Professional practise - Final Promo and Reflection

This is my final edition of the promotional video for Groundzero.

Overall I am very pleased with how it turned out as I put a lot of work into this. Trevor was very pleased with the outcome. The only problems with the video is the interviews, as Trevors interview could have been framed better and the sound SHOULD have been captured through a clipmic. However, I have leant from this, that mistakes happen and you need to let go and find a way to fix it, instead of holding on to it. I have also experience first hand what its like to work as a professional and the pressures of finished a piece of work for a deadline.

Dissertation Proposal - Research

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/gaze/gaze09.html

https://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/narratology/terms/scopophilia.html

http://faculty.cua.edu/johnsong/hitchcock/pages/scopophilia/scopophilia.html

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=s-ng9Ez6KgEC&pg=PA246&lpg=PA246&dq=Several+tracks+may+be+run+at+the+same+time+and+mixed+on+a+panel,+while+sound+may+be+added+from+the+floor%27%27+%28Birt,1931%29&source=bl&ots=_T0X9T2s6e&sig=jHwIrjkcRD3_IppN7mJ91iapIB4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=lmxCVdPnH4LoaKzHgMgI&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Several%20tracks%20may%20be%20run%20at%20the%20same%20time%20and%20mixed%20on%20a%20panel%2C%20while%20sound%20may%20be%20added%20from%20the%20floor'&f=false

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TSSfJb011QgC&pg=PA639&dq=how+to+read+film+name+monaco&hl=en&sa=X&ei=AShCVfzzMMTzUNK1gLgB&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=how%20to%20read%20film%20name%20monaco&f=false

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gf15c1ZnOasC&printsec=frontcover&dq=how+to+read+film+name+monaco&hl=en&sa=X&ei=AShCVfzzMMTzUNK1gLgB&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=post%20production&f=false

Professional practise - Working for Ground Zero

Working with gerund zero was a great experience to see first hand a professional environment and be a part of a team. Trevor and I communicated and worked well together and we kept each other informed with what we wanted and feedback. I feel our relationship has grown because of this and enabled us to work well and at a professional standard. Trevor was a little upset about the sound quality of the interviews, however he still liked the overall video and was pleased to show it to potential clients. 

Overall, the experience with ground zero was amazing as I was pleased with the professional environment and the overall video. I feel that I have pushed my skills and professionalism up to a high standard and feel I have met the requirements also.  

Professional practise - Risk Assessments

Professional practise - Film Schedule

Filming Schedule

Professional practise - Second Draft of Promo and Trevor's Feedback

This is the second draft for the promo, and with the help of Ruby Rogers in creating the intro, the video is staring to take a professional form. I'm hoping that theres nothing big i have to change. 

I rang trevor and spoke to him about the second draft, he said that he wanted me to put couple of office shots back in that i took out as he liked them, but otherwise he liked it. 

Professional practise - First Draft of Promo and Trevor's Feedback

Im quite happy with it so far, I'm still waiting for some footage that is on another HDD and is being set over to me. I still need to sort out the sound and music. 

Trevor liked the first draft, but had these little changes in mind, 

Professional practise - Editing

When it came to editing, the event footage was quite easy to trim the clips in don't or can't use. Trim the good clips and put them into an order so I can insert the interviews. However, the interview were a little tricky, as the sound was a problem. The sound for the interviews weren't the best as the interviewees weren't clipmiked. However, in the edit, i tried to enhance the voice as much as i could without making the voice sound tinny. Also I lowered the background sound and with the track over it, it made it easier to hear and better quality. Trevor wasn't too happy with the sound but he admitted that the room was loud and there was nothing we could do. 

Overall Im very pleased with the edit and how it is turning out and hopefully it will look professional and attack clients when its finished. From this I have learnt that I should always book out equipment in advance and allow time for re-filming. 

Professional practise - Filming the Interviews and Reflections

Today i filmed the interview with all the co founders of the company. The first problem was I didml;t have an additional mic to record the sound on, as I found out a week before and didn't manage to to book one out, as they were all out. The interview room was quite loud and they had no quite rooms to go to, so we had to keep stopping and starting to ensure that no one was on the phone. However, the sound was still a little loud. Also the interviewees were prepared with answers as Trevor didn't email me everyones roles. So i couldn't come up with question until the day. 

Overall the interviews weren't the best they could be, but hopefully with the use of music over the top, it softened the sound of the interview cancelling out the background noise. I leant from this that i should always try and organised film days in advance and book out equipment way in advance. 

Professional practise - Filming Day 1 and Reflection

The first day of filming was the longest filming day I've ever done. The day started as 6 in the morning, so having to get up at 5 and getting kit ready was difficult. I took with me; 1 canon 7D a tripod and a zoom microphone, I was borrowing one the the crews go pros as well. I wanted to go with an additional cameraman but no one was free so i had to go solo. We arrived in Birmingham for about 9:30, just in time to see the eclipse. I film a little of the unloading but no too much as I was going to film a loading truck another day so didn't want to get too much of the truck. 

