AS LIVE PRODUCTION; PRODUCING ETSY

The Etsy VT is a half and half interview and demonstration from homemade clothes designer Bonnie Arvpino. The VT researcher found Bonnie on Etsy website, we got into contact and myself and Gavin (show director) did a Skype call with her to find out if she would be interested. This VT was a lot easier to organise from a producers perspective, than the Old to New, mainly because it didn't involve any purchasing of clothes or research beforehand. The main thing I had to do was prepare interview questions for Bonnie to answer.

I had to do a small part of research before coming up with the questions, mainly around Bonnie and her page, i found that she makes a lot of children clothes but was starting to develop a more adult range, so i made sure to cover this in my questions. Aside from this I wanted to make sure we understood firstly why and how Bonnie got into having her own clothing business and secondly how she learnt to make her own clothes, because it isn't something you would expect a person to know. I put all of these ideas into the questions that i used on the day for the interview.

The filming of this VT went really well, i suggested we use 2 cameras for this Vt and i think that was a very good suggestion, it allowed us to get a lot of coverage when filming Bonnie making a t-shirt.

AS LIVE PRODUCTION; PRODUCING OLD TO NEW

Now that the filming of the VTs are over, and the editing stages are ahead, I thought i would go through the entirety of pre-production and production, how it went and what I did.

The Old to New VT, in summary of the content, is a photoshoot displaying fashion trends from the past that have made a reappearance 21st century fashion. For me as the producer, this VT was all about research. We needed to know what fashion trends we were going to use and needed concrete evidence that it had made an appearance back into fashion. Originally from the research that was undertaken by me (found in other post) as well as the VT researcher I was working with, we came up with these trends 

70s - Flares 

80s - Jumpers

90s - Chokers 

00s - Double Denim

However after our progress checks with Helen, we decided to change the clothes, Helen advised that flares is something that everyone would recognise as an old item of fashion that has reappeared today, however the others just didn't match up to be as recognisable as them. After further research, I decided that we would change the VT up getting rid of a 00s trend and introducing a 60s trend - now using these trends instead

60s - Mod Look

70s - Flares

80s - Bum Bag

90s - Grunge Look

The next step of this VT for me as the producer, was sourcing the clothes for as cheap as possible. The first thing I wanted to do was check with people on the course, as well as the models we had chosen to be in the VT, to see if they had any of the clothes we needed already - this was very successful and between us all we managed to find most of the clothes that we needed, thus saving a lot in terms of budget for the production as a whole. I had to go shopping and purchase a blazer for the mod look, priced at £17.99 and some black trousers for the flared look priced at £19.99. On the day of the production it was mainly down to George, the director to take control and get the shoots we needed, he had some good ideas for some props we should use to denote each era, for example using a record player for the 70s look to create some mis en scene. On the day of the production I was preparing the clothes ready for the next shot, and getting all of the models to sign the consent forms that we needed.

The Old to New VT filming went really well, we were especially limited on time in our location, only having 3 hours to film the whole VT, but i think the team pulled together and we managed to get every shot we wanted within that time. I was definitely as organised as i could be with all the clothes and models, allowing us to be able to start filming as soon as possible.

AS LIVE PRODUCTION; VT OPERATOR RESEARCH

My other role for Steal the Style was being a VT operator. Originally I wasn't too sure what a VT operator was so I did some research on it. I found that a VT op is the person who is knowledgable around the technical equipment that is used to play the VTs out in a live production. I discovered that a VT op would play a clip, at the directors count, and that clip would then be vision mixed into the studio. I haven't had much work in this role yet as we are only on our first rehearsal day.

Originally, i thought the role of a VT operator would be fairly simple, however i soon learnt that this wasn't the case. The hardest thing, as i found with my research and through the first rehearsal day, was that all the clips/VTS have to be in the correct format in order to fully work on the VT system. We found that we needed to use an entirely different programme to render the clips into the correct format in order to work on 'Blackmagic' the programme we were using to play the clips out to the studio. If they were not in the correct format and we tried to import them into the programme, then the programme would crash completely.

