Transition: Green Light Pitch

Transition: Green Light Pitch

Today we had the pitching session for our transition production idea. We had to present to Simon and the rest of the class, detailing our idea and each of us had a section to explain our role and ideas.

Overall the pitch went well, people seemed to like our idea. Simon said I just need to make sure I research my role to get the best informed piece possible.

I am looking forward to the unique challenge the narrative of this project presents me, and the different styles of editing I can incorporate. Bellow, you can view our presentation slides.

Transition: Idea Change

Transition: Idea Change

Going forward with this unit we have to carefully consider time management. We want to create the best work we can, but in order to do so we need to ensure that our idea is achievable in the short amount of time we have. Which is why after a recent group meeting we have decided it is best to change our idea.

Although "Sacrilege" is a very exciting idea and something that offered a new challenge. It is unfortunately proving to be too big of a project to achieve in the short space of time we have. This is due to the fact that we require a relatively large cast and a vast number of different locations. All of which are very difficult to get organised for the dates we need at such short notice. 

The other factors that have disengaged us from this project include the need for practical effects e.g. pyrotechnics or a burial scene, or very specific lighting requirements. All of which are hard to arrange or get permissions for. Especially since some of this would take place on privately owned land and we are having trouble tracing the land owners.

As such we have decided it is best to move away from this idea. Instead, we are going to re-create the opening to an episode of "Black Mirror". This way it is a smaller more simplified scene, but we have a lot of creative freedom with it and it offers different technical challenges in the way we shoot and edit. Using equipment and techniques we haven't used before. 

Transition: Initial Idea

Transition: Initial Idea

Our initial Idea for the transition unit is to re-create a music video by the Yeh, Yeah, Yeah's called "Sacrilege".

This is a music video that has huge storytelling elements to it. It is very interesting to look at in terms of both cinematography and editing. Since although it is set to music it does not rely on Rhythmic editing. 

The key feature of this music video is that it is shot or rather edited so that the story is told in reverse. It relies on a series of reveals that explain the story piece by piece. 

It is very creative in its use of shot types, camera angles, lighting, editing style and overall offers us a great addition opportunity. The full video can be seen above.

As Live Production: TX Day

As Live Production: TX Day

Today was the day that Steal The Style went live!!!

With all our presenters, contributors, models, technicians and a Live Studio audience in place we were ready to go. The past few months of planning, rehearsals, and workshops all had to come together. Everyone had to work as one big unit, everything had to be set and any last minute changes finalized ready to go Live.

And thankfully it was a huge success and everything went off without issue. 

The day began at 9:00AM, since the set design and lighting team spent the majority of yesterday in the studio setting up the majority of their work was done. This meant we could get on to the floor right away.

The first thing to do was to work with Sonia to get the talkback system set up, since according to authors like Utterback, having an effective communication set up is one of the biggest priorities for the floor manager. 

We made sure that all cameras had a talkback, as well as the assistant floor manager. We had a few spare units, one of which was given to Harvey, the sound assistant (since Amiee had her own talkback since she was now stationed in the gallery so had her own talkback we needed to make sure she could communicate with Harvey who was on the floor). The other talkback units were kept to the side on charge in case the runners needed one, or another unit went down.

Once we had an open line of communication the next most important step was to talk to the director to find out what they could see in the gallery and communicate this to the cameras. Fortunately today we didn't have any issues with the camera feed as they were all worked on yesterday. Although we did need to make sure that all the cameras had the same iris, aperture/exposure and white balance settings. While this was mainly the responsibility of the lead camera op I still had to monitor and report their progress to the gallery. 

As Brown says "The Floor Manager is responsible for making sure health and safety procedures are adhered to". So working with each camera assistant and referring to the floor plan and risk assessment I was given the previous day. I helped to tape down and tidy any loose cables in the appropriate places. Using the special panels in the studio to create safe walkways. 

