the script out and stick it to the cards, which actually took the best bit of 2 hours, and i was in a crazy state byu then as i thought it'd take about half an hour, I finally finished the cue cards, but not the Quickfire round, and i was doing this all on my own. Peter came in all like "Where's the script?!" and i was like AHH i emailed it to you last night, and i printed off a copy that Sophie had gave to him in the morning, but he said that he couldnt use this as it was double sided, i think John Dempsey could see how stressed i was and told Peter that he'd Photocopy from it a few scripts, which i was so thanful for, as i must have forgotten that he'd asked me to do this. By 1 oclock i had finished the quickfire round cards, and then i new it was going to be alright, because as a group we all knew what we had to do really.
After a few rehearsals in the afternoon we were ready to go, I was Assistant Floor Manager in the first half, which basically i was doing scores, but after a hectic morning i was glad of something so menial, and i was Floor Manager in the second, which again was basically no work, as sophie was a brilliant host and we'd all rehearsed it so much everyone knew everything anyway, Also the audience kind of applaused when they needed too anyway so i didn't even have that to do, all i did was basically make sure Marc wrote down the right scores and tell Sophie when the 60 seconds were up for the Quickfire round, which actually worked so much better in it's new more Mastermind-ish type set up as opposed to its idiot predecessor version.
And after that it was fine.
In the first week we were organised into our production teams, in my team were George, Lucy and Marc, Marc wasn't there for the first week so we decided the roles that we wanted, I was Content Producer, which means i made sure everything got done in my group, George was The Technical/Editing Man, and Lucy was Art Director. Marc unfortunately never really got involved so George did his job, which was fine and he wasa good at it.
We then decided what round we wanted; I, originally, wanted the Celebrity Round and Lucy wanted the Music Round, we then ended up with The Quickfire Round, which was fine.
We decided to do 20 questions each, I did mine surrounding Celebrities, George did his about Film and TV and Lucy did hers about Music.
We also had decided on an overall title for out show which was Media Circus, which we were all fine with.
Second Week
During the Second week, because i was waiting for Lucy to be done with her questions, as George and I had finished with them, and there no VT's to sort out in our round, i decided to help with the painting of the set, Which was good.
Once we had actually found the appropriate amount of paint, thanks to Kate's large tub of Magnolia, we got started. We decided on doing Seven Boards instead of the 5 that the Other Groups had done, because we thought there set's looked a bit small, I also pestered everyone into getting a bigger table, which i got, which was good.
Now On Wednesday's we actually got some time to use some of the equipment, as we'd brought in 10 questions each and we took it in turns to be different people, well in reality we rotated only a few times but it helped everyone get a gist of things.
Third Week
I can't really remember much about the third week, so i'm guessing we practically just did painting, but we were still way ahead of where the other groups were at this point, me and sophie were basically finished with the Dialogue parts of the script, so that was good. And On Wednesday it was the Norwich Trip, In which I sat in Costa with Sophie to plan our radio show,
Nothing out of the ordinary happened during this week, apart from we had Peter's usual lesson on a Thursday instead of Wednesday, we were still doing our tiny ten question quizzes, which was benificial.
Fourth Week
I think that the fourth week was quite productive, as by the end of it, the set was basically finished and I'd pestered everybody sufficiently about the big table and by the Thursday we had it, In Peter's Lesson, we were practicing the last group's Quiz Show, just to get a feel for what it'd be like. And Kate was pestering me to do the script, but i was having issues as i really didn't know how to, so i went to see Peter, who basically did the first sheet while i was watching which was actually really helpful as suddenly it all clicked into place and I understood what it all meant. We also then decided that we needed more rehearsal time on the Tuesday, and i was to Email Peter the finished script on the Monday Evening.
Fifth Week
I enjoyed this last week alot, I was stressed off my feet, but it was the good stress that made me do things, not the bad panicky stress that makes you die inside. On the Monday, I drunk too much caffeine so i was in an odd mood, however this helped as Me and Hannah were to do the Script, and from 10 o'clock until about half 2 we sat in the Library and Digital Suite and wrote it, Hannah replaced Sophie, as Sophie wasn't there that Day, but my god i am glad Hannah helped me as she kept me sane and laughing, and by 3 o'clock on Monday I emailed Peter the 19 page finished script.
