As Live Production Unit - RESEARCH Factual/ Entertainment Programme - Directing A Live Multi- Cam Show (This Morning)

As studio director I felt it would be very beneficial to look into other live multi-cam television programmes to see how they are directed and to learn some methods that I could bring forward into 'Steal The Style'. I decided to start with the very popular, award winning, daytime show 'This Morning' and picked sections that I felt would be relevant to what I am trying to achieve. 

Introduction

'This Morning' is a factual/ entertainment daytime programme that provides topical information about current affairs as well as game style challenges and celebrity interviews. The first episode aired in 1988 hosted by presenters Richard and Judy and was popular off the mark gaining over 2 million viewers. After 10 years the two presenters changed to Philip Schofield and Fearne Britton when Richard & Judy left for their own show and they quickly became known for there chemistry on screen where they were particularly giggly and laughing constantly. Although this sounds like it shouldn't have worked as they kept going off script and couldn't deliver their lines properly, viewers warmed to them both rather than laughing at them they would laugh with them and this created even more popularity towards the show. In 2001, Fearne Britton left and the show went through a complete overhaul of the set with a more modern design and new co presenter Holly Willoughby was hired to take Fearne's place. The show still remains highly popular today as the chemistry between the two presenters works just as well will the constant errors and laughable ad-lib that adds to the show. 

Show Introduction

I started off watching the shows opening titles and how it is introduced. I recorded this and the clip can be viewed below: 

It starts with the opening titles and then mixes to the opening establishing studio shot of the two presenters before cutting to a 2 shot of the presenters. This shot stays on them whilst they have a quick chat about current events. This allows the viewer to be introduced to them and gives an idea of the type of show they are watching. The programme then links to a teaser of whats coming up on the programme.

This is done clearly on screen in the way of a VT with clips of the items and a scheduled overview. The presenters are also  talking live about what we can see on the screen and as they talk about the next topic the screen changes to show that item. This is something that I feel would be very beneficial to our show. As it gives a nice overview of what the show is all about.  It then cuts to the two presenters to continue on with the shows first item. One thing to note is that the presenters have moved and rather than being at the breakfast bar where they were at the top of the show, they are now sitting on the sofa ready to conduct their 2 + 1 interview. This means the presenters would have moved whilst the VT was playing to create a smooth transition to the viewer rather than watching them walk over to the sofa. This is something I need to consider in terms of blocking to make the show look cleaner and to make sure we are in the right area on set with regards to what item we are coming to.

In terms of graphics its important to notice that when they talk about a topic, for example, in the clip where Holly and Phill talk about Ant's drink driving ban, as soon as its mentioned, the graphic will fade in at the bottom of the screen to further enforce what is being said. It gives the information thats being talked about as a bite size one sentence statement to sum up the topic as a whole before cutting to the clip of Ant. When I direct our show I would like there to be graphics throughout that I can cue in to frame to make it seem as professional as possible.

When looking at camera shots there are not many at the top of the show, only to establish the set and to introduce the presenters. There is not much reason to cut to other angles as this could look messy amongst the tease and the quick information that the show begins with. I will consider this when writing my script to try and keep the opening of the show simplistic with more complicated shots later on. 

Fashion Item

I then decided to watch a fashion item that the show has done to see how it compares. I feel this is relevant to what our show is about and I wanted to see how they handled this segment. You can watch this clip below:

It starts with Gok Wan, a fashion expert, who is sitting with the presenters and introducing the item. Although its good to have an expert explaining the knowledge, we feel that our show will be just about fashion and that the presents should have a good knowledge of fashion already so an expert will not be needed to bring in where as Holly and Phill are more all rounders of a very varied topic show. There is a nice 3 shot of them all as it pans over to the first model who comes out. It then quickly cuts to a close up of the model followed by a wide shot of the outfit. The shots in this section are a lot quicker paced making sure when the presenters are talking the camera is on them and when they are talking about the model the camera is on her. Also when they are talking about the shoes there is a close up of the shoes so the audience can see clearly what they are talking about on screen. There is also a graphic to further enforce where the shoe is from and how much it is all in the shows colour scheme. This is something I will highly consider to add to our own show as well as planing the cameras to get coverage of everything the viewer needs to see. 

