I always knew the third year was going to be hard, but I completely underestimated how short the turn around for work would be and the expected rise in the quality. Even though the course can be extremely stressful at times, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. It is extremely rewarding and pushes you to your limits.

I missed the initial start of the year and it took a little while for me to get back to grips with the studio, but I quickly picked this up. Early on fractures began to show between course members and this hindered the show quite considerably. Not everyone was pulling their weight and this was clear in the quality of the work being broadcasted. This was quickly stamped out and with a new rota the group appears to be working well. Everyone appears confident in the different roles but communication and reliability still remains the biggest problem the group faces.

I feel I have worked well this year. My work has always been up to standard and on time. My biggest achievement has been creating the look further entity. Phillippa Beasley has been a major asset and has taken the driving seat in pushing look further forward. She is constantly striving to produce good quality work for the new show and is extremely reliable.

I have enjoyed the practical aspect of CCI, especially as writing isn’t a strong skill of mine. I appreciate the chance we get to have hands on experience with the equipment. This will be a major benefit when moving into the industry.

Im excited at the prospects the second year will bring. Being more confident than ever with all aspects of broadcasting from filming to post production, hopefully means I will develop a strong workflow. I’m constantly looking to improve my work and having the opportunity to work in a studio on a weekly basis gives me that chance.

The Role

This week was my final time in the studio before the group separated for Christmas. I took on the role of sound.  I had previously undertaken the role of sound in the second year and enjoyed it very much. In previous shows the sound op only used the levels to alter the presenter, recently this has changed and the sound op also has to ride the inserts. This considerably adds to the workload and means you need to pay constant attention throughout the whole show.  Each different source is given a channel on the soundboard that the sound op controls.

Reflection

I enjoyed this week and believe I did a good job. I managed to keep the levels between studio and inserts constant, and never let them peek. One of the presenters is very animated and can often raise his voice suddenly. I made sure I monitored this in order to drop his levels to minimise the chance of distortion. If I was to do the role again I would like the aid of a running order, so I could be more prepared with what is coming up next.

The Role

Editing was a task I had been previously set and had struggled with so adopting the role again automatically lead to some doubt in how much I would enjoy the week ahead and whether I would be capable of producing work to a high enough standard.  The group had to film a service at a local church regarding world aids day. This was filmed on the Monday and gave me a few days to turn the footage into an insert

The Look Further crew also grabbed some cameras and heading out to Liquid Night club, Portsmouth to film an alternate music night. This was the groups first piece of filming so the group was feeling positive and excited to finally get things moving.  The insert includes an interview with event organiser/DJ, Will Chump as well as vox pops from attendees and shots of the club.

Reflection

All previous illusions of editing were easily calmed with good footage and a wealth of time. I sat down feeling optimistic and looked forward to creating a well-sculptured insert. Unlike previous occasions, I thoroughly enjoyed creating this inset and having footage of a good standard made my role a lot easier. I wanted my piece to look artistic and reflect the mood of the subject matter. I managed to have the whole piece done in only a few hours and into the studio ready for rehearsals on the Thursday.

The Look further crew worked extremely well making content for their show.  The group came across professional and had everything that they needed within a few hours. It is a good start, my only concern is that we do not focus to much on music. There is a lot of culture to found within pompey and I think it would be nice to focus on the artists working in the Eldon building

The Role

This week saw me in the studio, manning camera two. Camera two is used to cut away from the usual direct shot of camera one. Unlike camera one it does not have an autocue, so when working with presenters you are extremely limited to what is available. On location it is often down to the cameraman to find appropriate shots and to orchestrate the shot composition. In the studio it is important that you are able to take direction and do what the director feels is best, within reason.

This week the guys from Look Further, created a shot advert to put in the CCI Live show. It was a rushed job and involved a short piece to camera from the crew. The end was result was good but more planning could have been used.

Reflection

This week was pretty relaxed. The role of second camera operator is not particularly challenging. I probably could of used my time more effectively and worked on producing a better advert for look further, or filming an insert for the look further show. I think in future shows we could make much better use of both cameras. Presenters could ablib to camera 2 or even learn the script and not need to totally rely on the autocue.