On the Tuesday, we basically ran through the whole thing, The Quickfire round needed a lot of reJigging as Originally we were going to have Ducks with the Categories and Fishing Rods and it looked so good written down, but in practice it was awful, I also had a few bits to re do in the script concerning Track Numbers. and i also had to Redo the Cue Cards as They had the wrong script on them, so i went home and Mother helped me rip off the old script, i also re wrote the script and emailed it to Peter. I then also wrote down all 60 questions for the quickfire round to stick to the cards on the next day
Now Wednesday was the day of the actual recording, and i was in mega stress, as i was all a bit unorganised, as i didn't think it would take so long. I came in at half 9, as i had to write the Dialogue bit of the script out and stick it to the cards, which actually took the best bit of 2 hours, and i was in a crazy state byu then as i thought it'd take about half an hour, I finally finished the cue cards, but not the Quickfire round, and i was doing this all on my own. Peter came in all like "Where's the script?!" and i was like AHH i emailed it to you last night, and i printed off a copy that Sophie had gave to him in the morning, but he said that he couldnt use this as it was double sided, i think John Dempsey could see how stressed i was and told Peter that he'd Photocopy from it a few scripts, which i was so thanful for, as i must have forgotten that he'd asked me to do this. By 1 oclock i had finished the quickfire round cards, and then i new it was going to be alright, because as a group we all knew what we had to do really.
After a few rehearsals in the afternoon we were ready to go, I was Assistant Floor Manager in the first half, which basically i was doing scores, but after a hectic morning i was glad of something so menial, and i was Floor Manager in the second, which again was basically no work, as sophie was a brilliant host and we'd all rehearsed it so much everyone knew everything anyway, Also the audience kind of applaused when they needed too anyway so i didn't even have that to do, all i did was basically make sure Marc wrote down the right scores and tell Sophie when the 60 seconds were up for the Quickfire round, which actually worked so much better in it's new more Mastermind-ish type set up as opposed to its idiot predecessor version.
And after that it was fine.
Friday, 26 February 2010
Multi-Cam Production Blog
This Blog is for the Multi-Cam Production, we have to produce a quiz show to be recorded as-live and this blog shall be used to write up all the notes that we need as the written part of the assignment.
Studio Equipment
In our TV Studio we have 3 x Sony Z5 on pedestals, these can be used to adjust the height by "pedding up" and "pedding down", and 1 on the Jib Arm.
These camera's feed the video that has been captured through the signal flow to produce and image, the director then can choose which camera he wants to use for the next shot.
The majority of the crew wear "cans"; a headset that allows communication, the people who will mainly speak with them are the Director and occasionally the Floor Manager, they must not be used for gossiping.
There is also a STOB box; where all the cables from the studio are fed into the respective control rooms, this simplifies and improves the safety of the floor, as otherwise, there would be cables everywhere
Also we have 5 clip-on microphones that are clipped on in the direction of the host or on their lapel someone if they are the host, usually in the middle.
On the ceiling there is "The Grid" which is where all of the studio lighting hangs off and sometimes speakers which allows the studio to hear sound on VT's. Some Grids have movable sections which allow more intricate lighting styles, however fixed grids are equally as efficient.
Attached to the Grid are the speakers; called Foldback, these are necessary in order to play VT audio through to the studio, they can be rigged to play all audio, or just the directors voice.
There are various monitors dotted around the studio, These mainly show the line out from the vision mixer, and are useful if cameras need to match the shots. There is also a Floor Monitor, which is basically a television, that allows the studio to see the VT's or other relevant things.
A Dimmer pack controls the lights and as fuses do, will trip if too many lights are used, you can also change the brightness and the other functions.
The Jib Arm is a large counterbalanced frame which holds a camera at the top, as it is balanced so well, you needn't apply much pressure at all in order to move it, The Jib Arm, is mainly used for Wide sweeping shots at the start of the programme, and then for further wide shots throughout the programme. The Jib arm is especially good because a lot of experimentation can be used with it.
Studio Lights are very important to the studio set up; without them we would have to use the Houselights which deliver terrible lighting and makes it virtually impossible for the camera to pick up any sort of decent image. Studio lights have "barn doors" which helps direct and aim the light
to help plot the light to exact specifications. Lighting is also very important as it ensures that the talent will stand out, also, where you place the lights can change the look of the talent, and if its placed correctly then the talent will look properly 3D. Lighting also helps focus, which helps draw the audiences attention. It can also help with the mood and feel of the set, with really bright lighting, the mood gets happier, and darker lighting makes everything look sulkier, although this is mainly used in Dramas, it can also help change the audiences feelings for the show, as if everything's bright, everything will be more enjoyable.
The Audio desk is in the Audio control room, it is used to keep the audio levels at the right levels for each contestant and the host, the main right level for this production is between -6 and +9.
Then on each individual microphone, a sound check will be carried out, then they will adjust the individual levels with faders. If audio levels change during the actual recording, then the faders will be moved higher or lower depending on the individual, If there is a time when everyone is talking at once and it peaks higher than +9, then the master fader can be brought down to the right level.
Crew Roles and Responsibilities
The crew consist of;
Camera Operators; whose job is is to use the camera's and point it in the direction that the director wants to allow for the appropropriate shot. Common shots for TV quiz shows are MCU, CU's, Wide shots, 2/3 shots and over shoulder shots. The camera operators check their shots before the filming starts to make sure that they know what's available.
