PRE-PRODUCTION: Research - Baking/Cooking Entertainment Shows

Another genre of television I am interested in looking at for the Professional Pre-Production unit is Entertainment, in particular Cooking/Baking shows. Going with what I am interested in when it comes to watching television, I wanted to explore this genre as it is something I have been unable to venture into throughout my first two years at UCA, due to safety restrictions. However, as this project will be hypothetical and can be on a large scale, I am able to look at many other genres and be completely unrestricted in my choice. 

The Great British Bake Off & Masterchef

Two shows in this genre stand out to me in particular as they are favourites of mine, ‘The Great British Bake Off’ and ‘Masterchef’. I have watched both religiously and find them very entertaining. The material is very easy to watch and lighthearted which makes for great entertainment. They are both competition based shows which means that the audience get to see members of the public compete against each other in several gruelling and stressful rounds making for great entertainment which is often very gripping and tense to watch. By the end of the series, we see a contestant crowned the winner which is the final outcome. This is a crucial element to the these shows as it allows the audience to root for their favourite and continue watching to find out the result. 

The Great British Bake Off

Baking in particular is an interest of mine and so I find the subject matter of 'Bake Off' engaging as I feel as if I may learn something. The show itself is generally very easy watching which makes for comfortable family viewing.

Masterchef

However, the content alone is not the only draw for me. I think that ‘Bake Off’ in particular have established the show in recent seasons with a distinct style and appearance which is unique to them. For example the titles, theme and rounds all add to the quirk of the show giving it a unique selling point which appears to appeal to the masses. I recently found this to be particularly evident as the show has just been re-launched on Channel 4 as opposed to BBC 1. However, the company have retained all of their recognisable themes and quirks to appeal to its audience. As soon as I see the titles and hear the theme, I know exactly what to expect from the show and am very familiar with the format and structure. I also think that the way shows like this are broken up into segments and rounds helps to keep the interest of the viewer. Rather than showing a single round where the contestants are required to make a baked good or savoury dish, this is edited to capture the most entertaining moments and make time for more content. 'Masterchef' follow a similar structure in that each episode  is generally broken up into 3 sections, 2 of which they'll be in the studios competing directly against the other contestants and the other section will be in a professional environment where often they have to work in pairs or small teams. 

Both shows share many similarities including structure, contestants and the use of judges. The judges are generally experts which offer advice to the contestants and judge their performance throughout, deciding who goes through to each round and who ultimately wins. I think that this judging format is much better than public vote as used on other entertainment shows, as the result is always based on performance rather than popularity. 

I think that choosing an Entertainment show, particularly of a cooking/baking genre could be really interesting for this unit as it will be so different to previous units.
However, it should share similarities with the Studio Production unit as I will need to ensure that if I include rounds, they all must be entertaining and sustain the interest of the audience throughout. The show would also need to be somewhat different to these shows as they already exist and there is no gap in the market for something that is too similar.

PRE-PRODUCTION: Research - Crime/Detective Genre of Drama

Narcos

True Crime and Mystery dramas have gripped the world in the past few years, with few other genres lending themselves so readily to binge watching as crime. The idea that there is a mystery to be solved and therefore a reason to continue watching and stay engrossed until the end, keeps audiences engaged for the entirety of the drama. Netflix dramas in particular have taken centre stage for this genre, often allowing the viewer to binge watch an entire series in one go, rather than waiting for the next weekly episode. I became interested in this genre myself through the likes of Netflix, with these dramas being the most talked about, which is perhaps what interested me in them. I like the element of mystery and find Crime drama engaging as it tends to keep me guessing throughout, encouraging me to continue watching. The genre can also offer rather dark story lines, with a detective to root for and a ‘baddie’ to be revealed at the end. Crime dramas can also offer a substantial amount of action as criminals are either committing crimes or being sought after by police authorities. These scenes can be rather adrenaline inducing which make them addictive and engrossing to watch. I am particularly interested in this genre for this unit as I intend on choosing a genre that interests me. Therefore, I feel more compelled to create a piece of work which should reflect and compete with some of these dramas alike. 


Narcos

A popular Netflix Crime Drama includes ‘Narcos’, which is a thrilling series, documenting the rise of the cocaine trade in Colombia and the real life story of the notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar between 1970 and 1992. It is told from the perspective of an American DEA agent, Steve Murphy who is working in Colombia at the time and trying to take down Escobar and his associates. He also narrates the series, introducing the audience to new characters and telling us why they are significant.This series builds suspense for the audience as it is very action heavy and depicts the events in an incredibly raw and graphic way, connecting the audience and making them feel as if they are involved. 


