It can refer to the mass presentation of an idea. It would have to homogenize the idea, value or product that it is trying to convey, so it can be understood by all cultures.
Globalizing has been made easier through advances in technology, and a greater understanding of other cultures.
Globalization considers the extent to which certain political economies "dominate" the world through the process by which global media organisations as "cultural transmitters".
Thus major media organisations on the world stage "drowned out" smaller regional outlets as they tend to follow this lead and effectively replicate their stance and mode of production.
In terms of news, accusations that US style journalism is homogenizing world news coverage, becoming missionaries.
Globalization can be regarded as positive or negative.
Part of the reason it is so big now is because media giants and advertisers want to sell their products/shows to as wide an audience as possible.
If something doesn't have wide enough appeal or exposure it wont succeed at globalization. It needs to be hard hitting or prime public opinion.
An example would be Live Aid in the 80's bringing attention to the famine in Ethiopia, but the crisis in Brazil didn't make global news as the coverage wasn't good enough to make people care.
Grenfall is another example of how successful globalization (making everyone care) can change minds.
CNN- has been accused of over doing there globalization. Turning every story in to a global issue with negative connotations that can cause us to be desensitized.
Of course global news can have positive connotations. It can highlight cultural issues or differences and encourage democracy.
Globalization can make the world feel smaller and more interconnected, which can be a good thing.
With globalization, especially in drama, we have to consider cultural appropriation. There is always the risk that even when making something for a global audience, the product will reflect the culture that made or adapted it. One example would be the film "Ghost in The Shell", although originally written in Japan it was bought and remade by America and such starred American actors. This ran the risk of alienating its original Japanese audience since it is now aimed at a global market.
Stuart Halls Reception Theory
Agenda Setting Theory
Agenda setting-Who is/isn't in the story?
-What about marginal opinions, are some opinions less represented than others?
-Who is to blame for this? (producers, executives, networks etc.)
Does this create a dominant perspective?
-you can choose any network, programme etc. but essentially they all may be present the same ideas. This could lead to the priming of public opinion, attempting to make them remember certain things and think a certain way. Particularly useful in the lead up to political elections.
Exercise: me/news story you are analysing? Is there really a diverse
global media economy or are certain ‘dominant’ players drowning
out other voices? If so how and why?
• Does cultural imperialism impact the storytelling and story selection
you are analysing? If so how? What case study/examples can you
find? What affect is it having on diversity and representation? What
examples of critical responses to media content (news/fiction
adaptation) can you find?
• Are there issues of cultural appropriation which impact the way in
which a story is viewed/presented either in news or through fiction
adaptation?
I would like to present the our finished video for the TV News Unit. I give you "Carology News (The Cost Of Motoring)". This unit has proved to be very insightful. I have learned a lot about the News industry and about myself during this unit. While there were some lows, they were far outnumbered by the highs and I am very pleased with the final product. Lets run through the project as a whole though.
Pre Production And Idea Development
In the beginning of this project we had plenty of ideas floating around, but nailing one down initially proved difficult. Andrew had an idea about the anniversary of the Beatles but he never took it anywhere. Cailan had ideas about Southern Rail and Ryan air, but access proved near impossible. I had a few ideas about charity events e.g. mcmillan coffee morning, Tesco marathon etc. but the dates of these events didn't fit well around the timetable. Alex had an idea about Brands Hatch that we all liked but getting access was a struggle. He did find one contact in Germany but there was a lot that could go wrong with this idea, and a very short space of time to shoot it in.
So as a group we decided to stay along the lines of motoring and to explore the future/future cost of motoring, and what effect electric cars are having.
Alex Cailan and myself put out the feelers nice and early, emailing many manufacturers and garages. However upon listening to Jo's advice Alex and I proceeded to phone up several places as well.
Although slow the early contacting process did appear promissing. Smart of maidstone were happy for us to film in there garage and said they'd try and arange an electric car for us to borrow.
We ran through our ideas with Jo at this point and she was very supportive. She said an interview with a car manufacturer could be to biassed or un interesting. We should interview an electric car owner or a third party who could offer a less biassed opinion.
