Analysis and Report

In this essay I shall be comparing two different live TV shows: Question Time and Mock the Week.

Firstly Question Time. In this programme the studio size varies week to week as they are in different locations around the UK. In each episode they usually are in schools or village halls, but the edition I watched was in a very large studio.

There was tiered seating which could possibly hold between 140 to 150 capacity. The set for this is a large semi-circled screen with a curved desk in front which forms the top part of a large letter “Q”. The desk has been raised up on a plinth which has ramped sides for easy access. On the Letter “Q”, which the desk is placed on, there is the show’s current weeks’ location. This week was London. This cleverly structured set allows numerous flexible camera angles to offer the director. However this set is not permanent due to the various locations used. In my opinion the set may take quite a bit of time to set and strike.

In the studio there were a number of different shots. I estimate that there were roughly 6 cameras in the filming of the edition. There appeared to be 4 moving cameras, 1 fixed behind the audience and 1 on what seems like a crane.

During the filming of question time probably 10 Microphones were used. There were 6 clipped radio mics on the panellists, 2 boom mics for the audience when asking questions and finally possibly 2 mics above the audience for rounds of applauses and laughs etc.

Mise en scene was quite basic. Only really the decanters and matching glasses of water and matching note pads were in shot at all times.

The lighting rig is all fixed and requires no moving spotlights etc. It is also a large lighting rig consisting of 20 plus lights pointing at the audience as well as the talent and set.

The crew for this production would consist of near 20 members as there are so many cameras and other crucial rolls to be covered. My guess is there will be about 12 camera opps, floor managers, sound opps, etc.

This is all filmed in a TV studio but other weeks an OB truck would definitely be needed as they travel all over the country.

During the course of the hour long show a wide range of shots were used such as wide shots, pan shots, medium close ups, high angle shots, over shoulder, wide shots of audience, over shoulder of audience, 2 shots, 3 shots and even 4 shots.

The making of the show would only really consist of typical health and safety issues, for example trip hazards and fire hazards from hot lights.

The genre of the overall show is current affairs. The audience members ask all the questions which the panel have to answer and discuss further in to great detail. Each week each of the three main political parties are represented plus other well known public figures. It sticks to a rigid format even though the questions and answers are not known before. This means the show is hardly scripted. The tone throughout Question Time is kept formal but occasionally they do make light hearted, “humorous” remarks. The host’s role in all this is to make sure that every panellist has a chance to speak when they wish. But there is a certain time restriction to ensure the programme keeps up the pace and finishes on time.

The start of Question Time starts with the host speaking a little towards the camera for roughly 15 seconds. Then this is smoothly followed by the opening titles and graphics. The main graphic seen is a giant “Q” spinning around. The theme tune is familiar and easily recognized when played.

The show’s format is a traditional topical debate. It has not changed very much over time since the very first episode. Question Time has been running for 30 years now and is based on the “Any Questions” radio debate show.

The target audience for this programme is mainly adults who take an interest in current affairs and politics.

Mock the Week has a number of differences to Question Time. With this programme they have used a large TV studio. This consists of roughly 200 capacity from tiered seating. The set is split into two separate sections - a performance area for the stand up comedians to show off their material by answering questions, which has a larger TV screen behind it, and an area with a semi-circled desk for the main quiz to be held which has another TV screen behind the host. Sat around the desk are two teams of three and the host sat in the middle. The back drop of the set consists of the colour red and blue mainly. With such a large set there are many camera angles and shots to offer so there is flexibility to the studio. Because the set is in a studio and the programme is a long running series the set is most likely to be permanent.

On the studio floor there is roughly 5 cameras, 4 of which are moveable, one will be fixed and another one which seems to be either on a crane or just up high on a platform.

The talent along with the host have clipped radio mics on as they are all on the move throughout the show, walking back and forth to the performance area, however on the performance areas there is also a free standing hand held radio mic which they use when its there chance. There would probably also be 1 or 2 mics hanging down for the audience applauses and laughs.

The lighting for the show would be very large as it is shot in a full scale professional studio; all the lights are fixed, none seem to be moving.