Broadchurch

Broadchurch

Broadchurch is another Crime and Mystery Drama series. This is one in particular that I have enjoyed very much and found to be very engaging throughout all the series that have aired so far. So much so that I chose it as the Drama to recreate during the Directions unit in my 1st Year. It is a true Detective series in that we follow 2 Detectives portrayed by David Tennant and Olivia Colman, as they uncover some terrible crimes including murders. The subject matter is again dark and includes a few graphic scenes, however, it is much more about the story and the uncovering of the criminals which carry this series. I also found when watching Broadchurch that I grew to really like the 2 main characters and not only rooted for them but grew to be quite invested in them wanted to know how their own lives would turn out. I think that creating an emotional connection with the audience is also very important even with this genre as it is a great technique in keeping the audience gripped. This series is able to build suspense and keep the audience interested as it follows the lives of all of the towns inhabitants, almost framing each one to keep you guessing, with the final outcomes being very unlikely and unsuspected so that you are shocked by the ending. Not only is this great storytelling but it lends itself to the Crime and Mystery genre so well, captivating audiences and surprising them when it needs to.

Luther

Luther

I have also looked at Luther which aired on BBC1 in the UK, but is also available on the Netflix platform. It is a British Drama Crime series, starring Idris Elba as the title character of Detective Chief Inspector John Luther who works for the Serious Crime Unit. The series creator Neil Cross has said that Luther is influenced by Sherlock Holmes in particular, with his intellect and its application to unveiling crimes is comparable to Holmes. His involvement in cases allow audiences to see a dedicated police officer who often gets caught up in violent and difficult situations, making it almost impossible to watch just one episode. As a series, it is very action heavy with crime just being a theme throughout, however it manages to captivate audiences by putting Luther in dangerous and difficult  situations that make the audience want to see him succeed.  As the hero character, we are able to root for Luther and feel engaged in his story, keeping the audience engrossed as we want to see what will happen to him next. Similarly to Broadchurch, he is a character that we follow throughout the series and someone who the audience should feel invested in. 

PRE-PRODUCTION: Unit Overview and Initial Ideas

I am now entering my 3rd and final year at UCA and am excited to get back into a Uni routine! The year will be starting with a unit entitled 'Pre Production'. This unit is broken into 2 categories, of which we choose from, and will be the practical unit we will be undertaking until Christmas.

"This unit challenges students to focus their individual practice through a sustained engagement in the critical phase of pre-production."

I will be keeping the aims and learning outcomes of this unit in mind throughout to ensure I am engaging myself and working to a high standard towards a degree at the end. I have chosen to work alone rather than in a small group as I have found throughout my 1st and 2nd years that working in a group can be much more stressful and in some ways more challenging than working alone. This will also allow me to set myself a timetable and working schedule that I will be able to make work for myself so that I can structure my time effectively. The unit is 100% Portfolio which means that it is all coursework and will require a great depth of beneficial research, and written work throughout.

The 2 options are Professional Pre-Production which is high concept and entails producing a detailed Pre-Production package for an original production which will stay at this stage rather than going forward into production. The reason for this is that we are able to work to an industry sized scale and not be restricted to a student budget. Therefore the end result must be competitive to what is currently being aired on Television. It can be of any genre - Drama, Documentary, News, Entertainment etc. This option must be presented clearly and to a very high standard, either as a book or online platform and should include the idea/pitch, script, casting, production design, trailer and camera tests as a minimum. The other option is the Major Project Pre-Production which will entail developing a Pre-Production for a project which will then be taken forward into production after Christmas for the Major Project unit. The requirements for this option are nearly exactly the same, however, there are restrictions in terms of budget, casting, locations etc as it will be a student capable piece of work and so the planning must reflect these elements.

Initial Ideas
I have decided to choose the Professional Pre-Production option for this unit. I decided to choose this option out of the 2 because it is so different to what I have been able to do within my first couple of years at Uni. Every other unit so far has included a practical element, meaning that I have been restricted in terms of budget largely. This is because as a student we are restricted in terms of casting and location, among other things which means the outcomes may not necessarily be competitive with an Industry piece of work.  However, the idea of planning a hypothetical piece of work which should compete with what is on Television right now is very appealing to me, as it will allow me to think outside of the box and not have to narrow down my decisions. It also doesn't restrict me in my choice of show as there will be restrictions for the Major Project Pre-Production. For example, a cooking show would have too many health and safety risks and so could not be put into production. I have made a spider diagram to document my initial ideas. These are some areas of Television I am interested in and that I enjoy watching the most. I have also thought about some of the shows that come under each category, as these are either shows that I have enjoyed or are of interest to me in terms of research so I can see what other people have done and the styles they have used to fit the genre.

