Studio Production: Workshop 3 with Del Brown
Today we had a go at learning every single crew member's role and swapped around every half an hour onto something new. The roles available were:
- Cameras 1-5
- Sound Op/Sound Assistant Op
- Vision Mixer
- Director
- Graphics Op
- Production Assistant (PA)
- Floor Manager
- Talent
Firstly, we started off in our original roles that we will be doing for 'The Big Movie Quiz' and then we swapped around throughout the day. We created a shopping scene where the talent were selling objects from the studio. This was to give the camera operators the chance to REPO for different shots quickly and effectively so that the Director and the Vision Mixer can cut to the shot.
It was interesting to learn how to vision mix because it isn't like anything I have ever done before. I controlled cameras 1-5 with my left 4 fingers. Each finger was assigned to a camera and only that finger was allowed to cut and preview that camera. It was really good fun, especially when we added complications to the 'shopping show' by transitioning to shots using the 't-bar' to mix them onto the screen. It really alerted to me that I need to make sure I am able to multitask with my hands, have my eyes up on the screens and my ears listening to both the director and the PA.
I then became a camera operator which I found quite challenging because the moves that were assigned to each camera was not as easy to do as they may look on the screen. By being a camera operator and doing what they may have to do for 'The Big Movie Quiz' has helped me to gain an appreciation for camera operators and the job they have. I really enjoyed overcoming the challenges that came with being a camera operator, for example using the greyscale and making sure that all 5 cameras looked the same - a lot harder than expected!
Moving on, I became the sound operator and had to learn how to use the sound desk that we were using as a practice. The principles were exactly the same as they would be if we were going Live for 'The Big Movie Quiz'. It became my responsibility to mic up our talent and run through the checks to ensure their sound was clean and not 'hot'. I used the faders on the desk to control who was heard at what point. I also had to control their volume using the dials at the top of their faders. Each fader was assigned to a microphone. We had 3 clip mics and a hand held microphone which meant that there were 4 faders and dials to control. I learnt very quickly that if the mics came close to the sound desk there would be a very loud fold back. To over come this problem I learnt that I needed to pull down the faders so that this wouldn't happen. I enjoyed learning how to be a sound operator and can now fully appreciate how difficult it can be to ensure the sound is clean constantly.
I then had the opportunity to direct the 'shopping show' we had created and I really enjoyed this experience. I found it challenging to have eyes on all 5 camera feeds and felt like I took a very long time to decide which shots to use. As this was a workshop and not a scripted rehearsal, this style of directing is called "As Directed", which simply means non-scripted direction. I learnt lots about what it meant to be a director as it is a lot more than simply calling what camera to cut. To be a director, I needed to tell camera operators when to REPO to a new shot and have eyes on the other 4 cameras to check if their focus was soft or sharp. There was so much to learn from this experience and it has made me consider directing as a career choice for the future.
Moving on, I tried the graphics machine and learnt how to key in graphics live to the vision mixing desk which was great fun but full of pressure. In particular, I felt the pressure for getting the talent's name straps ready in time before they needed to be cut to air. I had the help of Ferg who was fantastic at explaining what to do and when. This was a very interesting experience and I enjoyed learning how to create graphics live on a software I had never used before.
Learning how to be the Production Assistant was quite overwhelming because before, I didn't really understand what it was exactly they had to do. After doing this job role as a taster, I can fully appreciate how much work this role is, as well as it's importance. The 'shopping show' we were creating was only 3 minutes long therefore it was difficult to understand fully how many clocks the PA needed for a 30 minute show. On the other hand, these 3 minutes were a good taster to get an understanding of how challenging this role is. I had to know when to count so that the floor manager could tell the floor, as well as allow the director time to wrap the show up before we 'fall off air'. This was a really good experience and has opened my eyes to a job role that I had never really considered before.
Being Floor Manager was really insightful because not only did I have to listen to all the gallery talkback, tuning into both the PA and the Director, I also had to remember to cue the talent to speak and when and also where they are meant to be looking. Furthermore, I had to ensure the entire studio floor knew exactly what they were doing and check for any health and safety issues that may occur during filming. There was so much more to this role than I initially realised, making this taster session very enlightening and enjoyable. I would consider this as a job role for the future, however I am unsure whether the role would suit me, due to the need for a very loud voice so that the whole studio can hear you.