There are not many shots used in the programme, when they are seated at the desk there is really only medium close ups, wide shots, high angle and 3 shots. But when they are in the performance area we see 3 shots, wide shots, high angle and medium shots.

The same health and safety applies to Mock the Week as Question Time because they are both filmed in similar locations.

Mock the Week is a topical quiz show. Each week the format features similar rounds (e.g. ‘Headliners’, ‘Scenes We’d Like to See’) with the talent giving humorous answers. The show appears to be improvised, but I believe that they have rehearsals, and some idea of the questions that will be asked.

The presenter has an informal tone (sometimes even swearing) and makes a lot of humorous comments himself. His role is to ask the questions, keep the pace up and keep track of the scores.

The title sequence features humorous fake news headlines in different styles (e.g. newspapers, news channels, internet, mobile phones, etc.) and ends with a TV transmission mast on top of a globe made out of newspapers with “Mock the Week” in large letters on it. The theme tune is “News of World” by The Jam.

I think the audience range from young adults to older people. The audience probably needs to be quite aware of current affairs, but even people who are not could still enjoy it.

Evaluation

This project helped me gain a clearer understanding about how airing a live television quiz show works in the industry and the standards that are expected. I as an Art Director had to meet certain standards having responsibility of designing, creating and maintaining a presentable set. This role suited me well because I am creative, organised and have a great enthusiasm about getting stuck in.

Designing the set was a challenge yet interesting, I enjoyed discussing and sketching the groups ideas and eventually coming to mutual agreements. Some of our ideas were complicated and ambitious, yet we had to think reasonably to achieve a successful set in a limited time. To gain a better understanding of our Target Audience we asked the class to vote for their favourite design choosing from a few we had selected and to give us some of their feedback about why they chose the certain design. Resulting in this, the Art Directors compromised some ideas and produced our final design. The design portrayed the different rounds within the live show all connecting together. The idea was effective however due to some technical difficulties the panels didn't connect with each other the way designed.

I personally felt a little disappointed with the outcome. I think the ideas we had were effective but lacked enthusiasm. The panel which portrayed "news" was disappointing due to the fact it didn't emphasis the point we were trying to make neither did it look like effort had been made. If I was to re design that specific panel again I would include the latest headlines with a twist adding humour, images of the latest victims and comical phrases etc... but not worry too much about the link between the other flats.

I was pleased with the "music" panel. The 3D effect used on the musical notes worked effectively, it looked as if the musical notes were playing along the lines giving the feeling of enthusiasm and excitement. However, the flat should've been positioned more central rather than on the end because the angle looked uncomfortable.

A difficulty arose with the television panel, the television screen being used in the show stood on a stand however the stand was extended to its full potential yet still didn't fit in the hole. Which resulted in cutting a few inches from the bottom of the panel, leaving the "TV" panel shorter than the rest. As Art Director's it should've been our job to make sure that our measurements were accurate to prevent mistakes such as the above from happening. If I was to design the panels again I would make sure my measurements were accurate making all panels the same height before painting on my design.

If I was to design the set again I would have use of the cameras to show me what the set looks like within the different shots. I think that is the most reliable way to test for accuracy and smart appearance. It also allows the Art Directors to notify any problems in the process.

As we found when looking at the playback, the images painted on the panels weren't very clear to see because they were positioned too low and too small. This was disappointing to see because we could've sorted the issue having had a camera to look through testing for accuracy. The images could've been enlarged.

The talent are seated on black plastic swinging chairs causing distraction in the audience, towards their fellow talent and the crew. An improvement I would make is to have the talent seated on stationary chairs restricting their movement and also keeping their microphones still preventing any interference which will affect the overall performance. The chairs can be a danger hazard due to any sudden movement; they aren't the safest chairs to use in a filming studio.

During the production I was positioned on Camera 4, I had never worked on camera before so I was a little nervous but soon got the hang of it. Peter gave me encouraging and informative feedback helping me to gain more knowledge and understanding. I assisted Jess and Sharnie, pedding and crabbing the pedistool.

