Below is our football VT.
Module Questions June 9, 2010
At the beginning of the module we were given a set of 4 questions that would help us reflect on what we have learnt from this module, Below are the questions followed by my answers for each question, where applicable I have included some links of websites that I have used.
Why are studios used to make programmes when tape is so cheap and available?
There are only a handful of programmes that use studios, without these shows, many of the programmes we watch on television day-to-day would be exactly the same. If you had a programme that always changed location you just wouldn’t be able to create a particular atmosphere that could work every single episode. Using a studio helps keep a sense of relaxation and helps keep the comforting homely atmosphere of many programmes such as This morning and The one show.
Being in a studio helps to control a main programme, being situated in one place helps to be able to move into other parts of the show and helps to use a variety of items which help to keep the audience interested. Studios often tend to have many different sections in which they can use to help break up the set and have different topics throughout the show. For example, This morning have separated their set into at least 3 different sections, they have their main stage in which the presenters sit and everything is very homely, they also have a kitchen area and a performance stage. (http://www.itv.com/lifestyle/thismorning/more/setdesign/)
Being set in a studio is good for magazine shows like The one show, this is because if there is a big news story they would be able to easily cover it, however if they weren’t set in a studio this would cause some problems as they would have pre recorded it and not been able t show any news as the news that they would have recorded could have been outdated by the time the show is on air. (http://rooreynolds.com/2008/10/29/behind-the-scenes-at-the-one-show/)
What are Magazine Programmes? Why Do audiences like them?
There are two different types of magazine programmes, there is specialist and general, a specialist show is one like Top gear, where the whole show is about one particular subject, for instance Top gear is all about cars, whereas a general show is basically a show with a general topic, nothing is about one particular thing. Magazine programmes are made up of a numerous items, these are different depending on the type f magazine show it is, for example, Top Gear would have several items that are about or based on cars (http://www.topgear.com/uk/).
There are many items that magazine programmes can be made up from, these include; demonstrations, Topical debates, performances and Discussions.
Audiences tend to like Magazine shows because they tend to know what to expect, someone who doesn’t enjoy cars most probably would not watch top gear as the whole show is about cars. In a general show they cover many topics which appeal to many different people, because of this content the audience can see what to expect in each show. Also as magazine programmes do rely on audience participation it helps the viewers feel more connected to the show and helps them like and watch the shows more. Many magazine programmes are shown during the day which makes them real easy to watch and connect to, this is good for the audience who like to sit and relax at lunch time and just watch something easy-going.
What are the limitations of magazine programmes? How can they be improved to ensure they continue?
I believe that specialist magazine programmes are more limited that general shows, this is because they are specialised on one particular feature they are more likely to rn out of ideas and items to use within the show and are more likely to become repetitive. Each episode should try to keep to a particular theme, this is so that you don’t end up with too many opposites which may end up ruining the show for many viewers.
To ensure that these programmes continue I believe that the shows should make sure they are always up to date with all the latest news and affairs, I also think that they should make sure they keep the sets and the whole presentation of the show in the current times.
As these shows do cost a lot of money, I believe that there may end up a time when they will be just cancelled, for our show we created we had many crew members as well as guests come in, this always puts a lot of stress on the director, also because shows are filmed live there are many different things that could go wrong. For example when we were filming our show live the graphics machine messed up and we had half the show with no graphics and the other half with the wrong graphics, little problems like this would cost a company loads and would also make the producer re think about whether it is worth to keep on the television.
Consider other sources of distribution for magazine type shows
Many things nowadays are available on-line. I think magazine shows that are shown on ITV should be made available on ITV player, this means that the ratings would be boosted up loads.
Also many people use youtube to show off their work and to keep an eye on others, you are able to subscribe to channels if you really like their work and this ensure when a new episode or video is put up you are able to view it. If magazines shows went onto youtube they would receive many hits and be able to have their viewers leave comments under each episode to say what they liked the most and what they didn’t like, this means that the producer would see what the viewers want more of and less of.
Task 1 June 9, 2010
For Task one we had to compare and contrast two magazine shows, for this I chose top gear and This Morning. Below are is a slideshow that shows my presentation for my task one.
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Final performance :) June 6, 2010
Our final performance went rather well, We had some problems to start with, some of the crew got nervous about being watched and messed some things up, however once we had gotten halfway through the first take we all settled in really well and managed to get some good shots and a good recording. We also had some problems with the Graphics machine, however even though we had problems with this we still went ahead and did as much as we could.
Overall I think it went really well and we managed to get at least one good take, any problems we did have were easily overcome and everyone was feeling positive when we had finished.
Below are some of the pictures taken during the day when we were setting up and when we had finished of the performance and the crew. We have some photo’s here of the things we did for our guests, like refreshments in the green room.
Below is a link to a video that Rochielle took straight after we had finished filming, she has put music on top, and it pretty much just shows the Red group and how happy we were when we had finished.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/video/video.php?v=10150209971585445
Ben June 6, 2010
We started to have some problems with Ben not turning up to our workshops and rehearsals, we reminded him several times when we had the studio, he had some problems in which we understood, however he didn’t turn up to our last rehearsal and when we rang him to ask where he was he replied that he was buying a new car.
We asked why he couldn’t wait til after our rehearsal but he didn’t seem too bothered.
For our actual assessment the whole team was asked to come in at 7.30am, we knew some people wouldn’t mak it til 8am because of trains and buses, however they told us this in advance, ben didn’t turn up til just gone 9am, by this time we had everything sorted.
Because of his lack of attendance we thought it would only demote him from his job role like we did for Laura, we waited for him to come in and Kyrie, Nicola and I took him out in the corridor to explain to him that it wasnt fair on the group that he never turned up and the rest of them had to set up without him, we also said we were going to demote him like we did for Laura, we explained how he knew it would happen like it did with Laura. Ben then became another Runner for the production and Dave Hanna took his place as the Vision Mixer.
Lighting – Task 3 June 6, 2010
My production role within the red show was being the lighting director. Below is a short Video which has me explaining my job role briefly to the camera.
My job role was to make sure that all the lights were positioned in place, I had to make sure there were no shadows on the presenters faces or within the show as a whole. I was in charge of placing the lights in particular places and making sure that the lights don’t bounce off the wallpaper and back drop. I am in charge of the lighting board which controls all the lights in the studio, below is a picture of the lighting desk.
Below are my lighting plans, there is a plan on how the lights would be set up in the studio followed by what levels would be up and using what channel
Presenters, Green Level, Channel A – 10
Channels 4 – 8 , 7 – 8, 9 – 8
Home or Abroad, Both Levels, Channel A – 8, Channel B – 10
Channels 1 – 5, 2 – 5, 3 – 4, 4 – 8, 7 – 8, 8 – 7, 9 – 8, 10 – 6
Fashion, Purple Levels, Channel B – 10
Channels 1 – 5, 2 – 4, 3 – 4, 7 – 7, 9 – 7
Performer, Purple Levels, Channel B – 10
Channels 1 - 5, 2 – 5, 3 – 4, 7 – 7, 9 – 6
Final Studio Rehearsal June 2, 2010
Today was our last day of rehearsals, I think that it went really well, we didn’t encounter many problems and had some of the best run through’s so far, with this in mind, I am truly confident about tomorrow. Below are some pictures of todays rehearsal, these pictures are all dress rehearsals too.
Studio Rehearsals May 28, 2010
We have had many rehearsals now, We have slowly brought in things for the set and made our presenters more comfortable in front of the cameras. Below are some pictures from some of our Studio rehearsals and of us setting up the studio, some of the pictures are how we are going to have our set, the first picture you see is one of how we will be decorating our boards.
