As Live Production: Final Rehearsal

As Live Production: Final Rehearsal

Today was our final rehearsal day before we go live tomorrow. We arrived in the morning so that we could be ready to go as soon as possible. We had the set builders and the lighting crew constructing in the morning so we had to wait for them to finish the majority of the work before we could rehearse. However, they finished quicker than anticipated allowing us to get in to the studio to squeeze in an extra rehearsal. Which was really useful but had both positive and negative consequences which I will get in to.

Getting down in to the studio and seeing the set built for the first time was amazing. It really gave us a clear sense of scale and allowed our blocking to be more precise than ever. We had the presenters in all ready to rehearse however set up took a lot longer than expected as we faced multiple technical issues (mainly camera 3 not working and a few sound issues). As floor manager, I was constantly leasing between camera ops and the gallery to make sure everyone was aware of the issues and ensured they were being acted upon as efficiently as possible.

Also since we started earlier than expected we had no contributors or stand ins until the afternoon so I had to fill in for them and floor manage at the same time, which was incredibly difficult. 

Although I was sure to copy all of my script notes over from last week there were a few verbal changes we had discussed that I forgot to act upon (e.g. when contributors should leave the set, and where presenters should look). This caused the first rehearsal to be a little bit rusty and slightly disorganised. One thing that did go well was I made sure our audience contributors were in the right places ready to be interviewed. 

After our first rehearsal I dedicated more time to resolving the technical issues with camera 3 and also ensuring that both the audience plasmas were working properly. At this point Jack had returned from picking up one of our models and we also had a couple of stand ins. This gave me a chance to get back on the floor and give more direction to the contributors. This run through was interrupted now and again by lighting crews and set design team who were making frequent adjustments. However it was a good experience and working around them helped improve my focus.

After lunch, myself and Sonia spoke with Del, the presenters and our models/contributors (all of whom had arrived at this point), in order to get their feedback. The main points I got back is that the presenters would like more direction as to which cameras they should be looking at, to make this clear myself and Sonia would shout out the starting cameras before each section, while also positioning ourselves next to the live camera.

The models and contributors were happy we just needed to go through some minor changes to the blocking (some of them aren't to leave until the VT's start). I then spoke with Harvey who is our sound assistant and made sure that he and Jack knew about the mic swaps, and understood everything. 

The main feedback from Del was to be even louder than before, but that my direction was clear and concise, giving regular updates and counts from floor/gallery  was a huge help and                                                 something I should                                                   continue doing. 

The presenters had in-ear mics so they could hear the director and after some discussion it was agreed that myself and Sonia would still queue them just in case their coms went down (which did happen at one point).

Some feedback I got from camera ops was that they were concerned about their iris and exposure levels. I communicated this to the director who agreed it was an issue that needed resolving, but not until lighting were finished. 

By this point we had resolved all the technical issues with Camera 3 and after checking with all camera ops we began our next rehearsal. These next few run-throughs went a lot better. We kept to time and I was able to signal to the presenters when they needed to wrap up, even though they had earpieces this helped. I gave clear direction to all the models and made sure they followed their queues.

Before each section I made sure to clarify which would be our starting camera as sometimes the director would stray from the script, and this needed to be communicated to the floor and the presenters especially. I found this to be very effective and I was sure to keep my directions loud and clear.

This time around I got the blocking correct for all the contributors and made sure they were all comfortable, in the loop, and stood in the right places at the right times. As floor manager communication skills are key and I found it best to keep all contributors in the loop at all times so that they were happy and primed. 

I did struggle once or twice when trying to stand next to the Live cameras, and ended up getting in the way of a few shots. However, as the day progressed I learned where was safe to stand. Since we didn't have a designated runner today I had to move set pieces like the mannequin, although I would occasionally get in the way of shots or get too busy with the rest of the floor.

This is where Sonia really helped me. After some discussion we agreed that during the second half of the show I would take full charge of the presenters, floor, and relaying the Gallery. While she would assist with moving set pieces, and priming/fetching contributors who were spread about the studio. 

I was really grateful for her help and I found that our communication skills and role splitting improved massively today. We worked well as a team like one big floor managing unit. 

We ran through the show successfully several more times, and the changes we made really worked. All the contributors were in the right places at the right times and everyone knew what they were doing, when and where. Towards the end of the day I had to make sure people stayed on their talkbacks as they everyone got a little tired. But I made the extra effort to make everyone feel like their voice was heard and they had a purpose. 

Before we wrapped up I assisted all the camera ops in setting all their iris's, white balance etc. as was discussed earlier. I also acted as a stand in once we were off air to ensure GFX could get everything framed and working. 

I was sure to communicate any changes to the entire floor. At the end of the day I leased with sound and lighting departments so they could know how many audience members we had and where the key interviews were taking place. I explained this to them although looking back I could have been a little clearer. As after this I got spare camera ops to help add additional audience space (to make sure everyone had a seat and all camera ops had a purpose).

I then spoke to the sound department about the lack of music on the studio floor and after some discussion and explanation back and forth we both had a clearer idea of what would happen live and we resolved all previous issues.

Before leaving the studio I had a final chat with camera ops and the other departments to make sure reserved audience spaces were marked out, batteries were on charge, cables and cameras were in the right places. As well as helping to tape down any loose wiring. 

Overall today was a huge leap in communication, and general progress.