As I experimented with camera 4 it was difficult to capture a variety of shots without the interference from Cam 1 and Cam 3. To improve this error I would try and move Cam 4 forwards to cancel out the interference. I did communicate with the Camera men which helped the situation.

I have gained more knowledge and understanding of camera techniques and the various camera shots. I am able to use correct terminology when operating and communicating in the studio. I am pleased to have expanded on my knowledge because it will help me in future projects.

If I was to carry out this project again I would like to switch my role to the technical producer, I was curious when watching Ryan fiddle around and experiment with different graphics and logos. It looked complicated but something that I would consider doing in the near future. I found it very interesting as he was explaining to me in detail what he was aiming to achieve. I feel I haven't really learnt any new knowledge from being an Art Director however when operating on cams I am able to communicate clearly skills I have developed through theory.

There were only a few disadvantages during production, but a frequent occurrence was the Host. The volume of his speech was a lot louder than the other talent. This was due to the sound levels, during mic check the host spoke clearly and at a quieter volume. As we recorded he started shouting. If the sound check had been more thorough the sound levels could've been altered to turn him down when needed to. However, some of the talent became a lot quieter during live recording as supposed to mic checks. It was harder to alter the volume of their microphone when recording. An improvement to consider would be to audition the talent to prevent being camera shy or warming the talent up before going live.

As the audience cheered, the microphone picked up a "crackling noise" which made it less clear when watching playback. Sound weren't able to control this matter neither were they able to control the air conditioning sound which was picked up on the audience mic.

The VT inserts were very delayed. This was a problem in the script due to incorrect duration times which resulted in the VT inserts being cut short. To prevent this from happening the duration of the gaps could be extended and try to measure the expected duration times more accurately.

During the first half of the show there was a slight misunderstanding with the shows logo. It played whilst the audio track was playing. The Director should've been informed whether it was an audio clip or a video clip. However the vision mixer shouldn't of switched.
A big gap was notified between the host’s cue line and the VT starting. The person on the DVD player should have paid more attention to the script. The VT inserts could have been longer to allow the audience to engage in the clip.

The "witty banter" between the talent and host was limited. The first half of production was quick yet dull due to both teams feeling camera shy. The host hardly made eye contact with the camera which was a shame because we needed him to interact with the audience and keep them interested. It would've been helpful if the Director could've communicated with him throughout the production to give him pointers.
Due to the monitor being placed in the audience the talent and host were distracted by their image. To improve this error, I wouldn't place a monitor that low in the audience, I would position a monitor at the back of the studio or even use the reflections through the window.

The second half of recording had a chattier vibe, the talent were more relaxed and the pace became more energetic. To have of improved the pace in the first half it would've been ideal to include audio stings whilst showing the contestants conferring. It will interest the audience gaining more of a response and encourage the talent to be more energised.

It was hard to focus the talent and host in shot occasionally due to the spinning chairs which created movement within the shots. An improvement would be to seat them on stationary chairs all at the same height.

The audience was very quiet and not too sharp on applauding or laughing, they needed some encouragement. The floor managers assistant should stand by the side of the audience and take charge of their responses, holding up cue cards encouraging the audience to humour the panellists.

Overall I am pleased to have taken part in a project like this. It was an enjoyable experience and one that I have picked up a lot of knowledge from. It was challenging at times but fun. All the skills and understanding which I have gained will help me with my future projects.

Production Diary

Week One
This week our form was divided into small groups of 4 and given the chosen topic; ours being "Television". Within our group we had to undertake a job consisting of being either the content producer, post-production producer, technical producer or an art director. I chose to undertake the art directors job. Once comfortable within our jobs the group came together and we discussed what content will be included in our round. The quiz is made up of 5 rounds; Television, Film, Internet, Music and a Quickfire round. I brainstormed the questions for our round and Laurie carried out some research collecting ideas for how we will present our clips. For example, One of our questions being "How many boxes are used on the television programme Deal or No Deal?" The clip was designed to show a VT insert of the host and studio (showing the boxes). For a more enthusiastic vibe we chose to play soundtracks, distinctive phrases etc... to allow the audience and contestants to interact with the show.

