As Live - Analysis of the Branding, Graphics and Presentation of Methods of a Studio Production Relevant to the Commissioned Programme

 Analysis of the Branding, Graphics and Presentation of Methods of a Studio Production Relevant to the Commissioned Programme

In order to gain an insight into the branding, graphics, and presentation methods of a studio I looked into what each one meant.

I learnt that branding helps to create an identifiable show, upon which audiences can build an association (Kellison, 2008). If branding is “unique and desirable”, it can be more noticeable to the viewer and can aid in the establishment of the brand (TVTechnology, 2005). When branding our show, it will be important to ensure that our brand differs from anything else, is visually pleasing, and also relates to our demographic. With branding, you are also looking to aim your branding towards a certain demographic that your show is aimed at (TVTechnology, 2005). With this in mind, we want to ensure that our branding is relevant to the audience that we are looking to attract, which is the BBC 3 type audience of 16-34-year-olds and the LGBTQ+ community (we are not just limited to this audience, but this is the main type of audience we want to attract).

A graphics package for a television show is a package of branded graphics specifically designed for a show. A graphics package is often created according to a brief provided by the producer and/or director (Lehmann, 2017). It is important to refer back to the vision for the show and that we get this across to the graphics team to ensure that the graphics package is suited to the show. 

I looked towards the branding, graphics, structure, and presentation methods of Ru Paul’s Drag Race (2009) as I felt that the vibrancy of RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009) reflected what we wanted to achieve with our show to some extent. RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009) also uses a similar level of ridiculousness/comedy that we want to achieve within our show. Furthermore, the audience for RuPaul’s Drag Race is of the same demographic that we are aiming for, with it being shown on BBC3 (Campbell, 2022). All of these factors will be useful when thinking about Cosmic Snatchers (2022). 

Fig. 1 RuPaul’s Drag Race Logo (2022)

The main colours used in RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009) are pink, gold and blue (Color-hex, 2022).

Fig. 2 RuPaul’s Drag Race Colour Palette (2022)

The use of vibrant colours instantly attracts the viewers’ attention (Gremillion, 2019), which is something we will be looking to do with the branding of our show. We will also aim to keep our colour palette simple so as to not make the colours of the show too overwhelming. The sets that the show is shot in often use the same and similar colour palettes, which include vibrant colours. We will attempt to keep a consistent colour palette throughout the show, which includes the graphics, the set, the VTs, the promo, and the adverts.

The type/fonts used within RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009) are big, bold, colourful, and simplistic, whilst maintaining a sense of glamour. Right from the opening titles, you get an idea of this (Ru Paul’s Drag Race, 2017). Graphics “help set the style and ambience” of the show (Millerson and Owens, 2012), which is the case with RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009). The show and the talent on the programme are bold, loud, and glamorous. This is a similarity with Cosmic Snatchers (2022) with regards to the show being glamorous, bold, and colourful, and is therefore something we will take inspiration from going forward and will inform the graphics team of. We also want to include titles for each challenge within the show so that the audience is aware of the challenge name and the locations of the challenges, which isn’t usually included within RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009). 

Throughout the show, there is participation from the host, the guest hosts, the drag queen contestants, and the side characters. They all make comedic comments throughout the show, which adds to the entertainment of the show. In addition to this, the reactions to these comedic comments are also often captured, which will be an important aspect to take into account with our show as they help with the comedic delivery of our show (Deguzman, 2021). 

By analysing the graphics, branding, and presentation methods of RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009), it has enabled me to gain a greater insight and understanding of particular creative and strategic decisions when it comes to creating a live TV show, which I will aim to apply to Cosmic Snatchers (2022) and help inform the graphics team of. 

Bibliography:

Campbell, F. (2022) BBC Three Commissioning. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/bbc-three/ (Accessed 18/02/2022)

Colour-hex. (2022) RuPaul’s Drag Race Colour Palette. At: https://www.color-hex.com/color-palette/52583 (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Cosmic Snatchers (2022) [Online Video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AtyDMj621k&ab_channel=UCATelevisionProduction (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Deguzman, K. (2021) The Reaction Shot - Much More Than Essential Film Grammar. At: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-reaction-shot-definition/ (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Fig.1 RuPaul’s Drag Race (2022) RuPaul’s Drag Race Logo. [Photograph] At: https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/RuPaul%27s_Drag_Race (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Fig.2 Colour-hex (2022) RuPaul’s Drag Race Colour Palette [Screenshot] At: https://www.color-hex.com/color-palette/52583 (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Gremillion, A. (2019) Colours and emotions: how colours make you feel. At: https://99designs.co.uk/blog/tips/how-color-impacts-emotions-and-behaviors/#:~:text=Strong%2C%20bright%20colors%20and%20neon,stand%20out%20from%20their%20surroundings. (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Kellison, c. (2008) Producing for TV and New Media: A Real World Approach for Producers. (2nd edition) Oxford: Taylor & Francis. At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/reader.action?docID=535177 (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Lehmann, C. (2017) Behind the Scenes: Making a Graphics Package for Nickelodeon. At: https://blog.frame.io/2017/12/13/making-a-graphics-package/ (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Millerson, G and Owens, J. (2012) Television Production. (15th ed.) Oxford: Taylor & Francis. At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=860639 (Accessed 25/03/2022)

