Studio Production: Role Research!

As I didn't get the role of the producer, we have to pick 3 roles to apply for with knowledge of what they must do, and explain why we think we will be perfect for the role.

Promotional Producer.

I immediately was drawn to being the Promotional Producer. I wanted to try something different as I always do the editing - and although I love it, I also love being creative and feel I would be able to make the promotional side different and unique. I have become more organised especially since my last project and always make sure I thoroughly planned out ideas and make sure everyone knows what they are doing. I have also created a promotional video and music magazine before with excessive research into demo graphics and psychographics of audience profiles and made sure that my product always stood out to the right people and enticed them into viewing it. I have created a front cover magazine, double page spread, promotional music video, promotional CD and posters for billboards. I want to extend my knowledge and try out new things so really hope I get the chance to do something I want.

What's needed:
-Ensure adequate planning given: scripts, storyboard etc.
-Brief everyone on what needs to be done.
-Be up to date with contacts needed.
-Keep timetables and mini deadlines for everyone.

VT Producer.
The VT Producer role caught my interest as it was a role with a lot of responsibilities. I once again wanted to broaden my knowledge and try something different. I also feel confident that I can organise the VT's and liaise with the producer so I know exactly what she wants. I would need to make sure all 4 separate stories are all well planned out and once again make sure scripts are prepared. I'd also want to make sure that all filming was done with enough time for the editors to edit as we need to allow time for feedback and maybe re edits. I'd make sure that I was always looking out for people who we need for the VT's and make sure that I'm always keeping contacts safe and up to date.

What's needed:
-Keep contacts up to date with filming.
-Keep schedules, location recky, health and safety checks and scripts.
-Be able to multi task.

VT Editor/Vision Mixer.
I am very interested in editing and always love to do it, so if I didn't get the role I initially wanted I would be happy editing the VT/s or promotional videos. I've also never done vision mixing so it would be exciting to try that out.

What's needed:
-Be focused during production.
-Listening to the director.
-Make sure sequences make sense.
-Don't do choppy editing!

Next I need to create a new CV and make sure I am prepared for the role I want so I can hopefully persuade the panel to choose me for Promotional Producer.

Studio Production: Chosen Idea

Today we was told who's idea was chosen to be commissioned. This was Helen Welsh's Chat/Debate Show. The show will have panellists discussing and chatting about certain things. The VT's will range from set ups to debates about whether graffiti is good or bad. Another VT idea is reaction videos and then the panellists will discuss what they saw. Helen mentioned she wanted the panellists to vary so that it's not boring and we have a range of people and opinions.

The show is influenced by shows such as Loose Women which is a chat show about a variety of topics.

I don't know too much yet about the project but we will know more when we talk to Helen about it individually.

Studio Production: Idea Treatment (1 Page Pitch)

Here is my one page pitch/treatment for my idea of my television show Can You Handle It?

Studio Production: VT Ideas & Line Up!

I was thinking of game ideas for a very long time as it's hard to come up with new and interesting ideas. So I've written down my current ideas and included extra time needed for talking and adding up scores!

THE ROUNDS:

ROUND 1 - Zap! – (1 v 1) two players from opposing teams play against each other. They must give quick answers to the categories given ie: boy bands, film names etc. (2 categories for each 1 v 1) 

Keep playing until one player reaches 2 points on each category . Categories: (1) Cold drinks, (2) car makes (3) colours (2 mins each game)

TOTAL TIME 4 MINS

ROUND 2 – Quickest hand (1 v 1) the players have 10 seconds to find an object inside a box (filled with weird and gooey things) they have to use their hands and can’t see what’s in the box. The player quickest to find it wins a point. (should take around 10 secs) They must find 5 objects for each 1 v 1 

TOTAL TIME 2 MINS

ROUND 3 - Don’t Pop It! – Each team answers a question, if they get it wrong, they must role the dice and whatever number it lands on you push in a stick until it clicks as many times as you role. Whatever team pops the balloon loses. The winning team gets +10 points. 

