'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Independent Seller Research

To help with scripting the DIY interview I did some research into our Independent Seller, Bonnie Arpino, and her store.

Fresh Air and Buttons is Bonnie's store on the site Etsy - a platform which allows independent sellers like Bonnie to sell their handmade items. This store mainly features children's / baby's clothing as she is in the process of setting up an adult range called 'Poison and Pins'. This will provide a good interview topic as the we can ask Bonnie about the differences between making children's and adult's clothing. 

"Dare to be different" is a line Bonnie uses in the bio for her Esty store - this is ideal for our show as the premise of our show is to display anti-mainstream fashion and showing the audience how they can stand out from the crowd. She also describes her products as "affordable" which is another key element of our programme - our show is targeted towards people with everyday jobs who are looking for fashion which is on trend yet original in its own way and affordable. The fact that each item Bonnie makes is handmade makes them unique which again fits with the tone of our show - if the audience were to buy items from Bonnie (or another independent seller), they would be ensuring originality with their style as these items are not available on the high street. 

Bonnie will appear both in a VT and in the studio. The VT will focus more on her background / story whilst showing the audience how to make an item, whereas the studio section will take an interview format where Bonnie will be asked specific questions about her items / designs, where she finds her inspiration from, what advantages buying from independent sellers gives customers and what advice she would give people either looking to start making their own clothes or looking to buy handmade clothes etc. In the studio, Bonnie will be wearing the item she makes in the VT, bring one item for the mannequin and have some photos of other designs to go on screen. 

Gavin and Conor Deamer had a phone interview with Bonnie to find out more information before the VT shoot and transmission day. Here are notes from that interview:

- She started with baby clothes - then progressed to children's clothes - and is now progressing into adult clothes

- She has to be at home for her son who is autistic - this lead into making clothes as she was unable to go back to work

- She makes her own clothes to wear as well as making clothes to sell

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Set Design Meeting

Last week the set design team sent through an image of their model to us. Initially we were unsure as it was so different from the ideas we had initially pitched to them, however, seeing the model in person and talking the features through with the set design team helped to clarify why the set has developed to look the way it does now.

This set has a lot more colour and is a lot more complex than we first intended but it has still retained features of our original idea - such as the wood and the brick which help to give the set the rustic look we wanted to go for. Although we wanted plants and exposed bulbs for the set, the set design team suggested a flower wall on the wall coming out of the back of the set. This saves space that would have been taken up by plant pots and will help to make the set look less cluttered.

Examples of flower / plant walls:

The catwalk will only be one step high so that there doesn't need to be stairs off the catwalk - the presenters / models / contributors can just take one step to get down from the catwalk.

Beside the catwalk there will be an image of the Steal The Style logo. This helps to establish the brand.

Initially myself and Melissa were not keen on the curtains or shelves - however, the set team said these were to add homely features to the set and as we want the set to have that homely atmosphere, were happy to stick with it.

The sofas are also not what we had in mind, however, due to a tight budget and these sofas being free, we thought they would be the best option. As the rest of the set has a neutral colour scheme, the sofas shouldn't clash with the other features. 

The set will be rigged at 8am on the day before transmission. This allows the lighting team to rig the lighting early as well meaning that we can begin rehearsals quite promptly on this day. 

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Production Meeting 5

We had another production meeting to catch up with how each team were getting on.

We started with how me and Melissa were getting on as the producers. We fed back that the final version of the script is in progress. The introduction just needs looking at to explain what the premise of the show is (before the presenters introduce themselves). Final script ready for next Thursday.

VT

First two VT filmed (presenter challenge and online fails)

Presenter challenge rough cut ready.

2nd VT not edited and needs voiceover.

Rough cuts next week, final cut VTs ready for 10th

3rd VT - fine cut (old to new)

4th VT of Etsy seller not filmed yet - filming over easter

Done by 10th


Graphics

Graphic colour scheme decided on - oranges, reds etc.

Having variations of colours but keeping them in the same family.