While working on this, myself and Sonia were regularly checking in with the Gallery to find out how much time we had left until rehearsal. Then communicate this to the floor. After a quick chat with Del yesterday my confidence with this had improved significantly and I was able to command the attention of the floor so everyone was aware of timings.

The next most important thing to do for me was to introduce myself to the runners we had on set. Since this was my first time meeting them I introduced myself to them (and introduced my co-floor managers) and made sure to make a not of their names so we could communicate more effectively, and they could feel like a part of the team. I explained to them how the show was going to run and what each of there key responsibilities were. I spent the majority of the time talking to my audience runners since they had the most to do. I gave them audience cheer cards and pointed out the parts of the show they needed to be used at. I gave them blocking and direction as to where they should stand and move to in order to be seen by the audience while staying out of the way of the cameras.

My mannequin runner was next in my list, I had to introduce them to Jack and show them where the mannequin and its outfits were kept. Pointing out the places and cue's in the script where the mannequin had to be moved or changed.

In heignseight, it would have been useful if I had prepared spare copies of the script that I could give to the runners so they could make notes of when their cue's were. However I overcame this by handing them paper and pens that they could use to write down notes and cue points they could refer to. I then made sure to introduce the other runners to the presenters and gallery.

Once this had been established the next step was to talk to Jack to find out which of our contributors had arrived. The call sheet asked for all the models and contributors to be in the studio for 9AM, however, unforeseen bad traffic conditions had caused several contributors to be late. After a quick chat with the director, it was decided that since the presenters were in, and we had stand-ins prepared just in case, we would go ahead and get them framed up before starting our rehearsal at 9:30 as scheduled. 

I walked the presenters over to the set using this as an opportunity to check up on them and find out if they had any last minute concerns. As floor manager you need to make sure your guests and talent are happy, which they were. We did have minor issues with the IEM's which I informed sound of and this was able to be fixed. 



While the presenters were framed up I worked with the runners and other floor managers to double check that we had enough seating for the audience, and liaising with Jemma to check that the reserved seats were all marked out. 

Once all this was sorted we ran our first rehearsal. Overall it went quite successfully, it ran to time, and our stand in's knew what they were doing, when, and where, which helped the show run smoothly. 

Some issues we encountered were that the runner attempted to bring on the mannequin too early at some points, some camera's irisis were also slightly out. So this needed to be worked on ASAP and as floor manager I took a leading role. In the gap before the next rehearsal I spoke to the camera (camera 2) who's iris was out and helped locate Ferg/Sam to help solve the issue (the main

problem was that this camera was a slightly older model than the others so in order to get the same settings, the ops had to hunt through a series of menus). None the less I made sure they gave regular feedback tot he director. While this was being worked on I spoke to my runners. I used my judgement and let them explain their issues to me, listening rather than just ordering them about, which helped

us come up with a solution and work together more easily. 

I clarified their cue's and we agreed that where possible I would shout nice and loud to direct them when the mannequin should be moved. 

As the second rehearsal was about to start our models all arrived. I made sure to introduce myself

to them (as some of them were new) explaining who would be cueing them and when, making sure they were happy and had no issues.

The second rehearsal once again went very smoothly, there were a few delayed cues but nothing major, and my runners seemed to get they're timings a lot better. Our models acted confidently and made an effective contribution. We also had our official audience contributors brought in early so we could practice interviewing them, (pairing this with the use of the new handheld mic and audience layout). 

After the second rehearsal, my biggest concern was that the models were not wearing the outfits being described by the presenters. I spoke to Jack to make sure they were prepared and dressed for the final rehearsal to ensure they didn't need any last minute altering. I took this opportunity to also speak with the models, as well as Bonnie and Connor/Saphire (who up until now I had little dealings with). This was key as they raised a small issue with me. Some of them were confused when I was directing them to stay put and Sonia was signalling for them to move. After a quick chat with the models in Sonia this was resolved as it was agreed that since I had the most practice and notes  with this section, I would take charge of the models in the first half and Sonia would take them for the second (making sure neither of us overshadowed the other during their section).