During this week the Art Director's arranged a meeting. Our first meeting took place in John Dempsie's lecture where we brainstormed ideas and collected feedback from the class. Resulting in this, scale diagrams were made of what the set would look like. It was very important to have a scale diagram of the studio in hand because as an art director I needed to know the correct measurements in order for the set to look accurate and for the crew, contestants and audience to feel comfortable and safe. One of the most important hazards to be aware of was the emergency exits. As an art director it is my job to make sure they are clear at all times.

When finalising our design it wasn't easy due to many heated discussions taking place because many people had their own ideas so eventually we came to a fair compromise. We tried to include everybodys suggestions and found that our final idea was most effective.


The first week was all about communicating our ideas across, designing and working effectively as a team. I found this week quite intense due to many heated discussions between the Art Directors.. Overall, the work was successfully achieved. Our group completed the television round efficiently and produced good ideas.

Week Two
This week the Art Director's concentrated on arranging the set and pencilling the final design onto the boards. We had to think more in depth about the set, the colours; what shade of blue was being used, the camera crew; how much space will they need to operate, the talent; colour of clothing they should and should not wear?, the lighting, the audience etc... subtle yet important needs had to be considered.

I felt not much was achieved during this week, due to our designing being complete. Because of this, the group used their spare time updating their blog and experimenting with Cameras kindly assisted by Peter in the TV Studio. I found this a lot of help to me because I had never really used and understood all the equipment until I experimented with it. I didn't feel very confident on the cameras because I was worried about messing up the shots and not reacting quicker enough to Peter's demands. However, I am glad I made us of the time because I learnt alot more when hands on.

Week Three
The Art Director's had a more constructive week because we got our hands dirty and cracked on with designing the boards. Our first task was to paint the flats with a base coat being white. This task was enjoyable because the group as a whole all helped out, completing the task more quickly. The slow part was waiting for the paint to dry. Due to the slow pace our day finished early giving us time to work on our blogs.

The next morning, painted on another coat, took down some brief notes and pencilled on our design. I as an Art Director would've chosen not to pencil on the design over the base coat, I would've drawn over the final shade because the final flat would look more effective. There was a slight delay due to not having the blue paint which meant the Art Directors were unable to continue with their design so Jess and I went to Homebase to buy some. The shade of blue we chose was ideal and showed up very effectively on camera. This task again was helped out by all and completed efficiently. The only disadvantage was working in the editing suite it wasn't the most practical room to work in due to the expensive software, the carpet floor and the small space. Due to the restricted space not all the flats could be completed. Therefore we did some note taking on editing and helped out other class memebers with their roles.

During this week, many problems occured.
The panels were not big enough, leaving large gaps showing the black curtains. This didn't look very effective on camera.

The television stand was not higher enough to fit in the hole cut out to show the VT inserts. In order to fix this problem the bottom of the panel was cut off. Which was a disadvantage on camera because it wasn't the same height as the other flats.

After painting the blue onto the panels, the shade appeared alot lighter on camera which was a shame.

Jon Saward allowed us to chose 3 roles which we would be interested in carrying out on the day of recording. I asked for Vision and Audio mixing. I didn't feel confident within myself to be positioned on camera however as the day arose that was the position I was assigned to.

Week Four
The final week was upon us, the set still needed last minute tweaks but eventually it was finished.
This week we did a lot of rehearsing, I was positioned on camera 4 throughout rehearsals and helped out as one of the talents. Even though I was disappointed that I didn't try out any other roles, I managed to get the hang of camera 4, experimenting with different shots and movements. I was assigned as the assistant which enabled me to ped and crab the pedistool. Peter gave our pair informative and useful feedback during one rehearsal the movement of the camera wasn't quite right due to crabbing and pedding whilst in shot. Resulting in this, the movement of the camera became more restricted only carrying out one technique during each shot.

Our main aim was to capture the audience within out shots, crabbing the camera at the beginning of the show and at the end. During the show we kept stationary using a WS focusing on the talent and host. It is vital that when the tally light shows the camera is kept still. Which I found confusing when first operating because the beginning shot entailed us to move. However I soon understood the basics.