Assistant Camera Operators help the Camera Operators, the make sure that they dont trip over the cables, and help them crab the camera left or right to ensure ease of use.
Floor Manager's(FM) are the directors representative on the floor to ensure that the crew are doing everything that the director wants, and they generally have to think ahead of what the director will want, to ensure that the studio and the crew are fit to start filming, they'll also help during sound-checks and ensure everything that is supposed to happen, will happen. They are also in charge of telling the audience health and safety advice, such as fire escapes.
Assistant Floor Managers(AFM) are there to help the Floor Manager, there are usually two of them to help the floor manager manage the floor. For our quiz show, the AFM had to keep tally of the scores.
Sound Operators are in charge of all the audio work on the floor, there first job is to ensure the talent have secured omnidirectional mic's and then they will change the levels in the Sound room.
Sound Assists will help with the sound checks of the talent, they are almost as useless as Assistant Camera Operators, although usually they will have more to do.
Director, the director is basically "god", everyone does what they say and what they want, they are in charge of whats happening and will make sure that the show isn't screwed, everyone else does there jobs to help the director not kill everyone :) The Director also will work closely with the Vision Mixer, and will tell the camera operator what shot's he likes most of all, and may occasionally tell them to change shot.
Vision Mixers (VX) changes the camera's and VT's that are "live". The Director will say the number of the camera, and the vision mixer will press the button which number that the camera represents.
Assistant Directors (AD) will help the Director if they stop Directing, or if he can't remember his train of thought, also they have a stopwatch and have to tell the director how long all the VT's are so he can tell the VX when to switch.
DVD Operators are in charge of cueing the necessary VT, the Director will tell them, and they will play the VT. DVD operators can get quite confused and mess up the show if they play the wrong VT accidentally, as this may give away the answer, or just may not be relevant at the time.
The Talent, are the people being filmed, it's their job to ensure that the show is fun and make sure the audience will want to watch.
Studio Protocol
No Running, because you'll either hurt yourself, somebody else or the equipment.
No Food or Drink in the studio, as spillages may occur, and that'll damage things, it'll probably make the floor or the equipment sticky and that's not good.
Anyone using the cans needs to keep their conversation brief and to the point, also you musn't ever talk over the Director, or to that point anyone because then no one can hear anything that anyone is saying.
The Camera Operators also musn't mess around, or point the camera's at the lights, as that could damage the silicone chip inside possibly leading to permanent damage, also the Camera Operators must lock the cameras when they are not in use.
Keep Cables away as these could cause injuries if somebody trips over them.
Do what the Floor Manager says if its on the floor, because it's usually what the Director wants.
Signal Flow (both Video and Audio) and the Technical Rig
Everything that the camera picks up is turned into a signal which then goes through a converter in the camera through the SDI into the STOB box on the wall. Now, from the STOB, the Visual information goes into the RACK which then is sent to Technical Control where everything like exposure and the technical stuff can be changed around, then it goes into the Vision Mixing Panel which is where all the different shots can be chosen for the show, these are all chosen using a Programme Bus, which is a horizontal row of buttons with each number of camera on. These all go into the Hard Disc Drive, and from there it all gets recorded.
The Audio however, is different, The Personal Clip-on Mics and the 2 Audience Microphone's into the STOB which then goes into the Audio Control Room via a wireless system, these then go into the Audio Desk, which can control 12 Microphones, the sound operators use the Sound Mixing Panel to keep all of the microphones at the same volume so all of the sound maintains the same sort of volume and power, then from there it goes into the Hard Disc Drive.
Camera Shots and Moves
When the camera pedestal moves left or right it's called "Crabbing"; Moving left is called Crab Left; and moving right is called Crab Right.
Pedding Up and Pedding Down is when the pedestal moves up and down.
Panning is a nice slow movement of the camera, like tilting when you slowly move the camera using the levers on the back, the camera operator uses these levers to tilt and pan the camera.
The pedestal should be stationary while panning. Tilting is quite like Panning, but it is when the camera moves left and right.
Dollying is when you move closer or further away from the subject.
Close Up (CU) is a zoomed in shot. The talent's eyes should be on the top third, which should leave a small amount of head room and the bottom of the shot should be just below where a tie would be. You can also have close-ups of other important objects.
Mid-Shot (MS) is another shot in which, yet again the subject's eyes should be on the top third,l and the bottom of the shot should be on their hips and yet again the top should have enough head room.
Medium Close Up (MCU) is taken from the chest to the head, the eyes should be on the top vertical line, and the bottom of frame should be the bottom of an imaginary tie-knot.
Two-Shot (2S) is a shot that includes two subjects in it. They should be equidistant and their eyes should be on the top third, you can solve this by shifting up the chairs so they are at equal height.
Over-Shoulder (OS) An over shoulder shot is a shot that is taken from behind someone of someone else. They can add oft-needed variety in some shots, as a sequence of "normal" shots can look dreary and tiresome. They also offer some experimentation.
