Thursday 16 March 2017

Unit 37: Task 4

Evaluation


The Ufilms Oscars Rundown has come to a close and I think it's fair to say the past two weeks has been one of the busiest and stressful times for all of the Ufilms team. However I think as a whole this has proved successful and despite setbacks we managed to film, edit and schedule, 2 weeks worth of footage with only days to plan. Our content is of professional standard, informative and fun. everything Ufilms stands for.


Both my segments, co-presenting alongside Matthew, went extremely well. I think we were very natural on camera and really enjoyed presenting for the first time. I definitely think it helped being paired up with Matthew. As one of my closest friends we can get along and take about anything for hours on end. We know how the other thinks and what to say to make them laugh. We also aren't afraid to have differing opinions, which was important, as we both had different views on different outfits. I think we worked very well as a team.


We've received lots of good feedback from audience, members of the team and tutors, which was so good to hear. Peers branded us as a young Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, (thankfully as I'm yet to find a grey hair on Matthew's head), as two incredibly talented people on screen it was great feedback. I received lots of messages from friends outside of college and family members saying how well I had done presenting and how much fun they had watching and listening about the fashion at the Oscars. They had seen the videos through the Ufilms team online presence and constant sharing to friends. Our tutor, Kelly, said we were naturals on screen and delivered our segment easily.


There isn't much I would change about our segments. The only issue we had occasionally was time management. I think we could have planned or time more efficiently and left ourselves with more time to edit our videos together etc. Sometimes it got very stuffy in the studio and I think regular breaks during filming would have proved helpful for all of the crew also. 


As a crew, everybody in Ufilms did a fantastic job. Everybody helped each other; whether it was being on screen as a guest, filming last minute due to absences or helping another person edit a certain part of their video. Everyone managed to upload their videos on time, with only a couple one/two hours late but always on the correct day, despite the set backs being out of their control. We worked endlessly and despite everyone's moods constantly changing we kept each other going and didn't give up. Our YouTube channel looks incredible thanks to headers and thumbnails created by Ben. Matty also created an intro graphic relevant to the Oscars for all of us to use before our videos began. Taylor created nameplates using Ufilms branding - an orange and black colour scheme and our social media accounts underneath so people could find us on other social media sites. I do think our videos could have done with a little more. Maybe some sound effects or more graphics to make us look more professional. Our reaches on Facebook have been huge during The Ufilms Oscars Rundown and after, proving we have been a success online.


Although we were faced with many setbacks the Ufilms team pulled together and achieved our goals we previously set. A job well done!

Unit 37 & Unit 13: Task 3

Production Diary - The Ufilms Oscars Rundown


Monday, February 20th


Today we began filming for The Ufilms Oscars Rundown. As Adam and Rhys's episode on The History of the Oscars was due up later that day, theirs was the first to film. We had a tight schedule so had to keep on eye on the time throughout the day. Filming the video was successful however it did take longer than originally planned due to one of the presenters having wordy paragraphs to remember. We tried to overcome this by using an auto cue using the projector. For this episode I worked as Director. My job was to keep an eye on continuity, make sure the  boom mic was never in shot and that Rhys and Adam were looking at the right cameras at the right time.











Next was mine and Matthew's fashion segment. We were both a little nervous as this was our first time presenting and the thought of everyone watching us was pretty daunting. However we took this into our stride and after the first few takes it was like we were at home having a good natter. We were aware of the cameras throughout and where to look for each line we delivered. We sat on a sofa each whilst we discussed our piece, positioning them on an angle so that we could easily direct our attention to the appropriate camera; whether that be by looking directly forward for a master-shot at camera A or by looking slightly to the left/right (depending on the host) to camera B/C (again depending on the host). We chose to include a mannequin as it seemed a relevant prop to display to viewers that the topic of conversation would be focusing around fashion. I feel as though we both did an excellent job and finished with a day and a half to edit our piece to be scheduled the next day.