Initial Ideas Exploration

Studio Production: Project Evaluation

The Studio Production unit has differed from any other unit we have done up to now. For many of us, including myself, this was the first experience of studio based television. Other units have tended to include location based filming which can feel quite repetitive. There is also room for error with this type of production as you can re shoot until you get the footage you like and edit from that. With live television, you do not get that opportunity. What it seen on the screen when the shots go live is the final edit. I thought that I would find the pressure of that to be very stressful, however, I surprised myself and really enjoyed this new way of working!
The unit began with ideas that we had to pitch as individuals to a panel including Del and all of the tutors. This was a very daunting process but a good learning experience to develop on my presentation skills. I decided to pitch for a film based quiz show, however the content would only feature recently released and current films. I devised four rounds including 'Plot Holes' which would involve a VT with acting out of a recent film scene and the contestants would have to buzz in with the title of the film. I got good feedback for the idea and the round break down, with Laura suggesting that the current film idea gave it a unique selling point. However, they agreed that this made the content too niche and specialist. Once we'd all pitched, the panel chose the idea they liked the most. They chose Josh Jones to be the Producer, which I was pleased about as his idea was also a film quiz.
To devise the roles of the rest of the crew, we had an interview process where we would go up for 2 or 3 roles and answer questions explaining the skills we had to offer and why we would be the best candidate for them. I obtained my first choice role which was a split role - VT Director and Camera Operator. I was attracted to these roles because one was creative and one was technical, therefore I felt I would be able expand my learning in both areas. I was particularly excited about taking on the role of a camera operator as I had been a camera assistant last year and really enjoyed working on the set floor.
As a member of the VT team, we came up with several ideas together, brainstorming and choosing what we thought would be entertaining for the audience and still fit within the demographics of the show. Initially,  I was excited to work with Cheyenne (VT Producer) and Saskia (VT Director) as I had never worked with them before. However, even in the early stages of development I found it difficult to include myself in their conversations and often my ideas were shut down. It was better in the big group meetings which included the VT editors and other camera operators as I think that a wider expanse of ideas meant that we could all pitch in and be more creative which worked well. The VT that I was able to make the most creative decisions for was the trailer for Norman. I enjoyed coming up with the concept and taking ideas from our meetings to devise the sequences for this VT.
We had a few set backs early in the process when we did a test shoot. As part of a work shop we were able to do a test shoot for the mockumentary which was going to be a one shot- home based film of the character Norman. We did the test shoot with Helen playing the character and after feedback, realised that this was far too simple and just felt like it needed something else. Josh went away and then pitched the idea of the mockumentary to us which would include the crew and feature other cameras to give some insight into who Norman was. I think in hindsight the test shoot was a really positive thing to do as it highlighted a big issue with the original idea.
The shoot days were relatively successful, however we did have to film on 2 extra days than originally planned. This was definitely necessary to achieve as much material as possible for the edits. Working with Darren was really pleasant and he was more than happy to come back for another shoot day, making it much easier for us.
In terms of the edits, I had most control over the Trailer VT. I had devised my shot list for the shoot and so was pleased with the sequences I had shot. After the first VT viewing, Helen told me she had liked the montage section therefore I wanted to expand on this and make it a key part of the trailer. When it came to the edit, I was happy with the shots. However, there were disputes with the VT Producer and other Director as they both wanted the montage to be only a few shots and very brief. They also suggested that we only saw his face at the end. I did work with Laura who was editing it to see how this would look but there were several close up shots of the face that I wanted to include and showing them at the end didn't work. In the end I decided to do what I thought would work best for this trailer as I was the main Director for it and felt like my original shot list was the most effective. I found working with Laura very easy as we agreed on ideas and had the same vision for the VT.

In terms of the camera operation during rehearsals, I found this to be really interesting. I learnt some new skills about matching the cameras up to ensure they all looked the same. It was also a really interesting experience using the talk back system and taking directions from Becca, (Director) as this added a new pressure. When you have to frame up with a time limit, you suddenly feel the pressure, especially when you've got to listen to what the Director is looking for at all times. I found this to be a really enjoyable experience and I found this way of operating a camera to be challenging but exciting! When it came to the day of the recording, we were all feeling very nervous as no one wanted to make any little mistakes as these would affect the overall edit. Cheyenne and I were the cameras for the contestants which meant that we were always alternating between a two shot and singles. This was the first time we did a run through with an audience which was another added pressure. However, I felt confident in the shots I had to do and knew them off by heart at this point, even though I had my camera cards as reminders. The recording was really successful with only very minor mistakes. I was worried about tilting up during the 'American Pie in your face' round, however, looking back at the recording, I managed to tilt at the right time and speed which I was very pleased about. Overall, I am pleased with the new skills I have learnt from this unit and really enjoyed working in a studio environment. I also thought I would dislike the 'live' element but instead found this to be very exciting and a great way to work. There were a few issues with communication amongst the VT team which was a shame and made the Directing experience for me not as easy going as I would have liked, however, I feel like I overcame this towards the end of the unit and pushed for some of my ideas which was beneficial.

