Transition: Pitch

For our pitch we first brain stormed as a group (Gavin-DOP, Jemma-Editor and Myself-Producer) for what we could create and where we could go with it.
Documentary
We spoke about doing a doc, we had two ways this could go. Drugs- we spoke about doing a documentary on drugs in the UK specifically the lack of education around medical marijuana, however not everyone in the group was comfortable with this idea and we wanted something we all 100% agreed on.
Another option we looked at was drag queens as we have a lot of contacts in that area and are all interested in the subject. However we weren't completely sure where we would take this or what we would do with it so that idea was dropped.
Remakes
We decided that we would remake an already existing script in our own way.
We came up with different things that we were all interested in and then choose the best one for our group, our options were between Scott Pilgrim, Doctor Who and Jessica Jones. 
As a group we come to the decision that doing a Sci-Fi remake would be too ambitious for the time we had.
After deciding that we would go with Jessica Jones I found a clip for us to re-work, this provided the basis for our pitch.

I found a few of different clips that had a self contained narrative and didn't therefore need the context of the show. The ones I thought were most appropriate were highlighted green.
We decided to use season two episode one as the clip we would remake.





Our pitch looked at our individual roles and how we would rework the original in those roles, as well as giving back ground information about the episode itself/the inspiration behind it.
I wasn't there for the pitch as I was ill however I think my team did very well without me and handled questions as best they could.

Studio production: Project evaluation

Project Evaluation

Pre-production

Over all I think the show's pre-production went well. We had some issues at the start with communication between the production group which meant the rest of the crew felt a bit lost for a few weeks as things got going. 

There was also a slight lack of communication between us and the other Producers in departments. We resolved this by not only talking to the Producers but also talking to researchers, Directors and editors. This was more time consuming but meant we didn't miss any information from their work.

Something I struggled with at the start was working with a group of people I had never worked with before as this was the first time we had all worked together in a group, I was able to get over this though and didn't let it affect the work I produced.

Generally though I think our pre-production went well and we were able to start the show with a good amount of work behind it that everyone in the crew felt like they knew what was happening.

Assistant Producer

Setting up shoot dates and reshoots

As part of my role I had meetings with the different departments (VT and Promo), production manager, directors and producers.
From these meetings the producers and directors of the departments gave us the ideas they wanted to pursue, from there myself and the production manager scheduled in time for the shoots, viewings and editing. I created timetables so that everyone could visually see what they had to do and what their deadline was to do it.
If we needed to reshoot for what ever reason, we followed the same process of liaising with directors and producers on what they wanted/needed from their shoots and put it in the timetable.

Contacting people

To get the various people we needed for different reasons I contacted people in different ways:

• Standing in the street, myself and the production manager spent a day giving out leaflets in Rochester and Maidstone to the general public and to shop owners. We did this to try to find someone for our fashion fails segment.
• I sent out a mass message on Facebook asking everyone in the year whether someone they knew had a fashion fail and whether or not they would be interested in doing the show.
• I emailed the Kent messenger and other communities asking whether they could put out an ad for us, for fashion fails.
• I emailed social groups in the area to see if any of their members had any fashion fails.
• I also contacted people to make fact files about them that the producers could use in their script, I did this for the presenters, Drag Queens and one participant before I got ill.

Arranged meetings

To make sure everyone in the crew was heard and understood I helped arrange meetings outside of the pre-timetabled production meetings. These allowed us to answer any questions that needed to be answered face to face or to do something practically as a group instead of always messaging online.

Attended auditions

During the auditions for the presenters we had to take it in turns in groups of three as we also had a lecture on the same day. Myself, Gavin and Melissa attended the afternoon. I took notes for the auditions and helped have an input in who was chosen.

Research

I helped the researchers in the VT department with where to look and what they should be focusing on. This stoped them both researching the same thing so that more could be done in less time.

I helped decide contributors they would film and how they could get around the scheduling conflicts the contributor had as this was causing particular stress in the department.

Checked Story content

I read through potential contributors for the VT and their stories to see who was the best candidate. I also did this for the drag acts too to make sure we had an interesting story.

