It's All Over!

So today was our last day at uni. We handed in our final projects we have been working so hard on for the past 4 and I have to say I am really proud of them all. Even though I have a few issues with the final films I know how much hard work went into them and what a challenge these projects have been.

I know that working on 3 projects was a bit to much for me but I know that I worked as hard as I could and did everything I could for Maddie, Dan and Dean and their projects. However if I had of only concentrated on 1 or 2 I would have had more time to work hard for me by getting my report done earlier and updating my blog more frequently and job hunted before leaving uni but I simple haven't had the time.

I have had an amazing time at uni even though this year has been such a struggle for me. I know that I have worked so so hard this year and I have done the best I can and I just hope that Simon can see that.

I'm scared about what the future holds for me but I am excited to get stuck into the industry and start climbing that ladder to becoming a producer.

Producer Questions

To help with my report I decided to try and get in contact with some producers working in the industry and try and find out if the producer role I had taken on was similar to the role of a producer in the industry.

I made a list of production companies I liked and would want to work for in the future and I gave each one a ring and told them what I was doing and to see if they could help me. By ringing the companies first, rather than just emailing the company email address which I found online, I was able to get more direct email addresses and it prepared the people to receive the email.

I sent a letter with my questions to explain to producers what I was doing. For each company I personalized the letter to explain why I was specifically targeting them. I explained what shows of theirs I liked and wanted to find out more about.

I was a bit disappointed withe the amount of replies as out of the 18 company's I contacted only 3 came back with replies and they weren't producers who had worked on a show I had mentioned in my email. None the less the answers I got were very helpful and made me realise that my role on the 3 projects had been very similar to the role of a producer in the industry and it gave me great information to include in my report.

Surveys

To help with our report I thought it would be a good idea to get feedback from  the cast and crew members who worked on all 3 projects to find out how professional they thought the shoots were and what they thought about me, Maddie, Dan and Dean in he roles we had chosen to take on.

I created these surveys and sent it to all of our cast and crew on each project. As it was an anonymous questionnaire I asked everyone to be as honest as possible.

Click here for the Totally Maisy survey

Click here for the Love Always survey

Click here for the If I Was King survey

We got some lovely feedback from people and they let us know what we did well and what we could improve upon.

I found this a very beneficial tool as it was great to get feedback from people to help improve in the future and to build my confidence as a producer.

If I Was King - Script Readthrough

Today we had our script read through and I have to say it went really well which made it very disappointing that we were not actually able to film it. The cast we had for the read through was far better than the cast we originally had for the project which was even more frustrating.

We rehearsed the script twice and gave pointers to each actor and then we recorded it twice so that we had alot of coverage to edit with.

If I Was King - What a Disaster

So on Monday we were supposed to start filming for If I Was King but one thing after another went wrong and we have had to cancel the filming. Last week our DOP dropped out and then today 2 of our actors pulled out 2 days before the shoot. We have not had much luck with this project at all which is really really disappointing.

Me and Dean have worked really hard on this project and I really wanted this project to be amazing for Dean as I know how passionate he is about this project.

We have decided to film a script read through instead and we will be getting a new better cast for this read through and we are going to make it look as amazing as we can.

Totally Maisy - Genre Conventions

Characters

The characters in a teen comedy will be teens themselves and are often exaggerated sterotypes such as “dumb blondes” and “geeks”. Teen dramas often focus on social groups and usually split characters into these groups however the shows main characters are often based on a group made up of misfits from other social groups.

Costume

Costumes in a teen drama are quite modern as they are usually set in the present day however each character will have their own individual style and this will reflect the kind of character that they are.

Locations

Teen dramas are often set in a secondary school or college as this is where most of teen life takes place and it is also a convenient and practical location to film in. Characters homes are often used in teen dramas to help the audience understand what kind of person the character is whether they be rich or poor, modern or traditional.

Themes

Teen dramas deal with a lot of teen problems and often show teenagers coming of age, first loves, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst, and alienation. They also deal with controversial issues such as underage sex, eating disorders and mental health issues to highlight these issue to young people.

Structure

Often in teen dramas the main character gives some narration whether it be to introduce the characters or help the audience understand what they are feeling and empathize with them. Flash backs, flash forwards and daydreams are often used to show what has happened to a character, what could happen or what they want to happen. This adds a fun comical element to the show and allows the audience to see things they would not be able to see or know about the character. Graphics are often used to modernize and make the piece appealing to a younger audience. Teen dramas are kept up to date by including things teenagers do such as texting and using social networking sites and also emphasizing the language they use.

