General Update

There are times in life when everything seems so busy that you can feel that you're never going to get on top of the amount of work. With deadlines drawing ever closer, other projects and favours taking up more time than expected, spending time working a job so there is enough money to keep everything moving along and with a previously quite social life becoming more vibrant I presently feel like I am fighting a loosing battle trying to manage my time in order to get everything done.

However now that we have been given our job roles for AS LIVE I am now in a position to come up with some form of plan to get all of the things that I need to do done.

The first item on the agenda is to get my fiction adaptation essay started and completed by the end of the weekend. I have withdrawn a number of books recommended on the reading list and I have been pushing through War Horse with the aim of being able to instantly recall relevant examples when writing the essay.

Following the completion of my essay I would very much like to complete the pre production stages of the fiction adaptation unit and progress swiftly onto the production. Having been out location scouting and having my one man cast confirmed it is more or less a case of pulling the storyboard together and arranging a time that will be possible to film.

On a similar note I have been working on an entry for a film making competition having already started production I would very much like to shoot the remainder of the short within the next couple of weeks.

At the same time as these elements coming together I would also like to crack on with the second essay. With two job roles for as live being promotion and editing I am unsure if my essay has to be focused on promotions or if i can focus on the editing element. I hope this is the case as i expect that there is more information and I will simply find the subject more interesting.

The last film making element that I need to turn my attention to is the promotional material that between Zee, Alex and I have to produce. I am hoping that as there is a number of decisions and planning that the production team will need to do before we can really get on that this gap with provide enough time to get the previous elements done or close to it.

If I manage to complete all of these elements to the standard that I want, alongside other elements of my life, without having a nervous breakdown I will consider it a success,

I will endeavour to keep this blog updated to keep a record of my progress.

Fiction Adaptation - Novel Selection

It’s easy to forget with so much focus on the AS LIVE unit at the moment that I have plenty of work to get done for the fiction adaption unit. One of the marked elements for this unit is the 2000 word essay addressing the statement “In adapting a novel the adaptor inevitably infringes the integrity of the original text - discuss with reference to at least one adaptation.”  Having a very limited literary knowledge I started with films and work backwards to those that I knew had originally been novels.

Those that have been following my blog for the last couple of months at least you will know that I had a particular like for Steven Spielberg’s recent film War Horse when I went to see it at the cinema. So I have been out and bought the Michael Morpurgo novel that is where the story originated and thankfully it is only 182 page so I should be able to struggle my way through it. So I have picked War Horse as my reference novel and film. However as many of you will be aware War Horse was also a play performed in the west end. Unfortunately at present I haven’t seen it portrayed on stage which I’m sure would have given an interesting element to my essay and although I am hoping to see the show in the future I don’t think that I will viably be able to before the essays due date.

I hope that this essay proves not to difficult but like so many things only time will tell.

AS LIVE - After the pitch

So after a fair amount of hours of waiting around thinking, wondering if I had done enough during the pitch to sway the decision of the panel, not knowing if the hours of research, planning, re-working of my idea and the overall stress of the past month and a bit had been worth it. So when I walked back into the base room to find out that it wasn’t the knowledge of the somewhat wasted effort that I and others had put in I’m sure I was the only person clapping with a heavy heart.

When I started trying to think of ideas I really struggled but when I came up with Live, Camera, Action show I really thought I was in with a shot alas it wasn’t to be. Although I’m sure Lauren’s idea was a worthy winner but the frustration of the level of effort that I put in is something that will pass and I will put my effort and attention into whatever job role that I am given I am hoping for the director’s chair but have a feeling that that will probably go to someone else as well. I know this blog entry is probably not the most fun to read but I hope that there may be an opportunity in the future where I may be able to see Live, Camera Action made.

AS LIVE - The Pitch

Title: Live, Camera, Action

Format: 30 minute, As Live studio production

Channel: BBC1

Broadcaster: BBC

Target Audience: 15 - 50

Schedule:  Wednesday 8.30pm

Everyone enjoys sitting down in front of the television or going to the cinema popcorn in hand to watch the latest smash hit blockbuster film. No matter how many films are released audiences return time after time hoping to be reduced to tears, laughter or uncontrollable bursts of excitement. Not only does watching films remain a popular pastime but films are becoming vastly more impressive visually with every passing decade. These qualities are partly brought through the introduction of HD broadcasting and 3D films as well as improvements with equipment that enable films to be edited faster, shoot footage in different ways and adding to footage digitally. From an audiences point of view the takeover of dvd’s and blu-ray as the predominant forms of owning movies at home are more and more are accompanied by bonus ‘special features’ giving the audience an insight into how some elements of the films are achieved. For example how monsters are brought to the screen like ‘The Mummy’ in the 2001 film of the same name or how unbelievable car chases are achieved in films such as ‘James Bond Casino Royale’ from 2006. These features that are found on DVD’s, Blu-rays and online make the methods of film making interesting in itself.

