Freelancing for the CCI Staff's Live Show - 'Eye On Portsmouth'- 6th March 2015
Role: Camera Operator
I was asked to help out with the lecturers’ live show on Friday 6th March as our student shows for this unit have ended. I was willing to help and managed to get a Camera Operator role in which I was excited about, as I am really enjoying the experiences I am getting being a Camera Operator. It also felt good as I was asked specifically to do the Camera Operator role because they have seen me previously do this role and thought I had done a good job, which made me feel very happy.
Being a Camera Operator for this show was a challenge as I was in charge of two different cameras at one time. One of the Cameras was the Sony EX3, where the other Camera was the Canon XLH1. Both of these cameras I have previously used and I feel quite confident with how to control each one. I felt that even though I knew these cameras, I was scared of the challenge given to me for what I had to do during the show. As the two cameras I was in charge of was for the guests I couldn’t practice my shots during the rehearsal before the show went live at 12pm, because they were not there. I made sure that I was as calm as possible to help me take the situation upcoming better, and made sure I was organised by setting up the cameras by linking them to the TriCaster through a BNC Connector, and had white balanced both cameras. The Director briefed me as to what shots my cameras will have during the show. The Sony EX3 was for a Mid-Shot (MS) of the guests and the Canon XLH1 was for a Close-Up (CU) of just one of the guests, depending on who was being spoken to by the presenters. The Director reassured me that I will be instructed to change shot when it was needed throughout the live show.
Above: Me setting up the Canon XLH1 Camera.
Above: Me setting up the Sony EX3 Camera.
During the show there were four different interviews taking place, so I always made sure that I set up shot as soon as the guests sat down. Skills were gained and improved on throughout the live show as I had very little time to move and frame up the next camera shot that I was told to do through the Director speaking to me through Talkback, so that the Vision Mixer could cut to my shot under the instruction of the Director. This made me feel like the skills improved were concentration, listening and quick paced camera shot set up. The first interview was just with one guest so I only had to use one camera (the Canon XLH1) for a Close-Up (CU) shot. This made me feel at ease as it was a simple task before the other interviews which had two guests.
Above: The shot I set up on the Canon XLH1 Camera for the first interview.
The second interview consisted of two guests so I made sure I listened to the Director by setting up the Close-Up (CU) of the guest being spoken to first on the Canon XLH1 Camera and the Mid-Shot (MS) of the two guests on the Sony EX3 Camera. During the interview I had to quickly move to the other guest as each one was asked a question by the presenters. This was extreme pressure as I had very little time to do this as the Director wanted to broadcast my shot straight away before the next question was asked to the other guest.
Above: The Close-Up (CU) I set up of the guest on the Canon XLH1 Camera.
Above: The Mid-Shot (MS) I set up of the two guests being interviewed on the Sony EX3 Camera.
Similarly to the second interview, for the third interview I had to do exactly the same process. For this interview I felt calmer as I had just succeeded in doing the quick movement set ups on both cameras.
Above: The Close-Up (CU) I set up of the guest on the Canon XLH1 Camera.
Above: The Mid-Shot (MS) I set up of the two guests on the Sony EX3 Camera.
Finally, it was the last interview for the show and the last of the camera movements I had to do. The pressure for me had completely gone as I knew I could do this skill well. Once again there were two guests, in which the Sony EX3 Camera stayed on the Mid-Shot (MS) of the two guests, but the Close-Up (CU) of just one of the guests at one time, changed as I had to change from one guest to the other when instructed to do so by the Director.
Above: The Close-Up (CU) shot I set up of the guest on the Canon XLH1 Camera.
Above: The Mid-Shot (MS) I set up of the two guests on the Sony EX3 Camera.
Overall, the show went successfully and I feel that I had become very confident in using both cameras because of the experience I had entailed in shows. As Prospects states ‘in a studio, where the camera operator usually follows a camera script, which gives the order of shots. This is practiced at rehearsal and is cued by the director during recording. The skill lies in interpreting what the director wants and acting quickly and effectively to achieve it’. I feel that I can relate well to this statement as I followed all instructions and acted quickly on them but set up the shots well. As I wasn’t able to have a rehearsal with the guests as they were not there, I felt I dealt with the situation well and as I didn’t make any mistakes I was proud of my efforts. Camera Operating is a role I would take on again in the future as I enjoy the feeling you get when the show is live and the shot I’ve set up is broadcasted to the public. Finally, one of my lecturers told me that I had done a good job with the Camera Operator role and my camera movements were very slick, which made me happy as I know I have become much better since the first time I was a Camera Operator.
