Studio Production: The Big Movie Quiz

After pitching all of our final ideas on Tuesday, the panel chose the idea that they thought had the most viability and was going to be interesting and achievable for this unit. They chose to go for Josh's idea entitled 'The Big Movie Quiz'. It is a film based quiz show featuring questions on films, both past and present. Josh has chosen to target an age group of 18-44 and will broadcast it at 9pm on Channel 4. Josh pitched it to us today, to give us some insight into his ideas for the show. He said that he wanted it to be quite comedic, with some scripted jokes that will be said throughout and during an opening monologue. For this, we will need a confident presenter that will deliver the lines in a professional manner in order to make the comedy aspect work. He also told us about his plans for the VT which will include 4 different VTs. It will be the job of the VT team to take Josh's initial ideas and requirements for them and develop scripts, the pre production, all the way through to production. I am excited to take on my Directorial role now that we have been given something to work with and go off as a team to develop. I will be taking the notes I made from the production meeting with Josh regarding the VTs so I can pick them apart and ensure that I know and understand all of the requirements and elements for them.

Studio Production: Assigned Job Roles: My Role

Today we were assigned our job roles for the studio production unit. This was carried out through an interview process with Helen and Laura. We had to give in our CV which highlighted our key skills and attributes to allow the panel to choose who was the most suitable candidate for each role. I wanted to take on the role as VT Director and Camera Operator as I felt I could offer the skills required for this role. I also thought that it would be an interesting role as it was split and so would be more interesting than a singular role. The interview went well and I answered the questions aimed at me with ease. I told Helen that I had been a camera assistant on last years production, which gave me some insight to what its like being on the set floor, which I really enjoyed. I was given the role as VT Director/Studio Camera which I was very pleased about. I like that it incorporates both a creative role and a technical role on the day of the show.
It will be my job to work with the rest of the VT team to compose, write and shoot the VTs for the show. I am excited to work with some new people on this project and think that it should be a strong team. I have been given an authoritative position as one of the Directors so it will be part of my job to ensure that there is good organisation and planning for the VTs and that everyone feels comfortable with their roles on shoot days. I will also be working with the editors after the shoots to construct the edits, as they will be based on the shot lists and sequences that Saskia and I plan during the production stage.
In terms of the camera operation, it will be my job as one of the operators to follow a shot list and deliver them in time, with guidance from the Director who will be Becca for this show. I will also be working as part of a camera team to ensure that all of cameras are co ordinating and doing what they should be doing. I am looking forward to learning more about the cameras in a studio environment and discovering the responsibilities of this role.

Studio Production: Pitching Panel/Final Idea

Today, we pitched our ideas for the studio production to the panel which included Del Brown, who will be working with us on this unit, the tutors - Helen, Simon and Laura, and Wez, who was the Producer last year. I was very nervous as there were lots of people to impress with my ideas and I felt the pressure to deliver my ideas well as we will be graded on the pitching process. Since I changed my original idea to a film based quiz show, I have been outlining and developing on my initial ideas to map out the rounds and the details of the show. I wanted it to be in as much detail as possible so the panel would be able to decide whether it would be viable and achievable. I would say that the pitching process went well with some good feedback regarding the round structure and unique selling point. However, they decided that using the idea of only including recently released films meant that it was too niche and would require film experts for the contestants in order for it to work. In reflection I am pleased with how it went and feel like I thought about my ideas clearly and conveyed these to the panel successfully. As an area of improvement for the idea, I think taking out the recent films aspect would make it a viable show.

Above shows a few of the slides of my presentation. I included the logistics and outline of the show, as well as some early ideas for graphics and logos to give the panel something to visualise.

Studio Production: Idea Change/Development

I have decided to change my idea which included the contestants carrying out tasks to a restricted time. Originally, I wanted the show to be quite comical and include a variety of actions and give it quite a slapstick comedy feel. However, in hindsight I have decided that this wouldn't be interesting enough to sustain the full 30 minutes of the show and didn't really have enough content.

