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.