As Live Production: Ed Sharpe In Depth Role Analysis

As Live Production: Ed Sharpe In Depth Role Analysis

Ed Sharpe is a studio floor manager who has been working in TV for nearly 20 years. He has worked on a mixture of Live and As Live productions, so can offer a valuable insight into the industry.

I will be using his interview with the BBC as well as looking at his commentary on his other work as the basis of my research.

As an experienced floor manager, Ed has stated in interviews that he is very familiar with studio etiquette, making sure that when he works on a show that both he and the crew he is in charge of maintain a "relatively calm" demeanour. This is evident with his work on "Big Friday Wind Up" which had a primarily young studio audience. Ed had to keep a relaxed and calm attitude to counteract the excitement and unfocused energy generated by the young audience.

As floor manager for "Steal The Style," I also intend to maintain a professional appearance and despite the nerves, excitement and rush that comes with Live TV. I have learned through watching examples of Ed that staying calm and collected allows for more effective communication. 

Following on from this Ed is keen to highlight the importance of communication. As a floor manager Ed explains that you need to be in constant contact with the directors and producers so that you know what is going on at all times and can communicate this to others. 

Especially when working with guests as well as presenters Ed uses his listening skills to pick up on everything the Gallary say so that the production can move forward as quickly as possible. 

"As long as everyone communicates clearly and knows what they're doing it can be a really fun environment to work in."– Ed Sharpe
In my work as a floor manager, I hope to follow Ed's example and ensure I communicate effectively not just with the gallery, but with the guest presenters and contributors, we will have on set.

Ed is keen to point out the importance of talkback on any show he works on, especially when working on large-scale productions such as Olympic events. Ed says that every department must be able to talk to one another and understand whats going on; the talkback system is a great tool for that as it means camera op's, lighting, sound etc can all hear the director and raise any concerns they may have. So when he enters a new production setting up a talkback system is one of his highest priorities.

In "Steal The Style" Sonia and I were also put in charge of the talkback units, we have had to work out how many units we had and divide them among the crew in order of importance. This ensures the key departments are all able to talk to one another just as Ed recommends.  

After working at the BBC since the early 2000's it is clear that Ed is familier with many faces in the studio. So one of the other biggest creative methodologies Ed talks about is working as a team. Having highlighted communication as one of his major methods, the other biggest skill Ed says you need as a floor manager is Teamwork. 

Ed has worked on the filming of major stage productions, and Royal wedding coverage. Such large scale productions come with large teams of people. As Floor manager Ed says you need to have a developed understanding of your role and others roles. This way when you have multiple guests and contributors you can communicate with your assistant floor manager and in Ed g's case he gets his AFM to prep and brief the contributors while he runs things through with the presenters. 

"Studios are highly regulated spaces with rules which govern etiquette and behaviour on set. Crews can often consist of 50 people or more so communication and teamwork is key"

-Ed Sharpe

In my work I hope to take this one step further and ensure that my co/assistant floor managers, know how the whole show is going to run so that we can all make sure our guests and contributors are happy; and if the Gallary asks to run a certain scene or to frame up a particular person, the rest of my crew are able to find and guide them if I am engaged with the vast number of other contributors we have on board.

Finally, Ed says that his experience is one of his most valuable tools. If you are a floor manager who has worked in the industry for some time then ideally you have experienced other roles. 

Ed started off as a stage manager, then when he moved in to TV he started as a technical operator. As a result he understands the responsibilities and requirements of each department, and can talk to each of them with confidence, meaning any issues and queries can be resolved quickly.

I hope to follow this example and make sure I can apply my own experiences as a camera op, sound operator, and director to improve my communication witht the corresponding departments. I have aslo been using the workshops with Del as a chance to learn the roles that I was previously unfamilier with, gaining as much studio experience that, like Ed will become a skill I can use as floor mamanger.