The Role

This was a busy week that resulted in an insert for CCI and a new introduction to the show being created. I was set my role within CCI, camera op for outside broadcast and the additional task of working with a small crew to create a new intro for CCI. My first focus was on the creating the insert, as this was more important and beneficial to the show. I had to report on students taking placement years. My crew got in touch with Yasmine Almosawi, a third year student who has recently returned from a placement year. An interview was arranged and we began filming the following day. As camera op I wanted the best possible environment to film in. We took Yas to the CCI studio and positioned her in the gallery. Since her placement was in the television industry I felt this was a suitable environment. We only used a single camera for the interview, after the interview, I went about getting cut aways in the studio which the editor could use to help create a story.

After the insert was filmed we set about creating a new introduction for CCI Live. Phillippa Beasley stood in as director/producer and with a strong vision she began putting us to work. The group decided a more clean cut approach was needed to make the show appear more current and better aimed at our target audience. The old intro was famed for its eye catching colours and whacky guitar riffs. These were good for the old show, but with a new a year brought a new crew and a new identity was needed. With the shows being repeated throughout the day it was difficult for viewers to differentiate between the new and old shows. The introduction was something that people had wanted to change for a while, so the crew was well motivated and looking forward to the challenge. It was important to us that the viewers got a sense of who we were, what we did and where we are based. A montage of shots, which showed us at work in the studio backed by a crisp new song, helped us create the look we were after. This was not a role specific piece, this was nice and allowed people to get really creative, especially with roles they may not have considered.

Reflection

I feel this week was highly productive and as a group everyone managed to produce a lot of work. It would have been nice to have a bigger team working on the introduction but not all members were interested. I definitely feel as though I am more confident on the camera. I know my way around the menus and the general set up and I am confident in my ability to turn up on location and film a good quality insert. I also believe I am braver with my choice of shots and how I attack them. This however isn’t particularly apparent in the insert this week due to the nature of the topic but more practice is always welcome.

The Role

In this weeks show I was producer. Out of all the roles, acting as producers was one I really wanted to sink my teeth into. Producing moves away from the technical aspect of broadcasting and focus on the organisational side of things. Without a producer, there would be no show. It is the role of the producer to organise the crew and arrange what needs to be filmed. A producer needs to have excellent communication skills to work effectively with the whole team. The scriptwriter needs to be informed on what is happening on outside broadcasts and the studio crew need to know when rehearsals are taking place, giving them time to get comfortable with their own roles. I found the most difficult aspect of this job was the amount you relied on everyone else to ensure a good show. In the studio I acted as PA, creating the running order for the studio crew to follow. It is an important role as it guides crewmembers through the programme and shows the programme structure in its entirety.

CCI Live Running Order

Show 5

 

 

Reflection

I personally feel as though I took to the role well. I have strong communication skills but found the reliability others an issue. I was constantly chasing people up to make sure work was completed to fit the tight schedule and too a sufficient standard, but more often than not I felt these efforts were going in vein and people were not returning my calls or misleading me about the amount of work which had been completed. It was a role, which required your complete attention. It was a case of making sure that everyone knew where they were going, what they were doing and happy with their task on a regular basis. Although a lot of pressure it does come with great reward and it is nice to see a show pieced together that you organised.

Overall I believe the show went well, the quality of the inserts could have been higher but with the director and myself I felt the show was broadcasted with a very high standard

Unfortunately due to unseen circumstances I was unable to fulfil my first two roles. This meant I lost a lot of time in the studio and out on location filming. I had underestimated the turn around in work and roles. On my return I was surprised to see how easily people had discovered the roles they felt most comfortable in. I had requested roles which were new to me such producer. In hindsight this was not a particular safe option, for that of my own piece of mind and that of the show. However I believe I am a quick learner and confident to take on roles and situations which are alien to me. An increase in pressure and uncertainty only mimics that of what I am likely to experience when I move into industry. I have now reacquainted myself with the work flow and ethics that is required to work in the broadcast industry. I feel confident enough to produce work to a high standard and look forward to the challenges a live show can produce.

 

My first two roles were script writer and sound op/editor for outside broadcasted. Below you can see how i got on: