Week 11 – December 9th, 2011 “Edit 2-minute Trailer”

This was the second to last class before the end of the module. I went to the original scheduled class location and no one was there. So come to find out the class was located in the CMIST building so that we can edit our 2-min trailer. During this class period we looked over some of the third year trailers. This was a short class period because everyone was assigned to different post –production roles and there were 2 of the group members that were working on the trailer. I only happy one more week left of this lecture and I wanted to make sure that I had everything needed for this lecture.

Week 10 – December 2nd, 2011 “Writing a Reflective Report” - Screening all of Projects DUE

During this class period we went over writing a reflective report. I was unable to attend this session, but I know that screening for all projects were due which had to be transferred on to a playable DVD for screening in the class. This was already taken cared of so and I was told that we got a really good mark on it which I was so proud of. The reading for the class was Chapters 18 and 19, pp. 447-497.  Millerson, Gewrald. (2005) “Television Production”, Focal Press.

FILMING - November 25th, 2011

Today was filming day and we had to make sure we had to complete everything. According to the schedule I was going to be working the audio (sound) in the morning and camera 3 in the afternoon. I was ready for what the day had in store. Early in the morning I did the actors make-up and hair before the shooting. At the end of yesterday’s meeting we discussed certain things that we needed to work on for today so that the day could go smooth. Working on audio was the same as yesterday nothing to complex and very simple so I enjoyed doing it. This was during the morning and in the afternoon I was able to work on camera, which is what I really wanted to do. While I was working on the camera I filmed the main character “Malcolm” and I did wide shots, mid shots and close ups. I had never worked on that type of camera but I enjoyed learning how to work it. At this time I was taking in everything taking directions from director, producer and the floor manager. Today was a long day but we had breakfast and lunch, which was provided by the production team. There were no major problems that we really encountered during the filming. The only thing that we really had trouble with was the boom being in the way of the camera. This tended to be a problem as we worked with trying to get the boom out of the way of the camera and still be able to hear the actors properly. After a long day in the studio we were able to film everything we needed and still look over our tapes and plan to arrange time to come back in the studio to pick up the rest of the set design.

Technical Rehearsal - November 24th, 2011

Today we insisted that we got a lot of filming done so that we would not have too much to complete for tomorrow. Today all the actors were available and we were able to film 2 out of 5 of the actors and rehearse the rest. This time I came in and started working on the actors make-up and hair. Today I worked in Audio and it was different working with a new audio system. I was able to learn a lot while I was working in audio and interacting with my group members. I did notice that we encountered a lot of time being wasted because during the filming the director kept reviewing the tapes after we would shoot. I notice that this took up so much time, which got annoying after a while. I felt that the production group worked great together and there was a lot of communication amongst everyone. Everything was put together accordingly and we adhered to the filming schedule as we went throughout our day. As the day came to a close I had to leave and come back because I had lectures, but when I got back I got right back on audio for only 30m minutes. Today we got a lot of filming done so we were right on schedule with our filming.

The next meeting was then scheduled for Friday, November 25^th, 2011 from 9am-5pm, which is right before the filming.

Week 8 - Production Meeting 7 - November 18th, 2011

Today was our last meeting before next week’s technical rehearsal and filming for Dead Serious. At this point we each member discussed the current status about their pre-production role. Everything is in order and ready for next week. There was a problem that occurred with one of the actors Ryan as “Collin” who unfortunately had to remove himself from the production due to immediate circumstances. So, the casting team had to do an Emergency actors search, but I was able to ask another one of my mates that fit the role if her could do it and he was available. At this point we had our cast complete and ready for next week. Midway through the class session a group 1 needed some extra’s so a couple of the group members including myself went to the studio for about and hour to act as extras. After a group of us returned to the classroom Kate reiterated our production roles and gave us our schedule breakdown for the morning and afternoon on both days.

The next meeting was then scheduled for Thursday, November 24^th, 2011 from 9am-5pm, which is right before our Technical Rehearsal in the Studio.

Actors Script Reading Rehearsal – November 17th, 2011

Today the casting team met with the actors to do a read through of the script. Everyone was scheduled to meet at 12pm in the SPSC Bldg. on the second floor. This was all of the actors first time meeting each other. We started the meeting with everyone formally introducing each other stating their name, where their from, year, and the role that they got chosen for. This meeting was scheduled for 2 hours. Kate gave each actor the required documents Production Forms (Casting Information Form, Actors Agreement, Models Release Form, and Performers Consent) to read through. After we read the information through with the actors we then had them read over the script for their characters and we did this 3 times. We concluded this meeting inquiring that the actors must meet to rehearse on their own time and to let either myself, Tamara or Kate know, so that either one of us can oversee the rehearsal, if requested.