Overall I have noticed the change in pace between the two sections and have learnt a lot in terms of camera shots and changes depending on what is being talked about. I will be hoping to incorporate a lot of these skills when it comes to me directing the show. 

As Live Production Unit - RESEARCH Whats A Studio Director?

I'm going to be looking into what is involved when taking on the role of a studio director. Its important for me to research this and understand all of the responsibilities so that it can help me with the role when it comes to it.


Pre Production

A studio director is the person who keeps all of the show together. He or she will work with all of the departments through pre production right up to transmission to make sure the show runs smoothly. Rather than producing the content for the show, the director is responsible for how the show looks and sounds when marrying all the technical aspects together.

In the pre-production stage, they will mainly work closely with the producers to ensure all the ideas they have for the show can be elevated and developed towards the end product for when the show transmissions. This includes help with things like script writing, branding and set design to ensure that the show all ties up with the end vision of what the director is looking to do whilst still abiding by their original concept. Another pre-production task for the director is blocking. When you are doing a show, and its live, the presenters, contributors, guests and crew must all know what there positions are for each part of the show. Camera and blocking plans are all drawn up and ran through to ensure they all work together. This includes when cameras move to different areas of the set and at what point the presenters and guests will need to move as well. You can see an example below:

Another department through pre production that the director liaises with is lighting. Once the set is drawn up and we know what areas are being used, a lighting plan can be drawn up when talking to the lighting team to work out how the set is going to be lit. This can include flooding an area with 5ks cross lighting sections, colour washing walls, lighting audience members and so on. You can view an example below:

As you can see there are several lights to one person to make sure that they are lit evenly and so that it doesn't look odd on screen. There are back lights, key lights, background lights and fill lights to make the image seem a good as it can possibly look on camera.


The Gallery & Transmission

When the director is happy with most of the pre production work, he or she will then move into the gallery where they will spend most of their time in rehearsals and the live show. The director will work closely with the vision mixer who sits next to them and will ask to cut and mix camera movements together. For example, When the director says stand by 2, the vision mixer will hold camera 2 on standby and put the shot on a preview screen. They will then say cut to 2 and the vision mixer will air the shot which will now be displayed on the transmission screen. A director will have all of the camera shots visible on monitors in front of them which will allow them to check framing and see that everything looks how it should. Because the director is in the gallery, and the camera operators, floor managers and other crew are on the studio floor, most of the crew and presenters will have a headset on called 'talk back' so that everyone can communicated with each other clearly. Sitting on the other side of the director is the P.A. which is important for everyone to listen to. The P.A. counts down each section of the show and is responsible for the show running on time so the director has to make quick decisions based on timing to make sure the show finishes when its supposed to. The director is also responsible for cueing the presenters when to start speaking, getting the music in at the right time and animating graphics on time.

A director is key throughout the whole process to make sure the show runs in the best way that it possibly can. From start to finish they are responsible for aspects of the way the show looks and sounds so its an extremely important role. Although stressful at times, its important for the director to remain calm and keep in control of the show when live in order to make quick decisions and make the show look effortless.

As Live Production Unit - Progress Meeting Two: Research Discussed

In our second progress meeting we all discussed the research that we had found and what we feel would be important, adding to the show as it currently stands. I had relayed the research I had found in a previous blog post and it was all taken on board that these trends were important and would be considered as part of the show.