Lights, Camera, Action!
The day had finally arrived. The crew was nervous, a few hiccups occurred during run through but with persistent and clear communication, problems were solved in no time. The most important thing to do if there is a problem on cam is to inform the director immediately therefore he can let the floor manager know how long he needs to clear up the issue. This saves time and keeps crew, audience and talent informed. Resulting in a smooth rehearsal.

Once lunch was over it was showtime, we had to overcome our nerves and let the show begin. The floor manager seated the talent making sure they were comfortable and suited on camera. Followed by a mic check, reassuring the talent and host could be heard at an equal volume.

Next to bring in was the audience. The audience seated one to a chair and were informed when to applaud. A very important detail to run through is health and safety. It is vital that before the show airs the audience are informed of how to act in an emergency. This is the floor manager's responsibility to do so. Once the talent, audience and crew are comfortable in their positions. The director will report to floor manager when the show will air.

The show ran smoothly with a few minor hiccups along the way. However, I think we should all be very proud of the hard work thats been put in. It is very impressive to think neither of us have worked on set before as art of a crew and to achieve a succesful live tv event deserves a pat on the back.

I am glad that I experienced a go on the camera however I would've liked to have been part of vision or sound. I am pleased with the work I produced within my role and I had helpful and encouraging feedback from the director.

Use of talkback and protocol

It is very important to have the use of this equipment in order to communicate any problems which may occur whilst filming live. If there are any problems which do occur, it is very easy to get in contact with the director or floor manager by using the cans, this also means that one is able to stay stationary within their position, keeping time to a minimum. It is important that one informs the director of how much time is needed until the problem is solved in order for the floor to know when to be ready. Talk back is used frequently during production by the director who calls and shapes the shots.

Elements of Health and Safety

Cinematography

Pan: when panning the camera you can alternate the direction of movement to left or right. Keeping the tripod and pedestal in the same position, pivoting the camera horizontally.

Tilt: when tilting the camera you are angling the camera up or down. An example of a tilt shot; tilting the camera up you would capture the characters head in the lower half of the frame.

Crab: when crabbing the camera, you are moving the camera right or left. Whereas panning the camera entitles you to alternate the different angles to get a variety of shots. Crabbing is simply moving the camera or pedestal either right or left.

Track: tracking the camera is very similar to crabbing however instead of moving the camera right or left, you are tracking the camera forwards of backwards.

In order to know when its you're turn to shoot, the red “tally light” appears on the top of the camera.

Production Design

"In front of the camera, nothing is accidental"

To create a successful production, we had to undertake these 5 steps.

The first step "Broad Strokes" this step is a simple specification about what is involved in the overall production. Deciding upon the tonal palette that the scene or set will appear on screen. Using tonal angles to create visual characteristics. Deciding upon the visual motif is important at this stage because having a motif appear on screen allows one to identify the production.

Secondly "Concept Art", this step is about designing and creating the set drawing it to scale. At this stage ideas should be more in depth thinking about leaving room for camera movement, which enables the camera operators to still produce creative and clear shots with the set also looking presentable on screen. The set cannot distract the audience's attention, niether can the light reflecting upon the camera in order to prevent this from happening the set must be matte finish. No bright or luminous colours should be used.

"Lockdown" step three, by this point in the pre - production the concept art should be completed and agreed. Therefore no major changes should be made after everything has been finalised. Also in this stage is "Scene Breakdown" which means the location is found for each scene and "Prop Breakdown" involving the descision of props needed and whether they are acting props or dressing props. Finally, the production should have a provisional budget.

"The Team" this step is assigning each team member to undertake a specific role. The team roles consist of: Production Designer, Art Director, Props Master, Construction Manager and Lighting Master. Once settled within your role each team member should be able to communicate clearly about any unfinished work needed to be done.

The final step, step 5. "The Product" this step is producing the final idea. It is important to think about textures and finishes, such as; light must not reflect. The team also needs to take into consideration any special needs for the locations, for example; is there plenty of parking spaces to cater for the crew, cast and audience.