However for those people that what to turn from film fans to film makers it is often a good place to start at the beginning with the basics. This is where the opening is for the idea Live, Camera, Action presenters will talk through to the audience some of the more basic filming techniques, sound recording, editing, lighting and more general filmmaking rules and tricks for those of us that can’t afford to send an Aston Martin rolling down the road. Because of the show being recorded in a television studio I have incorporated a few ideas that would give reason for an audience to be present and remain engaged.  These involvements would be very light hearted and bring a game incorporated element of the program. For example one segment that would call for involvement from is to select a member from the studio audience is that they would be put in front of a green screen and given props to aid them to act out famous / popular film scenes that the audience at home would be encouraged to see how many they could get right. Another option is potentially have a makeup artist turn one of the audience members from person to monster or appear like they’ve been severely beaten up. Because of being restricted with time I would suggest that the transformation from man/ woman to monster be recorded, edited and then posted on the shows dedicated website as extra footage for the multi platform elements required. With the program being focused on film making the logical inclusion of a guest seems fitting. I would like to approach local film makers / industry professionals that would be interviewed about recent or upcoming films that they have been part of the creation of. Having done a small amount on internet research I have found that there is an annual film festival in Kent that has run for the past 37 years which is I think a good place to start enquiring into local film makers. This would also create an opening for one of the VT packages visiting the set of the shoot or cutting some form of trailer from the film maker’s material. Continuing the tone of finding contributors I lead onto the handy man presenter. In the show there is planned a potential VT package segment that is intended to show how an element that is seen in big productions can be achieved and for a fraction of the price. Potentially to find someone that has the relevant skills to do the construction and still be interesting and engaging on screen I have considered approaching a member from the CAFT course knowing that we will be working with them. I also feel it would be also very fitting to add a film review section in which newly released films are reviewed considering it is a show about movies.

Live, Camera, Action is not going to appeal to everyone but with existing programs like Top Gear, The Gadget Show and Got To Dance which are all quite specialised still bringing in a wide audience in large numbers I think this show have the potential to do the same. I foresee this as it is made up of components proved successful in previous broadcasts for example reviews of films is currently restricted to the BBC on the long running Film program which reviews recent film releases, the revealing of secrets proved popular in the 90’s television show the masked magician and the interactive audience elements on shows such as Graham Norton with his big red chair bring light hearted elements that are relatively simple.

The following is a breakdown of the intended segments:

In the studio time

 - The presenters would introduce, close and link

 - The game segment - in front of green screen

 - Interview with local film maker

 - Film review 

 - Interview with makeup artist

 - Audience selection and makeup make over

VTs

 - Opening titles

 - Action/Horror film - Build up to the makeup make over

 - Build (improve home made films for cheap)

 - VT to accompany film maker interview

 - VT for film reviews

Camera knowledge

Having some between delivering my pitch and finding out which of the twelve pitches has been commissioned and due to some disappointing footage recorded for a side project in low light which has resulted in that infamous pain in the backside GRAIN!!! Now that I have invested in a DSLR of my own I thought I should really get a better understanding of how to capture impressive images and video. The first thing that I have done a little bit of internet research trying to get my head around the use and functions of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. 

So for those of you that aren’t clear with all of the functions either I have noted down the initial functions.

Aperture – also known as the iris

The lower the fstop number will result in more light coming into the camera. The lower the fstop number i.e. f1.8 will also bring with it a narrow focus area. For example if the subject is a persons face with a narrow focus the eye may appear sharp whilst the ears and or hair may appear soft and unfocused. On the opposite end of the scale with a high fstop number i.e. f22 will result with a wide focus range to shoot a landscape with everything in focus.

Shutter Speed

Like the aperture the shutter speed also affects the amount of light will get in. The shutter speed is also going to affect the appearance of motion in photographs. A fast shutter speed i.e. 1/2000^th of a second will freeze the motion with sharp clear images. A slow shutter speed i.e. 1/30^th of a second will let more light it over a longer period of time. Because the shutter is open for longer it is recommended that a tripod is used to avoid unwanted motion blur. However is ideal for giving the impression for wanted motion for photographing a running animal.

ISO

This is the built in light sensor in the camera. The lower the ISO number the lower the light sensor will pick up but the better the quality of the image will be. The higher the ISO number is the more light will come be picked up however this will result in my original problem of GRAIN.

I  hope this help with my issues and I hope it helps all of in the future. 

