Pre-production between day 2 and 3

Between tv studio days 2 and three my group completed the pre-production for the tv program. This included the Running Order and the script which was later modified on the third day to cut the program to the desired 12.5 minutes. I was assigned the role of the vision mixer in the gallery, I was happy with this as I enjoyed this role because I got to have a crucial impact on the production of the final product. I got to work closely with the director to achieve the best possible results.

TV studio reflection day 3

On the third day we started the rehearsals for a 12 and a half minute program we had planed out in our groups. The class was divided into two groups so we produced two TV programs and everybody got a role to work on. I was assigned the role of the vision mixer, this meant that my job entailed previewing shots for the director to have a look at and decide on the next shot then when told I would change the live feed to a different camera. I also had to follow the script carefully to make sure I was ready for the cut to the VT’s when the presenter finished talking.I enjoyed this job even though it was difficult at times, I liked the challenge and importance of the role.

In the rehearsals we practiced different shot combinations and sizes for the interviews, we also practiced timings with the VT’s and the live stream to make sure it would end at 12 minutes 30, we left out 30 seconds for the introduction which was still not ye finished. The hardest part of the rehearsals was definitely the timing of the TV program and we had to keep adjusting the teleprompter to make the program last for the required length without going on for too long.

TV studio reflection day 4

On the fourth day we recorded the final program. We planed to start of with one rehearsal run through so everyone in the group was ready for the recording but we had issues with the timings so we ended up doing three rehearsals. The rehearsals paid of as our end production time was exactly 12:29 which is one second of our target time. The timing was crucial because otherwise it would throw of the rest of the program in a snowball effect, it would start adding up and eventually the program would be several minutes of the target time, this is what happened in one of the rehearsals).

The teamwork on the final recording day was crucial. Without the teamwork the whole thing would have broken down and the program wouldn’t have been a success. Everybody had to and did communicate well over the headsets so everyone was clear on there roles and the timings. The teamwork between the director and me was crucial because I had to change the shot exactly when the director needed it changing, I also had to realise when the director was becoming overwhelmed with too much to think about and take control the vision mixer by myself (which Im more than capable of doing) to take some of the workload of the director. I set up the previews for the director and then cut to the correct cameras at the correct times and notified the director on things like timings and shot sizes, all like a professional would.

I found the vision mixing was difficult because of the short time between having to start the VT’s near the beginning I almost missed the timings on several occasions, I also had to adjust the volume of the VT’s because all the volumes were different, I found this difficult because I had to change the window very quickly from selecting the VT to then the audio mixer to adjust the volume before the audio started, I then had to change the window again so the director could see the countdown so they could get the timings right. I overcame this timing issue with lots of practice in the rehearsals so I could get it right in the final recording.

There were quite allot of cuts that went well in the program. Shots like when Isaac reviled he was the farther and I cut straight to tin’s face at the correct time to reveal his expression and then did shot reverse shot between the two. This made the shot very comical because the timings were perfect. Some of the cuts towards the end of the program though started to get a bit lengthy. I kept some shot on for about 5-8 seconds which is quite long, I thought at the time that this would be ok as the Isaac and Tin were talking for quite a while.

 

The finished TV program ‘playtime with Isaac’