Logo has been created - amendments have been made


Music

Aimee and Andrew

Rough versions of music beds and stings - working on final versions over easter


Drag

1 min performance, 2-3 min interview

Coming in on 10th for rehearsals

Models, drag and presenters coming in on 10th


Promos

Shot the intro and promo trailer - rough cuts ready

Trailer footage came out grainy - organising ways to fix this or re shoot


Audience

61 audience members so far

Capacity 100 - aim 75


Props / outfits

Mannequin sorted

Clothes - just need steals of the season - need to contact models for sizes

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Rehearsals with the presenters

Today we had the first rehearsal with the presenters. As we didn't have our contributors or models for this rehearsal, we asked Nisserin and Becca to be our stand ins. Myself and Melissa made sure everyone had the current version of the script (version 3) before we began rehearsing. Once everyone was set up within their roles, we began rehearsals. 

Myself and Melissa were out on the floor and in the gallery at different points during the day. I wanted to be on hand on the floor incase there were any issues with the script or anything that needed to be clarified about the running of the production. However, I also wanted to make sure I was on hand in the gallery so that I could keep an eye on the timings for each section. As producers, we will be in the gallery on transmission day so I want to get into good practice of being in there during rehearsals.

Part of mine and Melissa's job as producers is to communicate with the talent and keep them on board and happy with the project. At the end of the rehearsal we went over to the presenters to ask them how they felt the day went. We also used this as an opportunity to find out if they had any feedback on the script or if they wanted any vocabulary changed to suit them better. Adeline wanted one part of the Steals of the Season script changed from "black block boots from boohoo" as this was proving to be a bit of a tongue twister. I will change this on the script as well as any other feedback they provide through email. Once we had checked they were happy with the rehearsal, we escorted them to the exit.

We then went to the base room to have a de briefing. Overall I was very happy with how the rehearsal went. The script works really well and the presenters seem to be happy with it. I am happy that we got to block out all the sections and that they seem to be working how we visualised them, however, I would have liked to get a complete run through of the show which we didn't manage to do. As we have blocked through each individual section, we should be able to get a few full run throughs of the show in the next rehearsal.

Before the next rehearsal, myself and Melissa will refine the script and make the necessary changes. We will make changes to the dialogue to make it more conversational and also liaise with the production manager / assistant producer about the running order to make sure it works well with the scripted content.

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Running Order 3

The third version of the running order has now been produced by the production assistant and production manager. 

The timings have been altered to provide more accurate timings. This version of the running order will be used in the rehearsal with the presenters and will be amended based on how it works in practice.

Myself and Melissa have based our script on the timings of the running order (which the production assistants will fill in on the script) which has enabled us to script 30 minutes worth of content.

TRANSITION UNIT: Initial Ideas Feedback Tutorials

Re-imagining of a whole scene - with each team member taking responsibility for their own role.

As a group, we decided we wanted to do a mockumentary as we enjoy doing comedy and documentary so we wanted to do a combination of the two.

Mockumentary e.g. Come Fly With Me
If we were to go ahead with this idea, I would like to be DoP.

Simon highlighted the key responsibilities of the DoP:

- Work out how to shoot the piece - what kit will be required?
- Test shoots need to be done to work out which equipment works best and which settings should be used
- Colour theory - what sort of colours do we want present in our piece? What do the colours represent?
- Natural and practical lighting - what sort light will be used? Relying on natural light or using artificial light? Work out where the sun rises and sun sets in relation to the location in order to plan out the shoot day
- Work out the work flow of a DoP
- Storyboards, shot lists, rule book e.g. type of shots to start with etc.


Look into the heritage of mockumentaries - what is their purpose?

Look into the This Is Spinal Tap - what is considered the first mockumentary - criticisms in a light hearted manner
Why are we filming the mockumentary? What purpose does it have? And why now?

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Script Version 3

Following further feedback and development, we now have version 3 of the script.



- I have adjusted the wording slightly on the teaser.