 



Tuesday, February 21st



Today I spent most of the day editing mine and Matthews fashion segment ready to be uploaded later this evening. However at about half past 12 myself and Matthew had organised with make-up student Callum Douglass to complete a Hollywood make-up tutorial as one part of our fashion segment. Fellow Ufilms member Jess Bramfitt, was our make-up model. The filming took a lot longer than expected and we were all (crew especially) exhausted. Matthew was also supposed to get his makeup done but we couldn't film any longer. So we ended with Jess's final look. We hope this will be very informative for viewers.
When it came to scheduling The Fashion of the Oscars on Ufilms YouTube channel, it did not go to plan. My computer at home crashed while halfway through uploading and would not work for an hour. I then ran to college to use their computers. However with only fifteen minutes left until college closed it didn't leave enough time for it to post (it needed about an hour). I then made my way to my parents house and used their computer successfully to upload the video. It had been a long day and night.



 



Wednesday, February 22nd



Today we filmed Jess's segment, The Politics of the Oscars. Jess was 'acting' as a teacher teaching some students (and the audience) about the relationship between politics and the Academy Awards. I was camera operator on the main camera. I was in charge of making sure there was no issue with sound throughout and that all the contributors stayed in frame. Jess did an incredible job, knowing ALL of her lines and presenting confidently.






Myself and Matthew presented our final part of our pre-Oscars fashion rundown later that day, a fashion show. I provided some "Hollywood Glamour" dresses, as did the models (Ellie, Jess and Chloe). Taylor and Kane were also models, modelling their own suit jackets. As all the models were coming out of the left side of the background and then going back to the right, the cameras had be angled to the side. For this to work we had to hang up a white sheet to hide the equipment and remaining green room from shot. Before we began shooting we made a note of the clothes, where they were from and the price, so we could tell the audience when that corresponding outfit came out.




Thursday, February 23rd

Today we had to film Jess's video again, The Politics of the Oscars, due to an issue copying footage of the SD card. Again, I was on master camera. The scene was set up the same again and everything was going great. Until one of the lights died. We believe the light overheated and cut off to prevent further damage, we did not have another light therefore had to stop filming. As we couldn't continue filming from there Jess was given the decision to film her outro by reframing the whole thing so that it was just a close up of her from a straight on angle.

After filming Jess's video we filmed Matty and Kane's, The Predictions for the Oscars segment, which will be the final video uploaded as part of our pre-Oscars week. The shoot went well however being down one light we had to use the usual overhead lights too. I was camera operator on the master camera again this shoot, making sure continuity wasn't an issue, the sound stayed good throughout.






Monday, February 27th




Today myself and Matthew planned what we were going to talk about in today's segment. We searched through all the online magazines about who and what people wore. We decided to follow the same set up as last week and begin with what the nominees and winners wore, moving onto best dressed men, worst dressed overall and the nights best couples. We also set up the sofas the same and stayed sitting the same sides, using the same camera setup so we know where to look. We didn't necessarily plan what we were going to say word for word as we wanted our reactions to be natural and be able to have a back and forth banter.




Tuesday, February 28th




Today I stayed in the classroom to edit mine and Matthew's post-Oscars segment. Making sure there was more than enough time to schedule and upload the video to YouTube and our social media accounts.




Wednesday, March 1st


Today we filmed Jess's post-Oscars video about how politics were involved in Sunday's Academy Awards. It took roughly an hour to film due to Jess not having long to learn her script. However, she still managed to stay calm and presented professionally. I was supposed to be down as on the boom but due to Jess's filming being moved further down the week I had to operate a camera.


Thursday, March 2nd


Today we created our last video of The Ufilms Oscars Rundown, the outro. We briefly came together as a group and planned what we were going to say. Basically thanking people for staying tuned and watching our videos and to stay tuned for more videos coming. This involved everyone being on camera except for Rhys and Adam who had to hold up a white sheet so that we could fit everyone in shot. The shoot went well and was over in just a couple of takes. It will be uploaded on Saturday to mark the end of our 2 week series.