This was where my skills came in useful. I contacted a number of mechanics and put out a plea on social media to find an electric car owner. I was able to get in touch with a friend of my dad's who had been driving electric cars for a number of years. So he would make a great interviewee and could offer expert opinions.
We began to work on a script over skype and worked well as a team. Everyone had their own section of the script to write, although sometimes there was some confusion as to who was writing what section, but this only helped us improve each others work.
We went through a few drafts as we met with both Helen and Joe, we focussed our angel to look at the viability of electric cars VS petrol. Things were all on track, but then a few days before shooting two things happened. Firstly Helen was worried we were to biased, then Smart told us they had sold the electric car they were going to lend us.
This put us in a very difficult situation and lead to a major script re-write and made us change the angle. We re-grouped that same day and discussed changing our angel to adapt to the changing situation.
We shifted our angel from the viability of electric cars, to "The cost of motoring". We decided to conduct a range test in a petrol car to see how much it would cost to run a car for 15 miles. Then we would look at the facts and compare the cost of this to electric.
Andrew was very useful here, contacting the Kent film office and helping us scout locations. Cailan got in touch with the council to inform tehm of our plans and check the leagality (which was fine).
Alex and myself were able to find a number of suitible locations to place cameras and PTC shots, with Andrew helping us plan some routes.
I also prepared some questions to ask my electric car enthusiast.
Everyone had a reasonably equal contribution here although ANdrew missed a few important meetings.
Shooting
We soon moved in to shooting our new script on "The Cost Of Motoring". I was the only one who attended every single shoot day
although most of the time other members had very valid reasons for missing a day.
Each day was productive in its own way.
Alex took on the role of the director which annoyed me at first since we hadn't discussed this as a group. However I came to realise it was for the best since he had the most knowledge of motoring, and had a clear vission of the shots he wanted.
Cailan was head of cinimatography, and although My skills lie in post production I filled in wherever I was needed. Sometimes I was a camera operator/assistant.
Sometimes I assited in directing but ocasionally got in the way of ALex so tried to back off. I also helped the presenters.
Our time was well manged on each day and we had a plethera of footage with 4/5 cameras at one point.
I felt we all made a valuable contribution here, Alex was a great director and producer, Cailan was very good on camera, and Andrew was useful.
The groupe were kind enough to let me use my own judgement and tools to get the best shots and we had a lot of useful angles.
I think we should have left a llittle more time or planned for pick up shots as we had to take an extra day to get some transitioning package shots that we missed.
Post Production
Post production was where I made most use of my skills and felt i made an incredibly valuable contribution to the team.
I edited almost all of the project (Alex helped once or twice as he had a clear vission of what he wanted and i wanted the best fot those section and let him have a bit of controll over the LIVE).
Alex was very respectful of my space as an editor and gave me time alone when I asked for it. This meant i didn't feel pressured or that he was watching over my shoulder.
He respected my decisions a lot of the time. yet we also clashed more than a few times. We both had very strong opinions of what we wanted and weren't always willing to listen to each other.
It didn't help that I don;t take criticism well and always assumed ALex was saying these things to spite me or beacuse he didn't appriciate me. In reality this was quite different and ALex only wanted the best for the project as I did. I learned to ask for and listen to his opinion more, and we were alaways able to reach a compramise.
I was pleased with my contribution, not just editing the whole project but also making every singel graphic which Helen really liked.
We took on board what Helen said at each cut viewing and were even able to re -film our Live piece tto make it more interesting. This was mainly me and ALex at this point but Cailan was a huge help by making our channel trailer and website.
Andrew kept making excuses as to why he couldn't come in and although he provided some sound support it took a lot of discussion before we got anywhere.
I was pleased with the background I made and that I was able to learn a new software in 2 hours. Ideally i would have liked to improve it furhter and have a propper disscussion about it with the group. but due to time restrictions we had to go with the second draft of the backdrop, which to be fair was still very strong.