- In the first section of the Steals of the Season section I have taken out the second example of plaid so that now the only example is the Bay City Rollers. In the previous version of the script we had included the example of Vivienne Westwood, however, Del suggested that the audience may be expecting to see an image on screen as an example. We are unable to get a copyright free image of this so the only option was to cut this out of the script. We have our own image of the plaid trend which will still be on screen when the Bay City Rollers are mentioned so this won't have the same issue.

- For the men's sportswear trend I have removed the word "athleisure" as this proved difficult to pronounce. Although we haven't rehearsed with our presenters yet, the majority of people in the year either struggled to pronounce the word or didn't know what it meant. To avoid this confusion for the audience I have removed the word.

- Now that the presenter challenge VT has been filmed, I have added in the presenter challenge studio reveal. This includes the details and prices of the outfit but Adeline's reaction will be ad libbed.

- We have one contributor confirmed for the fashion fails segment - Dave Joslin. There are two different options for his fashion fail - a shirt and tie combination or some funky patterned shorts. I have scripted this section featuring the shorts as this is the only photo received so far but this could change. We have yet to confirm the second fashion fails contributor.

- I have also updated the link between the fashion fails audience segment and the VT to include the VT contributor's name now that this VT has also been filmed. Adding this detail to the link helps the dialogue to flow better and make the whole show flow smoothly.

- Melissa did the second half of the script. Both interview sections have been refined.

As with the first and second script, we both looked over the script as a whole to make sure there is consistency through the segments. Melissa helped write the opening of the show and I helped phrase the interview questions.

DISSERTATION: What is a Dissertation Question?

What is a dissertation question?

Introduction, outlining question, structure and content for literature / proposal and bibliography

Exploring the relationship between societal view and industry related practices / industry related output. 

Regardless of your type of enquiry, you are likely to be exploring how industry practices or industry output shape societal views and practices OR reflect / reinforce / break with societal views and practices. 

Four most common aims:

- to measure / gauge the extent of a phenomena

- to challenge a view / practice

- to update or re contextualise a view / practice

- to evaluate a view / practice

- could also predict the direction of something (but needs to be joined with another aim)

Task - unpicking a question:

Can television provoke social change?

What is the problem with this as a dissertation question?

- too broad

- wide subject area

- closed question

What details do you think it lacks?

- so many types of social change - what type? More specific? positive or negative? 

- broad subject - can go anywhere - what television? what genre? 

What do you think the answer is that the person will arrive at?

- A yes or no answer

Do you think the person knows the answer?

- Yes

What is the danger or pitfalls of basing a dissertation on this enquiry?
- no direction with argument
- hasn't established what social change they'll be looking at

What research do you think the person has done to arrive at this enquiry?
...

What research would you advise this person to do, to develop their enquiry?
- research which kind of social change - and whether this is positive or negative
- research which genre of television - drama, crime, comedy etc..

Dissertation question meeting:

What impact do stereotypical gender representations in contemporary teen dramas have on their young female target audience and is the frequency of these restrictive stereotypes damaging to the development of their identity?  

To what extent do stereotypical gender representations in contemporary teen dramas help to understand life or damage the developing identity of their young target audience? 

- looking at specific teen dramas - gossip girl, pretty little liars, scream queens, river dale

- how are characters introduced in the programme - do they use gender stereotypes so that they are easily identifiable or do they stay away from the stereotypes

- rosalind gill post feminism 

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Rehearsal without presenters and Set Design visit

Today we had our first rehearsals where we adopted our roles for the production. Myself and Melissa made sure the current version of the script (version 2) was ready and as complete as it could be so that we could begin to rehearse the different segments for the show.

As we didn't have the presenters for this rehearsal, it was mine and Melissa's job to get people to stand in as the presenters and contributors. Jack, George, Jason and myself took it in turns to be stand ins.

We started out by taping the set on the floor in the rough dimensions of what it will be. We needed the soft area on the left, the hard area in the middle and the catwalk on the right.

