Week 2

Week 2: Daily Reflections

Day 1

Today in the office went very well. My first job, assigned by Woody, was to create a prop for this week's show. For the reveal of the car, they were going to create a fake auction at which the owner of the car would attend, and his own car would be in the auction. In order to make the auction realistic, I researched 60-70 cars to put the details into a fake catalogue that could be handed out. I finished this as quickly as I could and Woody was very happy with it. I also made some signs for the auction and I used examples from Google Images to make the props look realistic and accurate.

I used this image to get an idea of the layout
and content of a catalogue.

Woody had also informed the team that he wanted to add an extra 100 people to the audience. I used emails that had been collated by Michelle, the researcher, that stated who had applied for a ticket for that day. I sent out around 120 emails to new people, stating that they had been offered a ticket. I then added all of the email addresses to an Excel spreadsheet so that I could state who had been emailed and who had replied and how many tickets they wanted.
I was really happy with how this day went. I made sure that I got the work done as quickly as I could but still to a high standard, and practiced being professional when dealing with the audience. The email took a little rewording from Harriet Smithson the production coordinator. I learned how to use some features on Microsoft Outlook and also also gained confidence with my prop designs as I decided to take my own creative liberty without needing to ask for any guidance from other members of the team, and this worked out well as it meant that the work was finished quicker.

Day 2

I worked with Ben Peck, the head runner, to start replying to the audience emails that I had sent out. We sent out tickets to each emailed reply and managed to gather an approximate audience of 215, which was a vast improvement.
I also helped Harriet with post production of another Car SOS episode. I created a music EDL (Edit Decision List) on Soundmouse.com, of all the music used in the episode. Soundmouse had a music library that you could find the songs on but if the songs weren't there, I searched them on the Universal Production Music website which could give me the details. I listed the album, the composers, the publisher and the record label, and then the timecodes for the in and out of the songs in the episode. Here's an example of the information I was using.
It was really interesting to use Soundmouse as the EDLs were something that I never had seen before. It was also useful as it helped me realise and take into account all of the information that is required when using copyrighted content. It took a long time to transfer all of the songs onto Soundmouse, but I can fully appreciate why it's necessary. It also opened my eyes to what is involved in being a Production Coordinator, as Harriet was taking on a lot of this kind of paperwork, including creating the call sheets and running orders too. It's a very important role, that I hadn't known existed before the work experience.

Day 3

I continued with organising the audience lists so that I could print them off for the show. I made sure that I had everything ready to go for the next morning.
I also helped Harriet by putting the weather prediction on a call sheet, and it was interesting to see how the call sheets are laid out for Renegade, although they're very similar to the ones that we use on our course.

Day 4

Harriet and I were going to get the train to Banbury for the second shoot in the evening, so we needed to make sure that we had everything together. I checked my audience lists and printed them off ready to go, and then helped Harriet with more post production. I had to watch an episode of Car SOS and edit the script so that it was a transcription of what was said on the show, so that the episode could be sent to National Geographic ready to be aired. They needed the script so that they could see the content of the show, and this was an insight into exporting the programme to the broadcasters and what was needed by them. Exporting the programme fell under the role of Michelle, but she had left the company the week before so Harriet was taking it over.
I then had to collect some final props for the production such as snacks and some printing from a print shop, before we left for the train.

Day 5

My final day was at the last Car SOS show. It was a slow start as everything was still set up from the week before, but in the afternoon I helped Tim and Fuzz with rehearsals on stage. This lasted for a while, and then we moved onto organising the audience as they were arriving. The turnout was a lot bigger this time which was good but also a bit daunting, but with the help of museum staff it wasn't hard to get them all where they needed to be. We also had to hide everything that said Car SOS on, as the surprise for the car owner was happening.
The show went smoothly, during which we weren't able to do much except make tea and coffee. When the show ended, we helped Adrian to de-rig the set. There was a lot of very heavy lifting and it was hard work but it was a good practice in communication and working as a team, as we had to work together to carry very heavy pieces of stage through very expensive cars.
Once the set was de-rigged, there was nothing left that we could help with, so we headed home.

On Reflection...

As a whole, the 2 weeks went very well. I was surprised that I didn't seem to make any big mistakes, which was my biggest worry, so I think I proved to myself that I'm very capable of filling the runner role.
I gained a lot of different transferable skills, and learned a lot of new techniques:

• Being a runner on a live show
• Set building
• Transcription
• Professionalism in the office
• Organising groups of 100-200 people
• Using Microsoft Word and Excel creatively
• Writing professional emails
• Physically intensive work
• Prop designing
• Editing call sheets
• Creating an EDL
• What's needed from the production company to the broadcaster

In the future I know I'll be able to work more independently, without needing to look for guidance from my supervisors. I've proven to myself that I do know what I'm capable of and I need to work on my self-doubt, as I know that a lot of my work was done well, but I still looked to get approval on it which could potentially be using their time up when they need to do other things. I still think that it's good to check back with them with some things so that they can give guidance and approval, but I need to take more responsibility for my work and be confident in it.

I was happy with how quickly I picked up the jobs and I was able to say yes to everything that I was asked to do. I learned the dynamics of the office very quickly and I knew who I could go to for help and who I should listen to and get the work done. I think I was very lucky as everyone in the office was so kind and patient and always made themselves able to help, but I know that this may not be the case in all production companies. I'm glad to have had my first running experience in a welcoming environment as I can now take the skills and get on with what is required of me straight away with a different company.