Once again I felt my contribution to the group was very strong in all areas, especially post production. We were able to re arange the project, cutting down the package and inserting a new LIVE while still keeping the old one. We had time to fix all audio ssues that were mentioned, and colour correct shots.
Our Package and LIVE were a little bit long despite careful planning. While it wasn't ideal that we ran over, cutting it furhter would have reduced the streangth of the piece so we decided it best to leave it as is.
We were able to act on almost all of Helens advice, re arranging our piece, filming a new Live, obtaining footage from leads she gave us, Interviewing un biassed mechanics over the phone, making graphics to support facts, and referencing all our sources.
Overall we worked well as a team. Alex and myself and Cailan were a tightly knit unit.
However myself and ALex often had creative differences and would clash opinions, but only because we both wanted the best for the project. However we were always able to reach a compromise and pulled together as a team really well when it mattered. We also learnd to repsect each others space and roles.
I was happy to be the editor and learned a lot, especially about listening to others. This project taught us even more about team work. It made us think on our feet and taught us the value of being adaptable to change. While planning is important we also found that you have to be willing to change to the situation on the shoot day, due to access, weather etc. Key skills i picked up included: GFX (I made all the graphics for this project, and expanded my skills in after effects); Respect and Listening skills (i learned to respect other peoples opinions more); quick thinking (with such fast turn arounds i learned to adapt ideas on the spot).
We have never had such a fast turn around and worked well to come together and make this project the best it could be. I am very pleased with the outcome, and our team work.
Today was the final day of editing before our project submission tomorrow. I headed in to the studios that morning to sort out the finishing touches and act on Helen's feedback. Alex very kindly let me work alone for a couple of hours like I asked, this meant I could get a head start and prepare some sequences ready for viewing and his opinion.
I used the morning to export some of the graphics Helen asked for like the map sequence. While that was running on one computer I made the most use of my time by using another computer to re arrange the shots in the Live like Helen asked.
Alex came in at this point and I showed him what I had done which he seemed happy with. He had done a little work on the Live to help me out already and I only made this stronger and was careful not to tamper too much.
After this i moved on to fixing some of the text effects I had prepared. While watching the "Gadget Show" for inspiration I was inspired by a shot they had done and attempted to re create it in my own style. Alex was apprehensive about the idea first but we were able to reach a compromise.
The next thing was to add a few effects and minor shot changes to the package. This included adding a map effect that Helen asked for. However Alex was never overly keen on this idea to begin with. This was one instance where we had major creative differences and had a falling out because of it.
I was really keen on the idea and had a vision in my head of how I wanted it to look. Alex didn't consider it very relevant and seemed to want to get rid of it. This is where I got very annoyed as I felt like Alex was trying to take control again, (stripping me of the one area of the project I felt made me special) and didn't appreciate my opinion, or the time and effort I had put in.
However the main problem was that neither of us were particularly willing to listen to the others opinion. Tensions were rising at this point due to stress and to avoid the argument escalating any further we sat apart for half an hour or so to work on other things. Alex updated hos blog while I prepared more graphics.
Once we had time to "cool off" I showed Alex the graphics I had made which he was pleased with. After this we tentatively re-approached the graphic that caused the argument. We were fortunately able to reach a compromise, Alex was happy for the Graphic to stay if it was placed the way he asked, and we were able to move on.
At this point I think Alex realized how I felt he was overstepping his boundaries, and for the rest of the day he was respectful of my decisions as an editor even if he personally didn't agree. This made me much happier and feel like I was valued.
I used the rest of the time to insert all the graphics I had prepared and Helen asked for which really boosted the project.
I had an animated graphic for when we are Live.
Title cards for each new person that appears.
I also made a graph and some animated text/pictures that back up and visually represent the facts Alex delivers in his new voice over.
Alex helped me to cut some of the shot lengths in the package like Helen asked, so more voice over and OOV/SOT could be used.
I placed appropriate images Alex sent me to match some of the commentary.
The final step was to balance out the audio levels like Helen asked and color correct some shots. I adjusted all the levels to centre around -6DB as well as making sure certain shots faded gently in to one another instead of violently jumping in volume. Meanwhile Alex ensured all our mono audio was made in to stereo.