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Director and Vision Mixer for my groups second Live Show - 'CCI Live' - 14th November 2014.
Role: Â Director and Vision Mixer
As my group got the faculty based show ‘CCI Live’ for our next show we decided to have a meeting to discuss ideas. We wanted to do an Architecture special and so got in contact with an Architecture lecturer who was willing to be interviewed on our show that went Live at 12pm on Friday 14th November 2014. We decided that we wanted to feature first years to interview them about how they are finding their University experience so far, and my group wanted to feature our live audience and thought a Q&A would be good to ask the two first year students any questions they would like an answer to. With regards to Architecture, we found a few third years that were willing to talk about what they have learnt and what they have seen because they came to Portsmouth University to study Architecture.
After our meeting, we booked out filming equipment we needed, and interviewed one of the three third year Architecture students on the 28th October 2014. For this interview I decided my role would be Lighting Operator as I wanted to improve my skills and to see if I had learnt from the previous shoot. As I was responsible for using the three Dedo Lights we booked out, I decided to use the 3 point lighting technique I had learnt previously to produce a high quality shot. There were problems at first as the room was quite dark, but this was overcome by making sure that the lights in the room we were using were on, whilst also adding more light to help with the Dedo Lights. The interview went successful after facing the lighting problems and we stayed organised by arranging with the other two Architecture students when we can film them before our deadlines for the VTs.
On the 4th November both of the Architecture students we asked were free for an interview. We decided to take a smaller crew this time and so I had the role of Lighting Operator and Camera Operator. This was a bit more pressure as I had to keep going back to the Sony EX1 Camera to check that the lighting technique I used was good enough and that the lighting was not too strong on the interviewee’s face. It also meant that I got to learn the pressure of taking on multiple roles, which I felt would be a good skill to gain, as it shows I can handle huge pressure. I decided to set the Sony EX1 Camera up first so that then me and the Director could decide on what to do with the lights. The lights used were the three Dedo Lights, and once again I used the technique of the three point lighting to create a high quality video. Overall, even though I have previously done both of these roles, I feel that it still is a lesson as with every shoot as you are in different locations, with different weather types and people, so even though I know about the equipment, I also get to learn every single time what is best to do for any situation I am in.
Above: Image of the Lighting and Camera set up at the Architecture interview shoot.
The next day I was asked by the Director to go and film cutaways with another member of my group, in order to get enough to fit in with the interviews that were conducted. I decided to use a variety of shots from Close Ups (CU), Wide Shots (WS), whilst also using techniques such as Pull Focuses and Zooms to give a range of cutaways that suited the interview I recorded and lit previously.
My group arranged a practice on the 13/11/14, which was the day before the Live show. This was to make sure that all the VT’s and straps were done before having a run through with the presenter and the team. Having a run through made me and my team feel more relaxed and confident for tomorrows live show. In the evening we got told by our lecturer that we were not allowed to interview one of our lecturers anymore and so had to think of who we could interview to replace them. We asked one of the CCI Managers to come in for 10am tomorrow as she was willing to be interviewed about her role. My group also made sure that the paperwork was ready and so was the final script. I felt that my group worked well, as instead of panicking we addressed the situation by finding a replacement interview that fitted in with the order of our show.
Above: Images of the final script with some highlighted writing on for, so I knew which buttons I needed to press at which point to make myself organized and relaxed.
The 14/11/14 was my groups live show day. It was so hectic as I was asked to set up the studio upstairs by myself, meaning that I had to put the final script onto the Autocue and read through it to make sure that it made sense and there were no mistakes. I turned on the Studio Lights, set up the two Canon XLH1 Cameras in the CCI Studio before then turning on and setting up the TriCaster and Vision Mixer and finally filling out all the credits. Once the upstairs and downstairs studios were set up, we decided to have a run through with both studios to see how the show will go. The run through was successful but the Eldon Broadcast Hub Studio downstairs wanted to sort some camera angles out and so was practising on their own. Therefore, I said that we should have another run through with just upstairs in the CCI Studio to calm everyone and make us all relaxed about the upcoming live show. Just before we went live our lecturer added one more CCI Manager to be interviewed as well, so I took on the task of changing the Autocue, telling the presenter upstairs and made the straps on the TriCaster and put the name on the credits in time just before going live. I also made sure that I had the correct buttons on; on the Vision Mixing Desk to make sure it was ready to go live. Less than a minute before we went live, the credits crashed and the system malfunctioned, which unfortunately meant that they could not be shown at the end of the show, but would be edited in after if anyone wanted to re-watch the show.
