Ofcom Broadcasting | Research ~ SP

Within a lecture, Helen mentioned the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. I decided to do some research onto this and to help me understand the different rules and regulations within TV. This will help me understand what regulations we will have for our show.

Some of the regulations, that are mainly under 18s due to our target audience, that I thought would be helpful for us to know with our production are:

• The watershed is at 9pm/21:00
• This material is not meant for children under 15 and should not be shown before 9pm
• Stronger material should appear later in the schedule, during the watershed, like 10pm or 11pm
• Sexual offences shouldn't be shown before 9pm
• This includes things like incest, etc.
• Drugs, smoking and alcohol shouldn't be featured in movies that are directed to children unless it has a justified reason like educational purposes.
• Violent and dangerous behaviour is appropriate for limited and certain programmes
• If it's harmful it shouldn't be shown before the watershed.
• Offensive language is not allowed before the watershed
• Sexual material must be rated R18, and adult material is only allowed to be broadcasted between 10pm-5am/22:00-05:00
• Nudity must be justified.
• Any competitions and voting elements of a show must be conducted fairly
• Viewers and listeners shouldn't be misled.
• Prices must be described clearly and accurately.
• Any product placement is prohibited except in films, tv series, sports programmes or/and light entertainment

After researching this I feel like I have a good understanding of the regulations that we have for our show and what we should and shouldn't do in order to follow the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. 

Chris Power | Research ~ SP

Chris Power is a studio director, and has been for many years. He is mostly known for directing 'Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway' between 2014 and present day, and 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' between 2010 and 2013.
He also directed 'Got to Dance' between the years 2009 and 2014, and 'This Morning' in 2014.
He won a BAFTA TV Craft Award in 2017 for being the Multicam director for Saturday night takeaway.

Power says

"[Ant & Dec Saturday Night Takeaway] is on the most demanding live shows, constantly changing throughout the week and indeed on the day. It requires quick thinking [and] patience."

He is has a lot of experience in directing studio productions, which is clear through the well-known shows he has directed in the past. This experience would've aided Power in becoming the best he could be within his job, and his skills of patience and being quick on his feet have all developed greatly through his experiences.
The fact that a lot changes within the programme within the week and on the day of the live show, it shows that Power has a very calm manner and might almost expect changes to be made in order to stay calm and on top of things.

"The whole pace of the show is relentless, and because we are live, items are getting dropped...[and] changed while we are on air."

I can imagine this sort of situation being quite stressful and preparation would be extremely important for this situation. Power would have a lot of back up plans in order to keep everything in order, he would also need to make decisions quickly on his feet which is something a good director would be skilled at with experience.

"[The gallery] is pretty frantic, there is a lot of shouting going on, but admist all of the shouting and the chat going on, I have to keep a very calm head and filter through stuff and make quick decisions."

With him saying this, you can almost imagine what the gallery would be like within the live show, but as he said, as the director he must be very calm which makes him a really good director.

"I'm lucky to have the best crew in the world...and they react quickly to all the changes that I make."

The trust and communication amongst him and his crew is clearly very good due to him praising them. Within a successful studio production these two factors are very important and when watching 'Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway' you can tell they all work well together as it shows from the calmness and clear structure of the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cvE_2QqPpg

Through these quotes, you can tell that his job is a very stressful one and he has a lot of responsibilities, but he takes it in a very calm manner. When watching the shows he has directed, the shows are seamless and although there may be a few hiccups, that is bound to happen due to some of them being live shows. I think Chris Power is a really good studio director and when watching clips of him on his shows and other clips, you can tell he is a very positive director and he stays calm which is what a good director is.
When doing my own role as director, I will take inspiration from Power and make sure I keep the same calm head as him and make quick decisions in the same calm manner as him.

Studio Director | Research ~ SP

As I have been given the role of Studio Director, I decided that I should do some more research on the role of a studio director, and what sort of jobs they have to do throughout the whole process of a studio production.

Another name for a studio director is a multi-camera director. Multi-camera shoots are commonly used for sports and news programmes, soap operas, talk shows, game shows, some sitcoms and live events where action cannot be repeated or replicated. These type of shows will either be studio based, or location based.

'The Weakest Link' director John Smith

Pre-production: the director will plan camera positions and shots. During the shoot they will lead the team and give clear instructions to the floor managers and camera operators on the floor, and the sound team, the vision mixer, while listening to the counting of the show coming from the production assistant.

The main requirements for a multi-camera director are patience, enthusiasm and good spatial awareness. The director spends a lot of time in the gallery which is quite a distance from the studio floor. Which means that they must be able to imagine where the cameras are positioned in relation to the others, and what shots each of the cameras will be able to get. If they are able to do this, then they will be able to instruct the camera operators better knowing what their limitations are.
Good communication skills are also extremely important. Through talkback, the crew on the studio floor will be able to hear the directors voice, so the director must communicate quickly and clearly tell the crew what is needed, while also being encouraging, motivational and positive to help everyone work well as a team together.
Some TV shows usually follow an established pattern, but one of the secrets of being a good director is having the confidence to try new things and experiment knowing what is capable.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112135647

The director is responsible for turning the script into visuals that can be seen on the screen. Once the script has been written, the director will look at it and create a storyboard or a shot list, or even both, in order to create the visuals along with the dialogue and actions. All of the technical staff (the camera operators, floor manager, the sound operator, etc) work under the instructions of the director, and the director works with the producer as a team. They both have different responsibilities and it's important that they both respect their jobs and their visions. Ultimately, the director creates the Producers vision while also creating their vision at the same time, a lot of compromise and negotiation is involved.