It would have been nice to play around with some music, but since our sound engineer Andrew didn't seem to want to come in today it was difficult since the one track he sent me didn't really fit.
Alex stayed with me nearly to the end, but left to give me the space I needed to finish up some graphics work and re-arrange some shots, without feeling like he was peering over my shoulder. I also found a home for the footage of the old vs new electric car race Helen suggested we chase up.
Overall today was very productive, I am very pleased with the finished project I have put together, and despite an argument half way through the day, we ultimately worked efficiently as a team.
I will show the group the edit tomorrow in case they want to suggest any last minuet changes I missed.
To support our project Cailan did an amazing job of preparing a website where we could collate our research and things that we cut from the edit. He also made our channel trailer for us which looked amazing.
Today we were able to reconvene as a group. I was in early today anyway so took the opportunity to get out the equipment we needed. I also made sure the room was prepared for our shoot, the green screen and lights had fortunately been left in there for us by the last group. They just required setting up and at this point, Alex and Cailan arrived to help.
We set up the green screen taking care to make sure there were no creases in it. We had the opportunity to use not only the tungsten lights today, but also the new LED rounded light. This was particularly useful for balancing out the light color levels so that we had a decent white balance.
One difficulty we encountered right from the beginning was shadows. We kept on re positioning the lights and added extra lights but really struggled to eliminate shadows. We used a set up similar to one I had planned but it required raising the lights and moving them closer together so there angles would not cast shadow upon one another.
We eventually got a lighting set up we were happy with and began to run through the script. We only had the one clip mic so decided the best option would be to place a road mic just out of shot between the two presenters.
We did a couple of rehearsal runthroughs, allowing Cailan and Andrew to warm up. They had clearly been learning the script and it helped that they were able to use their own words.
While Cailan and Andrew were presenting, Alex and I were directing, although Alex is our primary director I think he was making a conscious effort today to not try and be overly controlling. As a result he was happy for me to assist in directing, since I had an idea of how it would look in the edit. I tried to offer my advice to Cailan and Andrew and explain how the shoot should ideally run, but I was conscious that I may be over stepping my boundaries and could come off a bit patronizing as well.
At one point Alex and I decided to stop interfering and left the room so Cailan and Andrew could get a few successful takes without us distracting them.
One of the lights blew towards the end of the shoot which caused delays while ferg replaced the bulb. He was kind enough to lend us another clip mic so both presenters could be miked up. Although a great idea, in practice we had a lot of trouble with static/noise and channel interference meaning it didn't work out and we went back to our old set up.
After getting some concluding shots we also got a shot of Cailan in the studio for the channel trailer. Ferg noted we were probably shooting/standing too close to the greenscreen and would have trouble with shadow and green reflections. However due to delays caused by equipment we didn't have time to re-film and will have to try and fix these issues in post.
After this I went through all the takes to find the best ones, making sure to get the rest of the groups opinion as well. Once this was done I inserted all the clips in to the timeline and moved the clips around appropriately. I keyed out the background and inserted the one I had been working on. I then made sure the rest of the edit was prepared for our fine cut viewing.
Fine Cut Feedback
Helen came over to watch our fine cut and had the following feedback:
The package was very strong but we should consider having the audio of some clips start earlier so we can jump in to the shot at a natural point while still making use of OOV/SOT shots.
The audio transition between shots needs to be smoother.
Alex did a good presenting job maintaining the energy of the piece.
Andrew and Cailan bounced off of each other nicely.
The voice over we have is strong but we could use some more.
When stating facts at certain points in the package we could do with some graphics to help back this up.
The SOT interview we have with the mechanics drains the energy of the piece and is a lot to take in, it could probably be cut.
The Live piece is strong, the cut always and shot order should be re arranged so we can get a close up of Jason sooner, and maybe cut one or two shots down.
We need to have some title cards to introduce people.
The vast majority of this can be acted upon and I will sort it out tomorrow.
As part of my ongoing research for this project I made it my mission to look at a variety of news sources and related channels.