Lastly, I was the talent for the show. This was quite challenging as we were unscripted and had to think of a topic on the spot. Although the show is heavily scripted for 'The Big Movie Quiz', there is a great possibility that there will be the need for ad libbing. By being the talent, it allowed us as crew members to appreciate the difficulty of presenting a show as you have eyes on you all around the studio and you are also expected to carry the show, even if it goes wrong. This is a tough thing to do, so when we have our presenter in for 'The Big Movie Quiz' it will really help us all to sympathise with them for their job role and understand the challenges that they have.
Overall, this workshop was a fantastic experience and I have gained a lot from the taster sessions in each job role. This isn't something I thought I would have the chance to do, so I am grateful for the opportunity as it has opened my eyes to different job roles that I could potentially apply for in the future.
- Cameras 1-5
- Sound Op/Sound Assistant Op
- Vision Mixer
- Director
- Graphics Op
- Production Assistant (PA)
- Floor Manager
- Talent
Firstly, we started off in our original roles that we will be doing for 'The Big Movie Quiz' and then we swapped around throughout the day. We created a shopping scene where the talent were selling objects from the studio. This was to give the camera operators the chance to REPO for different shots quickly and effectively so that the Director and the Vision Mixer can cut to the shot.
Moving on, I became the sound operator and had to learn how to use the sound desk that we were using as a practice. The principles were exactly the same as they would be if we were going Live for 'The Big Movie Quiz'. It became my responsibility to mic up our talent and run through the checks to ensure their sound was clean and not 'hot'. I used the faders on the desk to control who was heard at what point. I also had to control their volume using the dials at the top of their faders. Each fader was assigned to a microphone. We had 3 clip mics and a hand held microphone which meant that there were 4 faders and dials to control. I learnt very quickly that if the mics came close to the sound desk there would be a very loud fold back. To over come this problem I learnt that I needed to pull down the faders so that this wouldn't happen. I enjoyed learning how to be a sound operator and can now fully appreciate how difficult it can be to ensure the sound is clean constantly.
I then had the opportunity to direct the 'shopping show' we had created and I really enjoyed this experience. I found it challenging to have eyes on all 5 camera feeds and felt like I took a very long time to decide which shots to use. As this was a workshop and not a scripted rehearsal, this style of directing is called "As Directed", which simply means non-scripted direction. I learnt lots about what it meant to be a director as it is a lot more than simply calling what camera to cut. To be a director, I needed to tell camera operators when to REPO to a new shot and have eyes on the other 4 cameras to check if their focus was soft or sharp. There was so much to learn from this experience and it has made me consider directing as a career choice for the future.
Moving on, I tried the graphics machine and learnt how to key in graphics live to the vision mixing desk which was great fun but full of pressure. In particular, I felt the pressure for getting the talent's name straps ready in time before they needed to be cut to air. I had the help of Ferg who was fantastic at explaining what to do and when. This was a very interesting experience and I enjoyed learning how to create graphics live on a software I had never used before. Learning how to be the Production Assistant was quite overwhelming because before, I didn't really understand what it was exactly they had to do. After doing this job role as a taster, I can fully appreciate how much work this role is, as well as it's importance. The 'shopping show' we were creating was only 3 minutes long therefore it was difficult to understand fully how many clocks the PA needed for a 30 minute show. On the other hand, these 3 minutes were a good taster to get an understanding of how challenging this role is. I had to know when to count so that the floor manager could tell the floor, as well as allow the director time to wrap the show up before we 'fall off air'. This was a really good experience and has opened my eyes to a job role that I had never really considered before.
Being Floor Manager was really insightful because not only did I have to listen to all the gallery talkback, tuning into both the PA and the Director, I also had to remember to cue the talent to speak and when and also where they are meant to be looking. Furthermore, I had to ensure the entire studio floor knew exactly what they were doing and check for any health and safety issues that may occur during filming. There was so much more to this role than I initially realised, making this taster session very enlightening and enjoyable. I would consider this as a job role for the future, however I am unsure whether the role would suit me, due to the need for a very loud voice so that the whole studio can hear you. Lastly, I was the talent for the show. This was quite challenging as we were unscripted and had to think of a topic on the spot. Although the show is heavily scripted for 'The Big Movie Quiz', there is a great possibility that there will be the need for ad libbing. By being the talent, it allowed us as crew members to appreciate the difficulty of presenting a show as you have eyes on you all around the studio and you are also expected to carry the show, even if it goes wrong. This is a tough thing to do, so when we have our presenter in for 'The Big Movie Quiz' it will really help us all to sympathise with them for their job role and understand the challenges that they have.
Overall, this workshop was a fantastic experience and I have gained a lot from the taster sessions in each job role. This isn't something I thought I would have the chance to do, so I am grateful for the opportunity as it has opened my eyes to different job roles that I could potentially apply for in the future.
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