Another aspect of being a VT operator is 'making tapes and labelling them'. This means that they record the production as a whole, a machine would record it directly from the live feed that is being vision mixed, therefore a VT operators role is very important. Overall looking at different research sites, a VT operator needs to be extremely knowledgable on the programmes that they are using, and be able to solve technical problems on the production. This role I think sounds daunting, personally i prefer to steer away from the more technical roles, and the machines we are using are quite complicated, however I am confident that through our few rehearsal days and with the help of The Maidstone Studios technicians, that I will be able to competently complete this role

AS LIVE PRODUCTION; VT UPDATES

Old to New VT

Facebook Ad for Models

For this VT I have written the script and tried to finalise all of the location details. After shooting the mock up, we decided to change the VT somewhat to include the models doing everyday sequences with the clothes from certain eras, we thought that worked really well in the mock and so i began looking to locations that we could use. I liaised with Laura and she found us a pub in Rochester, she also applied for permission with the Kent Film Office to film in Mote Park. I also found a house for us to film in, as well as got permission to film at a farm. However, after speaking with the production team, it was decided that due to the logistics of the models travelling around and having to change clothes between shoots, that filming in UCA would be a lot easier. Therefore, we looked into the photography studios they have there, I wanted one of these as they have white backgrounds that would look very slick for filming. However these are also booked out for the next few months; so the only room we could get was the project space. This room has a grey and white background so should work just the same. In terms of contributors i have put some posts out that hopefully some people within UCA will reply too and be able to model for us. 

Etsy VT

Bonnie's Etsy Page

Myself and Gavin had a phone call with Bonnie, the Etsy designer we intend to use. She told us a bit about her story and how she got into Etsy, as well as her future plans. She will be a very good contributor as she has a lot of history and is more than willing to help us out. Logistically she is based in Maidstone so this also works really well. Our only issue with this VT is timing, Bonnie is unavailable to film the VT until the 27th of March, this is quite a lot later than we wanted to film however we really like her as a contributor and so we are going ahead with it and will make sure to be fully prepared to film the VT and get it edited as quickly as possible. 

AS LIVE PRODUCTION; PRODUCER RESEARCH

As part of the research for being a producer, I will be looking into 'Judd Apatow', a famous american producer. He is the founder of 'Apatow Productions' through which he produces (and sometimes directs) a range of television series and films. As a child, he was obsessed with anything with comedic elements and so in his work he predominantly focuses on the comedy genre. He started his career as a stand up comedian, this led to him becoming a writer on many shows including 'The Larry Sanders Show' in 1933. From this Apatow worked his way up, eventually becoming one of the co-executive producers on the show. From his work he earned six Emmy nominations.

Famous Producer Credits
- Anchorman; The legend of Ron Burgundy
- The 40 Year Old Virgin
- Knocked Up
- Superbad
- Step Brothers
- Bridesmaids
- This is 40

Becoming somewhat of a staple from his producer work, he tends to use a lot of the same cast for his films, especially ones that follow the same teen/coming of age comedy. For example actors Jonah Hill, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Jason Segel and Seth Rogen have appeared in many of the films above that he has produced. Apatow has also been praised heavily for his ' wonderfully refreshing approach to women and comedy''. As a producer you can tell that he is someone who will only work on a project that he really connects with and is entrained by, most of the films he has produced follow similar narrative structures and themes.

AS LIVE PRODUCTION; PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

After the research stages of actually formulating what the show will look like and the running order, it's now time for us to split into our own sections and focus on the specific roles we have to do in preparation for the show. My role is to be one of the VT producers, there are two VT groups within the show and we have to split up the work accordingly, therefore group A works on VT 1 & 2 and the group i am in, B, is making VT 3 & 4.

VT 3 - DIY/ETSY Designer
The researcher within our group, George N, has found a really great contributor named Bonnie. She is an Etsy designer who makes a whole range of fashion items including baby/children's clothes as well as adult bags and summer vests. With this VT, we want to do a tutorial on how to make an item of clothing, a 'do it yourself' video providing the audience with a simple step by step guide. On speaking to Bonnie, she suggested we perhaps consider a summer vest or bag as they are the most simple and quickest items she may able to make for us. I've passed on this information to the production team and am currently awaiting their confirmation as to whether or not we can go ahead with using Bonnie as a contributor; once this is all confirmed i will organise the filming dates and bookings etc.

VT 4 - Old to New Fashion
This VT is probably the more difficult one out of the two, especially in terms of planning and scripting. Originally, this was going to be quite a high modern looking fashion show in a way, showing off certain trends from the past that have made a come back within the 21st Century. However, upon doing the mock up shoot that was set to us by Helen, we filmed people wearing these clothes but doing everyday activities as sequences whilst played to music. We think this worked really well and is quite a common exploration of fashion within these days; many youtube videos are filmed in this way to show certain fashion trends.

Scripts
I have started scripting these VTs, due to the nature of these VTs i think they were quite hard to script because there isn't a lot of speech, within VT3 the Etsy designer will be saying what she wants to say; the instructions on how to make one of her items; something i cannot really script. Moreover within VT4 there is no speech at all, just music to camera, so for this one i focused more on choosing which fashion trends will be used that have made a comeback in the 21st Century.