One of the big inspirations for the "Carology" channel and brand was channel 5's "The Gadget Show". Since we are looking at the modern car industry, latest developments in car/electric car technology. The Gadget Show was a great source of inspiration especially since they did an entire episode dedicated to electric cars.
Since the show has ran for multiple seasons it has had a chance to really build up its brand. It's primary colors are white pink and sometimes blue, similar to our house style, since it represents futuristic and modern technology. There logo also looks similar to a power button as ours looks similar to a car wheel, I liked the idea of having our logo reflect the brand.
There pieces are always very presenter lead, they tend to guide the audience and inject human personality in to the facts. Alex does a great job at doing this in our project.
Since they are a news/update show who aim at tech enthusiasts, naturally they have to discuss the heavy facts and statistics. In the electric car episode they discuss the range of models heavily. We also wanted to look at this in our piece as it is an interesting topic that opens up the table for multiple discussion points/opinions. So we wanted to take this one step further and look at the cost effectiveness of electric cars compared to petrol.
When watching the show I noted that whenever they stated facts or compared statistics they always had this visually represented by text or graphics on screen. This is something I had considered but never really given much thought to.
When I brought this up in a discussion with Helen the other day she said that this was an excellent idea; especially if your getting in to fact heavy discussion its important to present this info on screen to make it easier for the audience to take in. I will begin working on this. I was inspired by some of the freeze framing/slow motion shots they used in the episode that allowed facts to appear on screen for a short time. I think I can implement something similar in our project.
There were a few other things I noted when watching the show.
Firstly they always made sure to get a balanced opinion on whatever they were reviewing. They would either do this by getting more than one opinion or by directly comparing it to something similar. This is something we want to make sure we do in our project, we have several interviewees prepared and will work out what order to place them to get a balanced opinion.
Other things I noted included the use of GFX, (something I'm working on); simple transitions between studio and location; multiple presenters; frequent use of house colors and font; very targeted towards intended audience.
All of which has been useful inspiration for our project. I think I can implement a lot of what I picked up here to strengthen our piece and make it look more professional.
For this project I had to really rack my brains to come up with a decent set to put in place of our green screen. I expressed some ideas to the rest of the group and they said as lead editor I should decide. While I would have liked a little more input from the others here I was far too flattered to say so and saw it as a challenge.
I had a look at some of the other groups work, they seemed to be using there own graphics as a backdrop, which while I was fully capable of producing I didn't feel it was the best option. I had a look through youtube and other sites, and while I found a few templates that could work, none of them were 4K so quality would have been lost. Also simply downloading something from youtube didn't feel like a challenge. I had a look at last years work and none of them had an interesting background, apart from one project (Student Yak).
I spoke to a third year who worked on the project about how they built their set and they were quite helpful. They pointed me to the programme they used and gave a rough explanation of the process.
The programme was called "Sweet Home 3D" I downloaded it on to my laptop and began work immediately. I have used slightly similar programmes in the past but not for a very long time, and this one had some very unique features and little explanation.
Meaning I was practically going in blind. Speaking to Gavin to get a little advice he said it took him over a week to understand the software but I was able to teach myself in about two hours.
The software basically had you build a room, change its wall/floor colors and lighting set up. You then downloaded models of furniture to put in the room. I carefully considered the "Carology" brand here and tried to build as relevant a set as possible while still having it look vaugly like a real studio.
I downloaded appropriate models e.g. desks, lighting, mini cars, etc. And also kept to the "carology color scheme wherever possible.
I checked in with the group regularly to see what they thought, producing multiple drafts that acted on their input. The colour scheme was the main thing that had to be adapted to be a little less vibrant so as not to distract audiences. They suggested I place images of Tesla or our logo on the wall.
I think this would be a good idea but I have yet to figure out how to do this.
If I have any more free time i will act upon this, but being so close to the deadline there is little time for improvement. In heinsight we should have decided what we wanted as a background sooner, but overall I am very pleased that I was able to throw together a professional looking set, in a matter of hours, using a software i had never even heard of before now.
Today I headed in to the studios to piece together the footage from the "Live" that we shot on Saturday.