During the studio recordings, or live transmissions, the Director works closely with the Vision Mixer and the Production Assistant, who are also known as Script Supervisors. They all sit in the gallery (control room) and visually create the programme.
The director will standby and cut to the different camera shots, while also cueing departments such as sound, lighting, VT's and more, and they must be able to make clear decisions and sometimes these decisions will be made on the spot and quickly.
When doing rehearsals they must have a clear and realistic schedule with room for breaks, so the crew aren't worked too hard. They also need to know what is happening next and what options there are to deal with any potential problems, this is especially needed for news programmes. For example; if a live link is coming up there must be a back up plan just in case it fails which means the director will need to come up with this beforehand and listen very closely to the PA.

Overall, the directors job is to make decisions and be clear with their instructions. Their communication with the rest of the crew is really important, and they must stay positive even if the situation is very difficult. They must be able to keep spirits high and motivate the rest of the crew in order for everyone to work well within a team.
They have a lot of responsibilities, but I'm excited to do this job, and even though it may be a very stressful job, it will still be a great experience. I am now ready to step into this role after doing this research on it.

Chosen Show | Development ~ SP

The show that has been chosen out of everyone in the class is "The Big Movie Quiz" which was Josh Jones' idea.

"The Big Movie Quiz is a comedy entertainment quiz show about all things movie related, old and new"

Within the show, two contestants compete against each other to win gold stars by answering quiz type questions across a series of movie related rounds. The winner across the initial rounds then gets to play the Box Office Line Up Round for a chance to win the Golden Clapper Board.

The show will test everyone's knowledge on film while also being entertaining. As well as answering questions, the audience will learn more about movies through common facts and trivia through the VT's and the rounds.

The channel the show is targeted at is Channel 4 and the Target Audience is 18-44 year olds and movie fans. A similar programme to this one is "The Big Fat Quiz of the Year". The style of the show is old Hollywood, glamour and almost like an award show type look.

The host will be naturally funny and be able to deliver jokes with a dead pan style, and on the spot. The contestants should have some sort of movie knowledge and be funny & entertaining.

The Rounds

Say Hello to my Little Questions:

Quickfire quiz round about a variety of different movies, which is designed to let the contestants build up some stars.

VT Round:

This round consists of questions related to VT's played into the studio. These VT's are called 'Casting Call' (Recreation/ parody of a famous movie scene - guess which movie it is), 'Face Swap' (Use an app to face swap with a movie star - guess the star), 'Silent Movies' (Act out the title of a movie - guess the title) & 'Name That Theme' (Movie theme played badly on a recoded - guess the theme). 

Pin the Oscar: 

Contestants pin oscars onto celebrity faces, on a board, to answer the questions.

Box Office Line Up: 

One contestant plays a game of higher or lower, based on how much a variety of movie's made in the box office, for a chance to win the golden clapper board.

The VT's

Excluding the 4 VT's for Round 2, there are two other VT's in between round 2 to 3 and round 3 to 4.

I Ain't Afraid of no Host

During the contestants auditions they are shown a film that explains how the quiz show works. A jump scare featuring the host has been added to the film secretly. The contestants are also being filmed secretly and the one who reacts the least gets a point.

Trivia VT

The resident film buff shares some of his favourite bits of film trivia with the audience at home.

Studio Production | Research ~ SP

To start the unit off, I thought I would do some research on the genre of studio production itself. This will help me prepare for our production, and also it will give me some background as to how it should be run and what a professional studio production is like.

At the start of every studio production, the TV studio is a big empty room with the lighting grid on the ceiling. In order for the production to come to life, everything has to be designed, but and transferred into the studio. This includes the lights, the set and other equipment like the cameras, etc. The studios themselves are usually sound proofed, have high ceilings and large access doors so the set and equipment can be easily loaded in and out of the studio. This is usually called the loading dock, as it is in the studio we will be using.
The studio floor is where the show takes place and where the audience will sit, if there is one.

Everything outside the studio floor is where the crew other than the camera operators and floor manager are sat throughout the show. They are usually sat in various galleries behind the scenes.

• The Lights are controlled in the light gallery.
• The sound is mixed and the sound effects are played through the grams operator in the sound gallery.
• The show is directed from the production gallery.
• This is where the director, producer, script supervisor (aka the production assistant) and the vision mixer are based throughout rehearsals and the actual production.

The gallery and the studio floor are connected through talkback systems, which are also known as intercom systems. This means that everyone on the floor and all of the crew can hear the instructions coming from the director and the count down from the personal assistant.