Everyone then got into their departments and discussed what they had found in relation to parts they had selected to look at. We then put all the research together and separated it into six sections. These were:

Steals of the season - A look at the seasons trends

Old To New - Fashion from the past that is making a come back

Fashion Fails - Embarrassing fashion choices of the past

DIY Fashion - A look at how to make your own clothes

Independent Shops - A look at independent shops and their business

Music - How the industry has influenced the fashion we wear

Once this was all discussed we decided that all of these areas needed more extensive research so that in the next meeting we can draw up more content for each segment. As my job being director, my main task is to see the research coming in and to look at what we could use for the show and what was not going to work in terms of what the producers want and my vision I have for the shows direction. I will be looking at what the teams upload and talk to the producers, the other director, and project managers to ensure we are getting the right type of content.

As Live Production Unit - RESEARCH Fashion Trends

As the show has a big focus on trends I decided to carry out some of my own research into the trends that will be appearing. Since the show will be transmission mid April, the content will be focusing on what people can wear for spring and then leading into summer so these were the key areas I looked at. 

The first thing I did was go down to my local supermarket and buy a selection of magazines that revolved around fashion. These were Vanity Fair, Vogue and Cosmopolitan. The producers also mentioned that we will be including male fashion in the show as well so I purchased GQ that is very vocal on mens clothes and what to wear. 

After flicking through each one of them I found a variety of articles that explained the trends that will be coming in through the spring and summer seasons. In Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Vanity Fair, they included lots of images and check lists of what to buy. For spring it included boots, satin tops and trousers, leather and suede. They also mention that the rodeo look is going to be very in this spring for when its a little bit cold but warm enough not to wear a coat. 

For summer, There were lots of articles explaining the use of bright colours and pastels. The idea is to pair these colours to create a trend known as colour blocking creating bright bold statements of colour to everyones outfits. Vertical stripes and plaid were also mentioned to be a high priority and will be seen a lot through both seasons. 

There was a trend that was mentioned in every magazine aimed at both females and males and this was denim. This material is going to be huge through spring and summer, so much so that they are recommending to revive the 80's trend of double denim. This is where a person will wear a variety of two or more pieces of clothing at the same time that show a denim look. This could include wearing denim jeans with a white t-shirt and a denim jacket. 

Although these magazines are aimed at the high end price tag I felt it was important to look at as usually high street and more affordable clothing is trickled down from the high end looks that begin with it. It starts at the catwalk and then eventually filters down into places like H&M, Primark and Topman. 

After I had researched some trends in magazine, I went on to look at some high street websites to see what clothing ranges they had coming out. I first went to River Island which had a section all about clothes that are aimed for the summer season. A lot of the clothes resembled pastel colours and floral pattens. 

RIVER ISLAND:

For men it was a very similar story with pastel hues and floral, silky, satin, slim fit shirts. 

I then looked at Topshop which also had a lot of pastel in the clothes they are selling for spring/ summer but they were more focused on double denim rather than floral and they had a number of off the shoulder dresses and tops. 

TOPSHOP:

With Topman, the sister company that focuses on predominantly male fashion had a variety of trends. The main attention was on shirts. This included two trends that they say will be big this spring summer. These are bold stripes and floral. They also focused on double denim pairing lots of garments made out of denim together. 

TOPMAN: 

Overall I have come across a lot of trends for both men and women through researching in magazines and online. I will make sure that in our second progress meeting I will relay what I have found to the group in terms of floral, pastel, strips, plaid, satin and denim so that the producers and other team members will be able to decide what to incorporate into the show. 

As Live Production Unit - RESEARCH An Introduction To Fashion

As I am going to be directing a fashion show and have influence on the programme as a whole, I wanted to make sure I had knowledge and a good background about fashion in general. Although I know fashion and keep up with trends myself, I thought it would be a good idea to take interest on the history to modern day as well as the different areas fashion is a part of.



A Brief History

Fashion has been present in society for centuries and you can see the evolution of clothes throughout time. If you call a time period, you can distinctly envision the type of style people would be wearing in that era. For example in Egyptian times, We have great pictures to show bright coloured clothes, the thick flicked eye make up, the head dresses and the gold of the pharaohs. To compare, we can look at the Georgian period (15 - 1600's). These were times where elegant floor gown dresses were worn by women and suits with cravats and double breasted button jackets with grey wigs were worn by the men.