Week 7 & Production Meeting 6 - November 11th, 2011

In class both groups did block production in TV studio. While we were waiting on the other group we took this time to have our production meeting. We talked about the auditions that were taken place on November 9^th, 2011which was partially a success, and seeing that the turn out was pretty good but we did not have a complete cast. We made another date where all actors needed to be cast by November 18^th, 2011. During this meeting the floor plan was also drawn up. I brought my laptop so that all group members could see the 6 actors that were auditioned on during the casting call. We discussed the update on permission to use sofa and chair found in hub during filming of Dead Serious. We contacted Facilities Management and the woman said to call back for a response for our request if we haven’t heard from her by Monday. Director wanted actors to be regionally placed, rather than being generally British. Everything that we discussed needed to be completed by next Friday. As a group collectively we decided to confirm actors, Robert Walsh (Malcolm), Natalie Smith (Angela), and Emma Davies (Elaine). During this meeting Tamara and myself immediately contacted the actors to congratulate them on their roles. At this time we had to find out about their availability, traveling arrangements, and dietary requirements. We made sure that they were available dates November 17^th, 24^th and/or 25^th, 2011. The things that set design members had needed were a psychology bust, Newton’s cradle, psychology books, statue and a knitted doll (two different color); one black one white. We then went online to eBay.com, amazon.com and preloved.com to see how much some of these props would cost. Also it was suggested that they could also search charity shops as well. The director wanted the cast to provide their own costumes based on his recommendations. Since Malcolm’s role needed a suit we had to verify if Robert had a suit and if not get his size so that we could find him a suit. After our meeting Tamar, Kate and myself went on a casting search in the hub where we were able to cast Colin and Peter using some of my mates from my halls. At this moment it was an emergency that we find anyone and just work around the description of the characters. The reading for the class was Chapters 16 and 17, pp. 401-446.  Millerson, Gewrald. (2005) “Television Production”, Focal Press.

The next meeting was then scheduled for Friday, November 18^th, 2011 at 12pm in the Library.

CASTING CALL – November 9th, 2011

CASTING CALL – November 9^th, 2011

The casting call consisted of 3 members Tamara, Mary, 2 Chinese guest Eden, friend and myself. We had the ground floor booked from 10-7pm in which we casting members have to arrive an hour early. We had the camera, lines to read, completed script, information cards and a welcoming smile. During the auditions we interacted well with each other as far as suggesting ideas. We had the first 2 actors who came in read over the script and choose what character they wanted to read for. After they left I suggested that instead of having the actors choose what role they want to read for, ask them to read for both and that is what we did. At this time 1 and half went by so we decided if the no one else comes in then we would go out and find actors in the Performing Arts building. We notice that it was getting late and realized that no ones else were probably going to show up. While Tamara went to print out the pictures of the actors I transferred the recordings to my laptop so that we can show the members the auditions. Unfortunately we did not fill each character so we had to schedule another casting call. I went home and created another flyer to post around campus with the remaining roles we had left to fill, email and my contact number.

Production Meeting 5 - October 28th, 2011

Today’s meeting was brief in which we discussed where we were currently with everything that was discussed on Monday and what we needed to have for the week after reading week. I talked about the flyer that I created for the casting call, which was very detailed, but still an attention grabber. We made sure that everything was up to part as far as the dates for casting with all casting members schedule. We talked about the online actors website and how many peopled replied in regards to the auditions dates. We received responses from 4 people but they were all outside of Lancashire, such as Manchester, London and Leeds. We discussed that even though we were interested in these actors we realized that at the time we would have to provide transportation for them. At the moment we did not have a stable budget in order to fund for these actors interested in the audition so we decided to reach out to the drama students on campus and local residents. With this in preparation for the casting call me, Tamara and Kate made information cards and sorted out specific lines for the actors to read for a role. It was suggested that if any group members that would be available to meet during reading week could schedule a date for another brief production meeting.  The next meeting after reading week was confirmed.

The next meeting was then scheduled for Friday, November 11^th, 2011 at 9am-12pm in the classroom.