Watched/passed on rough cuts

I had the departments send me rough cuts of videos, posters and graphics. I then passed these onto the reset of the production crew where I passed on feedback for any changes that needed to be made.

Budget

I helped collect the budget from the course, I also helped diffuse any upset about the amount put into the budget too.

Gallery PA

Wrote the running order

During the pre-prod stage we finalised the structure of the show and went through multiple running order versions, after we had a rehearsal or a mock up where timings had to be slightly altered.

Production

Assistant Producer

During the recording of the show I didn't do much as the Assistant Producer. I was still a point of contact for contribs and the crew if the had any questions or needed anything. But I was mostly acting as a Gallery PA.

Gallery PA

Communication

In the Gallery we used talk back to keep in contact with crew on the floor. We tested our talk back by muting the Director's mic and asking the floor managers whether they heard us through ours, we also asked the camera crew to nod their cameras and the VT ops to say whether they heard us or not.

Time keeping

During the show I had to keep a count of all the segments and the over all show itself. I had to count out the show and add/take away time from anything if something over/under ran.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Overall

Overall I think the show was a great success, we worked well as a team we don't normally work in and made links/connections with each other that we can use in later projects.

I was able to try out two roles that I never thought of trying before. 

There was slight issues with communication during the process and there were occasions where I had to do other people's jobs such as directing photo shoots. 

However we were able to work together to make the show run on time and be a great success.

I enjoyed my role as Assistant Producer, it taught me many things:

• Communication with people who I haven't worked with before
• Organisation skills with my time and work
• Research skills when trying to find contributors and where to get them from

I believe it's allowed me to grow in confidence in what I'm doing and is defiantly something I'd be eager to continue doing in the industry.

Being a PA was something I had not heard of before and was apprehensive about, and I am grateful for doing it as I've gained many skills.

Something I would like to work on further would be organisation, because while I did get everything done on time and to the best of my ability I did still feel stressed at points in the unit. This could be though because I was taking on other people's jobs instead of getting them to do it.

I'd also like to work on my communication with people, I need to talk to everyone in the department from the start of the unit not just when someone is struggling silently. This way I would be able to help them sooner and take some of the pressure off them.

Steal the style: emails

Emailing/contacting people

As part of my job as the Assistant Producer I emailed/got in contact with multiple people at various points of the production.

Audience for fashion fails

For the fails fails segment there is a audience interaction piece where two members of the audience would have to talk about photos of themselves in "Fashion fails". In order to find people for this I emailed various groups and messaged people on the course to see if they knew anyone, as well as this myself and the production manager gave out leaflets to stores and people in the street.

I emailed 8 different clubs/associations and only received one reply from the UK Men's Shed Association.

Myself and the production manager decided we would go out into the general public to give out leaflets. Shoppers weren't interested in us however we gave 5 leaflets out to shop owners who said that they would show their bosses/ask friends and families.

After not getting any luck with emailing people or the leaflets we gave out to the public, I sent out a message to the course asking if they knew anyone in their families or friends if they had a fashion fail. 

I sent out a message on the 9th of March, myself and the production manager agreed a deadline for the the segment with the producers where it would be cut if we couldn't find anyone to be in it. 

It wasn't until March 19th that we were able to confirm from people from the course that we could use their family members for fashion fails.

Drag queens

For the final segment of the show we needed a drag queen/performer.

I went onto Facebook and looked up UK Drag groups, I messaged the admins of these groups and asked if they either knew anyone who would be interested in being the show/would they be able to advertise it for us.

I found 2 Drag Queens, these eventually got brought down to 1 who we would have in the show.

Unfortunately due to other commitments they had to suddenly drop out, our other performer we were in contact with decided they did not want to do it so we had to look for someone else.

I went back to the groups and found another 8 Drag Queens, one of whom was very enthusiastic and interested. I also emailed two clubs to see if they knew of anyone who would like to take part. 

In the end we decided to go with the first person who responded who was Sapphire Stonee.