The director coordinates the camera operators to get shots that are needed for the show, while the vision mixer cuts the shots together using the TX monitor. The producer is in charge of the editorial content of the show while the PA makes sure the filming runs to schedule.
Normally, crews can often consist of 50 people or more with camera, cranes and other equipments that will be moving around the whole studio.

Ed Sharpe, who was the floor manager for the show 'Sam & Mark's Big Friday Wind-Up' on CBBC, says "as long as everyone communicates clearly and knows what they're doing it can be a really fun environment to work in." Studio shows can be quite stressful, and there may be stressful situations that occur but as long as everyone does what they are supposed to and the communication is good, then the fun can outweigh the stress.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112135564



There are a few things that need to be remember when working in a studio environment with a studio crew:

• Keep quiet.
• This is very important during the show itself as the microphones in the studio can pick up unwanted sound.
• Tea breaks should be scheduled - especially on location shoots.
• If there aren't any breaks during the day then the crew will most probably get bored and tired and the working environment won't be as positive as it should be.
• Act quickly and prioritise jobs.
• Stick to doing your own job and not anyone else's.
• Consider safety and implement and follow risk assessments.
• Communicate effectively and work as a team.
• This is really important otherwise the production might suffer.
• Be respectful.
• Of the equipment and the crew.
• Respect the chain of command.
• Look after your guests and communicate to them.
• Watch the schedule.
• Don't go over the time schedule and make sure you get everything done well.

After doing this research I feel a lot more confident with being in a studio environment and I now know how studio productions usually work. I am looking forward to starting our production.

Guildhall Commission | Development ~ PP

Two of the commission projects that were suggested to us were for the Guildhall Museum, and I was quite interested in both of these projects.

These projects are:

• "100 Objects that made Medway" - creative/arty/surrealist
• Historial documentary on Museum - factual/researching

"100 Objects that made Kent"

This project will be artistic and creative, and what they want is someone to film certain objects and bring them to life through sound and through the editing of the video.

This will be targeted at children and will explore the creative side of the museum.

I am quite interested in this project because I like to think I'm quite creative. It would be fun to see the objects they want filmed and come up with a fun and entertaining way to make the objects come to life. 

Historial Documentary on Museum

This project will be more factual and research based, and they want someone to document the history of the museum itself. 

I think this will also be targeted at children but it will give an insight to the history of how the Guildhall became the Guildhall.

I am also quite interested in this project as I quite like the idea of a children targeted documentary. I can experiment with voice overs and potentially having someone as a presenter, but also I can experiment with different ways in which to show the history of the museum.

......................................................................

An idea was mentioned very briefly to me about merging the two ideas together. This would mean that the objects and the history would all be in the same video, and this is interesting as I would be able to think outside of the box and come up with a way to tell two stories at once. 

I will be doing a Guildhall Museum commission, and when I am in contact with the person who will be guiding me through this project, we will talk about different ways to merge the two together.

Assigned Job Roles | Development ~ SP

After doing the interviews and before getting a brief as to what the chosen show is, we get the results of our job roles.

Producer: Josh Jones
Assistant Producer: Sam Elliott
Director: Becca Bennett (me)
Production Manager/Floor Manager: Imogen Polycarpou
Studio Production Assistant/ VT Editor: Rosie Penn
Vision Mixer/VT Editor: Laura Draper
VT Producer/ Studio Camera: Cheyenne Joseph
VT Director/Studio Camera (1): Ellie Pack
VT Director/ Studio Camera (2): Saskia Tatt
VT/Studio Camera (1): Troy Smith
VT/Studio Camera (2): Josh Bayly
Lighting/Sound Operator: Sammi Dennard
Graphics Operator/Social Media: Nisserin Bessioua
Social Media/Promotions and Graphics Producer/Behind The Scenes PD: Ellen Carter

Helen led a brief meeting which consisted of her going through each of the roles and who everyone is going to be liaising with.
As Director I will be liaising with the Producer in order to work on the vision and look of the show. I will also work closely with the Vision Mixer in order to work out show sizes and when each shot will be cut within the show. I will liaise with all of the Studio Cameras to work out where each camera would be be more suitably placed and who will operate which camera.
During the show, I will again work closely with the Vision Mixer, but I will be in contact with everyone, except the behind the scenes people, through talkback. I will be talking to the cameras, the floor manager, the graphics operator, the sound operator, the production assistant, and the producer.

Job Roles | Research ~ SP

As part of the studio production we have to pick three jobs and rate them in terms of what job we want more. Before going into my interview, I decided to look briefly into each job role to see what they entail and to see what skills are needed for each.