EGYPTIAN PERIOD:

GEORGIAN PERIOD: 

Fashion has been around for 1000's of years and originally was only reflected by the rich and affluent members of the current society. Fashion as we know it today has changed in many ways. We don't just have the rich that carry the taste of clothes, in modern society, anyone can reflect their own expression through the clothes they wear and follow fashion at a diverse range of all costs.

Todays Fashion usually starts with a designer that will draw a design of the clothes he or she would like to make. They will then gather the materials and make the garment which is then fitted to a model. Once all the fittings have been made, the designer will arrange a show where models walk down a runway to show the world what type of clothes that designer has made. This is then sold to customers for a high end price. Trends will be picked up on where common themes are appearing in a variety of clothes for example plaid (a check style patten) or skinny jeans (a tight style denim trouser that is made to tightly fit the persons leg). This its then usually seen by other shops and designers and similar clothes are copied to reflect the outfits that were seen. The person who started this process was a seamster in the 19th century called Charles Frederick Worth. He had his name put on a label and was sewn into all of his clothes. 

In the 20th century fashion magazines became available for people to admire the top designers that had emulated their own work. This branched into fashion houses which still exist today and have a number of people working for the one designer. A number of houses that are recognisable are ones like 'Chanel',  'Givenchy', 'Prada', 'McQueen', and 'Burberry'. 

Since then, fashion has continued to develop and grow over the years all over the world and is accessible to everyone rather than the people who could only afford it. High Street shops and independent vintage markets all host a variety of fashion that can allow a person to express their style with a variety of garments that can express those on the catwalk.

The Modern Eras: 60's, 80's & 00's

60's: 

In the 1960's fashion was a huge statement when looking back on the decade. It introduced skinny jeans in which would prompt more and more women to start wearing trousers. It was also the era for PVC where instead of cottons, women would wear shinny rubber looking material that had hardly been done before. Their hair cuts were all about the Beehive with backcombed big hair. With men, this was the era of the Mods (abbreviated from modernists) and Rockers. The Mods would consist of short cropped hair cuts, buttoned up shirts/ polo shirts and long parka jackets. With the rockers they were more leather jackets, pompadour haircuts and leather trousers. The fashion created rivalry as the looks were so strikingly different from one another. 

This was also a big era for music influencing a lot of the fashion worn from bands like 'The Beatles', 'The Rolling Stones', 'Elvis' and 'Aretha Franklin'.

80's:

The decade of the 1980's saw a dramatic change. This was the year of bright colours and fitness clothes for both women and men. Both genders would be seen wearing fitness clothes as every day wear including tracksuits, exercise shorts and leotards. Aside from this there was also flared mini skirts, jumpsuits and fishnet gloves for women. With men they wore doc martens (also worn by women), neon make up and slim fitted clothes like suits. This era is known for its uni sex style as men and women were often seen wearing similar clothing. 

This was another decade that was hugely influenced by music created with the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, David Bowie and George Michael. 

00's:

The 2000's had a change in fashion once again. Its the era that has a lot of similarities to what we wear today. Big designers really made a name for themselves in the likes of Christian Louboutin, Karl Lagerfeld and Alexander McQueen. It also was the era that saw fashion becoming quick and cheap with the rise of high street stores. Women genrerally wore mesh type tops, concert headliner T - Shirts and sequins. Men wore mainly black coloured clothing in the form of full matching tracksuits, dress shirts and trousers. There was also a lot of lumber jack style check shirts and ribbed jeans. Another big statement was denim either worn as a top/ bottom piece or both together to create double denim.

As Live Production Unit - Production Meeting One: The Commissioned Show

The show that was commissioned for this unit was an idea thought up by Katie Joslin and Mellisa Moore on the course. We had a production meeting with the whole class where they displayed there powerpoint that they used in their original pitch and explained to us what the show is about.