Wide Shots (WS) are often used as an establishing shot, this is a shot of the whole set, it often shows the lighting, sides of the set and the audience will usually be in shot. They basically will show the whole of the subject.
Framing of shots is also important, framing uses the Rule of Thirds, which is where the shot is divided into nine equal sections, with three equal sections vertically, and three Horizontally. Where these lines cross are called "power points" and are the largest areas of focus when viewing the shot. When framing a typical MCU shot in a TV quiz show; the eyes should always be on the top vertical third, this is ensured by making sure there are three fingers of head room.
DVD operations and insert requirements
The DVD is quite easy to use as on the script it'll tell you what Tracks are needed and when. As a DVD Operator, you must let the track run through the title, and then pause it on the black, the Director will then say DVD and then you press play and hopefully it'll work. Also each separate track should have at least 10 seconds of empty space either side of it to help the DVD Operator know how long it'll be, Even "Still Images" have a length, usually of about 10 seconds.
All VT's must have black before and after them to ensure the DVD operator has something to pause on. Once the necessary clip has finished, they should get started cueing up the next VT. They should also then call DVD Ready through the talk-back, to let the Director know if they are ready.
The VT's are combined on a DVD on some sort of editing software, with a title that clearly shows what the VT is, this is then exported as a Quicktime MOV and added to the DVD in separate tracks, once this is complete, a cue sheet is produced to let the DVD Operator know the details of each tack so they can be fully prepared.
Directing and Directors Calls
Director's are basically God in the studio, they decide what shot to use, but they also follow the script so the script has to be very useful, the Director will say over Talkback what camera he is going to use next, just so the camera operator doesn't change the shot and it usually goes something like this; "2, 3, 1, 3, 1, 2, 4, Good shot 4, crane upwards, 3; bit more head room, 2, 1..." Also at the start they will make sure that the floor is ready and everone else is ready.
The director will use the command "Cut" to express to the Vision Mixer that he wants to cut to another camera, e.g. "Cut Cam 1" These short sentences allow the director to get a lot of information out in a short time. The director will also let the camera operator know if he wants them to Crab or Ped by stating there name and then choosing a call, such as "Neil Ped" which to anyone else wouldn't mean anything, but yet again it is a small easier nugget of information.
The DVD Operator will only ever hear "Roll VT" and this is his cue to press play on the already cued up VT, they must be prompt as otherwise this could hold up the whole show.
The Director will also say "Cue" a lot, such as if he wants the FM to cue applause, he will say "cue applause". The director will also ask if the floor is ready before filming commences, and the FM will answer back "Floor Ready".
Programme Rundowns
A programme rundown is a list that shows the order of the contents of the show, including details on VT's; the length and a small description of the VT, Timings; when to cue inserts, and other necessary information.
It's basically a script without the speech, that shows what comes after what, these are essential for running the show with maximum ease, and without them, nobody might know what is due to happen, and the show would fall apart.
Planning Camera placements and shots
There is a lot to consider when planning camera placement and the necessary shots; firstly, who is the subject of the shot, as this has a big role in choosing the shots that will be used, e.g. if it is the host's camera, in our case Cam 2, it will usually stay on a MCU for the duration of the show.
Our studio is equipped with four cameras, all of which played a role in our quiz show.
Camera 1 and 3 have basically the same job as each other, just with different teams as the subjects. The most common shots from these cameras as 2 shots and Over Shoulder shots, although MCU's and maybe even 3 shots can be used occasionally.
Camera 2 is the host's camera, it is placed directly in front of the host, if we had an autocue, it would be connected to this camera, the main shot from here will be a MCU, this is mainly used as a safety shot if the director hasn't quite decided on the necessary shot. Another shot that can be gained from this camera is a 3 shot, these are experimental and useful if used in the quickfire rounds to prevent excessive switching.
Camera 4 is attached to the Jib Arm and is used for wide shots of the studio when cutting too and from Ad Breaks, it can be used very experimentally if the director wishes.
Planning Audio Coverage
All the VT inserts should be tested when you plan audio coverage; the levels should be at a range usually between -6 and +9db; this is also the perfect range for any audio required in the studio.
The sound operators will adjust the personal microphone levels during a sound check; this will depend on the individuals voice levels and will involve the floor manager conversing with the Sound Operator to make sure the talent have a good chat.
Talkback Protocol and Usage
Talkbacks/Cans are headphones worn and used by most of the crew members to ensure that everyone can communicate directly and efficiently, The director is the main person who uses Talkback, as is the floor manager, it's vital that the Director and Floor manager always have contact in case of emergency on the floor, talkbacks should only be used when completely necessary, they are not appropriate for social use, or for whinging about nothing, as somebody could miss an important call from the director, Camera Operators should only speak if they really need to as a question can be asked by tilting the camera up and down to signify a nod, or pan left to right to signify a negative response.