Studio Director:

A studio director is in charge of the vision of the show, and works alongside the Producer in order to get their vision created as well. During the multi camera studio recordings, or live transmissions, the director works closely with the vision mixer and the production assistants (PAs) in the Gallery to visually create the show.
The Gallery is located away from the studio floor, which means the director will communicate, through talkback, to the floor manager, the camera operators and the sound supervisors.
The director has to be able to absorb all of that information, while also following previously agreed camera scripts and simultaneously monitoring the programme content, performances and technical quality.
The director will cue all of the movements that are made for the cameras, the graphics, the sound and so on. This means they will need to give clear instructions and make decisions both before the production, and quite possibly on the spot.
They will create, alongside others, a clear and realistic schedule with space for allowed breaks. The director must know exactly what is happening at all times during the show, and they must know what the options are when dealing with potential problems. They must also make sure everyone in the crew is briefed on what is happening and where they should be, especially the camera operators, which should also know which camera will be live along with the presenter.
The director should consider:

• The framing and composition of each shot
• The shot movements
• 180 degree rule
• The seating plans where the audience will sit, which will be decided with the producer
• The floor plans
• The camera positions which will be based on the floor plans

Vision Mixer/VT Editor:

The Vision Mixer works closely with the director to interpret the script creatively through discussing:

• Any transitions
• Visual effects and/or graphics that may be used
• Any suggested alternatives where certain transitions are not do able or to improve the creative output

They will work, initially, from the running order which will be prepared by the producer, and they will also work through the detailed shot requirements. They will make detailed notes on the camera script about required sources, the different types of transitions, the graphics and the technical effects.

A vision mixer is like an editor, but they edit programmes live using transition methods such as:

• Cuts
• Mixes
• Wipes
• Frame Manipulation
• Keying
• And more

They join images together from sources such as cameras, VT's, graphic generators and digital video effects (DVEs). They act as the director's second pair of eyes in the gallery, and if they can make decisions without the directors control if they have a good reason.

A vision mixer must be able to multi task as they might be required to cut from shot to shot during a live interview, while also taking in instructions from the producer, the director about the next item to be transmitted, setting up the next transitions and listening to the countdown from the PA.

A VT Editor, instead of editing live, they will edit the VT's once all of the filming has been completed. They will be in charge of editing the footage in a way that they think is suitable, based on target audience and the tone of the show. They will talk with the VT directors as they create their vision for the VT's while also editing in their own way. 

VT Director/Studio Camera:

The VT Director, similar to the studio director, will be directing the VT's. They will work alongside the VT Producer when creating the VT's and during the shoot days, they will direct the camera operators and the contributors, and the lighting operator.
Then during the post production, they may work alongside the VT Editor in order to get across their vision for the VT, and the different shots they wanted for each part in the script.

A Studio camera operator, operates one of the cameras in the studio. They are responsible for their certain camera, and they are the one to set up the camera ready for the rehearsals and the actual shoot.  They need to make sure the camera is on the correct settings, they must ensure the camera is focused, white balanced and balanced on it's tripod.
Once the director has decided on the shots that each camera will produce, they will be told which shots they will have to have ready, and through talkback from the director, they will be aware which camera is live on the preview monitor. Throughout the production they might need to repo the shots, or even move the camera which means they need to be quick and prepared.

After doing this research, I feel more confident about the interview as I am prepared for the roles I am interviewing for.

Pitch | Development ~ SP

Within my pitch there were quite a few important elements that had to be mentioned in order to show the panel that my idea has been well thought out.

As well as having a synopsis and a single sentence to introduce the show to everyone, we had to explain the format of the show.

My show will be formatted similar to how a book is formatted. The beginning will be the first 3 rounds, the middle will be where one contestant goes home, and the end will be the reveal of the winner.

As seen in the image, different sections of the show will coincide with different sections of a book, for example; the rounds will be called chapters instead of rounds and so on.


In order to give the panel a sense as to what the set design will look like, I created a mood board. This shows the different colour palettes I am aiming for and also it shows the potential images that could be created for the backdrop.

These include book cases, a stack of books (possibly for the podiums) and also it shows a relaxed study room, as this is the feeling I want to try and achieve with the set.

I mentioned the two presenters that will lead the show, and mentioned a few qualities that I'd want them to have. When talking about the different rounds, I made sure to add a few demonstrations like pictures to give the panel a sense as to what the rounds will be like.

There are 4 different rounds: "Never Judge a Book by It's Movie", "It's all in a Word", "His and mine Are the Same" & "Turn the Page".

For the first round, I showed images of movie scenes that were originally books to give examples of what the presenters can recreate.

For the second round, I gave an example of a children's book anagram. While I let the panel figure out what this anagram might be I moved onto the third round. Once the slide was over I revealed the answer.

For the third round I gave a small animated example of how it would go with the matching cards.

For the fourth round I used an image of mastermind so they would know it would be similar to that game show.

I then mentioned the 4 VT's and what the content of them all would be, and I gave out a small hand out of the potential running order. I then showed them, through an image, where the set would be and where the audience will be sat. I then gave a more detailed camera and lighting plan.

I started with the camera placement. Due to having 5 cameras I showed three different placements of where the cameras could possibly go.
Then for the lighting, I similarly showed three different areas that would need to be lit.
These plans were quite rough, but if my idea got picked, the director would have control as to how the lighting and cameras will be placed.

To end the pitch, I gave a few reasons as to why my idea should be commissioned.

                                                     .........................................................