AS Live - Tutorial Review

Coming out of my tutorial today I think it would fair to say that I felt a bit down hearted and as a result I became a little despondent with my idea. Helen has said that my program has suffered because I took a big idea and then compressed it down in order for it to be achievable with the equipment, time and space that we would have available to us. Ironically because of this the elements that I was personally more appealed to pushing are the elements that Helen thought were weak and the elements that I wasn’t particularly attached to were the elements that she got most excited about.

However having had a few hours to mull over some of the points made during the tutorial I think that the amount of alterations needed to be made may be fewer than I had first thought with a tweaking method applied to the formula rather than a gutting and starting over situation. For example due to Helen highlighting that a majority of the audience will be aware of how green screens works I would consider loosing the VT package around the subject however retaining the audience participation element however increase the focus on the fun home competition side rather than making it a demonstration of how green screens work. Similarly the makeup segment is something I would like to keep however as Helen broke my idea down she compared it to the show about how magicians reveal magic tricks in as much as in Live, Camera, Action is a show that reveals the behind the scenes elements of movie making. So in addition to the VT set up, audience selection and audience member I would like to push to the behind the scenes crew to film the transformation of the audience member through make up which could be added onto the shows website as additional content.

The element that Helen seemed to respond to with the most enthusiasm was the interview segment in which the presenter/ presenters of the show would interview a local film maker about their in film which would be either in the process of being produced or recently completed film. The more I think about it the more I think this has the potential to be a strong part of the show and having done a small amount on internet research and I have found that there is an annual film festival in Kent that has run for the past 37 years which is I think a good place to start enquiring into local film makers. Continuing the tone of finding contributors I lead onto the handy man presenter. In a VT I have planned to show how an element that is seen in big productions can be achieved and for a fraction of the price. I was told to have a think about where we could potentially find someone that is relatively skilled enough to do the construction and still be interesting and engaging on screen. For this I have now considered knowing that we will be working with the CAFT course if we would be able to ask one of the members from that course to present and build for that segment.

These are the main areas that I discussed with Helen earlier today and I will endeavour to adapt my pitch for Thursday accordingly.  

AS LIVE - Studio Workshop

A few days ago we set up a small interview scene with three cameras covering the action. I had a go at directing with I found very enjoyable I would very much like to see how my attempt would have looked on screen. However when I came to edit the three cameras footage I found that nothing had been recorded of my attempt on camera one. So as an example I have cut the footage taken during Lauren Howard's turn in the directors chair. 

As Live - News Report Workshop

The following clip is the resulting news report with each location shot in one take. 

AS LIVE - Workshop notes

- Title sequence - Set the tone - 15-20 seconds
- Do we want a Logo?
- Does the logo want to be part of the set
- Don't forget to add channel ident

- Include strong images

- The title sequence is responcibility of the producer
      - The title sequence is then passed to the director

Fiction Adaptation - Novel exercise

Upon request I pitched the novel Spies by Michael Frayn something to the effect of the following:

Some novels excel in one area character, plot, language or style but some novels are great because they combine all of these elements. Spies is one such novel, winning the whitbread novel of the year 2002.

The plot of the novel entails the childhood journey of the character Stephen Wheatly from the narrative perspective of  a version of himself 50 years since past the told events. Set predominantly in England engulfed in the second world war. Stephen along with childhood friend Keith, the two young boys suspect Keith's mother of being a German spy. Although the lead character is a child the novels predominant plot is added to by secret tales of filming marriage and affairs. Only revealed by looking past the child like innocence of the witnessing characters.

There are a lot of questions left unanswered by the end of the novel. The death of a character referred to as Uncle Peter towards the end of the novel would be an element that I would consider changing if I was to attempt to adapt this novel as the ongoing affair, post war life and continuing narratives of the adult characters is something In pondered and is alluded to both at the beginning and end with no answers given.

With what I know of lottery funded films I would suggest that the tone, content and themes would make Spies a strong source and contender for adaptation. Therefore I would recommend that it would be broadcast on Film 4 to bring this intriguing plot to a new and wider audience.

Fiction Adaptation - Shot breakdowns

     01) EXT. SMALL COUNTRY COTTAGE/SHACK - EVENING

   The air is calm and still, the light is slowly draining from the day. The cottage small and humble sits in the woodland, with a small fire outside the door. Through a fogged window the shape of a person can be seen. The window fogs more and so intensely that it becomes a sheet of white.

- Low angle, wide shot, Pull into focus

Summer house left of the frame; sun setting over the wall on the right.

- Two/three CU

Horse or natural items from outside

- Level with bottom of window, tracking shot  

Slow movement, soft focus as the camera stops looking through the window.

AS LIVE - SET DESIGN

AS LIVE - Workshop - Content list

Dean, Maddie, Hennie and I are working together to record a mock up news report on the subject of a fuel rise. 