Before the final rehearsal I made sure to check with each department to see if there were last-minute issues. The cameras commented that Saphire could be seen walking behind the set. To solve this I spoke to jack and we agreed to change the path contributors take when walking on so that it is more hidden (they would now walk behind the curtain, which we moved slightly to make sure there were no trip hazards). I made sure Harvey/Amie had met Saphire and that they were able to get her miced up without issue. I also made sure all the mic swaps went ahead without issue. 

I spoke to all other contributors who told me they were all happy and knew what they were doing. As well as the presenters and directors who asked me to keep cueing them just in case there was an issue with the IEM's.

The final rehearsal went flawlessly, Sonia and I worked together to command the floor effectively as a team while staying out of each others way. Before we wrapped for lunch I made sure that all cameras put their batteries on charge and had a spare prepared.

With less than an hour to go before transmission, my next big responsibility was to organise the preparation for the audience. I briefed my audience runners as to where they needed to be and made sure they had each had a guest list (to keep track of numbers) and a talkback (so they could inform us when audience arrive). I introduced my runners to Danny who would also be assisting them. I got Jacks attention over talkback to make sure the warm up act was ready and in position. 

One issue we had with this was that the ticket info told audience members to arrive half an hour later than originally planned. This meant that they were arriving slower than expected and gave us less time to get them seated, briefed and prepared for the show. To overcome this issue we decided to keep one runner outside longer than planned in case anyone showed up late.

I used this extra time to talk to Jemma and go over a few last minute safety points. I had prepared a list of safety points the audience needed to be briefed about, but Jemma had a few things to add. We had a small issue when the audience contributors who were supposed to be seated early, were still in the audience holding hut. Fortunately the talkback units I ran out to Danny and the Runners earlier meant we could quickly get in touch with them and get someone to run the two contributors in. 

Once all the audience had arrived and were seated it was time for me to give my Health And Safety Briefing. I used a loud and active voice to gain the audience's attention then put the communication skills I had picked up over the last few weeks to good use. I went over the fire safety procedures and explained how the Live show was going to work (going over the usual points of getting phones turned off and food/drink put away). I also used this opportunity to introduce the concept of audience runners and cheer cards to the audience, getting them to practice cheering a few times to warm them up. Overall considering I hadn't really practised this briefing it went very well and my clear and loud dictation communicated all the necessary information. 

With this out of the way it was now just a waiting game until we could go live. I used the last few minutes to check with all cameras and sound as well as my runners to make sure everyone was ready. As I began the countdown to the start of the show I made sure to be extra loud so the entire audience could hear.

The show started on time and the presenters hit their cue perfectly considering they had a lot of cheering to cut through. The first half of the show was Sonias to shout and block through, while I kept my focus on guiding the models, meaning they entered and exited the catwalk at exactly the right time. 

The model's costumes were all correct and looked great. Once their job was done I made sure Jack cleared them off of the studio floor to allow for mic changes and make room for other contributors. 

I ensured that the handheld mic es gave to the presenter at the right time and was turned on and working. Then I used my spacial awareness skills to stay out of shot in a safe place when the cameras turn to the audience. 

As the second half of the show started control over shouting and directing the presenters was handed over to me. Upon the exit of each VT I made sure to communicate to the floor which camera we would be starting on (as sometimes the director would stray from the one listed in the script) and I would stand next to this camera so the presenters knew where to look. 

I made sure to stand in a visible spot at all times so I could command the attention of the presenters. Keeping my voice raised was key and i pulled this off well. Also even though the presenters had IEM's i still used hand signals to communicate how much time was left and when they needed to wrap up, in case they were distracted by the interviews. 

At all times I remained calm and followed studio protocol when talking to people like Jack over talkback, to ensure models were in position. The second half of the show ran without any issues and overall the show was a huge success. It ran exactly to time and no one messed up at any point.