Once all the camera operators had set up and we had stand ins for the necessary people, we were able to begin rehearsals. The rehearsals were very stop - start as everyone needed to settle into their roles - especially the directors and the crew in the gallery as this was brand new to them. It was also everyone's second time on talk back so the crew were still getting used to this.

Although these rehearsals were very rough, it was a good opportunity to see how the sections we had scripted panned out when put into action. This rehearsal has highlighted the areas of the script which need to be refined for next week's rehearsals with the presenters - the first section ran smoothly so only needs minor changes. We didn't run through the fashion fails segment as we are yet to find contributors and this also requires a lot of blocking - we will ensure we rehearse this section next week when the directors have blocked through the camera movements more thoroughly.

On the day of transmission, myself and Melissa will be sat in the gallery to ensure the production is running to time. As this rehearsal was only very rough, it was difficult to see how well the sections were running to time. We will liaise with the production manager / assistant producer about the running order so that we know if we need to add / cut anything from the script. They will update their duration section on the script.

As well as these rehearsals, we had a visit from the set design team. It was mine and Melissa's job to talk them through any updates we made to our idea for the set and to listen to their current ideas for the design. It was a good day for the set design team to visit as we had mapped out a rough layout for the set on the floor so that they could get a clearer idea of what we required in the set. We had marked out the set on the side wall as we thought this would allow for a wider set, however, the set design team thought the set would work better on the back wall and would still be wide enough. We were happy to change this - next week we will tape out the floor on the back wall instead. The team remembered that we wanted a rustic and homely vibe to the set and informed us that they have stayed thinking of ideas - they also put forward a new idea to us - the idea of having a flower wall. This would be a wall of plants / flower which would work as a statement wall to the set. Myself and Melissa are open to this idea and will wait to see them put it into a design.

Overall I think this rehearsal went well for the first day of everyone adopting their production roles. Although the rehearsal was very rough and repetitive, people were starting to get a feel for their roles. Next week I hope to get a full run through of the show in even if it is only rough - this will help myself and Melissa with our script development as we need to know whether to script more or less content. Del suggested that the running order could be simplified as we had allocated specific times for dialogue (e.g. 10 seconds of conversation) - but it is hard to schedule dialogue so the running order should be less specific to accommodate this. Next week we will tape the set in front of the back wall with more space behind it to allow more room for the presenters to enter / leave the set and for the models to enter / leave the catwalk.

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Script Version 2

Following feedback from Helen and development in our segments, we have put together an updated version of the script. As with the first draft, I did the first half of the script and Melissa did the second half of the script, but we both looked over the whole script to ensure the tone remained consistent.

- Now that we have cast our presenters we have added in their names.

- The last script did not include visuals, however, in this version the visuals have been included. Myself and Melissa wrote the dialogue before passing the script to the directors to fill in the visuals and the PAs to fill in the duration according to their running order. We used the running order to establish how much to script for each segment to ensure our script fit in the 30 minute time slot.

- I have developed the introduction so that there is more of a mission statement - "the show that helps you take current fashion trends and style them in different and original ways". The whole premise of our show is to show the audience how they can dress on trend yet stand out from the crowd.

- I have developed the teaser dialogue so that there is a clearer idea for the audience of what is coming up in the show. I have also attempted to link the teaser dialogue together to ensure it flows.

- For the Steals of the Season segment Helen suggested that the dialogue was too formal and not engaging enough. To add humour and a more conversational stance to the section it was suggested that we add in some examples e.g. "Now, were not going to style you like the Bay City Rollers, don't worry". This is because when people think of plaid, a common thought is the iconic look of the Bay City Rollers.

- Helen also suggested that we add more style advice to the pastel colours trend. Tell the audience what pastel colours they should be wearing and why. In my research I had looked into which pastel colours suited which skin tones but didn't think to include this in the initial draft on the script. However, as this is a fashion chat show aiming at providing the audience with style advice, more information should be given to the audience as to why they should wear certain items in certain ways - therefore I have now changed the script to include which pastel colours suit which skin tone.

- As we haven't received all the information about the models yet, I have left gaps where the presenter will give a little bit of background information about the models. We want the models to be normal, everyday people so that the audience can relate to them and feel like they can also wear the trends they're displaying - therefore it is important to include this information about what the models do day to day and what their opinion is on the trend.

- I have made the link between the presenter challenge review and fashion fails clearer - "speaking of fashion fails, have you ever been a victim of one". This helps the programme to flow cleanly from one segment to another.

- Until we have our contributors sorted for the fashion fails segment, I can not properly script it. I have written a couple of examples of what the presenters may say but this is subject to change once we do have our contributors.

- The rest of the script was written by Melissa. The main feedback we had to incorporate in this version of the script was to make it more conversational and engaging.

- The questions in the independent seller interview have been refined now that we have our contributor. Before the questions were vague but now we can begin to tailor the questions more towards Bonnie and her reasons behind making her own clothes.

- We have also now confirmed a drag act so the script has been adapted to include this.

TRANSITION UNIT: Briefing

Initial ideas:

Mockumentary?

Documentary

Drama

Comedy

Potential source material:

Come Fly With Me

Potential job roles:

Director / Writer?

Producer / Writer?

Director of Photography

Editor

I would either like to be DoP or editor in a group project. 

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Production Meeting 4

Today we had individual production meetings to catch up with where each team are.

Contributors - George L, Jack, Victoria

- The two female models are confirmed, no male models yet - Jack to find male models
- No contributors for fashion fails yet - Jemma and Victoria to go to stores and ask customers whether they have had fashion fails and whether they would be willing to be in the show. Could also try social clubs with retired people who may have more time - see if they have photos from 80s / 90s. 

- All VT contributors confirmed 

VT first half - with Sonia, Drey, Aimee, Callum

VT 1 presenters challenge:

- Ensure the studio script matches up with VT script so that no information is repeated.
- Charity shops confirmed - Mind Matters and Cancer Research
- Need to decided on definite purpose of VT - why charity shops - what's the benefit of buying items from here - what occasion are they buying the outfit for - potentially night out?
- Time scale - 2 hours - emphasise this in VT
- Filming day - 14th March

VT 2 fashion fails:

- Documentary style
- The mock went well - the real version will have a trading standards contributor so will add authority to story
- The interview needs to be shorter - not one massive chunk

- Josie confirmed as contributor - Skype interview tonight (9th March) to get all information on her story - she order 3 bags from Etsy and all arrived different

- Trading standards contributors confirmed
- Research before shooting - what can people do to protect themselves? What advice will this VT provide?
- Adeline for this VT - doesn't need to be there in person, could just narrate / voice over.
- Team need to ensure to get self contained answers

VT second half (with Alex H, Conor, Alex B, George N, George W)

VT 3 era fashion shoot:

- We used this meeting as a chance to discuss the trends to be featured in this VT. One trend from each decade - 70s - flares, 80s - bumbags, 90s - band t-shirts / grunge, 00s - double denim (but potentially not iconic enough so could be dropped)
- The music track could match the decades - different music for each one

- Photography shoot video

- Props in video to help set decade? 70s holding flowers / 80s geometric look - could use graphics

VT 4 etsy seller / DIY:

- What is the purpose of the VT?
- What is unique about our Etsy seller? She has a kids range and adult clothing ranges, makes all her own clothes - doesn't buy any clothes
- VT in her house at work station
- VT shows how online helps independent people get onto the market - and explores her story
- Filming 15th & 27th March

Promo (with Andrew, Simon, Danny, Zak, Will, Connor W, Katie P, Ollie)

Trailer:

-The main trailer will be the presenter walking into a shop and stealing a mannequin - hinting at 'Steal' the style.
- Filming day - shop in Sittingbourne 21st - 22nd March
- Crew is booked - equipment to be booked
- Script needs to be completed
- Could be shot in a CCTV style
- The mock works well but is a bit slow paced - no more than 30 seconds, needs more energy

Promotional material:

- series of 10 second promo videos to be uploaded in run up to show - for Instagram and Facebook - team need to plan exactly what is happening with these (idea still very rough)