Planning and Designing a Set
Colours are the most important thing that needs to be chosen while planning and designing a set; Which colours stand out? What colours will look right on camera? What tone of colour to use? and Which colours compliment each other best? White tends to bounce light and so will look too bright on camera, and some lack the visibility needed such as yellow.
The art designers get together and ask and consider all of these questions, once they find the best option, they will draw up a plan and a model for what they are planning and then will confer with the rest of the art directors, and then finally consult the rest of the production team to reach the final conclusion.
Once the design has been finalised, the construction begins, which usually involves a lot of man power and a lot of paint, they will also make sure the plan sticks to the strict deadline to ensure it is ready for the final show.
Scripts and Calls
Scripts are quite interesting to write, yet really hard to get your head around at first; Everything to do with the Visual Goes on the left side and everything to do with the Audio goes on the Right
I'll give you a brief demonstration:
CAM 2 / HOST
MS Host Hello and Welcome to the show! etc etc.
DVD / DVD
Tk 02 Celebrity Round Music Dur. 10"
As you can see it covers everything, the Camera and the shot type and who it concerns, in this case its Camera 2, a Mid-shot and it's towards the Host, Camera 2 is always the Host's camera. Then you can see the Hosts dialogue
The second bit is for an insert, It's a DVD insert, Track 2 , and it lasts for 10 seconds.
Everything in a script is atleast Double Lined, this is because of changes that might occur at the last minute, so never be scared of wasting paper, Multi Camera Television Scripts are not Eco-Friendly. The script covers everything that everyone needs to know and are thus essential for the finished product to happen, and hopefully it will ensure that everyone does what they need to.
Efficient Rehearsal and Recording Practise
Before starting actual rehearsals we had 2/3 sessions to slowly wean everybody on to the idea of what needed to happen, basically, there were two contestants who asked each other a series of questions. This helped us get the necessary practise with the equipment and the terminology used in a multi-camera production.
We then moved on to rehearsing Group B's programme, as ours wasn't ready, and by the end of the two days
The first role I undertook was that of Assistant Camera Operator, which consisted of holding the cables and helping to move the camera when the Camera Operator needed it.
The Second role I did, was that of AFM and for that I basically just kept the scores of the contestants
The third role I did was as a Floor Manager, so I was the directors representative on the floor and made sure everything was done.
The final most important rehearsal role I undertook, was of an Audience member, for this I had to applause when signalled too and laugh when told too.
The roles I undertook for the rehearsals on the day were, assistant director and DVD operator, The latter I found easy if not a bit boring as all I had to do was cue up the VT's, but the former I was slightly confused with as I didn't really know what it was that i needed to do, apart from inform the director of the lengths of VT's.
Tech Rehearsals
As I wasn't much involved in the Technical aspects of the rehearsals, or indeed the actual recording, I can't really comment, although from what I do know, There were some issues with VT's being cued up properly, although I'm sure this was more a fault of the operator, rather than the DVD, as others that came previous or followed had none of the strain she did.
Also I believe some Microphones dipped, but really after the first few rehearsals everybody really settled into their stride and gained the confidence they needed, as during the actual recording everybody was relaxed and happy.
Studio Equipment
In our TV Studio we have 3 x Sony Z5 on pedestals, these can be used to adjust the height by "pedding up" and "pedding down", and 1 on the Jib Arm.
These camera's feed the video that has been captured through the signal flow to produce and image, the director then can choose which camera he wants to use for the next shot.
The majority of the crew wear "cans"; a headset that allows communication, the people who will mainly speak with them are the Director and occasionally the Floor Manager, they must not be used for gossiping.
There is also a STOB box; where all the cables from the studio are fed into the respective control rooms, this simplifies and improves the safety of the floor, as otherwise, there would be cables everywhere
Also we have 5 clip-on microphones that are clipped on in the direction of the host or on their lapel someone if they are the host, usually in the middle.
On the ceiling there is "The Grid" which is where all of the studio lighting hangs off and sometimes speakers which allows the studio to hear sound on VT's. Some Grids have movable sections which allow more intricate lighting styles, however fixed grids are equally as efficient.
Attached to the Grid are the speakers; called Foldback, these are necessary in order to play VT audio through to the studio, they can be rigged to play all audio, or just the directors voice.
There are various monitors dotted around the studio, These mainly show the line out from the vision mixer, and are useful if cameras need to match the shots. There is also a Floor Monitor, which is basically a television, that allows the studio to see the VT's or other relevant things.
A Dimmer pack controls the lights and as fuses do, will trip if too many lights are used, you can also change the brightness and the other functions.
The Jib Arm is a large counterbalanced frame which holds a camera at the top, as it is balanced so well, you needn't apply much pressure at all in order to move it, The Jib Arm, is mainly used for Wide sweeping shots at the start of the programme, and then for further wide shots throughout the programme. The Jib arm is especially good because a lot of experimentation can be used with it.