TOTAL TIME 6 MINS

ROUND 3 – Twister With a Twist… - (team v team) A Twister matt is placed on the floor, covered with baby oil to make it tricky to grip. A member of each team must play the game, but the colour they land on changes their teammates fate…

If the player puts their hand/foot on RED, the players must complete the task. Each colour represents a different task for BOTH teammates. Teams must work together making sure they don’t slip, and the other member making sure they complete the task the quickest. If the team member falls, they get 1 strike. The team has 3 strikes in total – 3 strikes means the other team automatically win. The quickest team member to complete the task gets one point.

The team-playing twister must spin the arrow 3 times each, which means 6 tasks in total.

TASK KEY

RED 

BLUE – Blind folded and quickest to eat a full tin of baby food. (Bonus point if you guess 3 ingredients)

YELLOW 

GREEN 

ROUND 4 - Blindfolded Makeup Challenge (team v team) The girl is blindfolded and has 3 minutes to do the boys makeup. Teams do the task at the same time. The audience votes (hold up cards blue/red – depending on the team colour) who they think did the best. +10 points.

TOTAL TIME 6 MINS

Other Ideas.

-7 second challenge

-bean boozed challenge

-Bull challenge

Here is a quick line up of the show so I know how much time I have for each round, and time in-between for talking. I think this will help to keep me organised and know what I'm doing. (Needs work!)

00:00 Title sequence

00:30 Intro: 1 minute long, host introduces the show walks us through the rounds and then introduces the teams (in person)

01:30 Cut to VT’s of contestants audition doing weird challenges to prove themselves (and introduce themselves): 30 secs long each (total time: 2 mins)

03:30 Talk about round 1

04:00 Begin round 1 – ZAP!

06:00 1v1 first game finished

06:30 Begin second half of round 1 – ZAP!

08:30 Announce winner

08:45 Talk about round 2

09:15 Begin round 2 – QUICKEST HAND!

11:15 Round 2 part 1 ended (tally scores)

10:30 Begin round 2 part 2

11:30 Announce round 2 winner

11:45  

Studio Production: Ideas!

After doing some further research into different types of television shows, I decided to go down the game show path. 

I began thinking of creating a couples game show in which they must complete hands on tasks to win against the other couple. I did a lot of research into this however when speaking to Helen and other class mates I realised I can think of something better and also a few people had the same idea!

I then looked more at TV shows such as Total Wipeout and I'm A Celebrity and decided I wanted to create an exciting endurance game. I decided to break down my ideas in sections so I definitely knew what I was going to do for each part of the show. I decided to name my show 'Can You Handle It?' as I want it to appeal to the audience and make them wonder what the show is about.

Hosting TV Channels. 
The channel I host my idea on changes the show completely! ITV and Channel 4 are very different in style and depending on what style I want I need to choose carefully. Shows like I'm A Celebrity are on ITV1 on a night as this is peek time for families to be sat at home (and convenient for the time difference). I'm A Celebrity is an influence to me as it creates content like what I want mine to be like which is very enduring and challenging. ITV Is also very popular and the biggest commercial channel in the UK. This could mean ratings and viewings will go up and my audience profile might range in age. The Slogan for ITV is 'Where drama/laughter/life/news lives' my TV show fits into 'drama' and 'laughter' as it's going to be heart racing and nerve-wracking for the contestants but very funny for the audience. However Channel 4 is more aimed at a younger audience, with sub channels such as E4 and More4 being highly popular. Channel 4 is also quite edgy and different compared to ITV which can sometimes be seen as serious and family generated. Right now i'm unsure on which channel I want to publish on however ITV and Channel 4 are my main research places.

