The Process
Ideas
In this project, we were tasked with creating an online News brand, creating a channel, a promotional video, and 1 episode of the show, involving a 2 minute package and 2 minute live segment.We began the project with brainstorming our brand. I suggested on the first day of the project that we make local news for a young audience of 10-17, and we stuck with it. It was a unique idea and we knew that there would be locations that we could use, and by narrowing down the audience this immediately made the topics clearer.
Initially, we wanted one physical news package that a presenter could get involved in, and 1 current-affairs style package that we could challenge ourselves to making interesting. I suggested the meme ban idea as I had heard of it vaguely through a biased Reddit post, and then explored the facts myself and wanted to look into it further.
We considered trampoline parks for our physical package, as we thought it could be amusing to hold an interview on a trampoline, however Helen reminded us that the location has to have a reason to be featured, which is when Ebony told us about her work experience at Unit One. We knew this was the perfect story as the place was interesting, with the same target audience, and they were also a charity, so we could talk about their mission and why it's important in the local area.
Putting them into motion
In our first group meeting, Ebony was tasked with getting in contact with Unit One as she had known the owner previously, and I began research into what Article 11 and 13 were and how we could make this understandable to our audience. Esme researched how language changes depending on the audience, and Harvey researched and brainstormed ideas for our branding. We also decided upon the name 'Let's Talk' as a working title which we never improved upon, so it stuck.Ebony secured Unit One as a contributor and I worked on developing the script with the guidance of Esme to make sure it held a direction and was understandable.
We then held our second group meeting where we started to discuss production, such as how we wanted each part to be filmed, who we wanted to involve, and also the promotional video. As soon as our meeting finished, we got stuck into getting our presenters on board, and also shot a practice of the ideas for the promo so that we knew what to expect from the real thing.
Production
We started production with a location recce at Unit One, where we were able to get an idea of shots, how we could set up the interview, and getting to know Kathy. We then got stuck into the shoots that lasted over 4 days. We shot at the skatepark for 2 and then the studio and meme package for the other 2. We filmed our promo over 2 days between the other shoots.
Post Production
Finally, we brought the video into post-production and I began work on the edit. I worked on the different sections separately, in order to keep track of what each segment was, and it also made ordering my files easier. This also meant that once each package was done I could just slot them into the studio pieces and work the studio pieces around the packages. I wasn't able to take on the whole edit as I was pushed for time, so I asked Harvey to take on the meme package, which I also knew would take a lot of After Effects work which I didn't feel as confident with, and I knew he could do a great job with it, which he did.
My Roles
Producing
In the ideas stage of production, we decided on our roles;
- Esme- Director
- Myself- Producer/ Presenter/ Editor
- Ebony- Camera/ Sound (interchangeable)
- Harvey- Camera/ Sound (interchangeable)
On reflection, I feel my role as producer was only half-fulfilled.
Under the producer role, I took on related tasks as writing half of the script (Ebony on the other half), set design, crew co-ordination and casting. However, I feel I should have taken more of a role involving set time-keeping and pre-production paperwork.
I was happy with the work that I did in this role, but I can't help but feel I should have done more, so that I can successfully say that I filled this role.
Presenting
As a presenter, I feel I worked hard to do my best job. I ensured that I had researched my topic and knew what I was going to say, I practiced with the teleprompter and speaking to the camera, and then presented in a manner that was interesting and engaging, using what I had learnt through practice and constructive criticism from the team and put it into effect. I also used my research from BBC News and Newsround to understand codes and conventions of presenting News and using real life examples to improve my own performance.I took a short time to learn how to be melodramatic in front of the camera, but the outcome paid off.