Although we headed back to my house on Saturday to digitize the footage, this was my first popper chance to review what we'd shot. I was pleased with the results and was also able to critically analyse my shots. As I recalled the second take went a lot better than the first. My cut in's were nicely framed but due to the fact I was zoomed in, panning between the two people wasn't particularly smooth, so I think that would be a good point to change in to a two shot.
The tripod camera was nicely framed, and despite the wind remind steady (there was one point that the camera strap blows across the bottom of the shot but it isn't too noticeable and could probably be cut around).
One thing Alex and I noted when looking at the footage in the edit is that the tripod camera looked a bit grainy. Some quality appears to have been lost, the most likely cause of this was that the ISO was set too high. As a result we will try not to use too much of this shot in the edit.
At the moment I haven't cut down AJ's interview as I want to see how much time I will have to play with once the new studio stuff is in.
We then had Sam Creamer watch our edit so far and offer some pointers. He had a few suggestions:
The package was very strong but some of the in-car shots go on for a little too long slowing the energy of the piece a little. He suggested we cut to these shots half way through a sentence or at a natural in-point.
He noted that the audio levels in places could use a little work, especially in windy shots.
He liked the live, but recommended we use more close up shots or perhaps a cut away here and there.
Tomorrow we will record our new studio shots. I have checked with the others to make sure the script is prepared and learned and made the appropriate room and equipment bookings. Once this is filmed I can make significant progress towards finishing the edit.
Today was our shoot at Brands Hatch. Although this day was organised in a rush and considering we didn't have much of a chance to plan or RECCIE it, the day went very well.
It was just me and Alex today since Cailan and Andrew were busy,even though I was able to re range my entire life scheduled to get here for today, they still couldn't meaning I remain the only group member to attend all shoot days. This also meant Alex and myself had to do the work of two people each, which wasn't ideal but we managed.
We arrived nice and early and used this opportunity to RECCIE teh location. We had some great access and were able to go right down to where all the drivers were setting up. This helped us work out what would make a good angle/backdrop. Where was too noisy or windy, and who would be good to interview.
After this we sat down over a coffee break to go over the questions and discuss camera angles. We brought a Tascam and mic with us for the best on location audio. This also made us look more professional. We did a quick check to make sure the equipment was working, ran through the questions, then headed out to find an interviewee.
Ideally we would have contacted someone before shooting, but we simply didn't have the time. We walked around the paddock until we found one of the RECCIED locations we were happy with. We proceeded to look for some drivers who didn't look busy and were quite lucky to find one who was at the end of their lunch break.
I was tasked with introducing us and our project since I'm apparently the best talker. i politely explained our university project to them and asked if we could borrow them for a quick interview to which they agreed.
Alex walked them through our idea and the interview process, while I set up the equipment. We had one camera on a tripod for a wide two shot, and me on a handheld set up for punch in's (which we had previously discussed with Helen and she agreed was a good idea).
I made sure the framing was even and Alex came to check and make a few adjustments since he knew how he would move. Once set up we went straight in to the interview using the questions we had prepared.
Although it was meant to be "Live" it still took a take or two for Alex to warm up as a presenter. But he has developed so much in this project that it didn't take long for him to be on good form.
The interview went well, I tried to move around a little to get closer but I think I could have done a better Job. I though about offering directing advice since Alex had to present and check framing at the same time. but I remember from last time that Alex found this ineffective so i thought it best to leave it to his natural judgement.
Overall this interview went ok, I could have got some better camera angles, and the interviewee didn't give particularly great/gripping answers but that couldn't be helped.
So we politely thanked them for their time, then went to find someone else to interview.
Fortunately we found another driver quite quickly. I once again introduced us and the project and I could already tell they were far more interested in the idea and the interview than the last driver.
Once again Alex ran them through the process while I set up the equipment. The wind started to pick up here so I used my bag as a makeshift sand bag to weigh down the tripod which seemed to work.
The "dead cat" on the tascam mic did a great job of eliminating wind noise, this was also helped by the fact we were slightly sheltered by tarpooling.