The feedback I got for my pitch was all quite positive. They all liked the idea and the concept of each round, and thought my camera and lighting plans were very well thought out and viable. The one thing they did mention was my VT's.
There was a suggestion that I should scrap the educational aspect out of the show and target it at the older generation only. I liked this idea as it would give some space for some adult humour or adult knowledge and there wouldn't be any restrictions so the younger audience can watch it.
This would mean that three of the VT's would have to change, and a new idea for them would have to be created. This could have been slightly hard, however due to the only adult audience, it meant we could find a new direction for the VT's and create something more interesting for it.

Proposal | Development ~ SP

This is my proposal for my idea 'Between the Pages'.

Work Placement & Commission | Research ~ PP

Work placements are when someone who is wanting to go into the industry, goes to a company and assists them in their work for free. This gives them the experience they need to get a job and helps them gain the different skills that they'll need throughout life.

When applying for a placement on your own, not through university, some companies may have a requirement for you to complete a formal online application detailing what you could bring to the role. Even though work placements aren't proper jobs, applying for one can still be as competitive as applying for a permanent job. Before applying it is key that you thoroughly research the company and the role, in order to be prepared for the interview and the job itself.
If you apply for the placements outside of uni, it is still a good idea if you write about the learning process you have gone through in a personal/professional development portfolio (PDP). This will then possibly help through future interviews.

Why a work placement?

• Make your career goals clear
• Gives you an insight into the way companies operate and the challenges they may face
• It will increase your skills and knowledge
• It will provide you with networking opportunities
• It'll help you understand a particular job/role or the industry itself

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/work-experience-and-internships/work-placements

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Commissions are when different companies or organisations wants a video made for promotion videos or something similar, and freelancers apply to create those videos for them. This gives them the experience that many workers in the industry will go through, which means that they'll know the process when they go into the industry. Similar to a work placement, the commission will be done for free, if said otherwise. 

Some of the things that will be important in a freelancer job role are:

• Being self motivated
• Setting your own deadlines and sticking to them
• Being organised and knowing your priorities
• Working alone
• But also sometimes working as a group
• Meeting and working with new people
• Networking and generating work
• Communication skills

One way to get a commission and to get some work for yourself, as a freelancer, is through your own contacts. Through doing commissions for companies, you'll meet new people and get new contacts. Meaning if that company wants another video, they might come to you, or they might mention your name to other companies who are in need of a freelancer to create a video for them. 

Social media is also a good way to get some work, and online sites. 

It's also good to promote yourself through social media, blogging and online profiling. This can get you work while also getting yourself known in the industry.

When starting a commission, you need to establish a good relationship with the client quite early on. Through a briefing meeting you must know and be clear as to what they want from you, you will need to know:

• Timescale
• Budgets
• Target Audience
• Platform
• Any Content Requirements
• Any Style/Branding Requirements
• A Specific Duration for the Video

The work needs to be based on what the client wants, not what you want. You can advise them and give some ideas of your own, but all in all it will be their video not yours. Plenty of time should be spent throughout the development and planning stage of the project through content, scripts, contributors, locations, props, costumes, etc. Early on you should also pitch your idea to your client producing a mood board or a storyboard for them to see, this will make them feel more confident in you and the work you will produce.

Live TV | Research ~ SP

Since 1958, truly Live TV has been seen as a genre rather than a necessity due to the beginnings of video tape. The genre has it's own conventions and, like any other genre, it creates a particular viewing experience.

The usual live content includes:

• Telethons or concerts (one off specials)
• Reality TV like Big Brother or I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here
• News programmes
• Magazine programmes.

The technological advances in satellite technology has led to outside broadcasts, which are also known as OB's.
These can include:

• Sporting events (football, the olympics, etc)
• National and/or international celebrations and events (royal weddings, etc)
• Ceremonial occasions (coronations, etc.)
• Many more

                                             

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An OB producer is responsible for putting shows together through the findings and takings of all the different material coming in from the sources based on the programme. This role requires a detailed understanding of each team and what everyone is working towards. The person in this role also needs to know any of the developments that happen, as they need to react quickly to said developments and they need to make the decision on how to put the running order together.
After a run-through of the show, most of the OB producer's work is done. During the live show everything should be in place and should go the way it's supposed to, but the producer is there to make any on-the-spot decisions if anything goes wrong or if anything is adjusted.
The skills needed for this job is patience, team leadership and an ability to use the adrenaline that comes with working on live TV to it's advantage.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112135817

An OB engineer role is to fit the aim and ambition of the production. They go to an initial site visit to establish where the power source is located and how to direct the signal from the truck to the TV, and also to find places to accommodate a crew.
The engineering manager is the main link between the production team, which then means it's their job to understand and deliver the productions wants.
The skills needed for this job is being technically good and to able to deal with financing and budgeting. Before doing this role, it's worth getting some experience in either camera work or sound work to give an idea of how the elements all come together.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20140128161051940