Ru Paul’s Drag Race (2009) [Television Programme] 

Ru Paul’s Drag Race Opening Titles (2017) [Online Video] At:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxC8gpzXaSc&ab_channel=LaudelinoFreireGavilon (Accessed 25/03/2022)

TVTechnology. (2005) The Branding of Broadcast. At: https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/the-branding-of-broadcast (Accessed 25/03/2022)

As Live - Evaluation

 Evaluation

The task for this unit was to create a 30 minute As Live Studio Production pilot episode (Glazier, 2022), which I believe we successfully achieved. 

Link to the Cosmic Snatchers live stream:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AtyDMj621k&ab_channel=UCATelevisionProduction

As production manager, I was in charge of managing the budget. I found this fairly easy to do after I had set up the spreadsheet, the Monzo bank account, and the fundraising page. Ensuring that money is raised and budgeting for the show is key to the making of a show (Brown and Duthie, 2016). Managing the budget pushed me in some ways in terms of being more confident in standing my ground when it came to having to say no to some requests for the budget that we couldn’t afford. For example, we had an issue with one of the gayliens’ transport, which meant that rather than them driving (they had offered to pay for their petrol), they would have to take public transport, which would’ve cost around £60 per day. As we needed them for at least two days, it would’ve blown a big hole in our budget. He also had covid and wasn’t sure whether or not he’d test negative by our shoot dates so, I put my foot down, saying that we couldn’t have him as a gaylien anymore, and instead proposed the idea of having one gaylien. Initially, we weren’t sure about this, but it worked out in the end and made us come to the realisation that the show was actually better with one gaylien and that two gayliens would’ve been too many. The increased confidence and ability to fundraise is something that I will use in future projects 

With one of our key members of the sound crew unwell with Covid-19, as producer, I had to step into the role of GRAMS operator. Due to my interest in sound and my want to support the production in any way that I could, I was happy to step into this role. Within a couple of days I had to learn how to operate GRAMS, put sound effects into the software used (SpotOn), and how to fade the GRAMS in and out live. Initially, I struggled a bit as the sound files for the GRAMS weren’t renamed and still had their downloaded file names, so I had to sift through and rename them. I also had to figure out where it felt right to add in the GRAMS, which was made easier in the dress rehearsals as I tried to match up playing the GRAMS in with what was being said. For example, upon the word “sewers” (Cosmic Snatchers, 2022) I decided it was fitting to play in the toilet flush SFX. Throughout rehearsals, I made notes on my script in pencil (so they could be easily changed) as to what GRAMS and BED tracks I was playing in and when. This proved incredibly useful and by the live show, I had memorised where the GRAMS and BED tracks were within the show. With the script constantly changing right up until the day of the live show, I had to keep adapting the script and inputting the GRAMS into the script. In addition to this, I also had to find sounds that both myself, Ryan Perry (sound operator), and my co-producer, Heather Wallbanks, felt were missing when carrying out the rehearsals of the show. I found various sounds online as well as through sound banks kindly provided to me by the lecturers. By stepping into the role of another, it gave me a greater sense of empathy and showed me how different departments worked in tangent with everyone, which will be useful when going forward. 

With regards to the VTs, I was a runner for the day, which involved getting the cast’s lunch, running to get anything that was needed, setting up the locations, helping to look after the talent, and cleaning.

The production had incredibly high stress levels and there was tension at points. In order to ease this tension, we had a couple of trips to the pub and played some of the games for the show, which seemed to help somewhat. 

As I live with my co-producer, Heather Wallbanks, I found it hard at times to have down time as work was always being talked about. In order to combat this, I tried to set boundaries about when we could discuss the show and that we wouldn’t discuss the show after 8pm in the evening.

It is not healthy to work all the time every day of the week, so I had to make sure that I balanced both my work life and my social life. Initially, I found this hard as there was a lot of preparation involved with the show, particularly as Heather Wallbanks and I had to take on more responsibilities with people not meeting their deadline and achieving the work that we had asked them to complete, so it was hard to find down-time. However, as myself and others around me realised that my mental health was deteriorating because of this, I took a step back and ensured that I had at least one day off from doing work a week. At points, I had to reiterate to my peers that it was perfectly okay for me to take a day off as I had received some rather unpleasant messages from my peers. As Kellison (2008) states, a “mental break” is needed at points when working on a production, particularly as a producer, who often have large workloads (Kellison, 2008).