Studio Lights are very important to the studio set up; without them we would have to use the Houselights which deliver terrible lighting and makes it virtually impossible for the camera to pick up any sort of decent image. Studio lights have "barn doors" which helps direct and aim the light
to help plot the light to exact specifications. Lighting is also very important as it ensures that the talent will stand out, also, where you place the lights can change the look of the talent, and if its placed correctly then the talent will look properly 3D. Lighting also helps focus, which helps draw the audiences attention. It can also help with the mood and feel of the set, with really bright lighting, the mood gets happier, and darker lighting makes everything look sulkier, although this is mainly used in Dramas, it can also help change the audiences feelings for the show, as if everything's bright, everything will be more enjoyable.
The Audio desk is in the Audio control room, it is used to keep the audio levels at the right levels for each contestant and the host, the main right level for this production is between -6 and +9.
Then on each individual microphone, a sound check will be carried out, then they will adjust the individual levels with faders. If audio levels change during the actual recording, then the faders will be moved higher or lower depending on the individual, If there is a time when everyone is talking at once and it peaks higher than +9, then the master fader can be brought down to the right level.
Crew Roles and Responsibilities
The crew consist of;
Camera Operators; whose job is is to use the camera's and point it in the direction that the director wants to allow for the appropropriate shot. Common shots for TV quiz shows are MCU, CU's, Wide shots, 2/3 shots and over shoulder shots. The camera operators check their shots before the filming starts to make sure that they know what's available.
Assistant Camera Operators help the Camera Operators, the make sure that they dont trip over the cables, and help them crab the camera left or right to ensure ease of use.
Floor Manager's(FM) are the directors representative on the floor to ensure that the crew are doing everything that the director wants, and they generally have to think ahead of what the director will want, to ensure that the studio and the crew are fit to start filming, they'll also help during sound-checks and ensure everything that is supposed to happen, will happen. They are also in charge of telling the audience health and safety advice, such as fire escapes.
Assistant Floor Managers(AFM) are there to help the Floor Manager, there are usually two of them to help the floor manager manage the floor. For our quiz show, the AFM had to keep tally of the scores.
Sound Operators are in charge of all the audio work on the floor, there first job is to ensure the talent have secured omnidirectional mic's and then they will change the levels in the Sound room.
Sound Assists will help with the sound checks of the talent, they are almost as useless as Assistant Camera Operators, although usually they will have more to do.
Director, the director is basically "god", everyone does what they say and what they want, they are in charge of whats happening and will make sure that the show isn't screwed, everyone else does there jobs to help the director not kill everyone :) The Director also will work closely with the Vision Mixer, and will tell the camera operator what shot's he likes most of all, and may occasionally tell them to change shot.
Vision Mixers (VX) changes the camera's and VT's that are "live". The Director will say the number of the camera, and the vision mixer will press the button which number that the camera represents.
Assistant Directors (AD) will help the Director if they stop Directing, or if he can't remember his train of thought, also they have a stopwatch and have to tell the director how long all the VT's are so he can tell the VX when to switch.
DVD Operators are in charge of cueing the necessary VT, the Director will tell them, and they will play the VT. DVD operators can get quite confused and mess up the show if they play the wrong VT accidentally, as this may give away the answer, or just may not be relevant at the time.
The Talent, are the people being filmed, it's their job to ensure that the show is fun and make sure the audience will want to watch.
Studio Protocol
No Running, because you'll either hurt yourself, somebody else or the equipment.
No Food or Drink in the studio, as spillages may occur, and that'll damage things, it'll probably make the floor or the equipment sticky and that's not good.
Anyone using the cans needs to keep their conversation brief and to the point, also you musn't ever talk over the Director, or to that point anyone because then no one can hear anything that anyone is saying.
The Camera Operators also musn't mess around, or point the camera's at the lights, as that could damage the silicone chip inside possibly leading to permanent damage, also the Camera Operators must lock the cameras when they are not in use.
Keep Cables away as these could cause injuries if somebody trips over them.
Do what the Floor Manager says if its on the floor, because it's usually what the Director wants.
Signal Flow (both Video and Audio) and the Technical Rig
Everything that the camera picks up is turned into a signal which then goes through a converter in the camera through the SDI into the STOB box on the wall. Now, from the STOB, the Visual information goes into the RACK which then is sent to Technical Control where everything like exposure and the technical stuff can be changed around, then it goes into the Vision Mixing Panel which is where all the different shots can be chosen for the show, these are all chosen using a Programme Bus, which is a horizontal row of buttons with each number of camera on. These all go into the Hard Disc Drive, and from there it all gets recorded.