Post Production
In post production, I used my previous knowledge and also the script to build a cohesive edit with the guidance of all other members of crew, consistently checking with Esme that she was happy with the edit and taking advice from Ebony and Harvey. I also put advice from Helen into immediate effect and even after our struggle with keeping direction with the skatepark package I was able to remodel the edit into becoming something much more understandable, and something that also holds more of a message to take away from it. I had to ask Harvey to take on the role of editor for the meme package as I knew that that was going to take up a lot of my time that I was running out of. I would have taken on that edit also, had I not run into the directional problems with the skatepark edit, as that took time to rearrange. I also knew that my skills wouldn't have taken the package as far as it needed to go, but I knew Harvey was more skilled than me in editing so I knew he would be able to make the package into how I had imagined it, faster than I would have been able to. By this point, time limits were in the way of doing a good job and I knew I would have been too limited to create something to the best of my ability. I am glad to have made the decision to separate the work out, as it made the overall process and also the final product better.
Group Work
As a group, I think we had our ups and downs.
We worked well when it came to giving constructive criticism and I knew I could trust the crew to give me advice and I could give them advice. This drastically improved our production, as we were always looking to improve the production process but also our own skills.
However, I think we collectively could have improved on communication. We were able to put across criticism relating to our individual roles, but we lacked direction for the content of the production.
The roles were decided, but never reinforced. There was confusion with who was filming what, as Ebony and Harvey were taking it in turns to be camera operator; there were times where Ebony or myself would have to remind other crew members of the roles. This occasionally caused tension- nothing that ever came to a head or became unprofessional, but there was occasional frustration on all parts due to crew members not really knowing what they're supposed to be doing. This should have been enforced by Esme or myself as Director and Producer; which supports my reflection that I didn't fully fill the producer role.
However, as we've been working as a team since first year, we've grown as a group. We've learned trust and got to know each other as work-mates and not just friends. We've learned each other's patterns of working and we know how to work around each other to build something.
What Worked?
teamwork
As a team, we still work well together. Despite our differences, we all work together to create something collectively and we have consistently shown how our individual skills benefit the group as a whole.
Idea development
In the initial stages of production, we showed development of our ideas and weighed up the pros and cons of each idea we had. We all contributed to improving our idea for the show and always ensured that our goals were achievable. We quickly came up with an idea and developed it very quickly. We knew what we were going to do for a long time, which gave us plenty of time to research and form the idea into an actual production.
Spreading out responsibilities
Despite having defined roles, we all helped each other with different aspects of the production and ultimately worked together, all taking on different roles and responsibilities. Although this blurred the lines between our roles and caused confusion at times, everyone was always willing to work together to create something rather than one person doing all of one thing.
We shared out the jobs of pre-production paperwork, technical roles (camera, sound and light), we all directed in one way or another, and we all had an input on different elements of post-production. This sharing of the roles meant that the work burden was mostly equal for everyone, and we all knew that if we needed help with something that was supposed to fall under a role, we could still ask someone else to have an input and further spread the load.
Branding
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| Let's Talk's YouTube channel banner, H.Flux (2018) |
Our brand represented us and our audience in an appropriate manner, and created something that was interesting, relatable and informative.
The colours work, and although we were going to change them it was just a nit-picking decision and it still works very well with yellow.
Harvey's logo for the brand was a great choice as it's clean and represents our logo, but is also fun and edgy to appeal to the younger audience.
Meme research/ package
I was happy with my work towards the package and it turned out just how I had wanted it to, with the help of Harvey. I feel my research into the content was good and I learned a lot from it which I could take and put into the script, and although it was a challenge to write to an audience that I'd never written to before, I was really happy with the outcome of the script and the way that we were able to present it.
Script
The scripts overall worked really well and although it was written by 2 different people, you can't see a difference in writing style. They also went through a lot of development and I'm glad that I was able to take the time the redo the script a few times so that I could refine the content and ensure it flowed well and was understandable enough.