Titles:

- scripting today (9th March) - filming on the 21st - 22nd March
- graphics - logo & name underneath
- style bible finished by the end of the week (by the 16th)

Social media:

- The website is published but will be constantly updated
- Website can be used to add to the show - content on website to match content in show - e.g. more advice on fashion through the eras, more fashion fails stories
- By end of next week (16th March) the team should have a sense of what stories will go on the website - 3 or 4 different stories
- Cross promotion - Facebook, Instagram, website

Audience:

- 60 tickets sold so far

- Minimum 75 - max 100

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Script Version 1

Now that we have confirmed the trends for the Steals of the Season segment, we have completed a first draft of the script. We were unable to complete the drag act section as we are yet to hold the drag act auditions - once we have confirmed a drag act we will write this section ready for version 2.

I wrote the first half of the script and Melissa wrote the second half. We provided each other with feedback on each others' sections to ensure the overall tone of the script was consistent.



I had the difficult task of writing the opening to the show, therefore Melissa and I worked on this bit together. The latest feedback from Helen was to clarify a mission statement at the beginning of the show - to describe what Steal The Style is and what the audience will gain from watching the show. We have attempted to do this by including "Each week we'll be looking at the current trends, heading out to different locations and treating you to a few surprises here and there." This is then followed by the teaser which outlines what is to come in the show - this will then clarify the themes and display to the audience that this is a fashion chat show.

As we want the show to have a very casual feel - with the audience feeling like the presenters are both friends with each other but also with the audience themselves - we wanted to include some conversational, relatable dialogue. e.g. "AD LIB - Presenter talks about their experience of not knowing how to dress and how this trend will help them". The aim of this is to make the dialogue seem less scripted and more natural.

As we are yet to confirm our models, I have left gaps in the dialogue where the presenters will relate the outfit to the model using an example about their job. We wanted our models to be everyday people with everyday jobs and therefore we want the presenters to ask them a couple of questions about their job - but this can't be done until we have confirmed who our models are.

The fashion fails segment is also very vague as we haven't confirmed our contributors for this segment yet. Therefore we have focused on how the presenters will introduce this section - but more will be added when we have more of an idea how this section will pan out.

At the moment, this script is formatted as an AV script - this is incorrect for a studio script, however, we just wanted to plan out the dialogue and the format of the show. Version 2 of the script will be properly formatted into a studio script with more added to the sections which are currently vague. This will also have the visuals filled in by the directors and the timings filled in by the PAs.

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Auditions

From the start we knew we wanted two presenters - one to be a fashion expert and one to be a bubbly and relatable personality. We also wanted one of these to be male and the other to be female to help our show appeal to both genders.

Jack put out adverts on CastingCallPro / Mandy and StarNow. The directors then narrowed down the applicants via Skype interviews based on the impression they gave off, their experience and their availability. The successful applicants from the Skype interviews were then invited into the studios for the final auditions. Before the final auditions, the applicants were provided with audition packs with all the information they needed to know (directions to the studios, transport options, all dates they would be needed for, dress code and some scripts to rehearse for the audition).

Due to having a workshop with Del on the same day we decided to split the people who would be auditioning the applicants so that 1 producer, 1 director and 1 PA would be in each audition. We then came together at the end to make a final decision together.

In the individual auditions it was myself present as the producer, George as the director and Jemma as the PA.

We had four applicants for the auditions.

The audition started with a little interview section to find out why they applied for the show, what they felt they could bring to the show and what sort of interest they had in fashion (being the subject of the show). Although most of these questions were covered in the Skype interviews, it was helpful to talk about it in person and to fill myself and Jemma in who were not present for the Skype interviews. This also helped to get a feel of their personality and how they act in person rather than just over video chat. I also asked each individual whether they had done live work before and whether they think that they would feel comfortable in front of a live studio audience.