Studio Production: My Role as a Camera Operator

Using cameras in the studio has been a very different experience for me, in comparison to using them on location. I feel like I have learnt a lot about using them from this experience. When taking the cameras out to use for an interview or some cutaways of a location, the set up process and demands of the camera are very different. Whilst in the studio, the cameras must all look exactly the same on screen to ensure that the show cuts together seamlessly. We were taught how to do this by lining them up and using a greyscale chart. Before doing this, I would white balance a camera and then check the skin tones to ensure that it reflected the colours as they were. In learning how to line cameras up, I learnt that there are so many other things you can do to change the appearance of the camera. As a camera operator, I also had to adjust the iris on the camera which adjusts how much light is being shown into the lens.
In comparison to my role as a Director, I enjoyed camera operating a lot more. I felt like I learnt more skills, particularly studio based skills which I will hopefully use in future projects. I think that the pressure of operating a camera in a studio environment is really exciting. This was something that I was particularly anxious about as we only had one chance for the recording and any little mistakes would show when it came to the rough cut viewing. However, I think that the sense of team work was the most apparent on the day of the recording as we were all in the same boat and were feeling the pressure. The camera team in particular had some issues with the lighting as this was making the colours on some of the cameras look distorted. I found that we were well practiced in troubleshooting the cameras at this point which meant that we were able to help each other out to fix the problem as soon as possible. Overall, I really enjoyed working in the studio environment and having a high responsibility role was an exciting experience for me. I feel like I have challenged myself in taking on a technical role as I felt like my camera skills weren't at a high standard.

Studio Production: My Role as a Director

The second role I had for this unit was one of the VT Directors. The other VT Director was Saskia who I'd never worked with before. I felt excited to take on this role and work with the other members of the VT team. This process began with the idea exploration for the VTs. I think that this was relatively successful when we were in a big group as the ideas were all noted down. However, when it came to making creative decisions later on, I struggled to have my voice heard.
When it came to the shoot days, I felt prepared, having worked with the scripts and composing a shot list with all of the coverage I wanted to get. I had taken some of my research into account when it came to imagining the scenes and coming up with the sequences I wanted to film. I feel like the shoot days were relatively successful, however, we did have to re-film to get extra material and some tighter shots.
When it came to the editing stage, I would say that the overall process with Laura was successful and we managed to work well as a team. I was pleased with the outcome, however, there were a few sound issues with some of the dialogue. This was edited using audition which was relatively successful in improving the sound quality. There were a few issues with disagreements regarding the edits but Helen said that she liked the final edits and that only minor changes needed to be made. In conclusion, I feel like I didn't enjoy Directing as much as Camera operating but feel like i've learnt a lot in terms of ensuring I assert authority on future projects where I am directing to ensure that I am happy with the outcomes.

Studio Production: 'The Big Movie Quiz' - The Recording

Yesterday was a very big day, we recorded the show 'as live' in front of an audience. All of the weeks of rehearsals were leading up to the record, which meant that it needed to reflect all of our team work and progress. Given the limited time we had to rehearse, I think the final record was incredibly successful. Everyone took to their roles with a professional manner throughout which means that the final result should reflect that and I think it did.
There was a real buzz of energy on both the studio floor and the gallery as we set up for the record. Everyone was feeling very nervous as any little slip ups could pull the production value down and let the show down. However, despite a few very small imperfections, they were all recovered very quickly and professionally which I think showed how much we've learnt throughout this process.

We arrived for the rehearsals with a complete set for the first time, which was really good to see because it looked very impressive. The camera crew all arrived with plenty of set up time which meant that we were able to match them all up perfectly and ensure that all batteries were on charge.
In terms of the rehearsals, I think that each one got better as we all got into the swing of our roles and were gaining confidence. As one of the camera crew, I felt like, despite making camera cards to follow, I was able to remember my shots for each round and was confident setting up for each shot with ease. Cheyenne and I were both on the contestants, so during rehearsals it was affective to be able to see what worked best in terms of who would be shooting what and how our cameras would work together. It was interesting working with the lighting team for the first time as this had a dramatic effect on the cameras, something we hadn't had to work with before. However, this was overcome by setting the cameras to a collective setting and having the lights altered to work well with the cameras.
When it came to the final record, I was certainly feeling the pressure, however I think that the rush of adrenaline is really exciting, especially with a live audience. There was also a huge pressure to make everything perfect as we will be assessed on the final outcome, based on how it went for that take alone. I think this was a good way to assess the show, as it also assesses how well each of us coped under pressure.
After the recording, Del made a speech and took a group photo with us which was nice as it felt like a celebratory end to the show. Overall, I am very pleased with the final recording and think that all of the team work we put in throughout rehearsals and our time with Del has proven to have been a great learning curve for all of us
!