Afterwards, I talked things through with one of my peers, who had not understood my need to take at least one day off, we both tried to understand where we were each coming from and agreed that it was okay for me to have some down time. 

Mental health within the media industry is an increasingly prominent issue that there has been a lot of discussion around in recent years. In a study conducted by the University of Surrey, it was found that “mental health prevalence rates are far higher than the national average” in the entertainment industry (Hanna, 2022). Furthermore, in response to the “major mental health crisis” within the film and television industry (Ravindran, 2020), petitions have been going around campaigning for better working conditions and mental health support within the entertainment industry as well as The Film and TV Charity as well as various productions companies setting up support for their employees (The Film and TV Charity, 2022) (Ravindran, 2020). Due to the show having an affect on my own mental health and being a producer, I felt that it was important to ensure that I was regularly checking in with the cast and crew to see how they were doing. Whenever they were in, I would have a private conversation with each of them and catch up, if I hadn’t seen any cast or crew member for a while, I made sure to send them a message. This appeared to prove somewhat useful as people expressed their feelings and views to me. 

Upon discussion with Program Director, Mike Rymer, it was proposed that in future projects a contract is created to establish clear boundaries in terms of those working on the project sticking to their agreed deadlines, and ensure that people are allowed to take days off. I feel as though this is a good idea going forward and will use it in future projects.

We had the opportunity to work with the Design for Theatre and Screen course at UCA Rochester on our show. This was an amazing opportunity to gain some understanding of what it is like to collaborate with set design on a project. We had some idea of what we potentially wanted the set to look like in our pitch for the show; however, we needed some assistance in making this happen. Heather Wallbanks (Producer), Ellie Beckett (Styling), Anouk Jansen (Studio Director), Katarina Sengstaken (Executive Producer), and I worked with the set design course to turn our vision into a reality. We had an initial meeting where we discussed what we wanted and shared ideas. After that initial meeting, the set design team then went off and created the set for the show. A recce also took place, where we worked with the set design team to ensure that the set would fit within the location, would be within the frame of each shot, and was how we wanted it to be. Right from the initial meeting up until the live show, I was in contact with the Art Department Coordinator ensuring that communication was kept throughout and that our ideas were brought to life.

Fig. 1 The podiums for Cosmic Snatchers being made (2022)

Due to the short notice and set design course’s availability, they could only design and create the set for the live show and not for the VTs. In addition to this, they had a few members of their course drop out of this project, meaning that we had to take on the role of ordering and conducting the draping of the show as well as doing the set design for the VTs. We decided upon using floor length silver silk curtains with tulle draped in front of it. A few of my peers and I stayed behind after a day of rehearsals and did the drapery for the show. 

Fig. 2 Elsie Potter attaching tulle to the ceiling of the studio (2022)

I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with the course and look forward to working with them on any future projects. 

When the clock hit the agreed time of broadcast (3:00pm), we ended up enduring some technical difficulties with the streaming platform, Youtube, which delayed the live stream until 3:15pm. There was nothing that could’ve been done to prevent these technical issues with Youtube, so I remained calm and updated some of the audience that we were experiencing technical issues. Eventually, the technical issues were somewhat resolved and the livestream of the show was able to go ahead. However, upon watching the livestream back, Youtube had caused some glitches, which was frustrating as we weren’t aware of these until we watched it back on Youtube as it had appeared fine in the gallery. Luckily, we had recorded the version that we were seeing in the gallery so have a glitchless version of the show. 

In future projects, I think that it will be important for the talent to have earpieces. We didn’t have access to earpieces for this show, which meant that the floor manager had to communicate with the talent using actions, which the talent (mainly Queen Thunderclap) struggled with occasionally. In addition, it would’ve also assisted the runners in ensuring that we could get hold of them when we needed to rather than having to rely on them answering their mobile phones. Through having an earpiece, it would enable a discreet method of communication between the cast and crew (Harley Street Hearing, 2022)

Fig. 3 Earpiece (2022)

To conclude I now have a better idea of who I do and don’t want to work with going forward based upon people’s work ethic and the treatment of people. As a result of stepping into other roles, I also found other roles that I potentially want to explore in the future. I believe that I was somewhat successful in my role as a producer, having overseen the production throughout trying to ensure that it ran smoothly (Brown and Duthie, 2016), which it mostly did. I feel as though the show was successful, but still has some room for improvement in terms of the challenges. I learnt a lot throughout this unit, which I will be taking into future projects.