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The first international live satellite broadcast was The Beatles premiering their song "All You Need Is Love" on a worldwide TV broadcast, called "Our World", to an estimated 400 million people. Other performers such as Maria Callas (opera singer), Pablo Picasso (artist) and many more, from nineteen different nations, were invited to perform in individual segments featuring their countries.
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5df_1245971466

Another famous live broadcast, was Live Aid, organised by Bob Geldof in 1985.
It was a huge event that was staged at the Wembley Stadium in London and the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. The BBC gave the schedules to the event, which is something that has never been done before. The event consisted of  16 hours of rock music and was broadcasted live in the UK on both television and radio. There were also broadcasts from Australia, Austria and the Soviet Union, all due to the satellite technology. This was the first time anyone in the West had ever seen an uncensored, live broadcast from the USSR.
However, there were technical problems throughout this broadcast, like satellite breakdowns and feedback noise. Apart from that it still became the lead story around the world.

In the present day, there are many different ways in which celebrities and normal people can go live anytime they want to. This can be done through social media such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram. and a few years ago, you could livestream on Twitter through 'Twitcam'. It has been said that the future of live might be and might stay online.
Live broadcasts give an opportunity to increase audiences and create promotion content. The feeling of 'something might go wrong', brings people to want to watch it so they can experience a muck up if one does occur.

Live programmes are faced with many different challenges.
Live relies upon a lot of planning through:

• Scripting
• Timing
• Casting
• Safety
• Cabling
• Running Order planning
• Legal wrangling

However the possibility of mistakes occurring on live TV adds vitality and tension to the format of the programme.

Some examples of live TV going wrong are:

• During the 2017 Oscars, the wrong film for the category 'Best Picture' was announced and after 'La La Land' (the wrong winners) accepted the award and were making their speeches, it was then announced that 'Moonlight' had actually won. 
• This caused a lot of talk from the viewers and and the talent who presented the award got a lot of criticism especially through social media.
• On X Factor, in 2011, Olly Murs who hosted the programme along side Caroline Flack, said that one of the acts was going home after being in the bottom two, however they were actually going to deadlock.
• This was obviously embarrassing for the host, and added a lot of confusion for the viewers but is was saved by Caroline Flack fixing the mistake that was made.
• John Barrowman fell off his seat during Loose Woman.
• Holly and Phillip always giggling during 'This Morning' which is a usual occurrence. 
• And many more.

BBC 4 | Research ~ SP

To help me develop my idea I researched into BBC 4, which is the channel that my show will ideally be on.

BBC 4 is part of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and can be viewed on the TV. This channel launched in 2002 and starts sharing programmes at 19:00 to 04:00.
I want my show to be shown in the afternoon at about 4pm, but on this channel that probably wouldn't be plausible. The earliest it would be allowed to be on is 7pm, however the audience at home can record the programme and obviously watch it whenever they want. If I wanted to keep the target range to adult only the timings the channel allows would give me the ability to keep it adult based only. This is something I will have to think about before my pitch.
This channel shows a wide range of programmes including genres such as; comedy, documentaries, music, international film, original programmes, drama and current affairs.
There are quite a few genres I could experiment with when creating the tone to my show, so if I wanted it to have some humour I could do that.

Most of the programmes shown on the channel are seen as educational and some of them might give an insight to parts of the world that people don't usually see.
Some of those programmes include; "James May at the Edge of Space", "The Horizon Guide to Space Shuttles", "British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley", "Michael Grade's History of the Pantomime Dame", etc.

One programme that I found that could potentially help my show fit in is "Pop Quiz: The Comeback". This show is a music based quiz show, and there are 3 celebrities on each team panel. They then answer questions about the genre of music and so on.
This show will be quite similar to mine as it has the same elements. This show is chatty, and has some humour, while still being quite informative through the questions. 'Between the Pages' will be quite similar to this sort of tone, but instead of music based it will be all about literature.

Live/AS Live TV | Research ~ SP

There is a difference between a Live show and an AS Live show.

Live

A Live show is when a programme, in a studio, is recorded live and is aired on TV at the same time. Meaning that people at home are watching said programme at the same time as it is being recorded.
This can be either News shows, sports games, live musical broadcasts ('The Sound of Music Live' or 'Grease Live' or 'Hairspray Live', or special events that are happening like royal weddings and such.
Within live TV anything can go wrong, and it is important that the whole crew, especially the Producer and the Director, are prepared for a mishap to help it run as smoothly as possible.

AS Live

Similarly an AS Live show is when a programme, in a studio, is recorded in the same way a live show is recorded, it's just not aired on TV at the same time. So people at home are watching said programme after it has been recorded and edited.
Even though the shows are filmed before the show is aired, the majority of the programme is still recorded to the required duration, meaning the post production is kept to a minimum. By recording near to the require duration, it ensures that the programme can air quickly after the recording of it and it also keeps the excitement and reality that Live TV brings to the screens.

The reason why some shows choose to film As Live rather than Live is because there is less chance of things going visibly wrong and there is more control meaning the show will hopefully be more polished than if it was on air live. There would be more opportunity to re-record elements of the show to make improvements if anything goes wrong or doesn't look right the first time.
However, along with the advantages, there are also disadvantages. When shows try to create the feeling of a true live show, it can make the show lose some 'edge'. This means that the excited energy and feeling of the unknown for the audience is jeopardised and some of that energy is lost for the audience.