Alfie and Adeline

After Adeline and Alfie were cast I was one of their main points of contacts. I answered questions, got information for the producers to do their script, I also conveyed information to them for things like promo shoots e.g. where to park and what to wear etc.

This was sent to both presenters after they were cast and they replied with a lot of information that we could include in our records/script.

I sent them over call sheets for all the shoots they were in as well as the script.

Photographer/models for promo shoot

For the promotions shoot in which the pictures for Instagram would be taken. I contacted a fashion photography student I knew and some people who had experience modelling. I set up a time and location for the shoot however due to conflicts I had to take the photos and members of the course had to model for us.

Music

For the Drag Performance music I got in contact with a musician I knew and asked if she could write us a minute long song.

Steal the style: Del Brown Workshops

Del Brown Workshops

February

Vision mixing

In this Workshop Del took us down to the studio gallery where we could sit at the vision mixing desk and have a go.

He told us about the different panels on the desk and how each one does a different thing, you can also set up presets on one so that you can use the other as normal.

We had to use one hand when using the desk and were not to look at our hands as in the industry you'd have to be looking at the screens in front of you.

Over all from this Workshop I gained a great appreciation for the vision mixer and what they have to do. It was a good opportunity too to have a go at something I had never done/really heard of before.

February

Camera Workshop

We were in the studio in groups of 3-4 people and each took turns on different cameras. I was with, Conor Deamer, Alex Hargood and Katie Prentis. 

We got to use the handheld camera, the Jib and normal tripod locked cameras these were either on a track or not. We had to make sure the camera's were white balanced, focused and framed right. They were connected to the plasmas in the studio so we could see what we were doing. This was also a great chance to ask a lot of questions about the camera's.

Over all I found this a lot of fun to do as I don't normally get to use the camera, I also got to work with people I don't usually work with and found this a good opportunity.

Tuesday 6th March

Studio workshop

In this workshop we each took turns doing each other's roles, this gave us a greater appreciation for just how difficult everyone's jobs were.

We mocked up an 2 on 1 interview with with course mates.

Unfortunately due to auditions being on the same day I only got to do three of the roles, as I then had to go up stairs and help.

PA:

As the PA I had to count into, out of and during the interview. I had to allow timers for VTs that would be there as well as things such as title.

This is my job on the day of TX and doing this answered a lot of questions that I had.

For future notice I have to be louder and clearer when I talk in the mic, remember to say zero when counting down and allow time before recording so I can set myself up without being stressed.

Camera:

As a camera op I had to be on talk back the entire duration of the filming. I had to make sure I was paying attention to the shots the directors wanted, ensure they were focused and if they weren't correct it quickly.

I struggled to hear over talk back as it was so crackly. This made me realise that as PA when counting I'd have to be clear so the camera crew could hear what I was saying. I was also able to quickly get used to filtering out useless information so that I was able to get the best shots for my camera.

Talent:

As the talent I quickly began to appreciate the pressure they are under to remember their lines. I also now understand how hard it is to see/understand the floor manager especially if they stand in front of lights etc.

From this workshop I was able to get comfortable in my role as PA, learn how my role impacts others. Get an appreciation for the difficulty in other people's jobs too. I also feel it helped us come together more as a team.

Steal the Style: Rehearsals

Rehearsals

13th March 2018

This rehearsal was more about getting to grips with our job roles and how they interlink with each other. 

We only really managed to run through the first half of the show, however we were able to tape down the set and use stand ins for the contribs. 

It was the first rehearsal myself and Jemma used timers, we also used a timer that counted up so that we could get a rough guide for our running order. When our timers ran out we would start the clock and we would then know how long it had gone over by.

Over all given that it was our 1st rehearsal I think we did ok, we all got to grips with what we had to do and how we could do better.