The Audio however, is different, The Personal Clip-on Mics and the 2 Audience Microphone's into the STOB which then goes into the Audio Control Room via a wireless system, these then go into the Audio Desk, which can control 12 Microphones, the sound operators use the Sound Mixing Panel to keep all of the microphones at the same volume so all of the sound maintains the same sort of volume and power, then from there it goes into the Hard Disc Drive.
Camera Shots and Moves
When the camera pedestal moves left or right it's called "Crabbing"; Moving left is called Crab Left; and moving right is called Crab Right.
Pedding Up and Pedding Down is when the pedestal moves up and down.
Panning is a nice slow movement of the camera, like tilting when you slowly move the camera using the levers on the back, the camera operator uses these levers to tilt and pan the camera.
The pedestal should be stationary while panning. Tilting is quite like Panning, but it is when the camera moves left and right.
Dollying is when you move closer or further away from the subject.
Close Up (CU) is a zoomed in shot. The talent's eyes should be on the top third, which should leave a small amount of head room and the bottom of the shot should be just below where a tie would be. You can also have close-ups of other important objects.
Mid-Shot (MS) is another shot in which, yet again the subject's eyes should be on the top third,l and the bottom of the shot should be on their hips and yet again the top should have enough head room.
Medium Close Up (MCU) is taken from the chest to the head, the eyes should be on the top vertical line, and the bottom of frame should be the bottom of an imaginary tie-knot.
Two-Shot (2S) is a shot that includes two subjects in it. They should be equidistant and their eyes should be on the top third, you can solve this by shifting up the chairs so they are at equal height.
Over-Shoulder (OS) An over shoulder shot is a shot that is taken from behind someone of someone else. They can add oft-needed variety in some shots, as a sequence of "normal" shots can look dreary and tiresome. They also offer some experimentation.
Wide Shots (WS) are often used as an establishing shot, this is a shot of the whole set, it often shows the lighting, sides of the set and the audience will usually be in shot. They basically will show the whole of the subject.
Framing of shots is also important, framing uses the Rule of Thirds, which is where the shot is divided into nine equal sections, with three equal sections vertically, and three Horizontally. Where these lines cross are called "power points" and are the largest areas of focus when viewing the shot. When framing a typical MCU shot in a TV quiz show; the eyes should always be on the top vertical third, this is ensured by making sure there are three fingers of head room.
DVD operations and insert requirements
The DVD is quite easy to use as on the script it'll tell you what Tracks are needed and when. As a DVD Operator, you must let the track run through the title, and then pause it on the black, the Director will then say DVD and then you press play and hopefully it'll work. Also each separate track should have at least 10 seconds of empty space either side of it to help the DVD Operator know how long it'll be, Even "Still Images" have a length, usually of about 10 seconds.
All VT's must have black before and after them to ensure the DVD operator has something to pause on. Once the necessary clip has finished, they should get started cueing up the next VT. They should also then call DVD Ready through the talk-back, to let the Director know if they are ready.
The VT's are combined on a DVD on some sort of editing software, with a title that clearly shows what the VT is, this is then exported as a Quicktime MOV and added to the DVD in separate tracks, once this is complete, a cue sheet is produced to let the DVD Operator know the details of each tack so they can be fully prepared.
Directing and Directors Calls
Director's are basically God in the studio, they decide what shot to use, but they also follow the script so the script has to be very useful, the Director will say over Talkback what camera he is going to use next, just so the camera operator doesn't change the shot and it usually goes something like this; "2, 3, 1, 3, 1, 2, 4, Good shot 4, crane upwards, 3; bit more head room, 2, 1..." Also at the start they will make sure that the floor is ready and everone else is ready.
The director will use the command "Cut" to express to the Vision Mixer that he wants to cut to another camera, e.g. "Cut Cam 1" These short sentences allow the director to get a lot of information out in a short time. The director will also let the camera operator know if he wants them to Crab or Ped by stating there name and then choosing a call, such as "Neil Ped" which to anyone else wouldn't mean anything, but yet again it is a small easier nugget of information.
The DVD Operator will only ever hear "Roll VT" and this is his cue to press play on the already cued up VT, they must be prompt as otherwise this could hold up the whole show.
The Director will also say "Cue" a lot, such as if he wants the FM to cue applause, he will say "cue applause". The director will also ask if the floor is ready before filming commences, and the FM will answer back "Floor Ready".
Programme Rundowns
A programme rundown is a list that shows the order of the contents of the show, including details on VT's; the length and a small description of the VT, Timings; when to cue inserts, and other necessary information.
It's basically a script without the speech, that shows what comes after what, these are essential for running the show with maximum ease, and without them, nobody might know what is due to happen, and the show would fall apart.
Planning Camera placements and shots
There is a lot to consider when planning camera placement and the necessary shots; firstly, who is the subject of the shot, as this has a big role in choosing the shots that will be used, e.g. if it is the host's camera, in our case Cam 2, it will usually stay on a MCU for the duration of the show.