The common themes in AS Live are:

• There is usually an audience in the studio
• It is usually recorded in a studio and more than likely requires a full studio floor crew
• It's often driven by special events or special dates
• VT inserts are often used

Chosen Idea | Development ~ SP

The idea I have chosen to go with is 'Between the Pages'.

This is the literature quiz show, that tests contestants on their knowledge on books, and their literature skills. The rounds will consist of puzzles, games and questions that will allow the contestants to get a point with every answer they get right.

There will be four different rounds, with one being the winning round to see who is the winner.
These rounds are:

• Fill in the gaps of the title/famous quote
• The contestants will be given a title/famous quote with either some of the letters missing, or it will be presented as an anagram, and the contestants have to fill in the gaps or figure out what the book title/famous quote is.
• The authors name may potentially be mentioned in the first place or as a clue to help the contestants if they find it too difficult.
• Name any 3/5 books that have been turned into movies/adaptations
• The contestants will have time to think and say 3 to 5 different books that have been made into movies and/or movie adaptations.
• Name the book from the movie snapshot
• The contestants will be shown a variety of different snapshots from different movies and they have to pick a picture and say the book it is based on.
• All the snapshots given may not all be movies based off of books.
• Name the famous couple in these books
• The contestants will be given a list of books and they must pick a book and say the famous couple/pairing that is features within that book.
• Match the character to their true pairing
• On a board, there will be different literature pairings on either side of the board. The pairs will be shuffled around so they aren't completely opposite each other. The contestants have to connect the pairs with string and they have to say what book that chosen pairing is from. 
• Guess the first line
• This will be a multiple choice question. The contestants will hear/see a first line from a book, and from the multiple choice answers given, they choose the book they think it is from. This will probably be the winning round as the difficulty level is quite high.

For the contributors there will either be one presenter or two that all work alongside each other. This will create a chatty tone as the two presenters would have good conversation with one another and it will create a positive vibe in the show.

There will also be three contestants that compete against one another for three rounds, and after the third round one of them will go home and only the remaining two will compete in the winning round.

I want the style of the show to be chatty, but also fun and enjoyable. It's going to be easy to watch while also being educational and thought provoking. The presenters that are chosen will lead the show and make it fun to watch both in the studio and at home on the TV.
The show will be aimed at the older generation, while also having elements that would attract any age or families. The show will also be featured on the BBC 4 channel.

From some of the research I have conducted, I know that there isn't any literature based quiz shows or game shows on the TV currently, and there haven't been many, if any, in the past. I think this will give me an advantage and if my idea gets chosen, it would mean that the idea was original and the theme isn't similar to any other shows currently on the TV which would give an automatic interest to the show.

Feedback on Idea | Development ~ SP

To get some feedback on our ideas, and to inform others on the rough plans that we have, as a class, we had a group idea session. In this session we all sat around and talked one by one about what our ideas were and what sort of thing we wanted to create.

After hearing everyone else's ideas, I realised that we all had the same sort of style for example; there were quite a few game show ideas and quiz show ideas. I really enjoyed hearing everyone's ideas and I knew that whatever idea was picked, I would enjoy working on it.

When it came to me talking about my idea, Helen seemed really happy with it. I needed to do some research into the channel I'm choosing to go with and the time slot. I said that I wanted it to be on BBC 1, however there were a few suggestions that it would be better suited on BBC 4. This is due to the educational side of the channel. I will need to do some research on this channel so I can see how it fits in and whether they have any other shows similar to mine.
Helen also suggested that I do some research on different formats and think about formatting my show like a book. This is something I am quite interested in and I really liked the suggestion.

                                                        ....................................................

After doing some research on the BBC 4 channel and the different type of time slots I could fit my show into, I had a one to one meeting with Helen. In this meeting I told Helen a little bit more about my idea and the sort of tone I wanted it to have.

Helen liked the idea of it being similar to 'Pointless' and she liked the idea that it would be quite easy to watch for every age group. She asked me what kind of presenters I wanted and I told her that I was thinking about having two hosts which again showed the similarities to 'Pointless'. She liked that idea, and I was to go off and do some research as to how that would work in my show.

For my rounds, Helen suggested I add some word challenges like anagrams to make it a bit harder and add some more interest. Doing this will give more space for interaction with the audience at home as they can work it out themselves along with the contestants on the show.

Professional Practice | New Unit ~ PP

At the same time as doing the Studio Production unit, we are doing a Professional Practice unit.

For this unit, we get to pick between a commission or a work placement, and experience the type of work that we will get to do when we go into the industry after university.

Work Placement

There is a list of different studios and companies that have spaces for us to do our work placements. These sort of placements will either be in the pre-production stages where we would have to assist with research and/or phone work. Or they will be mainly focused in a studio which will give us the opportunity to test our technical skill through camera assisting or shadowing, etc.

