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.