After the interview section, we moved into a mock up of the fashion fails segment. This segment involves the presenter walking out into the audience and interacting with them - therefore we needed to ensure the chosen presenters were comfortable doing this and could put their own spin on the section. For this section we were looking for a presenter who could ad lib confidently and provide an enthusiastic response to whatever the audience member said.

Once we had done the mock up, we moved into a script reading of a small section of the script. The section we chose was from the presenter challenge VT. This VT is intended to have a light hearted, funny tone, therefore it is important that the presenter is enthusiastic and engaging. We were also looking again for someone who could ad lib confidently and doesn't need to rely on a script to know what to say - we were looking for someone with a conversational tone where the audience can relate to them. We were also looking for a bit of fashion knowledge or humour (depending on which presenter they wanted to be) when it came to describing the outfit they found in the challenge.

After all these sections of the audition were completed, we just needed to check through the individuals' availability and whether they would be flexible if we needed to add additional dates.


For the pair auditions Melissa sat in as the producer, Gavin was director and Victoria was PA.

The pairs were given different tasks / activities to do together to test their compatibility as co presenters. It is important for us to have presenters who seem to have a natural bond - they should seems as if they're friends e.g. like Ant and Dec or Claudia and Tess on Strictly.

The tasks set:

- The first task was rating each other's outfits as if the other had purchased it. We wanted this to act as the Presenter Challenge reveal as in the show the presenter who has had an outfit purchased for them will have to rate the outfit. This was a good opportunity to see how good they are at ad libbing and having conversation.

- The second task was to read a sample script. This helped to see how the presenters would make the script their own by ad libbing and adding to the scripted dialogue.

- The third task was a sort of role play / scenario task. Gavin gave each pair a scenario from the show such as Fashion Fails where the presenters had to act as if they were talking to the audience about their fashion fail.

Once both the individual auditions and pair auditions had been completed, the whole production team met back up so that we could discuss the results. We had a difficult choice as we had two pairs who performed extremely well in the pair auditions, however, one of these pairs was an all male pairing and therefore did not fit our brief. As both pairs' performances were equally good, we decided to go for Alfie and Adeline as this provided us with one male and one female presenter which was our desired outcome.

Adeline Individual Audition:

- has a real passion for fashion - so could act as our 'fashion expert' - turned up in an outfit which would be perfect for the style of show
- confident and has stage experience - so used to performing in front of a live audience
- classic fashion with modern twist is her taste - Audrey Hepburn is a fashion influence for her.

FASHION FAILS:
- got up out of her seat for role play, walked over to the 'audience member' and engaged with them.
- Responded to 'audience member's' concerns and encouraged response from other audience members.

SCRIPT READ:
- good at ad libbing, did not need to refer to the script a lot, injected bits of personality into it.
- referenced own clothing to display an example & also displays good knowledge of fashion.

All dates okay, can't do 13th, 14th, 15th

Alfie Individual Audition:

- Open to others' fashion opinions - easy for him to have a conversation about any type of fashion - has a versatile fashion style and has lived in different countries (adapts style to location / culture)
- His personal style is that he likes well fitted jeans and a pair of boots
- He has worked on stage and on live broadcasts - has used talk back

FASHION FAILS:
- addresses the whole audience
- holds good conversation with the contributor
- relatable and friendly

SCRIPT READ:
- Nervous but has good natural presenting ability.
- Good description of fashion.

All dates listed okay, not available 8th April

Alfie and Adeline Pair Audition:

Natural interaction between them even before the audition. Talking outside the audition room - helping them to bond and make their chemistry as presenter stronger.