We went straight on to the interview once set up and after a tiny stumble on the first take, we got a successfully wrapped interview on our second take.
This interview worked much better. The driver was far more engaging than the last one, and Alex was on top form as a Presenter. The two bounced off of each other well and we managed to just about keep to our time limit.
I also felt my shots were more effective this time round, since I got more punch ins and close up's first of both, but then mainly of the Driver which will look good in the edit.
We thanked the driver for there time and decided that interview would work really well so we could stop there (we also stopped since it started to rain). we headed back to there car to review the footage which we were pleased with.
The rest of the day was dedicated to getting B-Roll of the drivers out on track that we could overlay later. Alex got a variety of shots while I took photos which I was happy to do, (its been a while since i've done photography and was happy to re-sharpen my skills). Alex also let me play around with the camera's manual settings, so I could adjust to the changing weather for the most effective shots.
Overall today was one of the most productive and enjoyable shoot days we have had in my opinion, despite being two crew members down.
Posatives
We were able to RECCIE the location on the day.
We got two successful interviews.
The audio and framing were on point.
Alex's presenting was also on point.
We did the work of 4 people well.
We got plenty of additional footage to overlay in post.
We worked well as a team with no arguments.
Difficulties
We were two crew members short which didn't make life easy.
The weather wasn't always on our side and we had to adapt to changing conditions.
Today was an additional shoot day used for collecting a few pick up shots.
Myself and Alex arrived at the studios early to set in pace necessary preparations for the day. We watched the edit to see the gaps and put together a short list of shots we needed.
Since Cailan and Andrew weren't arriving til later we set in place plans for them as well. We messaged Andrew to bring in all music he had made so we could see what would fit. And we set up a mac and transferred all project files on to it, ready for Cailan to start work on our channel trailer.
Alex and myself then went out to get the shots we were missing. Most of these shots were from inside Alex's car to use in the package. I sat in the back of the car with ALex's camera and fig-rig thing. I made sure to follow all safety precautions staying seat belted and in my seat. I used the zoom to focus on things like gear changes, indicators, steering etc. as Alex drove along.
Along the journey Alex would warn me of what he was about to do so that I could position the camera accordingly, he would also provide suggestions on what to focus on next.
When we stopped we also got a few more shots of Alex driving away/driving past which Andrew came to help with. This helps to make some transitions easier, especially since i shot Alex pulling on teh handbrake and door handle to help symbolize stopping/getting out of the car, meaning we don't have to jump cut.
This all worked quite well I think. We then headed back to the studios where I put the shots in tot he gaps in the package. I showed this to the group to get there feedback and they helped refine it by showing which shots were unnecessary and could be cut to save time, which was helpful.
Meanwhile Cailan made a good start on the Channel Trailer. he just needs to record a bit of voice over and a few more shots.
Tomorrow we will head to Brands hatch to film our new "Live".
Today we made a few adjustments to the edit, I was able to implement all the shots I wanted in to our "Live" segment. I mostly stick to the single shot that Alex suggested but felt it best to break in to a two shot whenever there was interaction between Alex and AJ, with the occasional reverse reaction shot of Alex, but not often since he's not the focus.
AJ brought up a lot of good points, because of this our "Live segment does over run. I considered cutting it down, but I'm not sure if this is possible since it's supposed to be "Live". However there is still some cut away shots of his electric car that I would like to add in.
This was Cailan and Andrew's first proper viewing of the full edit so it was great to get their input and opinions. They were mostly positive, but did remind me to add in a few graphics. I did want to get there opinion on what they felt would make a good green screen background, but they didn't have any suggestions.
Since yesterday I had worked on the VFX transition from the studio to the Live, which Alex wasn't keen on at first, but after getting other opinions we came to a successful compromise.
Rough Cut Viewing And Helen's Feedback
Then it was time for Helen to watch our project and give her feedback.