Time and Day?
I want my show to be on at the night time as I feel this is a peak time for teenagers and adults to be at home, to watch before they go out, or just after they've eaten dinner and are relaxing. I feel 9pm is best as the watershed is at 9pm which means it's not too strict and we won't be thinking 'oh you can't say that'. The day for my show is going to be a Saturday night. This is because most people have weekends off and can relax during the weekends, so can sit down for a bit of entertainment and laugher. I was also influenced by Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway as this is shown on a Saturday night and is very popular.

Can You Handle It?

·      2 Teams

·      2 Players in each (1 boy, 1 girl)

·      Time: 21:00

·      Day: Saturday Night

·      Channel: ITV

HOST:

Famous influences;

-Alan Carr

-Ellen Degeneres

-Davina McCall

-Vernon Kay

-Steven Mulhern

-Jimmy Carr

Looking for a funny presenter, light hearted can joke around, young, loud and energetic, gets close up to the challenges and urges both teams on. Female/male not specified. The people listed above I researched into and are my influences for the television show. 

AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Aimed at 18-30 year olds.

INFLUENCES:

total wipeout

celebrity juice

Saturday night takeaway

I'm going to do some further research into VT ideas and then write down a schedule for my 30 minute programme.

Studio Production: TV Show Research!

I am excited to begin thinking of ideas as I've already got a few waiting to be written down. I want to create something new and entertaining which people can get involved in instead of just answering questions. To do more research first though, I began looking at a variety of TV shows from;
*Game show
*Debate/Chat show
*Reality shows
*TV show (scripted)

Game shows are so popular amongst audiences these days, this is because they are entertaining, stimulating and have something new happening all the time which keeps the audience engaged. In game shows the hosts are usually very energetic, loud and get involved in the games. The contestant age really can vary as it depends what sort of game show it is. There is so many sub categories in each TV show category itself. Saying you're going to produce a game show still doesn't narrow it down as you have to decide if the game is going to be serious, for an amount of money, messy, enduring, or funny. Game shows should always have new games created especially for the content as this builds a remembrance for the game and distinctive features which will want people tuning in again and again.

I looked at game shows which are an influence to what I want to do and found the following.

Total Wipeout can often be seen as fake and cheesy the way the contestant react to questions, however the show is extremely entertaining as the challenges they face aren't what you'd generally see in a studio production. The game really pushes the limits and challenges contestants to battle against a series of obstacles to get to the end of the course. I really like this as the challenges are always new and different - you won't see them on any other TV show.

I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here is a huge influence to me as the challenges are always very enduring. The challenges aren't fun in particular for the celebrities however watching at home is very entertaining. The challenges are very unique to television and although sometimes they repeat challenges (food challenges) it's because the audience love them so they never get bored. The hosts on the show are very influential as they have little jokes they say throughout which makes it more funny.

Debate/Chat shows have been done SO many times and there are possibly hundreds out there, however they seem to be bringing out new ones every day. Chat shows/debate shows have the same strategy however the host and contestants you have make the whole tone of the show completely different. For example Alan Carr: Chatty Man and The Jonathan Ross Show are completely different - however both interview type shows. Alan Carr is very bubble and energetic, usually always wearing bright clothes and messing about on set, however Jonathan is very smart and doesn't jump around as much - he's still funny, but in a slightly less enthusiastic way. Alan Carr is always drinking on his show, offering contestants a drink too sat very close to them on a sofa. However Jonathan is very sophisticated with his queue cards on his large desk and sat not as close. The point is that although when we first think of a debate/chat show being 'boring' and 'over done', when we think of individual shows, some can actually be really entertaining. However it depends on the concept you have, the host and the interviewees/panellists.

Alan Carr: Chatty Man.

Jonathan Ross Show.