The set up was very fast as they got everything unpacked and set up in a matter of hours ready for testing. So I had to be alert and no miss anything. Small problem, the camera got full so i had to use of the crews laptop to export what i had onto a HDD so that i could erase the card. After that I had loads of space to film interviews with the event producer and his crew. 

The idea for this day was to show how an event is set up and who and what goes into it.  I set up a go pro to film the set going up for a time laps and filmed all the set up for cutaways. I interviewed the event producer and he explained the whole process and how they do everything.

Overall the day was very long but quite successful as i got loads of useful footage and was confident that with what i had i could start to pale into some form of edit. If the day could be repeated,  I would have found another person to help film. Also, the lighting in the hall wasn’t great and it was very dark on the stage without the lighting setup. From this day I've learnt what goes into a professional freelancer day. 

Professional practise - Research into Professional Camera and Editor

For this i have looked at what freelancer have to do in order when they get a job. a freelancer is a self employed skilled in their own field, if its; cameraman, editor, director, sound tec ect. They are then hired out by loads of different companies and business to either create something for them or work on one of their projects. However, when freelancers aren't on a job they need to ensure that they;

• keep up to date with software programs
• Register with agencies, in order to keep receiving new opportunities.
• Keep promoting themselves
• Make and keep contacts.  
• Do occasional free favours
• Buy any new or upgraded equipment

From this i've leant the basic priceable to being a freelancer which i will take on with me after uni. 

Professional practise - Research into Promos

For influence on my promo video i have looked at other professional promo videos to see what they do to create a successful promo. 

Celebrity juice use and comedy and dramatic approach in their promos. Also imitating serious situations, like the office is a bit like "the apprentice". Also the drama adds an element of suspense and male viewer want to wait and see what happens at the end.



Loose women again go for a comedy approach, also they use snippets from the show to show viewers that the show is very funny and they should also watch it.



Alen carr uses the A list to attack views and draw them in.

Catch phrase again use drama to create suspense as you don't know what the show is until the end of the promo, thus making viewers wait until the end to see what happens. 

From these I want to take on some of the styles to make viewers and clients watch my promo.

Professional practise - Final Script

This is the final script, I am very pleased with it, and know I know where Im filming I can put more detail into the script and refine the story. However, I don't know what the place will be like so it's still a bit of a mystery for me but I;m very looking forward to the shoot day in Birmingham. 

From this I've leaner that preparing for shoot days is very important as if helps you a lot on the day and with what to film.

Professional practise - Script Draft 1

This is my first draft of the scrip, I don;t full know yet where I will be filming so I just outlined what I hope to film. I showed this to trevor and he liked it.

From this I can further prepare for the shoot days and no miss anything out. The story line is quite simple but should have an effective outcome. 

Professional practise - Meeting Trevor and Promo Requirements

I had a meeting with Trevor the founder of Ground Zero, we discussed a little about the company and how he started at the BBC. Then started him own editing company for a couple of years. He then explained how he swiftly moved into the event company side and started doing small events and building up their reputation to get bigger clients. He told me he wanted a promo so that they could attack more and bigger clients to further develop the company. 

He listed some main point he wanted in the video and told me things he didn't want.

He basically told me I have an open brief and to make the most of it and create something different.

I hope to take on what he has told me and develop ideas and further ideas, so I'm ready for the filming days.

Professional practise - Applying for Ground Zero

I sent Ground Zero my CV and covering letter, this will hopefully encourage them into taking me on and letting me create a promo for them.

Professional practise - Applications and Responses

I found a commission place on gumtree and put in an application, they want a 2 day festival filming in Bridlington. I sent them this email,

From this I hope to become a part of their production, as I would like to show other what I am capable of creating. 

Next the day they got back to me with this, 

 I was really excited that they wanted me to be a part of their production. I responded t them asking when I needed to go. I then went to bed and missed there reply message . In the morning i checked the message and replied, however it was too late and they found someone else to fill the position. 

From this I've learnt to always keep my and eye out on my emails and respond straight away instead of waiting and missing out. 

Professional practise - Talk with Laura

I went to talk further with Laura as she said she had found some good commission opportunities. She mention Ground Zero, there were a former editing company but moved into the event side of things. I was really enthusiastic about this and really wanted to do this commission. I sent Laura my CV, covering letter and a link to my youtube for my showreel. 

I'm really excited about this, as I am there only one in the class going for this which means less competition for the place. Also working with a company who know the industry will be great knowledge for me and a great experience. 

Professional Practise - No Response From Envypost

Another 2 weeks have gone past and still no response from Tom. So I recalled to speak with him, the receptionist told me he was out of the office and I could't have him personal number. I told her that i'd waited a month with no reply but she said just re email hims and he might get back to me. This was no good and a big waist of my time. So in the end I decided to look else where.

