Group project minutes

These are the minutes I took for our first meeting on the group project the promotional DVD for WSM Tennis Club. Have a look at their website westontennisclub.co.uk

group members present lloyd dunseith, michael huck, adam boyce 4th april 2004

Minutes taken by Mike Huck

Agenda

Filming schedule, Questions for interviewee's, stylistically (look of program).

Shedule - filming saturady morning at 9 am adam and lloyd to attend. future filming date 26th april.Adam asked if we could shcedule filming during easterbreak. lloydwill givethe mattersome thought andbring it to next meeting.

Checklist for shoot:-

Complience forms for location and contributer content signed and dated.

cameras booked out.

risk assesment on location complete.

interview questions...

past present and future, questions for each? what do the get from tennis? why is it important? what would your life be like without tennis or the club? what makes a good tennis player and there any greats who inspired you..what changes have you seen at the club over the years...what direction is it taking in the future...
Style
lloyd suggested a look similar to the fiat ad, punchy imagary.and ping pong game, mike suggested wide high shots of the club, stop motion photography, hard hitting credits. serve noises. grunt noises...lloyd suggested 30 sec promo

lloyd raised conserned about syle of actual documentary, will it fulfill brief??


items for agenda:-

Editing?? logging? rough cuts, music
--

Minutes for next weeks meeting will be taken by another group member. The job of minute taking will be rotated on a weekly basis.

Work experience week 1

Hi bloggers - mike here. I've had a hectic week with my work experience placement. Colin McGuiness head of group production and my mentor for work experience was taken ill and unfortunately will be unavailable to take me on for work experience. Luckily my connections at star radio paid off and I managed to get a placement at star radio in north somerset as a freelance production assistant.
My first task today was to work on a project called "things you didn't know about North Somerset". Using Cool Edit, a multitrack audio editor I mixed each individual piece of audio down before recording it in RCS. RCS is the play-out system used at the station. All audio, songs and commercial adverts reside on a central RCS server. To catalogue the audio into the database RCS uses a database system known as carts. Check out their website rcsworks.com

My second task of the day was to freshen up some of the production, in particular the weekend promo. This was the brief-the promo was to last no longer than 50 seconds and needed to include music demonstrators, clips from weekend shows and a voice over from Bob, the voice of E4. I was very excited about being given such creative freedom with this project! I found the most difficult part was the music demonstrator, when Choosing the song clips I needed to find music spanning 4 decades that was similar in tempo and matched in key. Its not easy to get Yazz - the only way is up to mix with the Bee Gees -tragedy! I used cool edits proprietary time and pitch plugin to match tempos and also some special effects like flange and delay. I also found that creating small repeat edits of syllables in the lyrics worked well adding some interest to the clips. When I had finished I played the promo to the production manager who offered me some feedback on the piece. He felt it was to long and offered me some tips on how and where I might shorten it. I followed his direction, replaying the audio to him which, he was then happy with.
One thing I have learnt today is that in an environment where time is critical you may not have time to plan a project in the traditional sense of pitch, planning and rough. Deadlines are tight and you are expected to come up with the goods!!

Check out the website star1077.co.uk

Advanced Video - Individual Project Log

I have spent this morning looking at ideas for my individual project. I had several different options including a quiz show , but I have decided on a "rockumentary" style program. A south bank style interview from an artist along with an informal unplugged performance. This program could include a presenter but could work equally as well without one. I feel this format has a good position with regard to 360 degree media content which is something I needed to seriously consider as part of the brief for this unit stressed the importance of multi platform content. This could include unseen footage available to download via phone or web also a web cast/message board from the artist and the opportunity for viewers to text in their views on the show. This program could also be made available on mobile phone platforms such as orange world as part of their daily content. This program could also be part of a wider series on local artists and could even work as a format series like pop idol.