She gave mixed feedback, mostly positive, some negative, but all useful, she raised the following points:
1. Alex felt like a good natural presenter and really helped boos the already strong package.
2. There needs to be some more voice over in the package.
3. The studio stuff is decent but Cailan could work a little more about presenting more naturally.
4. The project is cut well, the VFX work well so far but there is room for more.
5. The interview with AJ is nicely shot and he brings up some interesting points.
6. The big point she raised was with our "Live". Although nicely shot the result of this is it looks too much like a package. The location and length of the interview mean it is not interesting enough to be a "Live" piece. She suggested it be cut down and put in our package, and that we should shoot a new "Live". She said we need an interesting location that fits the story, e.g. a busy road side or a service station and we should interview someone there.
What We Are Going To Action
I will continue to work on the edit to fill in the gaps.
We will record more voice over to use as OOV.
I will cut AJ down and work out where he can fit in the package.
The big point we need to action is re-shooting our "Live". We met as a group briefly after the meeting to discuss this. We paced around for a short while trying to rack our brains for a new idea. But we didn't get far since Cailan and Andrew both left early.
Alex and I met via Skype that evening after taking some time to think. We brainstormed about potential interviewees and locations. The difficulty is trying to find someone to interview and obtain relevant permissions with 4 days until our deadline.
We considered AJ but thought that another interview with him would be a waste of resources when we could simply use his important points in the package.
We thought about re-contacting some of the mechanics we spoke to but I couldn't find there contact details despite extensively searching.
We phoned up Nissan, Renault and Smart to ask about a potential interview there. They said they'd get back to us but didn't say when. This is not ideal with the deadline fast approaching.
This is when Alex had a brainwave. earlier in the project we considered Brands Hatch as a potential filming location. There were a few events happening over the week that we had briefly looked in to but ended up changing our idea.
After some thought we decided this would be our best option for a New "Live". It fits Helen's request, its an exciting location, we have a reason to be Live, we have interesting people to talk to, and we can keep it short.
We arranged a rough Schedule for the day and prepared the following questions for any driver we might be able to interview.
1. How much do you spend on petrol on a race weekend?
2. How long have you been racing?
3. Has the cost of racing risen over the years?
4. With the rise of electric cars on the road, do you see that transitioning to Motorsport, and how would you feel about it?
Hopefully this new shoot day will prove fruitful, its just a stressful time right now.
This unit is designed to promote work environment based learning.
Skills to take forward: Time management, Research and development, Journal research, focus on chosen specialism.
New Skills: Report writing/analysis, self directed scheduled, freelance work, develop industry relevant skills, experienced prolonged and intensive placement.
Unit Breakdown:
Lead by Laura/Helen
20 hrs scheduled
100 hrs independant activity
80 hrs placement
You will be required to sign a learning agreement stating the nature of your placement and your hours of commitment.
Commission Option: Students will undertake a simulated professional project for an external commissioner.
Although freelance, you will still sign a learning agreement.
Workshops and lectures include:
CV workshop
Report writing workshops
Additional tutorials
This unit will be comprised of two components:
1. 50%written report 1500-2000 words.
2. 50% Online Journal, that leaves a clear trail of your journey.
This unit will require you to reflect on your experience and own development.
Placement/Commission options
Rochester museum
Maidstone Studios
Renegade
Sound Credit TV
Ignition
Foley Foots And Moves
My Thoughts
After listening to the lecture and hearing from students who had previously experienced placement/commission, I am very interested in this unit.
The stories I heard from students who had done placements before were really interesting and inspiring. I quite like some of the companies that were presented to us and if I can secure a placement that vaguely follows post production this would be a great establishment to make.
I will also admit that the commissions presented seemed quite interesting and the creative freedom that is granted is a positive. I will likely consider this as a second choice.
I think a placement could work out well for me. I feel I have the confidence to assert myself in a work environment and hopefully adapt to different roles. From hearing from other students I believe that listing my skills early on could benefit me in the experience and allow me to taylor the experience to be as useful as possible to me.
I intend to look in to both Renegade and Ignition, to start with, but I will also try to learn as much about the available placements as possible to see which might be most beneficial.
CNN- has been accused of over doing there globalization. Turning every story in to a global issue with negative connotations that can cause us to be desensitized. 