Unit 37 & Unit 13: Task 2



As a group we sat together and decided what topics we'd cover and who would cover what for The Ufilms Oscars Rundown. Myself and Matthew would cover all things fashion and make-up.




Once that was decided we had to come up with a schedule for each piece including, when it would be filmed and when it would actually go up online.
 


We had planned to film as much as possible on the Monday and Tuesday pre-Oscar week so that we didn't run out of time to edit and schedule our videos. We had planned to film on
Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st:
Rhys and Adam - The History of the Oscars                                         
Jess - The Politics of the Oscars
Chloe and Jordan - The Iconic Moments/Facts of the Oscars
Taylor and Ben - The Music of the Oscars
Danniella and Matthew - The Fashion of the Oscars
Thursday 23rd:
Kane and Matty - The Predictions for the Oscars
(However due to changes in partners and people being absent we had to switch some scheduling and filming days.) 


We then did the same for post-Oscar week, planning to film as much as possible at the beginning of the week
Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th:
Matty and Kane - The Winners of the Oscars
Jess - The Politics at the Oscars
Danniella and Matthew - The Fashion at the Oscars
Taylor and Ben - The Music at the Oscars
Rhys and Adam - The After Party of the Oscars
Chloe and Jordan - The Highlights of the Oscars
(However due to changes in partners and people being absent we had to switch some scheduling and filming days.) 




Once we had decided who was doing what myself and Matthew got together to brainstorm some ideas of what we could cover. The top half of the mind map is pre-Oscars and the bottom is post-Oscars.

Pre-Oscars:
Some ideas to speak about were previous attendees who wore outrageous clothing, this years nominees and their style evolutions, latest trends we think we'll see on the carpet and have a make-up tutorial.
Post-Oscars:
We thought of talking about our best/worst dressed, any outrageous styles, reoccurring trends and what the nominees and winners wore.

The Fashion of the Oscars | The Ufilms Oscars Rundown Proposal

Premise
A fun talk show segment discussing current nominees previous outfits as well as a make-up tutorial to get people red carpet ready. 

Overview of Content
Introduction- Myself and Matthew are sat on a sofa each, opposite each other, we greet the audience, introducing ourselves and explaining the continuation of our UFilms Oscars Rundown series.
Nominees Style - The first segment of our show will be covering our personal favourite outfits worn by current nominees from their previous Academy Awards visits. We will be speaking about what we like and dislike about particular iconic outfits worn in the past and discuss and share opinions on each other's picks.
Best and Worst Dressed Males - The next segment will show our favourite and worst outfits worn by men at previous Academy Awards, hopefully with a few humorous undertones to keep our segment light and chatty.
Best Dressed Couples - Our last segment will show our favourite, iconic couples at previous Academy Awards, and looking at what they might wear to the Oscars next.
Ending - Our final segment will be us closing the show, thanking the viewing audience for watching. We will inform them of the coming shows and let the views know to stay tuned to our YouTube channel for more content.

Aim

To entertain and inform the viewing public about the make-up, clothes, hair and accessories worn by the stars at the Academy Awards.

Contributors
Matthew Taylor - Co-Host 
Danniella Cooper - Co-Host
Callum Douglass - Make-Up Artist (to be confirmed)
Sofia Cook - Make-Up Model (to be confirmed)

Length
The total duration of the piece will be ten minutes; this will be enough time to incorporate all content mentioned above.

Location
All of our filming will be taking place in the studio, we will however be using a variety of different props in order to change the overall look of our piece.
This will include:
Make-Up Studio Chairs 
Mannequins
Blue/Yellow Fabrics
Orange/Black Cushions
 






Matthew and I planned how we would want our set to look when we were filming through looking at how the green room was set out and what we had available. We then used a camera/floor plan to see if it was suitable, what equipment we would need etc. and to pin point any issues we may have. We also wanted to make sure we had the correct cameras on each of us at the right time for our reactions and speaking to camera during our piece.