Week 5 – October 28th, 2011 “Review Script. Block Script, Floor Plan & Storyboards”

Today in lecture went into the TV studio for an hour to work out our floor plan and storyboard. We were able to see the TV studio and make our plans for the day of the film. Set Design was done during this time as well. After we got back to the class we had our Production Meeting.  The reading for the class was Chapters 9, pp. 206-254.  Millerson, Gewrald. (2005) “Television Production”, Focal Press.

Production Meeting 4 - October 24th, 2011

Today’s meeting was focused mostly on casting and the updates on it. The decision was made that we would no longer have casting during reading week due to conflict of the casting members availability. So we decided on an official date, which will be on November 9, 2011 on the ground floor of the library from 10-7pm, and the room has already been booked. We decided to meet up an hour before the auditions began so that we could be fully prepared. I was instructed to book out a Panasonic camera, tripod, and tape because we wanted to record the audition so that we could burn footage onto the DVD. The studio was booked for November 24^th, 25^th, and 28^th, 2011 for filming. I volunteered to provide my contact information and create a flyer to post around campus. An email was also created specifically for casting which we made during the meeting. The email address was (casting.deadserious@live.co.uk) and the password as (casting2) and this was available for all group members. The technical and rehearsal was scheduled for Thursday, November 24^th, 2011 at 11am, to prepare for filming, set built by 12pm, and after lunch actors available on set rehearsal. We said we would send character information to possible actors via email. Everyone was reminded once again to put their contact information on Facebook group page if they haven’t done so yet. To get an idea of an office we watched some YouTube clips of current shows, to see how they designed the layout of and office and so we can hopefully be creative with camera shots as well. We ended the meeting by doing a read through of the current script.

The next meeting was then scheduled for Friday, October 28^th, 2011 at 12pm in the Library.

Production Meeting 3 - October 21st, 2011

Our third meeting took place on October 21^st, 2011 and began at 1pm after our lecture on the ground floor of the library. This was the first meeting that I was able to attend. I formally introduced myself to the rest of my group members. We all agreed that a schedule needed to written up before filming begins. Mary, Louise, Tamara and myself put our names forward to be apart of the casting team. We discussed that we must use local actors and film when we hold the auditions. All group members at this time were required to have a pre-production role as well as a production role. This way, all group members will be gaining experience in different areas of TV Drama production. Everyone was assigned to a role. I worked on the Casting Team, for production I requested to work on camera and audio. After we sorted our production roles we then organized the schedule for it and the rehearsal shoot. Each group member was instructed to put his or her contact information on the “TV Drama Group 2” Facebook group page. Whoever is working on over subscribed production roles also had to help out other production roles when needed? We discussed the props that we needed for the set such as a desk from an unused classroom, leather chair and sofa from the hub. After we went over the props we finalized the production roles and wrote it in the production folder. Someone suggested that we should have auditions and completed casting during reading week but not every member would be available. The meeting was then adjourned and decided our next meeting date. The following meeting after that is scheduled for Friday, October 28^th, 2011, which a room has already been booked for this. 

The next meeting was then scheduled for Monday, October 24^th, 2011 at 11am in the Library.

 

Week 4 – October 21st, 2011 “Group pitches and pitch packs DUE”

This was my first time back in class after my illness and I was ready to start working and catch up on any missing work that I had. We had a guest that came in to watch the pitch and I felt like one of the judges because I was able to sit back and watch both groups.  During this time I was able to hear my group present and I was very proud because I think they did a phenomenal job, not just because they were my group, but because they were so organized and they were all credible in regards to information.  The reading for the class was Chapters 3 & 4, pp. 29-98.  Millerson, Gewrald. (2005) “Television Production”, Focal Press.

Production Meeting 2 - October 20th, 2011

Our second meeting took place on Thursday 20^th October 2011 and due to my illness the first two weeks of our module I wasn’t able to attend this meeting. I was able to talk to Tamara and Kate about what was discussed at this meeting. In preparation for the pitch that needed to be presented everyone in the group was delegated a task which included helping type up the presentation. The synopsis and minutes from meeting 1 were handed in and the development on the production folder began. Due to the lack of funds the budget plan had to be re-written. They discussed the attire that was all black formal business for the day of my group’s presentation, which applied to everyone. I requested a copy of the original script so that I could formularize myself with the script. Everyone was assigned to work individually on a piece of work for the pith. There was also a deadline for each person piece to be sent to one computer where it was edited and finalized. All group members successfully completed there assigned work. At this time group members completed both visual side and scripted side of presentation.

