As Live Production: Evaluation

As Live Production: Evaluation

As live production has probably been the biggest project I have worked on so far, both in terms of content and crew/contributors.

Going in to this project and working with Danny to come up with an effective pitch I was pretty confident.

I think we listened to each other well and did an appropriate amount of brainstorming and market research. I believe our pitch idea was well thought out and developed. 

We had it broken down and clearly visualised, with a detailed concept and well of ideas for how each part of our show could play out. I think our pitch was confident, well prepared and answered many of the questions that were being asked. However looking back although our idea was original, this was likely due to the difficult nature of getting a young target audience interested in political affairs which we didn't have as good of a solution to as we first thought.  

Even though our pitch idea didn't get chosen I was happy to work on Katy and Melissa's idea as it was something very different that I was eager to get in to. 

We only had a day to chose our production role and going in to this I knew i wanted to do something a little different and a little out of my comfort zone. Which is why I chose teh role of floor manager (which i had done a little research on before) however I still think it would have been nice to have more time to look in to the other production roles. 

In the early stages of pre-production and production, my primary role was that of a researcher. This is a role I really didn't know a lot about and had to learn and explore. Looking in to the role I found there were a variety of research roles out there with varying levels of responsibilities. 

So although I think I did a good job as a researcher, producing and souring valuable content. There were certainly times where I wasn't 100% sure what my exact responsibilities were and if I should be overlapping with departments like casting. 

However, believe I was very committed to the role producing a large quantity of quality research, most of which ended up being used in the show or the VT's. I compiled all my research in to the shared drive space so that everyone could view it. 

The fact that I was also able to come up with the idea of using, and also sourcing an Etsy seller was a great way to boost my communication skills early on. I think sourcing this contributor helped me improve my initiative and ability to think on my feet.

Some researchers I found also help out on set by doing tasks like briefing contributors. I tried to follow this example in my work and attended all VT shoots, however, I feel like my contribution wasn't as valuable as it could have been. 

The workshops we had in this unit were really useful and helped me to understand the responsibilities and pressures of everyone's role. Allowing us to work closer as a team, but also giving me a basic idea of what needed to be done to set up a successful studio environment, as well as what can cause issues. 

Moving in to the studio environment I took on the role of floor manager. Although I was a little nervous and out of my comfort zone to start with but I think I quickly ended up taking somewhat of a lead in the roll. 

In the early stages I had done my research on hand signals and verbal commands, but could only memorise the basics. I also would mess up counts from time to time. But this was an invaluable learning experience that gave me greater insight in to how a studio show should run. I improved in this role because I wanted to improve. 

With each passing week my confidence grew and I feel like (unintentionally) I overshadowed Sonia at some points. Looking back I should have made other crew members aware of what my signals meant sooner as I am responsible for them as well as the cast. 

I'm glad that I asked questions and had so many opportunities to learn and practice. Going in to this role I didn't quite realise how big it was and how much you need to be able to rely on your teammates e.g. lead camera, assistant floor manager etc. 

I think at the beginning and even until quite late into the production, Sonia and I didn't have the greatest team working skills and tried to act as lone wolves which just didn't work in this kind of environment. Things got better when we realised how big the role was and that it was enough to share. However, this did cause confusion among crew and we now realise it would have been better to run the decisions we made past them first since they need to know who they can turn to in a crisis. 

But I'm pleased to say after many chats with each other and with presenters; by the end of the production Sonia, Jack and I were operating as one big floor managing unit. With an even split of responsibilities that meant we weren't stepping on each other's toes.

While this was all going on I was still making myself useful by making regular contributions to production meetings. Continuing to liaise with contributors; even when I had passed their details on I made sure to give them regular production updates to keep them on board.  

The biggest thing I can take form this unit is a boosted confidence and boosted communication skills. By the end of the project, I learned to listen to my crew e.g. cameras, as well as talent, models etc. 

I learned to think on my feet to make sure issues were dealt with quickly. I also had to meet with members of the public (audience) and external crew e.g. technicians. Learning to plan and adapt plans on the spot when asked a question I hadn't really thought about (which forced me to boost my confidence). As well as learning what models and presenters wanted from me not just what I wanted from them. 

To be able to command the attention of a studio floor full of cast, crew, audience, and external contributors. As well as dealing with unforeseen issues (e.g. cameras going down, mics not working, blocking changing etc.) all while remaining calm and profecional is an invaluable skill.

Overall I am really pleased with how this unit has gone, we pulled together to work as one big flawless team to produce a perfect 30 minute As Live Production. I am happy with my development and my contribution in this project. And although I didn't really see myself doing more studio work in future, I can still take away some of the biggest skills I learned. Such as improved communication skills, being able to give clear and confident direction even to people I've just met. As well as vastly improved listening skills (which I've struggled with in the past) and an improved self-confidence.