I would have liked my runners to be more enthusiastic since we had been so positive with our communication, and I did drop my script during the drag performance which may have been picked up on a mic. However, overall I don't think I could be more pleased with how the show went.

To conclude the day everyone came out on to the floor so Simon could introduce us to the audience and add some closing thoughts. After this, we had a little bit of time for photos before de-rigging and de-briefing which was done swiftly and efficiently. Talking to Simon, Del and other observers they said I was incredibly confident and effective as a floor manager, which I was so happy to hear, and showed my hard work, research and practice had paid off. 

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.

As Live Production: Rehearsal 10/04/18

As Live Production: Rehearsal 10/04/18

Today was one of our last rehearsals, and (after some initial teething) was one of our most successful. Today was also the first time we were able to run through the entire show from start to finish. 

With our actual presenters, models, and proper stand ins we had almost everything we would have in the live show. As a result today was heavy on building communication skills. After the last rehearsal myself and Sonia had an in depth chat with the directors (George Lock and Gavin) about how the role of the floor manager should be split. Since Del suggested it should be a shared role and not split, and in practice myself and Sonia found this to be very useful, since there is a lot of work for one person to do. However this was causing some confusion with the directors as they were unsure who was in charge if the floor. After some discussion and negotiation it was agreed that I should take charge of Alfie, and Sonia should take charge of Adaline. And while we would both be managing the floor at all times it would be Sonia who would vocalise the gallery's instructions for the first half and myself for the second half. Apart from that, whoever was in the best position would be the main focal point. 

After the first run through we found that this actually made sense and worked well. Having had several rehearsals to practice I found my listening skills were more developed and I was able to act on the directors words quite efficiently. 

However the first run through we did was quite rough, this was due to several factors. Firstly we hadn't had a rehearsal in nearly 3 weeks, meaning much of the information about the show and its staging had been forgotten or had to be recalled. One problem I encountered was that the presenters had forgotten what my hand signals meant. So when I was trying to get them to wrap up or stretch out a section they would get confused and just stop all

together. To fix this I sat down with them to go over where I would be standing, what my signals meant and that they could come to me if they were ever confused. There was an instance where the presenters stood up too early and went to walk over to the catwalk prematurely. But thanks to quick signals from myself and Sonia they passed until the time was right. After this we sat down together to note down the exact lines they should move on.

Another communication issue I faced today is that sometimes the director would say "role VT" instead of "sting" which caused confusion as to how much time we had between sections. Sometimes it was also unclear when models should be queued and

which camera presenters should look at when heading in to the audience. However despite a little confusion we were able to complete a full run through that was to time.

After the first couple of rough takes, Del came out to talk to us all as a group and give feedback. This was where we spoke as a group to work out some of the issues we were having. The main feedback myself and Sonia received was that we need to be louder, and have more of an assertive/clear presence on the floor so that everyone was clear on what was happening. We should start each section with as long of a countdown as possible and make sure everyone knows which camera we are starting with. We also discussed the logistics of the audience interview. Since Laura goes handheld for this part it is difficult for her to pan and dismount at the same time (in order to follow the presenters) without it looking rough and unprofessional. After some discussion that I contributed to it was agreed that a different camera should pan to follow the presenters initially while Laura dismounts (and we can then switch to her feed). I had to make sure this was communicated to the presenters so they knew where to look at all times.

Feedback from the contributors was that they wanted more direction and attention from us as floor managers as well. Since although they knew when to walk on they were unclear on where to look and when to walk off. After some discussion with Del and Jack we worked out some positioning between us so that the Talent and contributors could all see us when they needed to, and we could guide them when to Walkman/off and where to look (simply by standing next to the appropriate cameras). 