**We as PAs need to be clear on what we're timing otherwise we end up with too many timers and confuse the rest of the crew. I also need to be clearer and more confident in my timings.**

20th March 2018

In the 2nd rehearsal we had our presenters Adeline and Alfie there to run through it, we had the set taped down again and all got back into our roles. The directors were still working out their blocking with the cameras so fair bit of time was spent with them on the floor correcting things. 
This meant that myself and Jemma could run through what we needed to do with the running order. 
Our timers were a more accurate this time, and myself and Jemma were getting more confident with saying the counts to everyone.
I was also working with Gavin who directed my half of the show, asking him how often he'd like counts so that it would help him as much as possible.

Rehearsal with out me

I was ill during this rehearsal however this was the one where they were able to use the music from the musician I found. I sent this over to Jemma and she remixed it into a 1 minuet long song that would be right for the drag act.

Link to song "Just be Beautiful"

18th April 2018

This was the first rehearsal for me in nearly a month as I had been ill so I was keen to catch up, Jemma had informed me of everything that had happened the previous week with rehearsals so I felt prepared.
The morning was a slow start as we had members of the crew missing. The set went up during the morning and then straight after we were able to rehearse with everyone except, Sapphire Stonee, Bonnie and the fashion fails participants. 
We had some issues with the timers as the VTs weren't edited to the correct time but we were able to correct this easily between rehearsals, shifting around some time on the running order.
The morning rehearsals didn't go as well as the afternoon did, I think after everyone got in the flow of things it became a bit easier to know what was going on.

19th April 2018

The rehearsals before the recording of the show went really well. We had some technical issues with the computers and timers however this was quickly resolved and the show ran to time very well.

We were all in high spirits and excited for the recording of the show that afternoon.

Steal the Style: TX day

Transmission day

On the day of Transmission I arrived at 8 with the other PA and Director, we were able to dress the dressing rooms with clothes, drinks and food. Jemma was able to give the contribs their money and receipts too.
Make sure signs were put up in corridors and everything was ready for when crew and cast arrived.
While the crew were setting up their cameras and sound equipment Jemma and I set up our laptops with the show timers, mine had the segment timers and hers had the shows timer.
We had a few rehearsals in the morning on the set with some of the contributors as they arrived, we had a slow start but eventually got in the swing of things and were able to finalise everything. 
Before the afternoon we made sure everyone had a script and knew the call sheet schedule. The countdown to the start of the show was started at 1:30 and in that time Behind the scenes got their footage, cameras got in their places, the audience arrived and were seated and in the gallery we as PAs got our timers and scripts ready for transmission.

During transmission we had the segment timers going as well as an over all show timer. There were some parts of the script that either over ran or ran under so we took/added time to the interviews in the show as they weren't fixed timers like VTs are. 
Any issues we had in previous rehearsals where VTs faded to black or weren't edited to time had been sorted by adding other timers. I used my TX running order to tick off as I went along, this helped me keep with where I was in the show and what timer I needed. Myself and Jemma would cross reference with each other to confirm the timings on the segment timers and the show timer. 
If we  went over or under time in a segment (this was more often then not the Old to New segment) the producers would come over and tell us where they wanted the time either added or taken from. 
The show ran exactly to 30 mins.

I worked with Gavin (the director for my half of the show) and found that it was easier for him to know where he was in the show if I did 10 second counts. After confirming this we ran on time a lot more.

Steal the Style- Script

Scripts

Over the duration of the pre-production period there were various versions of the script. My self and the other PA would have two jobs in regards to the script:

• Read through it to make sure it made sense, both factually and literally.
• Add in durations and make sure the durations gave enough time to the dialogue.

All my versions of the script were highlighted and noted on. This allowed me to be able to easily see where things like graphics or VTs were.

My final script also had the running order and call sheet in case anyone needed it, and so I knew the schedule for the day. I also noted down information like meetings that needed to happened between the audience manager and staff at the studios. I crossed through the half of the show that wasn't mine to ensure I wouldn't get confused.

These are the other versions of the script I worked from.
We had to ensure that these scripts worked with our running orders so that everything was accurate.
The information I collected from Bonnie and the presenters were put in the scripts to so that they had some stories in them to make the dialogue more personalised.
My versions also had notes that Del would say during the rehearsals, if VTs needed to be slower or reedited so that I could bring it up with them later. Everyone on set was required to have a script so that they knew where in the show we were and what was happening at that point.