From this I've learnt that I should have called him before sending the first meal, and not what waited as long as it waisted a lot of my time, that i could have put into looking for other opportunities.

Professional Practise - Envypost

I am still awaiting an email back from tom and its been 2 weeks, so I called up and asked to speak with him myself. However the receptionist, told me to just email him and wait for an answer. I told her I already had and she told me to re-email him to ensure the email comes at the top of this list.

I sent him this email and will hope again for the best.

Professional practise - Problems with Work Placements

As BBC, ITV, Channel 4  and most others aren't looking for internships until the summer, so as a result of this I went to talk to Laura to see if she has anything. She mentioned a company called 400, they are an editing company. I really want this placement as editing is a big passion of mine. However, there is only one spot available for the placement and quite a few of us wanting it. We've all sent off our CV's and covering letters and hoping for the best. 

In the mean time I found out that a previous student applied and worked for a editing company called "Envypost Productions", so with no one else looking at this one, I jumped at it, I emailed the manager of the company, Tom and am waiting for a reply. 

Professional practise - Finding a Work Placement or Commissions

I am really keen on applying for a work placement as I really want to work in a professional environment with other TV production people. I've looked at some internships for BBC, ITV and Channel 4, this would be a great chance to work with professional and get the first hand experiences of the industry. I've sent off my CV and am hoping for a reply. 

For the commission side, at first I wasn't to keen but thinking about it, freelancers earn a lot of money and there are a lot around today, so it wouldn't hurt to experience the process and hopefully I might meet more freelancers. 

Studio Production - Idea for Vines

Today I discussed more potential ideas for 4 vines which will be beaded on each topic of the show. Graffiti, Politics, Domestic Violence and Body Image, are the 4 topics of for the show and I had the idea to create a vine for each one just saying a little about the topic, what part of it we'll be talking about and when to refer to the show to allow viewers to get a update on the show.

Graffiti

For this I thought about doing a posh art/painters V street artists.
also I wanted to do dub step v classical music, this will be to identify the two types of art

Domestic Violence

For this vine i want to subtly show someone who has been deistically abused without showing it happen. Also I want it to look as if something else is happening then see if people see it as domestic violence.

Politics

For this vine i have a simple idea of showing someone voting and the voting card show statistics of young, middle aged and senior voters. They will cross out young voters and post their vote.

Body Image

For this vine I had the idea to have a montage of before and after pictures of people photo shopped, to show what it can do.

Studio Production - Show Name Ideas

Today we discussed possible names for the show, Helen had originally came up with the name "What You Sayin'" however this didn't sit well with more of the group, so she told us to come up with a new one. The promotional team took lead on this, we all started by looking at other names for TV show similar to ours;

From looking at other TV talk show names we realised that all the name are simple and easy to remember. We then looked at different social medias and tried to combine some to make a cleaver, we came up with the following names;

• Interchatter

• What You Chattin'

• Texts Talks

• Whats Your Say

• What You Sayin'

After coming up with some potential names we presented them to the call for a vote, the vote was for Interchatter but only by 2 or 3 votes and half the class wasn't happy with it. After a while of people disagreeing with the name, Helen then decided to stick with the original name (What You Sayin') as we were spending too much time on it and we couldn't agree.

Overall I'm a little annoyed that it took long time to agree on a name as we needed to design the logo and get on with more important stuff, however I'm pretty pleased with the name as I thought it was better than the suggested ones. 

Studio Production - Logo Ideas

We need to design a logo for the show, we still don't have a finalised name for it however we need to decided on a definite logo. We need to decide on; colours, style, font and information.

I looked at some examples of other TV logos to see what they have. Every show has their own distinctive style, colours and font that on their own people would still know what show it is. From this we need the same characteristics to make our logo unique, stand out and identifiable. 

We looked at some colour swatches that Charlie bought in and tried to make some good combinations. 

Helen told us she wanted colure that would interest and look young for young viewers, she wanted purples, oranges, greens or blues. With this in mind we came up with the following combinations;

• Purple, white and blue

• Orang, purple and white

• Green, purple and white

• Blue, purple and white

As you can see purple is a must, we all came to a vote and chose green, purple and white. 

For the style of the logo Helen wanted it to appeal to a young audience, so we decided a social media style would best fit for young people, as most young people are using multiple social media sites. Fort the social media we could base it on;

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Texting

• Instagram

However as most of the social media sites have copy write issues we went with texting, as everyone texts. 

For the font we looked at loads and loads of different type of font and we all wanted something bold, big and easy to read if you were scrolling though a social media site and pasted it. We came up with this font.

We liked this font but wanted it bolder, so we put into photoshop and made it bolder, fatter, and made it purple. Lex then finished if of by pixelating the letters.