The initial running order is as it follows:
1. Maddie (the host) in the studio set introduces the story reading the scripted introduction. 


2. Maddie passes the story over to Dan (on scene reporter) in front of a taxi rank


3. Dan introduces Dean (the taxi driver) 


4. Q1, What is your average fuel consumption in a week?
          
5. Q2, Are you having to work more because of this rise in price?
           
6. Q3, How has the rate of custom varied with these rises?
       
7. Q4, Do you think rates will have a long term affect on your business?

8. Q5, Does this rise make you consider a change in job?
           
9. Q6 Have you considered investing in an electric car?
           

10. Dan links back to the studio 

AS LIVE - Draft Timing Screen Plan

00:00 - Opening titles

00:30 - Introduction

02:00 - VT Action Drama

03:30 - Audience member is picked to be made over to look like they’ve beaten up which would have featured in the previous VT

04:30 - Take an interesting but simple aspect from that VT and show how it was made

08:00 - Guest comes on to plug new film

12:00 - VT showing a green screen being used (possibly using Hollywood films)

14:30 - Link into the break

15:00 - Opening for part two

15:30 - A few members are pulled from the audience and are spoken to about films

16:30 - They are put in front of a green screen and using props they’re told to re-enact famous movie scenes (Possibly done as VT but played as if live)

19:00 - Link

19:30 - VT Another more complex film making tutorial

22:00 - Link

22:30 - Short film review

25:00 Link

26:00 the audience member returns made up beaten up

28:00 Close the show

29:00 - Credits

30:00 - End

AS LIVE - Magazine Show Idea

AS LIVE

Magazine show

Title: Live, Camera, Action

Format: 30 minute AS LIVE

Channel: Channel 5

Broadcaster:

Target Audience: 10 - 50

Schedule: 8pm Wednesdays

Everyone enjoys sitting down in front on the television or going to the cinema to watch the latest blockbuster film. Film makers somehow manage to find an endless array of stories to tell yet by using their own style they still manage to guide audiences to tears, laugher or uncontrollable bursts of excitement. The successful directors are able to present styles are instantly recognisable to lovers of film. However with every passing decade films are becoming vastly more impressive visually with the qualities brought by HD broadcastings or 3D films. This combined with the ability to edit faster and shoot footage and add to footage digitally that wouldn’t have been possible even ten years ago

It is partly because of these aspects that films are increasing watched and appreciated by more and more people. Since dvd’s and blu-ray took over as the predominant forms of owning movies at home more and more are accompanied by bonus ‘special features’ giving the audiences an insight as to how monsters are brought to the screen such as creatures like ‘The Mummy’ in the 2001 film by the same name, how unbelievable car chases are achieved in films such as ‘James Bond Casino Royale’ from 2006 or simple behind the scenes footage from a vast number or big budget films. However for those people that which to turn from film fan to film makers it is often a good place to start at the beginning with the basics. In Live, Camera, Action  presenters will talk through to the audiences some of the more basic filming techniques, sound recording, editing, lighting and or general filmmaking rules and tricks for those of us that can’t afford to send an Aston Martin rolling down the road.

Not forgetting that there will be a live studio audience that will be present on the day of the record I have a few ideas that would give reason for them being present. My first idea is that a selected member from the studio audience will be pulled up on stage. They will then be put in front of a green screen and given props to aid them to act out famous movie scenes to show how a green screen works.  Have a makeup artist turn one of the audience members from person to monster or appear like they’ve been severely beaten up. In addition or pace of this we could have audience members asking a how to question relating to film making which the host and or invited guest could then answer.

This show won’t appeal to everyone but with programs like Top Gear, The Gadget Show and Got To Dance which are all quite specialised still bringing in a wide audience range in large numbers I think that Live, Camera, Action could have to potential to do the same.

Fiction Adaptation - Ted Hughes, A profile of the poet

Ted Hughes - A profile of the poet

Ted Hughes was and is still regarded as one of Britain’s most visionary and powerful poetry voices of the 20^th century.  However during his career his writing was at points overlooked with the public interested being focused more on his relationship with first wife Silvia Plath who went on to committed suicide in 1963.

From a very early age one of the closest relationships he had was with the landscape around his childhood home.  He was quoted later down the years that he viewed “A landscape without game is to me is a dead landscape” and that the “First seven years seem like half of (his) life”. His relationship with nature is a strong feature of a lot of his poetry with areas like the woodlands setting his imagination alight and changing his academic studies from English literature to anthropology his early fascination and knowledge of nature was broadened. His published work brought him high recognition as a writer that put modern readers in touch with the timeless forces of nature and became poet laureate in December 1984.