Camera A is positioned in the centre of the set, capturing a master-shot of both presenters which we will both look at when addressing the audience.
Camera B is 'Matthew's Camera', this will be the camera he primarily looks at when he is speaking to me, it is positioned near me in order to give a more organic and real feel to our movement rather than making any content addressed to the camera looking forced.
Camera C is 'Danniella's Camera', this will be the camera I primarily look at when I am speaking to Matthew, it is positioned near him for the same reasons listed above.
 Lights:
Light 1 is positioned to the left of the set, this light will primarily be lighting the host sat to the left.
Light 2 is positioned to the right of the set, this light will be lighting the host sat to the right.

Matthew then covered health and safety, running it by me to make sure I agreed. As we needed so many lights to make our set look studio based there would be a lot of wires that could prove a tripping hazard.











Tuesday 14 March 2017

Unit 37: Presentation Techniques for Broadcasting - Task 1

The media is heavily reliant on presenters to communicate information whether on television, radio, video, online, through voice-overs or in person. Presenters are needed for a wide rage of programmes, including news and current affairs, magazine and consumer programmes, documentaries, quiz shows, chat shows and for reading announcements in between programmes. Presentation styles have developed massively over the years, as technology and generations have developed over time.





Pathe News was a producer of newsreels and documentaries in the United Kingdom from 1910. Its founder, Charles Pathe, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. Before television people would visit cinemas to watch the news, until 1928 these newsreels were silent. British Pathe was at the forefront of cinematic journalism, including both information with entertainment, proving popular with the public. Over the course of a century it documented everything from major conflict, and political crisis to people's eccentric hobbies. Now considered to be the finest news archive in the world, British Pathe holds 85,000 films with historical and cultural significance.



At first the newsreels ran for about four minutes and were issued twice a week. During the early stages when Pathe News first began the camera shots were taken from a stationary position. Despire this they still managed to capture historical events, such as, suffragette Emily Davison's fatal injury by a racehorse at the 1913 Epsom Derby.


During the First World War the newsreels were called the Pathe Animated Gazettes, and were competitors against newspapers. After 1918, British Pathe started producing cinemazines, which were much longer and more detailed. By 1930, British Pathe covered news, entertainment, culture and sport through a number of different programmes:
Pathetone Weekly
Pathe Pictorial
Gazette
Eve's Film Review





The introduction of sound in 1930 brought a new reality to footage. They could now start to include interviews. One early interviewee was the editor of the Pathe Gazette himself, for the 21st anniversary.



The first presenter in Pathe News was present as a voice over. His speaks clearly but still at some speed during the 'Pathe's Reporter Meets' segments. However because of his clear english accent and neutral tone of voice it makes it easy to keep up with what he is saying. The visuals are always appropriate to what is being said. In the following clip a presenter is meeting Sir Malcolm Campbell. He is dressed smartly - usual of that time but also representing Pathe in a positive way - and appears to be at ease on camera asking questions. With one hand in his pocket and standing tall but not rigid, it seems very natural. He uses physical gestures when speaking with Sir Malcolm appropriately to get across the subject he speaks about.




British Pathe was the first of its kind to pave the way for presenting and newsreels/shows.

The BBC (British Broadcasting Company) broadcast its first radio bulletin in 1922, a different way to receive news from a newspaper or through Pathe. They could only broadcast news after 7pm due to newspaper publishers fear of competition.
In 1934 the BBC created its own news operation, however it could not broadcast news before 6pm until World War ll.
In 1954 the first live news bulletin aired on TV. The 20-minute bulletin was read by Richard Baker and was introduced as an "Illustrated summary of the news... Followed by the latest film of events and happenings at home and abroad." Baker did not use much of an accent and was engaged with the audience.