Commission

There is also a list of different companies and places that have projects that we can choose from. Some of the projects are promotional videos, documentary type videos or a few creative type of projects. The companies will give us a deadline and a few other dates, and we have to organise our own schedule in order to get the video filmed and edited in time for the deadline. 

Before I choose whether to do a commission or a work placement, I am going to do some research on them both to give me an insight on both choses. 

Idea | Research ~ SP

When looking into the concept of my idea, I looked at other literature quiz shows and did some research online to help me develop my idea further.

As I went to look for other literature quiz shows, I actually found that there weren't any currently in the TV schedules. This meant that there was quite a big gap in the market which was an advantage for my idea. Its an original idea, and no one has seen something like it before.
Although the show is slightly similar to Pointless, and the rounds could be kind of similar to quiz shows that are on TV currently, but the theme is new and original.

Due to the fact that I wanted my show to be similar to 'Pointless' the BBC One quiz show, I decided to do some research on that.

                                                           ................................................

Pointless - BBC One

Pointless is shown on the channel BBC One, and it's usually on around 5:15 in the afternoon everyday weekday. On a Saturday, they sometimes have a celebrity special. 

The aim of the game is there are four pairs playing as contestants, and they must answer each question with the most pointless answer they can think of. The pair with the least amount of points wins the jackpot money. 

The questions asked were previously asked to a group of people in order to calculate a number of points for each answer. These people are just people of the public, so the researcher in the production team would go out and get a survey of answers for this show. The jackpot money is increased each time a pointless answer is found, and if the final pair get a pointless answer in the last round, they win the jackpot money.

The show itself is very chatty and fun. It's a show where the whole family can sit and watch and discuss answers, but on the other hand it's a show that people can sit and watch without being distracted and have their full focus on it.
This is an element that I want my show to have. In order to get this I will need to get a host who is chatty and contestants that feel comfortable to have a chat and are quite confident as well. 

I would class Pointless as an educational programme. If the viewers watching don't know the answer to a question they will learn something new once Richard (one of the hosts) says the correct answer. I don't want my show to be completely educational based, but I do want it to have quite a mature tone so the older generation are more engaged while watching.

                                                         ..............................................

The audience to a literature based show would be quite niche, I feel, as not everyone loves to read or loves the literature genre of media. However, literature is something that everyone has experienced through their life (school, teaching, for fun), so it is a topic that everyone is aware of whether they are interested or not.

Initial Ideas | Development ~ SP

When thinking about ideas for the studio production unit, I had quite a difficult time thinking about original ideas and themes.
The first thing that I thought of was doing a literature quiz/game show. My inspiration was from a website/app called "goodreads". This website is based around books, and within it there are various different quizzes about books and literature in general. This gave me the idea to turn these quizzes into a live TV show.
I looked online to see if there were any already existing literature quiz shows, or if there were any in the past. From my research there seems to be a lot of literature quizzes online, but not so many on TV. This then gave me room to experiment with different ways in which literature can be adapted into a quiz show.

Idea 1

A literature quiz show, that tests peoples knowledge on books and authors, and the aim is to find the biggest literature enthusiast. The show will be targeted at families and older viewers and will probably be shown at around daytime/afternoon time during the day. The tone of the show will be quite lighthearted humor and chatty while also having some education within the literature aspect.
There will be multiple different rounds, along with either three of four contestants and they'll be competing to win the prize.
The rounds will challenge them to think about different types of literature and book types, and the audience will either learn something new or will be able to join in themselves with answering the questions.
The potential name of this show is "Between the Pages".

Idea 2

Also a literature quiz, but more children based than family. This was developed through the name of "Bookworm", which was originally the name of my first idea, but it sounded too childish for that targeted audience. This then gave me the idea of doing a children show.
Instead of exploring all types of books, it will only focus on the well-known and new children books. The rounds will be interactive and almost like individual games that the children can enjoy and have fun watching.
The name of this show will be "Bookworm" and there could be two worm characters with names, to keep the audience engaged.

Idea 3

This idea isn't as developed as the others, but I was thinking of doing a student show. I'm not sure what the content of this would be yet, but perhaps it could be something that students can relate too and perhaps they can play a few games based on the average students life.

Studio Production | New Unit ~ SP

Our third unit of the year, is Studio Production.
Within this unit the whole class will work as one big group and create a live show within the studio. This unit will challenge our ability to working in a group, and all contributing to the ideas and tasks at hand.

Throughout this unit, we will be developing our skills and learning new ones, while also completing our own tasks while communicating and working with the group. To start, we all come up with ideas to pitch and from there we get our roles. Then once the roles are given out, we start the team work and start making the idea a reality.

I really want to challenge myself throughout this unit, and try to get a role I either wouldn't usually go for, or a role I've done before but one that I know will be challenging in a studio production project. After working as a group in the Digital News unit, I know how important it is to work well as a team and that communication and equal contribution is very important. This is something, as a group, we will need to remember and keep constant.

I think this unit will be challenging, but it will also be fun and will definitely give us an opportunity to improve on our skills and learn new ones.