Overall, I feel that the show went successfully and that I improved on my Vision Mixing role as it was only my second time using that type of Vision Mixing desk, and I did not mess up at any points. I also feel I did well in making sure everything was organised as I helped with a load of other jobs beforehand, which helped make people calm as they didn’t have to worry about setting up their piece of equipment, it was just ready as soon as they came into the CCI Studio. Vision Mixing is a role I feel I am becoming very good at now because of the experience I have undertaken. Even though I have enjoyed this role, I know that I would like to experience other roles to improve my studio skills, as I know how to set up the equipment, but I haven’t entailed the role as a whole.
Above: A photo of me practicing Vision Mixing before the live show.
Here is my groups show :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t_41o89mgoÂ
Vision Mixer for my groups first Live Show - 'Eye On Portsmouth' -Â 3rd October 2014.
Role: Vision Mixer
In August, my course were emailed and divided into six production groups with colours. My production group is called the ‘Green Team’, and we were told we had to produce a live show called ‘Eye On Portsmouth’ for the second week of university. Three members of the team had a brief meeting to discuss ideas on what we could produce for our show that was going out live on Friday 3rd October 2014.
Once we updated the rest of the group, we were told a brief outline on what the shows content should be about, before we discussed who should do what role. As a group we wanted to all go to the shoots so that we could take turns in experiencing Camera, Sound and Lighting roles. Having everyone or most of the group going to the shoots worked out as there are only six in my group including myself. For the studio roles we decided on specific roles, in which I was assigned the role of the Vision Mixer.
Eye On Portsmouth is a show that gives the information of events and news that is happening within the Portsmouth area. From the first meeting with the group, we told them the ideas we had come up with from the VTs which were, a feature on the BBC Big Screen (situated at Guildhall, Portsmouth) and the man in charge Oliver Ing, (as this is one of the places our show goes live to), the ‘Lest We Forget’ exhibition at Portsmouth Museum (as Remembrance Day 100Year Anniversary was next month) and then maybe one more VT if these are not a long enough length.  Plans were made during the meeting to email the council to get permission to be able to film at Guildhall, whilst also getting permission from Oliver Ing and Portsmouth Museum.
All three emails were positive and we were able to film a couple of days after. The first shoot was at Guildhall. My role for the VT was Camera Operator using the Sony EX3. This is a camera I have only had experience with in third year, and so brought it upon myself to learn how to use the camera, so that I was confident in using it when we went and filmed. As I hadn't used the Sony EX3 before, I wanted to have the Camera Operator role on shoots, as it would mean I gain a new skill and would from then on know how to use this certain camera. On the day I had to reset the camera so that we had the right formats on it, otherwise we would have problems within the edit, meaning that we would have to reshoot. I then went around different parts of Guildhall to get different cutaway shots and angles such as Pans, Wide Shots (WS) and Slow Zooms, that could be used within the VT. Once this was completed we filmed the interview with Oliver Ing.
The next day we went to the museum to film cutaways and an interview a lady named Tracey Teasdale questioning her about the ‘Lest We Forget’ exhibition. The role I decided on for this shoot was Lighting Operator. The reason for this is because I wanted to improve the skills I have, as I was not the most confident person in lighting. For the shoot, I decided to use the Dedo Lights to make the 3 point lighting technique I had learned from my previous two years at university, and once the shot was set up, I felt as though the shot looked good, in which the director agreed. The picture below shows the set up of the interview. Tracey had told our group that she had never had such a respectful and nice group of students come in to film before, in which made me feel happy as we all tried to be as professional as possible during the shoot.
Above: Image showing the lighting set up I had done for the interview.