But the bulletin was not met with universal approval. The programme was described as "absolute ghastly", "crazy" and "as visually impressive as the fat stock prices". Despite this, between 1954 and 1955 the amount of television time devoted to news doubled with Independent Television News launching its services.

BBC News evolved with the time and began including a studio on camera, conducting more interviews there and showing a presenter on screen more frequently. A presenter would be sat at a desk dressed smartly and talking with a high use of language/vocabularly, portraying himself to be well educated and trustworthy.

BBC Breakfast was the first morning magazine news show as a more informal way of presenting the news. The set was created to look comfortable. The show broadcast news, weather, sports and live reports. They made their viewers feel at home and so fitted into everyone's morning routines quite nicely. The presenters are  friendly but still maintain a professional appraoch when dealing with important matters. 

Today, the two main breakfast news shows are BBC Breakfast and ITV's Good Morning Britian. GMB is a lot more chatty, open and informal. They seem to change more with time where as the BBC are much more hard hitting. The appearance of the presenters on GMB is somewhat different to that of the BBC, they are less smart but still stay classy and stylish. The set is more colourful, again, adding to that homely vibe.

The BBC launched Newsround as a children's news programme in 1972. It was one of the world's first television news magazines aimed specifically at children, aged 6-12. It was mostly presented by John Craven between 1972 and 1989. He spoke clearly and used short phrases/sentences so that he was easy to understand for a younger audience.




Newsround updated in May 1987, with computer graphics to appeal to children more with accompanying moving visuals. In 2002 Newsround expanded from a ten-minute programme on weeknights to through-the-day bulletins, seven days a week, to tie-in with the launch of the CBBC Channel. With this included a new theme, titles and presenting team. The new presenters were much more engaging with the audience and used emphasis on certain words to encourage a response. They also used plenty of hand gestures to also show their interest. Their dress and appearance is a lot more casual than that of the main BBC news shows. This is to relate with the audience and not intimidate them.







Presenting news has changed massively over the years for a number of different reasons, technology is constantly improving and new generations have new interests. It's up to the media to stay up to date with what people want. Whether that's a hard driven BBC presenting team or Piers Morgan insulting any and every guest on the GMB sofa. Some people want solely information or some, that and entertainment. Every presenter is relevant and fits with their programme, portraying exactly what that company present.




A presenter can make or break a show, I have a number of inspirations whose techniques I hope to adapt and use in my own presenting.

As I'm working in a pair alongside Matthew for our presentation I first looked at one of the most famous duos in television, Ant and Dec.



They present Saturday Night Takeaway, Britain's Got Talent and I'm A Celebrity get me out of here. As reality and game show presenters they are the best of the best, proving so with 16 NTA's, winning every year running. Due to their past together and being best friends since a young age Ant and Dec's relationship on TV is fantastic. They react to each other naturally and have great back and forth banter on screen. They are consistent in their presenting and don't stray from being just themselves, staying appropriate to their audience at the time. They always dress and spear in smart clothes or at least stylish. The majority of the time their presenting is in a studio however for I'm A Celeb they are on location - but still in a studio. This one, being outside and "part of" the jungle.



Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield are two iconic morning news presenters. They are a part of most people's morning routines in the UK. They have both been successful individually also, but when they're together they bring so much love to what they do, it's evident they are just close off TV. They can both have a giggle over the silliest of things but also switch back to being serious during the hard hitting headlines, staying appropriate to the audience and allowing them to relate to both their sides. They bring a personal approach to whatever they work on.

I hope to incorporate both of the duos presenting techniques into my own. As myself and Matthew are working together I hope we can use our friendship on screen and not only help each to feel at ease but feel comfortable reacting in a true manner and keep our back and forth banter we have in person. Hopefully having some funny bits, such as on This Morning. I will follow their suit and also dress smart and stylish for each of mine and Matthew's pieces.