Studio Production: My Chosen Role (Sound for Promos)

Helen Welsh's idea for a show was chosen which means that we will produce her idea for a panel show.

For this I will be in in charge of the sound for the promo team. In this group I will be working with Aimee Saunders (Producer), Vittorio Falcucci (Editor) and Lex Wilkinson and Charlie Ansell as camera operators. I am excited in developing my sound production as well as working with a new group of people and trying to make the best project I can make.

Studio Production: Applying for Production Job Roles

For the studio production we had to take part in a mock interview to help us choose the production choices we decided we wanted to go for with Helen's chosen idea. Since the sound roles are something I wanted to develop my skills with I chose this option for the promo team. This would be something I am quite happy to work with as this area of production is really interesting to me and I feel I can bring a lot to the table with getting the sound perfected.

Fiction Adaptation: Film (Anthem for Doomed Youth)

Here is my finished film for the Fiction Adaptation unit.

Studio Production: Draft CV

For our pitch we needed to create a CV which we would use to show some reasons why we would like to be picked for our chosen TV production roles as well as to give an idea of what we're interested in when we presented our pitches.


Sam McKeown - CV

Fiction Adaptation: Essay

Fiction Adaptation

Here is my finalised essay for the Fiction Adaptation Unit. I am pleased not only that I was able to write so much and find so many references to back it but I personally feel that I managed to improve on the draft version quite drastically. I'm also happy that I was able to reach the 2000 minimum word requirement for the essay.

Fiction Adaptation: Music

These are some of the songs I decided to use for my film.

At the start of the film when Jeff's character is looking through his fathers old belongings I thought it would be relevant to use an actual wartime song to show that his character is looking back at his fathers past. (many of the items I used such as the records, books and the radio actually date back to the 1940's)

This is why I decided to use I'm Beginning To See The Light by Duke Ellington. This song dates from 1945 and fits in perfectly with the theme of nostalgia and lament. I also added in some radio tuning sounds to fit the idea that it was playing on the radio.

I want the film to have resonance and be very emotional to the viewer. But at the same time not too jarring with the narration happening on screen. Thats why I feel this song was perfect during the churchyard scenes.

Studio Production: Pitch Powerpoint for Idea (The Music Room)

Here is the pitch for my idea to make into a half hour TV production.

The Music Room

Studio Production: 'As Live' Filming

Today we had a lecture talking about the different ways of making a program, 'As Live'. This is the way we are going to make our programme.
What is 'as live'?
(collinsdictionary.com) Definition: performed as though live but broadcast after a short delay to allow for the editing of mistakes, bad language, etc

'As Live' productions are recorded programmes with a live feel. Usually in a studio so the crew can control the surrounding area. An advantage of filming this way is that the feeling of 'liveness' gives it a more freewheeling less controlled vibe. A disadvantage of 'as live' filming is perhaps a lack of tension as some segments might need to be re-filmed. Heavy editing in post-production could lead to it feeling to clinical and sleek.

Fiction Adaptation: Editing

I am progressing quite well with the editing and I am happy with a lot of the results I am seeing with it, I had to make a few colour corrections and have had to make some tweaking to the sound but I am getting happier with the result that is starting to appear. I was surprised just how many of the shots I was able to use, which to me shows that I have started to improve on my camera techniques quite a bit.

I'm quite happy with the picture quality I recieved using the Canon particularly during the church sequences. Because I was already familiar with the location beforehand it feels like I was able visualise my adaptation exactly as I want it to be. This is why I was able to get what I felt were some nice shots. I still feel its not quite finished and I have some more to do but overall i'm happier with the result than expected.

Some colour corrections had to be made in post production.

Studio Production: 1st Idea

For the studio production idea my first idea is for an all new series called "The Music Room". I will talk about some of the reasons why I chose this idea to pitch.

What is the music room?

• The music room is an all-new music based programme that 

brings 

• its audience live bands as well as an in-depth look into many 

of the less heralded musical genres.  

• One of the key concepts is to look into why a previously 

popular genre of music (i.e. Jazz, Blues, folk" has perhaps 

lost relevance to a substantial market of younger audiences. 

• This program will examine why is this and what can be done 

to appeal to music listeners. 

• Since this concept is based on more niche genres this is 

something that can be developed with each episode focusing 

on di'erent areas. (as the show goes on it can start focusing 

deeper into other sub-genres.

Who is it aimed at?

• because many of the genres talked about are geared towards 

niche audiences mainly of an older age

What is the narrative?

• There will be a narrative during the show using a music 

"historian" as a consultant. He will make sure that all of the 

research that we use is factually correct.

• During the VTs there will be a few sections to inform and 

educate the audience about the concept. 

• A 2 minute 'recap' which focuses in a nutshell on the 

definition of the musical genre as well as some of its most 

central figures. 

Studio Production: Unit Introduction

We have now returned from the Christmas break and are now ready for the new year! Our course has started up a new Unit based around producing a 30 minute TV production consisting of a Live Show as well as three VTs*. For this each person in the class needs to individually pitch different ideas with the end result being one of them begin chosen. For this we all had to brainstorm different ideas. This will make the writer of the chosen idea the official producer for the entire project. For this we all had to brainstorm different ideas.

In the event that I take one of the selected roles that have been chosen for the class I think I will go for a sound or editing role. For this I have a keen interest in perfecting my role in sound as I am increasingly fascinated with sound engineering. The production is split so that one half of the class will be working on the VTs, props, sets and costumes and the other half on a promo team involved with promoting it through advertisement and promo videos.

*Video Tape

Fiction Adaptation: Filming the Churchyard Shoot

I'm happy to say that the Churchyard shoot went very well particularly considering it was quite windy on the day. 

 
I was fortunate to get two capable older actors to play the roles I was looking for in my film.

I was really happy as I feel I was able to get some good coverage with Jeff as he didn't mind appearing in as many takes as were necessary. Dorothy was unfortunately feeling quite frail on the day of the shoot and couldn't stay too long whilst filming in the churchyard so I needed to film her scenes with Jeff first. Luckily I was able to get all the camera shots I needed and since 90% of the film is based around Jeff alone anyway, this wasn't a huge problem. I was very lucky getting the chance to film at St. James's church because it was a wide open space where I could get exactly the type of shots I had been visualising in my head. It was also empty so there was no one around to cause any delays with the shooting. So I would like to give special thanks to the priest John Armstrong for allowing this to happen.

There are a few points looking back where I wish I could have stabilised the camera tripod a bit more but it was unfortunately quite windy (and cold) when we were filming the outdoor scenes which meant that I just needed to make sure I got all the camera angles I needed.
Overall I would consider it successful shoot as I got everything that I set out to do and my actors understood what it was I wanted from them.