Music

Music is used in teen dramas to help an audience understand how they should be feeling at certain times. Usually it is modern music used so that the audience can also relate to the music and feel closer to the program as they share the same tastes in music.

Lighting

Lighting in a teen drama is often light and bright as they are usually light hearted and comical and so this is reflected in the lighting.

Camera Work and Editing

Panning and split screens are often used to fit as much in 1 shot as possible and keep the show modern and fast paced. Close ups are used so that the audience can really see how the character is feeling and point of view shots are used to put the audience in a specific characters shoes and therefor feel empathy for the character and their situation. Handheld shots are often used in teen dramas to emphasis how hectic a school can be with teens shoving and rushing around everywhere.

If I Was King - Genre Conventions

Characters

The characters in a comedy drama will always be relatable and will be dealing with emotional themes. Comedy dramas often have diverse characters from different backgrounds so that an audience has the opportunity to relate to at least one of the characters. The main character in an comedy drama is often an “Average Joe” who is dealing with day to day problems which many members of the audience are also dealing with. The characters are often in conflict with themselves and face tough choices which question their morals. The character with the comedy is happy throughout the series therefore keeping the comedy constant throughout.

Costume

Costumes in comedy dramas are quite modern as they are usually set in the present day however each character will have their own individual style and this will reflect the kind of character that they are.

Locations

Locations for comedy dramas vary but they are always simple and identifiable either a café, a pub, a living room or a work place. The characters homes are also often used to help the audience understand what kind of person the character is whether they be rich or poor, modern or traditional.

Themes

British comedy dramas deal with a lot of issues that the audience watching are also dealing with such as financial, work and status issues. They also deal with relationships in a conventional and relatable way whether they be love interests, friendships or family. There is also a common theme of the main character being trapped either in their situation or in their environment. Humor is used throughout the piece but with an equal balance of comedy and drama so that the program seems realistic and similar to everyday life.

Structure

Often in comedy dramas there are storylines which run throughout a single episode but also story lines which span across the entire series. For example in “If I Was King” the ongoing story lines would be Jamie and Stefs fight for the job and also the relationship building between Sophie and Jamie. The structure is very linear with an obvious beginning, middle and end with a problem being established at the beginning of the episode or series and it then being resolved by the end of the episode or series.

Music

Music is used in comedy drama’s to help an audience understand how they should be feeling at certain times. Usually it is modern music used so that the audience can also relate to the music and feel closer to the program as they share the same tastes in music. A catchy theme tune is used so that the audience becomes familiar with a show and when they hear the music they have an idea about what they are going to see.

Lighting

Lighting in a comedy drama is often light and bright as they are light hearted and comical and so this is reflected in the lighting.

Camera Work and Editing

More often than not comedy dramas are filmed on a multi camera set up in order to catch all of the action as with comedy you may only get the right reaction ones. Close ups are used so that the audience can really see how the character is feeling and point of view shots are used to put the audience in a specific characters shoes and therefor feel empathy for the character and their situation. Camera movements are often used to make the program more fluid, modern and interesting to watch.

Totally Maisy - Day 4

Today was our last day of filming and I can not be happy with how the whole production has been. All of the cast and crew have been so professional and easy and lovely to work with. The extras were also amazing and I think it was so beneficial to have them there as scenes would have looked so empty without them.

Today was the only day we had any kind of problem and that was the fact that we had not been able to get in contact with our actress who was playing Katie all day and we were beginning to panic. We started to come up with a contingency plan but luckily we had a text from her saying she was running a bit late but she was going to be there and then we could relax. This taught me the importance of a contingency plan and having multiple contacts for each actor.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working on this project and I can not wait to see what it looks like in the edit.

Totally Maisy - Day 3

Today we had a day filming at Maddie's again this went really well and it was our only day with our actress playing Maisy's Mum and just like the others she was professional and and fit the role perfectly.

We had a few issues with the Barney the dog running away but it was something we were able to work around which was good.

We realised today that we would have benefited from having a hair and make up artist as I think it would have saved us alot of time rather than me, Maddie and the actresses doing it.