"A rising soul songstress of the UK acoustic music scene..."
Bath International Music Festival 2007

Over on the acoustic stage was the soulful Katey Brooks, whose vocal chords reach low enough to qualify her for a place as a barbershop baritone. Setting her apart from the majority of female solo artists like Regina Spektor or Emiliana Torrini...There are definite similarities to the likes of Tracy Chapman, and while her lyrics are intelligent, her smile warm and radiant, and her demeanor enchanting, she may well break from folk roots into the mainstream."
Ashton Court Reveiw 2007

I have approached local artist Katey Brooks, a folk singer from bristol who expressed an interest in being involved with the project. She has a good local following having performed at many festivals including Ashton court and overseas festivals in europe to rave reviews...Dont forget to check out Katey's website. Its packed with loads more info kateybrooks.co.uk

Commission & Distribution log - week 10

Hey bloggers, mike here! This week I completed my documentary on distribution and played it to the class. The class commented on the positive and negative aspects of my work , which I found very helpful. I will make some final changes to the script before I submit the program on friday!

Critical Commentary

This critical commentary aims to analyze in detail and comment critically on the radio documentary that I have submitted as my individual project. The subject of the documentary is the UK film and television distribution industry. The aim of the documentary is to give a basic outline of the distribution process whilst making the subject of distribution more accessible. Does the documentary achieve this and if so how?
The documentary opens with an introduction, which poses several questions. The questions are designed to create an emotional connection with the listener by asking them to think about their own experiences of the film and television industry. The script is also carefully worded when describing the distribution industry. The line “ there’s a dynamic sector working hard to connect audiences with TV and film content” is designed to make the subject sound fresh and exciting. In ‘The Radio Handbook’ on the subject of language Pete Wilby state’s:

” Broadcasters place great emphasis on the style of language used in speech radio and the need for clear simple expression when talking to listeners. There is a concern common to all radio stations that presenters use direct and uncomplicated language for two reasons – first because words spoken on air are not permanent and cannot be referred to like words on a newspaper page; and second because there is no visual reference to confirm the meaning that the words are conveying, as there are in television”. (Wilby & Conroy, 1994)

I took that statement in to account when writing the script for the program and feel that I achieved the aims set out by the author. The documentary continues with clips presented in a voxpop style from the interviews, which appear in full later in the program. The voxpop was difficult to mix together because some of the clips were in mono and others in stereo. I used a stereo mono converter in pro tools at the mix down stage to solve the problem. The purpose of the voxpop is to give the listener a brief description of what is involved in the distribution industry and also what to expect later in the program. The second part of the script furnishes the listener with facts and figure about the distribution industry. This is broken up with examples of some distributed materials. I faced a dilemma when deciding on length of clip versus content of clip but decided the material was interesting enough to justify its length and warrant its inclusion in the program.
The third part of the script is designed to prelude the interview. The idea is to keep the script fairly short to allow the interviewees to deliver most of the information in the documentary. The script either sets up the interview (as in this case) or picks up on any points not mentioned by the interviewee. I chose to use the Karen Partridge interview first to set the scene. In the interview she gives an overall description of what the process of distribution is about. I felt it important to give a general overview of the subject’s fundamentals before moving on to the more specific areas covered in the other interviews.
Recording and editing the interview with Susan Osman posed several different challenges. Given the limited resources available I had to decide upon the best way to record the interview. In the absence of a dedicated sound booth the only option I had was to record the interview in the classroom. In his book ‘Basic Multitracking’ Paul white states:

“Choosing the right microphone can be confusing, but as a rule it’s best to use a unidirectional mic (cardioid) unless you have a really nice room, in which case try an omni directional microphone. As a rule though use dynamic cardioids”. (White, 1999)

The room had very bad acoustic characteristics, large windows, metallic surfaces and high ceilings all added to the difficulties I experienced when recording. To minimize reflections and other artefacts such as standing waves I chose to record in the corner of the room facing away from the window. I used a dynamic cardioid AKG Microphone. It had a nice frequency response whilst not being overly sensitive to room ambience. Despite these techniques the sound quality of the recording was far from perfect. I decided after some thought to use a bed underneath Susan Osman’s interview in an attempt to cover up the poor sound quality that exhibited itself in the first part of the recording. In the interview Susan Osman talked about her experience as an independent filmmaker at Cannes film festival so I thought it appropriate to use ambience from the festival as the bed layered with some effects taken from a library CD. I felt this worked well.
The script that followed the interview with Susan Osman was written primarily as a bridge to the final interview with Sarah Pitt. This interview was recorded in the same way as Susan Osman’s. On reflection I feel that this part of the script could have been longer, containing more facts and figures on the subject of rights within the distribution industry, as I didn’t feel Sarah Pitt’s interview covered the subject in enough detail. The program ends with a brief scripted wrap up designed as a conclusion, which upon reflection, listening to speech output from stations such as radio 4 and five live, I feel was too brief. Overall I feel that the program achieved its brief and accomplished what it set out to do – To give a basic outline of the distribution process whilst making the subject of distribution more accessible.

