Working on Catchphrase!

I had the fantastic opportunity to work on the ITV Series Catchphrase hosted by Stephen Mulhern. On Thursday 11th February I was a 'Stand In' for the rehearsal of Catchphrase while they tested the graphics, lighting, buzzers and script for the live shows later during the week. As there was four of us stand ins and only three spaces for the contestants I was sat in the audience for the majority of the day. Although I wasn't standing in as a contestant, I was able to look and absorb the production and how it runs. I got talking to many of the crew members and offered to help out while they were setting it all up. This actually worked out great because one of the camera crew Neil, offered to show me through the cameras and how they work. 

The cameras were huge and set on a gas filled Pedestal or "PED" for short. I was able to operate the PED and the camera operations as well which was very nerve racking but incredibly exciting also. Neil offered me the opportunity to come back into the studios another day and shadow him and the other camera men. When I finally cleared things with he production office I was able to get back into the studios to help crew on the live shows that they were recording. Neil taught me lots of terminology that is often used when referring to certain parts of the camera such as the Cradle, Viewfinder, PED, sticks, Jimmy Jib and all of the types of roles that can be in 'LE' (Light Entertainment). 

The cradle is the contraption that holds the camera to the PED so that it is secure and allows the camera operator to move it up and down in a tilt and pan without the camera wobbling or shaking. 

The viewfinder is a big screen attached to the camera that gives you a live feed of what you are filming and what the audience is watching. I noticed that the camera on the Jib had two viewfinders, one that was directly linked to the editors room who was making live cuts throughout the filming and one that the Jib camera was filming. I think that the viewfinders are a very helpful piece of kit as it really helps you to make sure that what you are filming is focused, sharp and correct to what you envisioned. 

There are many different types of PED that all seem to be named after different breeds of birds. PEDs use gas that compress as the camera is operated. The camera man is able to control the amount of pressure the gas provides. This is called the friction. The idea of the friction is to give the camera operator the maximum amount of control that he or she is comfortable with. Each amount of friction is personal to each camera operator. Neil explained how PEDs are never used to their maximum ability anymore due to the fact that hand held camera is becoming evermore popular in the industry. The only real reason 'LE' use a PED is purely for moving them around the studios on the wheels and making sure they can lock the picture with confidence that it won't move. 


The Camera Supervisor was anchorage of the Jimmy Jib. He used an 18ft arm to crane from behind the audience into the set of Catchphrase where the contestants and Stephan Mulhern was standing. There were two big weights at the end of the Jib to balance out the weight of the camera on the arm. It was very interesting to watch how the Jib was operated as it required at least two operators to move it. Because of the size of the Jib and the amount of effort it took to move it, I was very surprised at how fluid the image moved when operated by the Jib. 

In television, a tripod isn't usually referred to as a tripod, it is called 'Sticks'. Neil said that there isn't really much of a reason for this, it' just something that has stuck for years. It's good to know for the future though as if someone asks me to bring them some sticks I will know what they are actually asking for! 

Overall I had the best time on Catchphrase and have made a great contact for the future and I hope that I will be able to work on more shows in the future!