JUDGING OUTFITS:
- they use each other's names which gives their presenting style a more relatable feel - also makes them seem like friends as they seem to have a natural chemistry
- both of them use a bit of anecdote when it comes to describing the fashion
- good banter between them & they held eye contact with each other and the audience

SCRIPT READING:
- good banter with each other, feels very natural and not forced
- they worked well together and built a relaxed atmosphere

OLD TO NEW MOCK:
- Collaborated well and came up with good ideas together, they work really well as a pair
- Using anecdotes - good at ad libbing / confident at presenting

Interviewing these contributors was a good learning experience for me as I have never interviewed actors in person for a role before. The informal interview section was beneficial in getting a sense of their personalities and whether they would suit the show. Getting the presenters to role play certain segments of the show was useful as it showed how their presenting abilities then applied to our show. All the applicants were confident presenters, but Alfie and Adeline had the edge when it came to being appropriate for our show. The auditions provided a good opportunity to tell the presenters what we would expect from them in our show but to also listen to their concerns and recommendations for the show. Myself and Melissa will keep in close contact with the presenters during the script writing process so that we can ensure the tone of our script fits with their presenting style so that the dialogue seems as natural as possible whilst still conveying the information we need to.

The presenters:

Adeline Close
Adeline will be our fashion expert on the show. She is also a bubbly person so will compliment our bubbly presenter.

Alfie Garston
Alfie will be our bubbly presenter.

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Talkback and Interview Workshop with Del

Today's session was our first introduction to using talk back. As myself and Melissa will be in the gallery on transmission day, we won't need to use the talk back headsets - however, it was still a good experience finding out how to use them. All the talk back headsets need to be switched to the same frequency so that everyone can communicate. The camera operators need to as quiet as possible as the gallery can hear everything on talk back and may need to be communicating the floor themselves. Talk back is good for the directors communicating the floor managers who cue the activity on the floor. Talk back is also good for the directors to communicate what shot they want to the cameras. 

As we've had to merge two sessions due to snow, we had to fit a lot into today's session. We split into groups so that we had different people working on camera, then being the talent, then working on sound and then working in the gallery. This enabled us to try out the different job roles before focusing on our specific role for the production - this was especially helpful for me as the producing role is very pre production heavy so there is not a lot to do during the actual production of the show. During the rehearsals and production I will have to ensure people are sticking to the script, take on board any feedback from the presenters / contributors and apply these changes, ensure the show is running to time by liaising with the assistant producers and being on hand to make sure everything is running to plan.

We set up different scenarios that we may be dealing with in our studio production e.g. different format interviews.

I enjoyed being on sound - even though I could see this getting very complicated for the production. When on the sound department, you have to mic up the talent and do mic checks to ensure everyone's mic is working and is set to the right frequency. When the talent are talking, the faders need to be slid up - when they aren't talking, their fader can be slid down. This involves knowing who is using which mic so that the faders can be adjusted when they are taking. If someone's level is peaking, the fader needs to be adjusted to combat this.

Vision mixing was another area I enjoyed. Whilst I was nervous to do it, I could see myself getting the hang of it. Vision mixing involves staying silent and listening to the shots the director is calling. When the director says "standby one", camera one needs to be put up on preview. When the director says "cut one", camera one needs to be put to transmission. When the director says "mix to one", the t bar needs to be used to mix / transition to camera one.

I did not enjoy directing. The job of the director is to call the shots for the vision mixer to cut - the director needs to look at all of the screens at the same time to ensure what is being spoken about is seen by the audience which means selecting the correct camera. The director may also need to talk to the cameras to instruct them to shoot different things. I found it quite stressful to be looking at all the screens at once whilst calling the shots for the vision mixer and telling the cameras what to focus on.

The job of being PA (production assistant) seemed very simple at first as it just involved counting. However, there were many different things to count to (titles, VTs, time on interview) and with everything else going on in the gallery it was easy to get confused.

As well as this workshop, Myself and the rest of the production management team held auditions for our presenters.

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Running Order 2

The production manager and assistant producer have now made the second version of the running order. Myself and Melissa have left space on the script for them to write their durations in with the sections we have scripted.

The running order has now been changed to include each part of the Steals of the Season section - this is helpful as it is such a complex section so we need to know how long to script each individual piece.

The timings have also been updated - myself and Melissa will need to ensure we constantly liaise with the production assistant and production manager about the timings as our script relies on how much time we have for each segment. Where possible, myself and Melissa will ensure our script fits the running order, however, if it makes more sense to amend the running order (add / take away time from a section) we will feed this back to the production manager.