Group Project- My Roles

Our Group project was a documentary on Ley Lines. My main role within this was one of presenter. I was to present the program in the form of a script written by another group member. I had several other roles, which we’re to be undertaken by all group members. These were:
1. Researcher
2. Field recording
3. Editing
I researched the subject with other group members brainstorming ideas until we were able to narrow the focus of our documentary into a workable program topic. Using the research that I had gathered I contacted people who I felt would make good interviewees. I liaised with other group members to arrange field trips and write questions for the interviews. Then I interviewed and recorded all the interviews with the chosen subjects. During my time out in the field I gathered useful information such as books and conversational titbits for the scriptwriter.
At the editing stage I undertook all production duties including recording script setting up and choosing appropriate kit and producing the finished documentary from editing to structuring the documentary.

Commission & Distribution Log - Week 9 1/1/08

hey bloggers, mike here! happy new year...I have just finished the final script and planning for the program structure...



FdBm Year 2 Commission & Distribution Michael Huck Script for Radio documentary 21st November 2007

Introduction (30 Seconds)

You may have heard or read a great deal about film actors and filmmakers. You may be familiar with your local cinemas and DVD outlets. You may even appreciate that some TV and film influence popular culture, shaping the way we see the world. But did you know that right at the heart of the TV and film industry there’s a dynamic sector working hard to connect audiences with TV and film content.

Clip: Interview pastiche (30 seconds)
First 10 seconds of Karen Partridge interview/first 10 seconds of Susan Osman/First 10 seconds of Sarah Pitt

Script 30 seconds
2007 has seen profits soar for the UK’s distribution industry with total turnover up £ 149.4m to a staggering £ 940.95m.
The big four are BBC Worldwide, Granada International, Fremantle Media and IMG who combined account for two thirds of the industry’s turnover with over a whopping 100,000 hours of programming content between them. Favourites are series like American Idol one of the most successful TV franchises in history (distributed by Fremantle Media).
Clip: American Idol

Also Doctor Who, a high earner in 2007 for BBC Worldwide. (Distributed by BBC Worldwide).

Clip: Doctor Who

Script 30 seconds
British television programs sell all over the world. Countries such as Norway, Germany and the US (financially the most lucrative for the UK) are all countries in which the British film and television industry has found a market. Those parties who arrange the sales are the distributors…Producer Karen Partridge

Clip: 1 minute 45 seconds interview with Karen Partridge talking generally about the distribution process territories and sales representatives.

Script 30 seconds
Sales agents are the intermediary between the filmmaker and the distribution company. They are familiar with the demands and idiosyncrasies of the markets and audiences in different territories. Sales agents can negotiate deals in pre-production with distribution companies unlocking valuable capital for filmmakers. Sales agents will often take products to the distribution companies at events such as the Cannes film festival…Independent filmmaker Susan Osman.

Curriculum Vitae

Commission & Distribution Log - Week 8 14/12/07

The presentation at WMC yesterday helped to cement the knowledge that i've gained about the distribution process. I have collected all the audio for my documentary and now need to script the points that weren't covered by my interviewee's. The main two points are rights and multi media. I spent the lesson researching these topics.

Group project

Hi bloggers, Mike here! Its been a busy week for me what with yesterday being not only the day of the WMC 07 but it was also the deadline for our group project. I spent every day this week editing the audio I collected and recording the script that Richee had written for the documentary. The interviews I had collected varied in quality but most weren't great due to the fact that they had been recorded on location. I managed to mask many of the artifacts created in the audio during recording with use of EQ and ambience taken from a library CD. I also had some difficulties with the script we had recorded, we had to make do with recording in a practice room that was very small( 9x4). The resulting audio was quite boxy but using EQ I filtered out most of the offending resonance frequencies leaving use with a usable script. I did feel however that the script would have benefited from a rewrite but due to time constraints this wasn't possible.