AS LIVE PRODUCTION; REPORT WRITING

Report Writing Content

-30% of unit mark is 'Production Role Critical Analysis' (2000 words)

-Details the production role you undertook

-Use research into the role 

-Teach the reader about the role you did, using anecdotal evidence to illustrate typical tasks, issues and skills

-It is as much about informing yourself during the production about your methodology and approach as it is a piece of critical writing

-Show the reader that you understand your role and that you can critically evaluate your own work 

-Delivered in a report style; it is a document that allows to see not just what you have done, but rather how and why you have chosen to do something...methodology

Journal Content

-Shouldn't be too descriptive, the journal is where you should evidence all of your research

-Use journal for presentation and supporting info - your blog is the ideal day to day record of your research and development of your work which can be then drawn upon to aide your report writing, however it should not REPLICATE it

What to Include

-Draw up a general list of area you will need to cover 

-INTRO; tell them what you're going to say, MAIN BODY; tell them and CONCLUSION; summarise what you've said. 

-Always write a draft in order to work out a logical structure

-Allows you to explore the subject and to determine a basic logic, however write it as if it is the final version so it does not feel rough

-Headings and Subheadings to guide us through - suggested headings, introduction - brief overview, my production role - overview of the role, creative methodologies - teaching the reader how to do the job you have done by referencing relevant sources and the finding anecdotal examples from your work to illustrate,  critical reflections - again these are an opportunity to utilise quotations and research, conclusion.

-Layout; bullet points, titles, illustrations, page numbers, footnotes, bibliography, citations 

AS LIVE PRODUCTION; SCRIPTING

Methods of Scripting for AS LIVE VT Production

-Most studio scripts follow the standards layout of; two columns -

        - Left hand side including the shot number, camera number and shot description

         -Right hand side including the script, stage instructions and sound effects

-Cut lines are placed at the end of the word/action at which the cut is planned to take place - Vision       Mixer can the follow this and react in enough time to preform the cut

-Camera Cards; are provided so that the camera operators can see which shots they are repsobile for and the shot description

-Used during rehearsals and during transmissions

-Known also as 'crib cards'

-Layout - top of the page needs to contain camera number and programme name, underneath there would be 4 columns for the shot number, area of the set featured, shot description and space for the operator notes

- Mainly they would be created once the director has finished with the script

-Sometimes, decisions about shots are made as and when, for example interviews or demonstrations - in this instance you should simply state the primary role of each camera (known as 'as directed')

VT Script

Tille - should match the title on the VT clock and the script 

- 'IQ (in cue) and OQ (out cue) are the first and last few words of the VT written on the VT script so that everyone knows when the VT is about the start/finish

-Also add in the duration of the VT - has to be accurate - 'CAPONS' information about the captions and when they should appear on the VT

Script Content

If there is a lot of script for the presenter, prompts will be needed (either autocue or cue cards)

However for shorter contents the presenter can learn their lines and use cue cards just for some reminders. When using a VT it is usually necessary to script intro and outros to each package, these need to be carefully scripted so that the intro and out of each package make neat transitions between different segments of the programme. Similar the presenter can deliver links which take you from one part of the show to the next, these can be loosley scripted so that the presenter can adapt to suit their own styler, write with the tone of the show in mind and if possible with the style of the presenter. 

Example of what a VT Script should look like










Next Steps; baring this research in mind, I must now create a script for the mock up version we are doing of the 'Online Fashion Fails VT'. 

AS LIVE PRODUCTION; MOCK UP VT

In order to get some practice as well as familiarise ourselves with our roles, we have to create a mock up VT that we will show to everyone else in order to get some critique about what went well and what could be improved. We sat down within our group and discussed which VT we would want to mock up; the ones we felt were most researched and developed were the 'online fashion fails' VT and the challenge between presenters VT.

Online Fashion Fails
This VT is going to involve showing a sequence/story of someone who has had an online fashion fail, for example a lot of people order prom dresses online and when they receive the dresses and try them on, they look absolutely nothing like advertised (example below). We think this would be quite interesting and engaging for the audience whilst still staying on topic. Within this VT, we think a more informative look would be better as we can show how this problem affects people; whilst still telling the story of someones failed fashion disaster. This is going to be one of the easiest ones for us to mock up because it doesn't require a proper and secure location.

Presenter Challenge VT
This VT is a challenge set up for both the main presenters of the show. Callum had the idea for this VT to take the format that each week it would be a different challenge for the VT. For this 'episode' it the presenters would be pitted against each other, given a budget and having to buy each other an outfit from the high street. This is something we are considering mocking up too because we could use some of the crew to act in place of the presenters, however we'd need to get good locations for it to work.