My new idea is a film based quiz show. However, I would like it to still have an element of a panel show, with 3 contestants on each panel. My unique selling point is that the films will all be recently released, therefore differing from a standard quiz. I think that giving it a twist will also take it away from being just a quiz show where its only purpose is to educate - like University Challenge.
Taking inspiration from shows like '8 Out of 10 Cats' and 'The Big Fat Quiz of the Year', I would want it to still retain an element of comedy where the contestants would interact with each other, aside from just answering the questions. I spoke to Helen about this and we agreed that to do this, I think I would need to find contestants that had a comedic background so that they feel confident to be funny on the show and interact with the other contestants. Casting Call Pro would be a good place to look for these contestants as there are many categories, not just actors where you can target comedians particularly.
I would like the quiz show would have a variety of questions, also interactive rounds where VTs could be used to as the questions. I have also thought about rounds that could be quite physical and involve either the contestants or other actors to act out a scene from a recent film which would then need to guessed. I decided to remove the element of the clock as I felt like it would become too much of a central aspect, and it wasn't original. To extend on this idea, I will map out my rounds individually and develop them to assess whether they would have enough entertainment value and sustain the 30 minutes of the show.

Studio Production: Countdown - Research

Countdown is a British game show which focuses around word and number puzzles that must be solved within a time limit by the contestants. It is broadcast on Channel 4 with its debut dating back to 1982, however, it was produced by ITV Studios. With over 6,500 episodes, Countdown is one of the longest running game shows on Television. The show was originally presented by Richard Whitely who presented it for 20 years before his death in 2005. He was then replaced by Des Lynam. We see the show today presented by Nick Hewer, accompanied by Rachel Riley and Susie Dent as the Lexicographer.
I wanted to research into Countdown a little more as I am interested in using a time element for my idea. I find when watching Countdown, the element of the clock and the restricted time limit really helps to bring the show to life and add something extra. It also makes it more challenging and pressured for the contestants as they are having to do some quite academic tasks to a restricted time. The time limit is usually 30 seconds which ends with the widely recognised sting, signifying that the time is up.
The show it self is aimed at family viewing as it is aired before the watershed and doesn't include any material that is suitable for younger age groups. I would like my idea for a show to have the same demographic, however, I don't think I want it to be as educational as Countdown, and instead have more of a comedy element. In terms of the clock element, I really like this idea as it gives a sense of urgency and pressure for the contestants. Therefore I think using a clock for each of the rounds where the contestants would have to complete a task or solve a riddle would be an interesting factor to include.

Studio Production: Initial Ideas + Lab Feedback

I have thought about a few different ideas for the show, settling on the idea of a game/quiz show. I decided that I wanted the target audience to be families, as I think that this would give me capability to explore different options without having to limit it too much. I have thought about having two panels, which is something that is seen regularly on quiz shows. I like the idea of having the contestants having a strict time limit, of which they will have to complete a task or answer questions in the time to win the point. This is seen in shows like 'Countdown', where there is huge emphasis on time. We pitched some of our initial ideas for the unit as part of an idea lab. This was an opportunity for us to see where everyone else is with the development of their ideas and assist each other to expand on these further. The general consensus of this was that most people had chosen to look into game shows. I think this is because it is difficult to undertake other options such as comedy panel shows and dating shows as there is a lot of emphasis on the talent being entertaining rather than there being good existing content without the contributors.
In order to make my idea for the show more dynamic, I thought about the contestants having to complete tasks within the time frame rather than answering questions. I think that this will look more visually stimulating, and will suit the target audience as it should have an energy to it that would be difficult to achieve with a generic quiz show. This would also add an element of comedy to the show in a natural, unforced way which would appeal to audiences.
Helen gave me some advice in the lab feedback to develop on the idea of the clock and a pressured time frame, looking at other shows that use this strategy and making this the basis of the show. I think that the idea as it is is very simple and needs development to expand on and give it more depth.

Studio Production: Unit Overview

We have just begun the third unit of the year, entitled 'Studio Production'. This unit is very different to any of the units previously as it involves the entire course year working on one production. Previously we had worked on units individually or in small groups of 3 or 4, therefore the working dynamic for this unit will be very different.

The brief says that we must produce a 30 minute 'as live' TV Programme in a studio environment with an audience. Each of us must devise and pitch an idea for the programme in front of a panel including Helen and Simon, who will then decide on the idea, with that student as Producer. Once the Producer has been decided, the rest of the class will go up for a job interview for the role they would most like to do. Once we are in our roles, we will be working as a production team in the weeks leading up to and on the days of the production. I am looking forward to this unit and working with everyone on the course as a team. However, I think this will pose lots of challenges along the way. Some of the included roles are the Director and Assistant Producer who will work closely with the Producer throughout. Studio floor roles include the Floor Manager, Camera Operators and Autocue Runner, these are all controlled in the gallery by the Director and Visual Mixer through good communication to ensure that every aspect runs to time.