Studio production: Timetables

As part of my job as Production Assistant and Assistant Producer I made time tabled schedules for everyone on the crew, this meant that they could see what was going on in terms of meetings or deadlines.

February 

March

April

The time tables meant that information could be passed over to the crew easily without individually meeting/messaging them. 
Only the production crew had editing access to them and this then meant that the information provided was up to date and relevant, it also meant that there was no confusion about jobs.

Steal the Style: Auditions

Auditions

For the initial Auditions the Directors Gavin and George conducted Skype interviews with each of the potential candidates to decide who would then progress onto the pairs auditions in the studios.

For the pairs auditions because the six of us in the production group couldn't be excused from the workshop with Del at the same time we split into two groups of three.

Myself, Melissa and Gavin were in the second half of the auditions.

**Notes from the auditions**

After the auditions we decided as a production group to go with Adeline and Alfie as they worked so well together.

**Audition pack made by the Production Manager**

Steal the Style: Drag Queen info Profiles

Drag Queen Info Profiles

As part of my role as the Assistant Producer I created profiles for the two drag queens we were considering having in the show. This was so that the directors and producers could easily see everything they needed to about them. 

In these profiles I included various images and video links that I found after googling both of them.

The first person I found over Facebook was a Drag Queen called Oliver. Oliver was still in school and therefore it was hard to co-ordinate our schedule with theirs.
Oliver had been doing drag for numerous years and made their own clothes to save on cost.

Felix was an older Drag Queen again found through face book.









I kept in consistently contact with both of them to answer questions and keep them updated with any and all changes.

Unfortunately neither Oliver or Felix were able to take part in the show.
As a result I contacted multiple clubs/bars/Drag Queens to see if anyone could take part. We ended up finding someone who was interested while I was off ill.

Steal the style: Running Order

Steal the Style: Running Order

A running order is something that keeps an accurate account of what happens in a programme. It records information like; music, rights, contributors, programme team and information about the content of the programme. (1)

As Production Assistant (with Jemma) it was part of my job to create the running order that would assist with the scripting and directing of the show.

The first version of the running order was created during a lecture with the entire "crew" and Del. During this lecture we had to decide what segments we wanted in the show, what we wanted involved in them as well as the over all look of the set and some rough camera/light ideas.

Whilst this was happening I wrote down notes that would assist in making a very rough running order. There isn't a lot of detail in this one as it was to purely allow everyone to see the order the show was going to run.

I looked at videos online to help me work out how things would work to flow together well enough. We spoke with the producers and directors to make sure they were happy with the order of everything too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iDu-gxzy_s

The next version of it included a lot more information and had more accurate timings.

This was the last running order we did before the rehearsals. We included the; talent, contributors, props and the location that would be needed for each segment. We also continued with colour coding as it meant that we could easily see what was taking up the most amount of time.

This was the running order that was used during our 1st rehearsal during which we took notes on times and how we could improve it.

The 3rd instalment was very similar to the 2nd however the times were more accurate to the duration.

We did this by timing upwards how long something took. This led us to this edition which we used in our 2nd rehearsal. 

To help us with the format of how a running order should look I looked at the examples on my UCA as well as looked online. 
We came up with the following running orders that followed the format shown in the examples. This made them a lot simpler to read and understand.

The next version was made a lot more simple. After the last rehearsal we were told to not time for chitchat and other things along those lines. Therefore we came up with overall times for the segments and had each part which had to follow a time limit underneath, this for example included interviews or VT's. 

This is the final running order. It contains slightly altered timings however otherwise is the same to the previous, just formatted differently to fit the script.

This is the final running order. 
These are the timings that will be used in the show unless last minuet changes are made.

Running order used on TX Day. This is the 'final running order', we managed to get the show to run to exactly 30 mins using this running order.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(1) "Running order: what is a running order?" - www.bbc.co.uk/academy/en/articles/art20150407134609399