The Skatepark
The skatepark became the key element of our show and we got some great contributors from it. The park itself was a great place to film as people were all willing to be filmed and all wanted to know what we were doing. Kathy was great on camera and was good at sticking to the topic, which we've found to be a problem with contributors on other projects. It perfectly fit our target audience and we had options of where we could take the package. Ultimately I think the direction it took was perfect for the location and it fit really well into the show as a whole.Music
I took some time in post production finding music that would fit our piece style-wise but still sound news-y. It was hard to find this style but I found Naked by Siine that is the perfect mix of fun and pop-y but also has a news element to it.
What Didn't?
Pre Production
Pre production, particularly for the studio and green screen shoots, could have gone better. We incorrectly booked the rooms for our shoots, which caused some problems in the beginning but we were able to find a room that was free and we did what we could, and everything turned out fine in the end. However, we should have planned it better and double checked our bookings.
We also didn't have enough lights for our studio shoot which set us back, and again this should have been double-checked when we did the booking.
I also think we should have had shot lists on all of our shoots, but we never had them. I think this would have made filming a lot smoother and easier, and we would have been able to put trust into the shot list rather than just remembering what we needed.
Casting
I think the casting of Jay and Alan for the roles was fine, but we should have practiced with them more. Jay didn't come across as very confident in the production, and he also speaks very fast. It's a shame that nobody noticed during the shoot. I managed to help it in the edit by using some slower takes, but it didn't help completely. Alan also hadn't practiced the questions that he was going to be asking and in the take that we did, you can hear him struggling to remember his lines.If we had gone for a run-through previous to the shoot, this would have boosted their confidence for both of them and I think it would have helped, rather than trying to teach them on the day.
Questions
The questions that were asked of the contributors were not great. They didn't follow the direction of our package and starting the live interview off with "How often are you open?" was the wrong question to use in my opinion. It should have dived straight into the subjects that everyone wants to know about, rather than something that should really have come last or towards the end where we're closing up the interview.
Sound Levels
The sound levels from everything except the green screen package were all much too low. We were able to turn them up in post, but that comes with adding more noise (hiss and background sounds). The background noise from the skatepark is also too high and it hides some of the words that are said during the package. We should have addressed these problems on set but through the camera the sound was fine. We should have used a clip mic in the skatepark.
Set
Although the idea of the set was good, the actual product wasn't great. This is in part due to budgets, but we also should have used something like coloured lights in the background to add another element of interest.
What did I Learn?
Presenting with others
Before this project, I had always presented alone, and it was a great experience to work along-side someone else. I learned how to interact with someone else on-screen, and although I don't think our interactions were perfect, I know it's something that I enjoy and I want to work on.
Teleprompter
I used the teleprompter on this project for the first time in a while, and I was reminded of how much it takes to get used to. However, I feel I did a much better job on this project, and it was a great experience.
Younger Audiences
I've never made a project with a younger audience in mind, and so it was a great experience to get to know how to present something to that audience. It was interesting to research into TV for younger audiences, and I learned a lot through writing the script for it.
What could I develop?
Holding Direction
our rough cut of our edit was lacking in direction and it was difficult to tell what our subjects were and why they were important. With editing I managed to bring it together, but it's important to keep the direction of the project in mind at all times, so that you know that the content you're getting is relevant.
Importance of Paperwork
I can take from this project how much I value pre-production, and how difficult a project is without it. In the future I'll ensure to complete all of the relevant paperwork, whether I think it will be useful or not, it will come in handy at some point on the shoot.
Role
In the future I need to decide on my role, know what is involved in that role, and stick to it. I want to be able to say that I'm happy with how I performed in all of my roles, not just 2/3.
Reflection
In reflection, I think the project had it's pros and cons. I know there is a lot that we need to improve on both as a group and also individually. I'll be taking forward my skills that I've learnt but also the awareness of knowledge I need to gain. I think as a group we did brilliantly at sticking with a goal and in the end, we achieved it, but it's a case of ironing out the process of getting from idea to finished film.
Reference
- Trent University (N/A) How do I... Write a Reflection? At: https://www.trentu.ca/academicskills/documents/Reflectivewriting.pdf (Accessed on 31/10/2018)
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