I was particularly grateful for this feedback and got to work on it in the next run through. This run through went a lot smoother however there was still a little bit of confusion that we had to work through. For the section where our presenters head in to the audience the contributors had to be sat in specific seats which we struggled to get right first time around. For this section the presenters also use a handheld mic. I had to get that from the sound department, learn how it works and work out when/where is most appropriate to give it to the presenter. Looking at the script I found the best place to do this was during one of the VT's. I spoke with the presenter briefing them on how/when to use it and where I would leave it for them. Unfortunately on this occasion the presenter forgot to bring it so I had to give it to them on the way to the interview. Although it cut out for some reason we decided to still keep using it so the presenters could practice using it. 

This section was also a little held up as I was unsure where best to stand to direct the presenter but stay out of the way of the cameras. We also found that we had to move the audience further back to give Laura enough room to move (which caused further confusion over where contributors should sit). 

But we were able to get a clearer idea of how this section would play out. The rest of this take went relatively smoothly with the only issues being confusion between myself and the gallery as the director was telling me to queue the presenters when there was still  time left on the countdown. But I went with my better judgement and followed my director (after some initial hesitation). 

Towards the end of the day we had time for one final rehearsal. We had a slight setback in this run through since Sonia had to leave, leaving me as the solo floor manager for the whole show. And weirdly enough although it was a struggle, it was by far our most successful run through. The biggest problem I had was trying to be in two places at once since I didn't have Sonia. To resolve this I tried to give Jack some more responsibility (which didn't really work as he was too distracted dealing with the other contributors). As such I had to make sure the presenters were in the correct positions and order, then queue them from the front of the set (since if I was at the back I wouldn't have time to run round). Which although caused slight delay, it did work. 

The rest of the run through however was a huge success. The models and presenters were all queued at the correct times (since Jack was instructed to use his own judgement more as well as listening to the director), and I stood next to the "Live" camera at all times making sure I could be seen and signal the models when to walk off. 

When it came to the audience interview this also went a lot better. After the last time, I decided I would place the hand held mic in the presenters hand during the VT so they had it on them (although this made it difficult for them to hold their script this won't be a problem in the Live show). I also ensured the guests we speak to were sat in the correct seats and that I stood out of the way but was still visible to the presenter. Since Sonia wasn't here I couldn't look after Adeline and Alfie at the same time during this section, but I made sure while we were in the audience that she knew exactly what camera to look at, and that she could call me over if she had any problems.

The rest of this take went very smoothly and I was able to keep it to time nicely. I was loud, on the ball, and stood in the right place to give clear direction. The only other issue we had was that we forgot to remove the mannequin after the Etsy seller interview. But apart from that everyone finished the take contempt with the overall success of the run-through.

I was very pleased with the progress I made, and we made as a group today and next week I look forward to working more closely with Sonia, and having our actual contributors and runners in the studio as well. 

As Live Production: DIY Final Cut Review

As Live Production: DIY Final Cut Review

With the limited availability of Bonnie our Etsy seller, there wasn't a lot of time to work on the edit for this VT. However, Alex Hargood worked really hard to get rough and fine cuts made which looked quite different to this final cut. 

For this shoot, we didn't have a director and he wasn't present for part of the editing process. As a result, the first cut was quite interview heavy which is not what he wanted and meant a lot of changes had to be made.

I liked the first cut but knew it had to be more like a montage. 

Looking at this cut now I really like the natural cuts between the sit-down interview section and the clothes making montage/B-Roll.

The lighting for this is nice and even which is a nice bonus. The framing being centralised is also aesthetically pleasing. To give the idea of constant movement Alex incorporated a number of tilts, pans and zooms in to the edit. I think this works really well to keep the story moving.

I like the selection of shots used and the pacing of the cuts works nicely. When Bonnie talks about something there are often appropriate cuts to a shot that follows that thought which is great storytelling. 

Whats really great about this VT is that the montage with style used, you could remove the sound and the VT would still tell an effective story.

There wasn' a lot of time to work on feedback other than that of the director. As such I personally would like to see a longer introduction that incorporated more of my research and facts about etsy.

But overall I think this VT fits really well with the style of the show and Alex has done a great job considering the time he had.