After the shoots we uploaded the footage onto the Avid ISIS account at University, so we can edit the footage on any University Computer. It also meant that the assigned Editor could put the VTs together. Unfortunately, the sound on the VTs was unusable, so we as a group decided that reshooting as soon as possible was the best idea. We were able to reshoot both and successful get the sound on the right levels so we had no distortion. I felt we really worked well as a group, because we all stayed professional and sorted out the sound problem instead of dwelling on it. The group met and the Producer split the paperwork so we could work as a team to get it done in time for the show on Friday.
For the broadcast, I was in charge of the NewTek Tricaster 860 Multi-Standard Vision Mixer with Control Surface. As the roles of TriCaster Operator and Vision Mixer were divided, I took control of the Vision Mixer role. As this was a different piece of Vision Mixing equipment, which was much larger, and more technical, I was worried at first as to how well I will adapt to the change, but as I have a passion for Vision Mixing I thought I shouldn't dwell on being worried, but focus on learning the equipment at hand. During the process I made sure I was pressing the correct buttons at the right time. Me and the Director decided to zoom in on the presenter at the beginning as it starts on a Wide-Shot (WS) of the virtual set, so the audience can see what it looks like before I focus and put attention on the presenter by zooming in. I made sure that the straps made were on the screen at the correct moment otherwise I couldn't press it after the presenter has said what is on the strap. During the show, I had multiple buttons I used, for the camera shots, zooms, VTs', stings' and for changing the camera shot from the Preview screen to the Broadcast screen (by pressing 'Take'). The buttons used within the show were ‘Black’, ‘DDR 1’, ‘M/E 1’, ‘M/E 2’, ‘6/2’, ‘DSK1 Auto’, ‘Take’, ‘8’, ‘GFX 1’ and ‘Net 1’. As some of these buttons were above or below each other on the 'Live' line or 'Preview' line, I had to make sure I pressed the Live one when the camera shot or sting needed to be played otherwise the show would have messed up as I would have pressed the wrong button to reveal something I was not meant to at that exact point. This was huge pressure for me but I made sure that I was calm so the Vision Mixing role was taken well and it meant I didn't feel as under pressure because I made myself calm.
Above: Photograph of the Vision Mixer I used (NewTek Tri Caster 860 Multi-Standard Vision Mixer).
One way I calmed myself was to be as organised as possible for the live show, and so I wrote on my script the buttons I needed to Cue and press at certain points and highlighted them to make them stand out.
Above: Images of my script and running order I received and what I wrote and highlighted.
On the day of the live show (Friday 3rd October 2014), I made sure I brought in the paperwork I had completed and printed off in order to give to the Producer to hand in so our show is able to be broadcasted. I was asked to upload the final script to the AutoCue in the Production Hub, in which I did straight away. As the support group hadn’t showed up yet, I decided to set up the cameras in the CCI Studio, so that me and the TriCaster Operator could sort out the green screen backdrops and shots out. Once everyone had arrived and both studios were set up and ready, we had a few run throughs. All went successful and it made everyone become a bit more relaxed as they were confident in what each person had to do. Before the show we let everyone have a quick short break before making sure everyone was back and prepared to go live at 12pm. During the live show and afterwards, I was happy with how well I did my role. I did not mess up at any points in which I was proud of as I had extreme pressure upon me to make sure I press the right buttons at the right point, and felt me ad the TriCaster Operator worked successfully together. This also meant I overcame my worries of using the Vision Mixer I had not previously used and helped me to gain a new skill overall because during the show you have no time to think about what you have to do next on the Vision Mixing desk, you just have to know, so by me being organised and highlighting and writing on my script, it helped a lot as I knew what I had to do next. As Naomi Neufeld states 'to be a Vision Mixer, you have to be able to work under extreme pressure, you have very little thinking time, and you have to be able to react instantly to situations'. At the end of our shows, our lecturer comes in and gives feedback on the show. He was very pleased with how it went and said that we have set the bar for the other groups, in which made me and my group really happy as we had worked so hard to produce a show in just under two weeks. We were also told our next show would be ‘CCI Live’ which is a faculty based show I explained in the beginning welcome section of my blog.
Above: Image of me on the Vision Mixer during the Live Show
Here is our ‘Eye on Portsmouth’ show... I hope you take a look :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjYLURqshs4Â