The show is called 'Steal The Style' and focuses on a live presenter lead show exploring the different elements of fashion which is often overlooked by the mainstream media. The show has four segments and will introduce guests throughout that are relevant to each topic.



These segments are:

Trends Of The Week - Discussing the most popular trends
Not On The High Street - A section focusing on independent stores
Very Vintage - Focuses on vintage clothes and markets with facts and tips
Digging Through The Wardrobe - Going through a guests wardrobe to find clothes and key pieces


They explained that the shows target audience will be E4 and will target ages 16 to working age. The shows format will be a live chat show style with 4 VT's that will be incorporated to give expert knowledge and interesting information at different locations.

There was also a rough set design they produced giving an overall vibe and tone of the show.

Set design:

Overall the meeting was very informative and I feel excited to see what I can bring to what has already been established. The task was set at the end of the meeting to do more research into fashion, research our own roles and to brainstorm some ideas on adding to it.

As Live Production Unit - Job Roles

As we were not picked for our idea we then had to go for a job to be part of the production. These ranged from vision mixer to camera operator and VT operators. I went for the role of director to be directing the show when its live. Although this is a very important role I feel I will be able to do a good job with this as I am calm under pressure and through previous projects I have shown I can direct a crew and a production well.

I researched what it involves to be a director on a live TV production and looked at all the things that I would have to do. I decided that this is the role I will be going for in my interview and have production manager as my second choice. 

I went for the interview which went really well and explained all my reasons for why I feel I would be good at this role mentioning my past history with projects and where I wanted to go in the future. It was eventually revealed that I was chosen to be the director on the first half of the show as well as Gavin directing the second half. I am very pleased I got this role and will continue to research and attend work shops to make sure I am as prepared as I can be for the day we transmission live. 

As Live Production Unit - The Pitch

Today we pitched our idea to a panel of 5 about our idea. Unfortunately we was not picked to go into production but we got some brilliant feedback that I will definitely take forward in the future. Everyone said our pitch was very strong and confident with clear delivery and great content produced. We were able to go into detail about all elements of the show overall and we all knew our idea in great detail inside and out. They recognised a lot of effort and thought had been put into the idea and it was shown from the booklets that were handed out and throughout the pitch.

There were a few issues with the idea itself. They all felt that it contrasted as the subject was a bit taboo although it was meant for a family audience and they couldn't quite see how that was going to tie in together. I explained that it was more of an underlying issue and the show was more about routing for your gender and should be seen more like a battle of the sexes which they said made more sense. There was also some problems with the channel we were trying to get it commissioned for as they felt it was more itv than ITV 2. You can see a copy of the presentation below.

Overall, although there were things we could improve on, we felt we all delivered a great pitch with a workable idea that, when adapted, could prove to be a success in the future.

As Live Production Unit - Final Idea

We have really struggled to come up with an idea that we are all happy with and would be excited to pitch but over the last couple of days we have settled on something that we all feel has its uniqueness and is interesting for viewers. We have come up with the working title 'Prove them wrong' which explores gender stereotype issues. We broke it down into 5 rounds that would all be based upon a well known stereotype and give the contestants a chance to "prove them wrong".

Once we had got our idea we thought it was important to develop the rounds and how they would all work. The rounds were:

Girls Cant Throw

Boys Cant Apply Make-up

Boys Are Better at Maths

Girls Are Better at Multi-tasking

Final General Knowledge Round


The rounds are a mixture of physical and mental to give variety for the viewers but to also give participation. Girls Cant Throw, Boys Cant Apply Make-up and Girls Are Better at Multi-tasking are all physical rounds for the viewers enjoyment of watching and Boys Are Better at Maths and the final round are both mental challenges that viewers can have a go with themselves.

Once the rounds were sorted we could then develop the show as a whole exploring structure, camera plans, lighting plans, set design, zoning and running orders. We created a booklet of all the paperwork we produced as a group which you can view below.

Title Page

Structure

 Set Design

Zone Running Order

Show Running Order

VT Description

Camera Plan

Lighting Plan