Everyone will have their own different roles within these mock ups; myself and Callum are writing the scripts for the VTs, Laura is looking into the locations for the VTs, and our researchers and looking into content of the ones that are less developed.

AS LIVE PRODUCTION; RUNNING ORDER

Full running order of 'Steal the Style'

-Opening Titles (30 Seconds)
-Teaser VT (30 seconds)
-Steals of the Season
-VT 2 - Budget Outfit to Mannequin (2 minute VT)
-Fashion Fails (audience participation)
-VT - Online Shopping Fails (2 minute VT)
-Old to New - Dad Trainers (VT TBC) (4 minute - 2 Minute VT)
-DIY/Etsy Styles
-Drag Catwalk (interview)
-End of the show; all contributors brought back on stage and thanked

AS LIVE PRODUCTION; 70S RESEARCH

70s Fashion Research

The fashion scene of the 1970s, was very similar to the fashion we started to see break out in the late 60s, it’s mainly described as just being a bit more ‘Flamboyant’. Designers of this time mainly opted for the use of polyester as the main material for clothing in this era, with bright colours being seen on most items, irrespective of gender and age. In the early 70s, we saw high cut boots and low-cut pants for women, in a sense people were pushing the boundaries with the clothes they were wearing, taking what they wore in the 60s but extremely exaggerating them. However, by the late 1970s the fashion started to change, leisure wear in the form of pant suits and track suits were seen everywhere. The only piece of fashion that didn’t change and flowed through the entirety of the decade was the tight-fitting pants, it was the first era that women could freely wear any piece of clothing that they liked.

Bell bottoms are a style of trouser, they were tight from the knee up and become wider from the knew down. In the 1970s, these types of trouser moved into the more mainstream fashion, with nearly everyone owning a pair. American pop-duo Sonny and Cher, helped to make these pants mainstream by wearing them on their television show, particularly looking at the US market. Within the 70s, there were other variations of the bell bottoms that were introduced, such as ‘Elephant Bells’, which were similar but made of denim.

AS LIVE PRODUCTION; RESEARCH

As VT Producer, i thought i would do some research into both the role of a VT producer as well as VT packages themselves. Firstly, i found the role of a VT producer, is mainly to guide a VT through pre-production right down to the final edit. Obviously there are other roles such as director and editor that would take importance in certain stages, but a producer in essence is their throughout the process to make sure it all runs smoothly and retains the original idea/narrative. A producer works closely with the researchers to produce the story of the VTs and then start to script it, before passing it over to the director for them to turn the script into a reality.

Also, i looked at some VTS to see how they are produced and to just look at some of the codes and conventions that they use. Firstly, i looked at the One Show to see what their VTs look like, obviously not a fashion based programme i thought i would look at this to gauge a full perspective of all types of VTs not just restricted to fashion. The One Show VTs are extremely informative; the format they take is almost that of a documentary. Something i noted which was quite important within their VTs is that whilst they take quite a long duration, they are their own self contained package with a full beginning, middle and end. They pose a problem and then suggest a solution to that problem all within the VT. For example the one i looked at, we see the presenter in a coffee shop with his mum, telling the story of her battle with MS, we get told that funding was withdrawn for her medical care but then are told how they overcame the issue and the solution. Within this particular VT, there is a range of different devices used to tell the story; firstly the presenter does a voice over whilst we see some GVS, then he engages in conversation with his mother to further the story, and finally he does some pieces to camera directly to finalise the point. I think this is quite an interesting way of doing it because its engaging, what we are seeing and hearing on screen changes shape so much that it's very engaging for the audience and they don't have a chance to get bored.


Looking at This Morning and a VT directed more toward fashion, it differs quite a bit. The fashion VT is a lot more fast paced and to the point, it doesn't have a long introduction that introduces the point in any way, instead driving straight into the fashion elements. The music featured on the fashion VTs are a lot more upbeat and uplifting, which resonates with the audience a lot more. The mis en scene is a lot different as well, for example rather than taking places in multiple locations it just takes place in a bedroom which is a perfect location for fashion as well as relating to the audience, it brings a lot more informal approach and has a very comfortable and welcoming feel. Finally, the way in which fashion VTs are informative, rather than telling a story like others, are through their graphics and visuals on screen, we see price tags and labels for everything the presenters talk about, making it a lot easier for the audience to follow as well.

Points to take forward for producing VTS
- Fast Paced                                       -Bright colours
-Comfortable locations                      -Still telling story, but in different visual ways