Reality Shows are very huge - especially in the UK with shows such as Big Brother, The X Factor, Made In Chelsea and Dancing on Ice. Each of these shows is completely different and can stand out to a variety of audiences. Although they are reality shows something is always happening on them to keep the audience enticed and engaged. Reality shows need to keep the audience involved and often do 'set ups' especially with shows such as 'Made In Chelsea' this is because peoples lives aren't always exciting. So they often arrange for two people who don't like each other to be in the same room to trigger a reaction. Big Brother is a reality show, however could fit into the game show category too as they must complete tasks and challenges to survive and be rewarded in the house.

An example of a successful reality show is The Apprentice. In 2011 the show hit 8.80 million views, which is a huge comparison to when it begin in 2005 with only 2.60 million views. A group of aspiring business men/women compete against each other to get the chance to work with the host, Alan Sugar. Although the show is reality based, we know it's never going to be boring as it's heavily planned out and scripted (task wise) so the contestants always know what they are doing. Alan Sugar is a very strong character which is what makes the show so successful, he's very honest and opinionated about things and it's amusing seeing the contestants so scared. The music in the show is also very helpful in creating atmosphere and the audience will always be able to distinguish it to being related to The Apprentice.

The Apprentice

Scripted TV shows (soaps, dramas etc) are very popular and probably the most popular in television. This is because consumers want to be able to sometimes escape from their lives and soak into a television show which has it's own drama, to escape from their lives a bit. The audience are very entertained by these shows however you must be able to create an enticing pilot story line or the audience won't understand anything and producers will not want to run it after the first episode. In the pilot episode, you must explain everything and introduce the main characters, the plot and idea needs to be established and often leaving it at a cliff hanger is a good idea as viewers will want to know what else is to come. 30 minute TV shows are often filmed on a huge set, however if you are usually a small studio, that can work too. An example of a successful kids television show is Sooty. 

Sooty

Sooty is the longest running children's television programme in the UK. The concept is pretty simple with only one human on set and a lot of puppets, yet the programme has been so influential and engaging for the audience. The television show didn't only create TV content, it also did live stage productions, created merchandise and created a film. 

Studio Production & Professional Practice BRIEF!

After Christmas we have come back to being assigned another two units; Studio Production and Professional Practice.

Studio Production.

For this unit we will all be working together to create a 30 minute 'as live' show for television. This is a really exciting but nervous project as we get individual roles and responsibilities but working in such a large group may have it's problems. The show will be filmed in the studios and we must each individually think of an idea for a show and pitch it to a panel. The idea can't just be anything though, we must carefully plan it out and include the following things:

-Include 4 VT's throughout the programme (1-2 minutes long!)

-Decide on the tone and target audience of the show.

-Have two distinctive halves of the programme.

-Choose the best host, panellists/contestants.

-Include a title sequence and credits.

-Include a studio audience.

-Research what props, costumes and a set we want.

- & have a sufficient amount of research behind it all!

For me personally, I really want to apply for the producer as it's something new and different with more responsibility than usual. It also means I would get to be as creative as I want and have the final say on all ideas. The producer role is also something I've really wanted to try out properly for a while as I'm always the editor and when we do other units i've always liked thinking of ideas and organising things. We all must think of an idea and pitch it to the panels, I decided i'm going to start straight away so I can get enough research to hopefully be given a chance.

After the producer has been picked, we must all then begin to apply for other roles for the team. The roles vary from Editors to Promotional Producers. If I don't get Producer i'd really like Promotional Producer, VT Producer or one of the Editing/Vision Mixing roles. I'd really like Promotional Producer as I love creating, thinking of ideas, and all things Photoshop & Advertising. 

Professional Practice.

For the second unit, we have been given the opportunity to work for a company. We must either apply for a work placement for unto 2 weeks, or create a commissioned piece of work for a professional company. Whatever path we decide to take, we get marked by our employers feedback and our individual work we create. I'm really excited for this unit as it allows us to get experience and work for someone professional so we can write it on our CV's. 

I personally aren't such which I'd like to choose as a work placement gives me a longer experience however, I really want to make a video/promotional piece for a company.