Renegade Pictures: Car SOS

Car SOS.

During my time with Renegade, I will be helping with a live shoot in Gaydon for their show, Car SOS.

In order to understand what my role may include, I'm going to look into the programme and analyse it to get a better idea of what I'll be working on.
Although the show is episodic, with a plot to each episode, the show that I will be working on is a live show version with the Car SOS presenters and an audience. This means that the show I will be looking into will be different in many ways, but I still need to know the topic behind the show, the kind of audience it attracts, and who the people involved are so that I know who and what I will be working with.

What is the Premise?

Tim Shaw (Left) and Fuzz Townshend (Right)

Car SOS is a British show that follows 2 presenters as they meet families who have been down on their luck or are struggling with health issues. They take their old cars (that are most often vintage/ collectible models) and repair them to their full potential, then return them to the owners as a surprise. Tim Shaw and 'Fuzz' Townshend present the show but are also mechanics, so they're able to fully immerse themselves in the repair of the car, and talk about the technical aspects of the car. They work with a team over the course of a few days (as it's presented) as they repair the car and talk through each aspect as it's done.

Content

Episode Plot

The show begins with Tim and Fuzz meeting the family and seeing the car for the first time. Tim will talk to the family about why they contacted the show, whilst Fuzz looks at the car and sums up the repairs that are needed. They then take the car back to the shop and begin the repair process.

They are more commonly dealing with rust issues on the car body and engine issues. They talk the audience through each problem they face.

Mid-way through the process, the family will come to view the car when it's in its most broken-down state to give their opinion and reinforce the idea of surprising the owner at the end of the show.

They continue with the repair, which often will continue to the very last minute, and then present the car to the family and the owner as a grand gesture. They capture their initial reactions and their first time driving the car.

Shot Types

• GVs

• GVs of the mechanics repairing parts of the car are important to give context with interviews. If a viewer doesn't know much about cars, GVs will help to illustrate what the mechanics/ presenters are talking about.
• 2-Shot Presenter-led Interview

• The presenters interview the mechanics that are helping to fix the car. This gives a better idea of what work is being done on the car, without the presenters having to give all of the information in piece-to-camera shots.
• 2-Shot Family Interview

• Framing the family members together in their interview allows the viewer to feel as though Tim is asking the questions for them, rather than giving the audience information. He's put into the same position as the audience (out of the frame). This helps the audience to connect with him as they can relate to him as he's learning at the same time as the audience, but also helps the viewer to connect with the family as you're able to get to know them more without having to focus on a presenter while they talk.
• In-car camera

• The camera used for this shot has a slight fish-eye effect which does slightly alienate the viewer (although that isn't the purpose of it). This shot allows the viewer to experience what it's like to be in the car with the presenters, as they're able to see the interior of the car and the presenters' reactions to being in the car and how it runs (speed, suspension etc.) It also allows the viewer to get a better idea of what to expect from the car at the end of the show and means that they look forward to seeing the outcome of the actual car. 
• Piece-to-camera

• The piece-to-camera (PTC) allows the presenters to directly address the viewers and give them further information. It helps to keep the viewer updated on the process, and they're able to explain what they're doing and why.
• Conversations between presenters

• Some shots show Tim and Fuzz talking about the car together, and although it's conversational in tone, it's still scripted. This gives the presenters a chance to give the viewer more information about the car, without constantly having to talk at the viewer. It makes the viewer feel as though they're part of the conversation (the camera is their point of view), rather than being lectured (which is how it could feel if it was entirely PTC).

Music

There are a few different pieces of music used in the show. The music tends to match the emotion of the segment of the programme, with upbeat music when they test the cars and slower, more melancholy music during the emotional moments.

Lighting

They mostly use natural lighting, but when they aren't, it seems that they're using daylight-imitation lighting, which is most likely to be battery-powered LEDs. It would create too much of a hazard to have Tungstens on tripods and with wires around the workshop. They also create a lot of heat, which could be very dangerous for the people working closely around the car. LEDs cast a diffused, natural-looking light which is perfect for the documentary style. They are lighter, and don't create much if any heat at all.

Editing

The editing is designed to use the speech from some shots to narrate GVs. GVs are used to explain what the presenters are talking about and set the pace of the programme. They use transition fades out of the advert breaks, but otherwise, the editing is simple, which helps the viewers, including the viewers that don't know much about cars, to understand and be able to focus on the programme. As the content of the show is very specific and technical, it's important for the rest of the show to be kept simple.

Archive Footage

In the show, they use archive footage to show the cars that they're working on. As the cars are vintage cars, it's important to accentuate this with archive footage as it shows the viewer how old the cars are. The viewer can get an idea of how old the car is from the quality of the archive footage (i.e. if the footage is black and white, they will know the car is very old). It also shows how the cars ran in their prime, and gives the editors a chance to have a voice-over explaining the history of the car.

Script

The language used in Car SOS is quite informal. The presenters joke around together, which adds light to a topic that is fairly niche. The voice-over also uses informal language. This makes the viewer feel comfortable and helps them to relate to Tim and Fuzz.

Location

Location of filming, British Motor Museum

In the show, the recurring location is the workshop, where the car is being fixed up. They also use places such as gardens and homes for the interviews with the family, and they hold events for the reveal of the car in different locations where they're able to hold car-meets.
The as-live show will be recorded in The British Motor Museum in Gaydon. They will have numerous cars from their previous shows on display at the museum, where they will be presenting with guests and a live audience.

Presenters

Tim Shaw

Tim Shaw presents alongside Fuzz on the show. Tim has been presenting on radio for the last 17 years, but then turned to television with Channel 4's 'Extreme Male Beauty'. He is an engineer, which means that he is perfect for the role on Car SOS as he understands and is able to talk about all of the processes that they're going through to restore the cars. (Shaw, 2014).

Fuzz Townshend

Fuzz is a musician and a mechanic. His work has earned him a high reputation as a classic car restorer, and he has earned single of the week for his music on BBCR1 twice (Schiesser, 2018)

Audience

The show is aimed at an audience that likes cars, and with 2 male presenters, we can assume that the audience is largely male. The presenters are used as a way for the viewers to connect, so if the presenters seem to match their profile, they'll relate more. 

References

Shaw, T. (2014) About Tim Shaw At: http://www.timshaw.co.uk/ (Accessed 12/12/18)

Schiesser, D. (2018) Fuzz Townshend At: http://www.arlingtontalent.com/clients/Fuzz_Townshend/ (Accessed 12/12/18)