Our studio is equipped with four cameras, all of which played a role in our quiz show.
Camera 1 and 3 have basically the same job as each other, just with different teams as the subjects. The most common shots from these cameras as 2 shots and Over Shoulder shots, although MCU's and maybe even 3 shots can be used occasionally.
Camera 2 is the host's camera, it is placed directly in front of the host, if we had an autocue, it would be connected to this camera, the main shot from here will be a MCU, this is mainly used as a safety shot if the director hasn't quite decided on the necessary shot. Another shot that can be gained from this camera is a 3 shot, these are experimental and useful if used in the quickfire rounds to prevent excessive switching.
Camera 4 is attached to the Jib Arm and is used for wide shots of the studio when cutting too and from Ad Breaks, it can be used very experimentally if the director wishes.
Planning Audio Coverage
All the VT inserts should be tested when you plan audio coverage; the levels should be at a range usually between -6 and +9db; this is also the perfect range for any audio required in the studio.
The sound operators will adjust the personal microphone levels during a sound check; this will depend on the individuals voice levels and will involve the floor manager conversing with the Sound Operator to make sure the talent have a good chat.
Talkback Protocol and Usage
Talkbacks/Cans are headphones worn and used by most of the crew members to ensure that everyone can communicate directly and efficiently, The director is the main person who uses Talkback, as is the floor manager, it's vital that the Director and Floor manager always have contact in case of emergency on the floor, talkbacks should only be used when completely necessary, they are not appropriate for social use, or for whinging about nothing, as somebody could miss an important call from the director, Camera Operators should only speak if they really need to as a question can be asked by tilting the camera up and down to signify a nod, or pan left to right to signify a negative response.
Planning and Designing a Set
Colours are the most important thing that needs to be chosen while planning and designing a set; Which colours stand out? What colours will look right on camera? What tone of colour to use? and Which colours compliment each other best? White tends to bounce light and so will look too bright on camera, and some lack the visibility needed such as yellow.
The art designers get together and ask and consider all of these questions, once they find the best option, they will draw up a plan and a model for what they are planning and then will confer with the rest of the art directors, and then finally consult the rest of the production team to reach the final conclusion.
Once the design has been finalised, the construction begins, which usually involves a lot of man power and a lot of paint, they will also make sure the plan sticks to the strict deadline to ensure it is ready for the final show.
Scripts and Calls
Scripts are quite interesting to write, yet really hard to get your head around at first; Everything to do with the Visual Goes on the left side and everything to do with the Audio goes on the Right
I'll give you a brief demonstration:
CAM 2 / HOST
MS Host Hello and Welcome to the show! etc etc.
DVD / DVD
Tk 02 Celebrity Round Music Dur. 10"
As you can see it covers everything, the Camera and the shot type and who it concerns, in this case its Camera 2, a Mid-shot and it's towards the Host, Camera 2 is always the Host's camera. Then you can see the Hosts dialogue
The second bit is for an insert, It's a DVD insert, Track 2 , and it lasts for 10 seconds.
Everything in a script is atleast Double Lined, this is because of changes that might occur at the last minute, so never be scared of wasting paper, Multi Camera Television Scripts are not Eco-Friendly. The script covers everything that everyone needs to know and are thus essential for the finished product to happen, and hopefully it will ensure that everyone does what they need to.
Efficient Rehearsal and Recording Practise
Before starting actual rehearsals we had 2/3 sessions to slowly wean everybody on to the idea of what needed to happen, basically, there were two contestants who asked each other a series of questions. This helped us get the necessary practise with the equipment and the terminology used in a multi-camera production.
We then moved on to rehearsing Group B's programme, as ours wasn't ready, and by the end of the two days
The first role I undertook was that of Assistant Camera Operator, which consisted of holding the cables and helping to move the camera when the Camera Operator needed it.
The Second role I did, was that of AFM and for that I basically just kept the scores of the contestants
The third role I did was as a Floor Manager, so I was the directors representative on the floor and made sure everything was done.
The final most important rehearsal role I undertook, was of an Audience member, for this I had to applause when signalled too and laugh when told too.
The roles I undertook for the rehearsals on the day were, assistant director and DVD operator, The latter I found easy if not a bit boring as all I had to do was cue up the VT's, but the former I was slightly confused with as I didn't really know what it was that i needed to do, apart from inform the director of the lengths of VT's.
Tech Rehearsals
As I wasn't much involved in the Technical aspects of the rehearsals, or indeed the actual recording, I can't really comment, although from what I do know, There were some issues with VT's being cued up properly, although I'm sure this was more a fault of the operator, rather than the DVD, as others that came previous or followed had none of the strain she did.
Also I believe some Microphones dipped, but really after the first few rehearsals everybody really settled into their stride and gained the confidence they needed, as during the actual recording everybody was relaxed and happy.
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