The next meeting was then scheduled for Friday, October 21^st, 2011 at 1pm in the Library.

 

Production Meeting 1 - October 19th, 2011

On October 19^th 2011, between 2pm and 4pm our first meeting was held. There were 5 people in attendance but I wasn’t one of them. After seeing one of the group members Tamara Kondowe, she was able to fill me on mostly everything I missed and what was discussed at this meeting. The meeting was about what would be included in the pitch pack. The pitch would include a synopsis, treatment, audience, marketing and a budget report. When they discussed the Target audience they decided that the information would include the age range, personality traits, stereotypes, gender of audience and genre of TV show. There was research done by Carna for the budget. Also, Tamara and Kate did further research into audiences by conducting a questionnaire, noting age range, favorite television genre, and in total 30 people were questioned. The set design and office layout was discussed and possible props needed for the shoot. Once they received a copy of the script, the first copy of a prop list would be finalized. The writing team was instructed to write the synopsis and treatment, which then Louise then wrote up a series synopsis. Lauren and Louise began research into possible tag lines, film taglines and they final decided on a tagline for TV series. They discussed character personalities and appearance and began looking into possible actors to play each character. They realized that they would have to cover travel expenses if we were to cast professional actors through cast and call pro. Kate asked for us to do further research into therapists and clientele and research into St. Peter. 

The next meeting was then scheduled for Thursday, October 20^th, 2011 at 5pm in the Library.

Week 3 – October 14th, 2011 “Finalized Group Scripts”

This is the 3^rd week of class and the 2^nd class that I have missed due to my illness so at this time I was even more nervous about all the work that I had to make seeing that we only meet once a week. As an international student when your only taking once module in the course it’s a lot more difficult to stay abreast of what’s going on because most of the students have all the same other modules in their field of study. I didn’t let this get to me I just new when I made it back to class the following praying that I get better that I would just have a lot of work to put in to make up for the time that I missed. As I’m checking my blackboard to see if the module have been added it still wasn’t there so I wasn’t able to see what would be covered in the next lesson. The reading for the class was Chapters 7 & 8, pp. 137-205.  Millerson, Gewrald. (2005) “Television Production”, Focal Press.

Week 2 – October 07th, 2011 1-4pm (Workshop) “Individual Scripts DUE”

  This is week two in my TV Drama class and unfortunately I was unable to attend due to the Fresher’s Flu according to the University Nurse. At this time I am really feeling ill and really troubled because I am not the type of student to miss class even when I’m sick, but in this case it was different. I couldn’t get out of bed and I didn’t have access to blackboard to go ahead and see what our lecture was going to be on this week. So, I felt really lost in the world so I immediately contacted my International Advisor in regards of my issue and she was able to contact my tutor about my unfortunate predicament. I just stayed in bed, took medicine, got a lot of rest and read the book that I checked out periodically. I did not have any of my group members contact information so; I was even more worried about missing all the work that we were given. The reading for the class was Chapters 5 & 6, pp. 99-136.  Millerson, Gewrald. (2005) “Television Production”, Focal Press.

Week 1 – September 30th, 2011 “What is TV Drama”?

In the beginning of this course I was a little intimidated due to module description, but I was ready for the challenge.  In this module we went over the introduction and aims of the semester in the handbook. In this class the tutor (Ms. Rosa Fong) went over a PowerPoint titled “What is TV Drama? – Multicam v Single Cam Format” which I found to be very interesting. The tutor also went over what the module would be focusing on mulitcamera TV drama, creative use of TV studio to produce multicamera drama, work with professional actors, liaise with technical facilities staff, and work in a professional manner meeting all deadlines. We had to produce a 10- minute pilot for a TV Drama from an original script or adaption. At this time I was excited about doing something different and working with scripts. I also learned about the 3 distinct periods, beginning to the mid 1950’s, Mid 1950’s to 1980’s, and 1980’s and evolving. I was unsure on how to write a script for a TV Drama so I asked my tutor and she told me to check out a book titled “How to write for television” and I did that immediately after class. At this time I felt comfortable about the class and what was in stored. So we received our homework, which was to write a treatment and script for a TV Drama, and I was assigned a group for the Group Project. The reading for the class was Chapters 1 & 2, pp. 1-28.  Millerson, Gewrald. (2005) “Television Production”, Focal Press.