Bibliography:

Brown, L. and Duthie, L. (2016) The TV Studio Production Handbook. London: I.B. Tauris. At: https://www-bloomsburycollections-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/book/the-tv-studio-production-handbook/ch8-game-and-quiz-shows (Accessed 12/04/2022)

Cosmic Snatchers (2022) [Online Video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AtyDMj621k&ab_channel=UCATelevisionProduction (Accessed 12/04/2022)

Fig. 1 Hollis, J. (2022) The podiums for Cosmic Snatchers being made. [Photograph] In possession of: the author: Rochester.

Fig. 2 Potter, E. (2022) Elsie Potter attaching tulle to the ceiling of the studio [Photograph] In possession of: the author: Rochester.

Fig.3 EarpieceOnline. (2022) Earpiece. [Photograph] In possession of: EarpieceOnline: Poole.

Glazier, J. (2022) As Live Production Handbook. Maidstone: University for the Creative Arts. At: https://learn-eu-central-1-prod-fleet01-xythos.content.blackboardcdn.com/5d11c85256e5e/1716941?X-Blackboard-Expiration=1649786400000&X-Blackboard-Signature=VhNSfN7EJuQvU2Z4OsbWpH5CKNqn7lLSznHzaAKOWIQ%3D&X-Blackboard-Client-Id=190919&response-cache-control=private%2C%20max-age%3D21600&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27AS%2520LIVE%25202022%2520HANDBOOK.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEJz%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaDGV1LWNlbnRyYWwtMSJIMEYCIQDlCF5i4uv0MxAJHOs5zAdzLmUR1zqizYHP70aytmzkBQIhANqLEQ0MI7ozZdg9a3Sglzf5kjwtr86XqKVFdFbRCKYkKoAECEUQAhoMNjM1NTY3OTI0MTgzIgxRPz23YJ04ixOB%2B1kq3QPxa97jEbU3CiJFiXqnynDFnJgsz9r8xZRCZYTFfu1H5p6FkMm4lQ%2FY2E%2FJ9Qw%2FNStlF31ZcJMTCDCzAb5n%2FS0LqiJwWsHuRNW5hiv%2B50%2B%2FiPCdg6%2FNklBJ2CKF5Chsv9J8y4HXzbDO6XNsRdrX3PiyhqXqJGFAjbKK7KZRIwjqbp9QU3ZitwYoN%2F413gVF2SYcE6pWgFRJmJu7atCsllpEHM0rwlg0RRGgrkG3bx2WDX0Z%2FyhSxF1hXZWrS0uW6AEW1zVsFCHqXGH%2FUENHsaep5VfxbybecMCtT%2FO5tRiRCuPsnefkifxPuUIt1m1JguN0Nk62RbhM6nusq%2F10iYSt9SANI7UbevtxuB5joFCeJ8xEIgB60dp6vZW8aJqVlUK59OKf04%2FPyEHG%2BBRAxV0UXbLnktjXlvJ9rCfxmHLqZZ%2BRRaoEOWQjmvHtsxTFv3e%2BqrORLQFYkTA49IHYm2kyVdAeLwosNco9Glkll8mQRSVzUZH6q3ZpBgq%2Bvf8k3%2Fm0ZQFHdTjN1Pa9o4rKvzgoC4lSt4klRDcc1S1A%2BYgUfyxW7CjCD955qXnp7EMXVAnqw%2FdHczZdGOaOo9qh46AVGEBs%2F6wnkca4MG9zVUmxTvCFMiPXcdbMzfBtz1MwydnVkgY6pAEAxiojbAs9MuIhT0M499IGNGlC4jr8pq8gYFVzTGymSk0GCPHXmV8Kp%2BNbcd3EaZrmz2lL0DkE4Rpll2gm40jPh%2BB87oboFqFB8L46Bz7XkqaIZ3%2Fcb8gIP1TT5wcbijw%2B0EC5jX4kEnD5DgNUcfIJbA8YtbiKlpvIArismDKF5IZp1OHQZtCG59WZ%2Bcnybsp5%2B5tPXToOceSunvWd2XJ2vlUmvA%3D%3D&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20220412T120000Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=21600&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAZH6WM4PL5PBMR76D%2F20220412%2Feu-central-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=752e95090201a2c6d8e4011637aec3f1c5f40c79b3df7cd23ea9d2fe3f6b97a4 (Accessed 12/04/2022)

Hannah, P Dr. (2022) UK Technical Backstage Entertainment Industry Mental Health Evaluation. [Thesis] University of Surrey. At: https://gsauk.org/sites/default/files/2020%20Images/UK%20Backstage%20Entertainment%20Industry%20Report%20%286%29.pdf (Accessed 12/04/2022)

Harley Street Hearing. (2022) Presenter Earpieces. At: https://harleysthearing.co.uk/what-we-do/hearing-protection/presenter-fittings/#:~:text=TV%20Presenters,their%20ear%20comfortably%20and%20discreetly. (Accessed 19/04/2022)

Kellison, c. (2008) Producing for TV and New Media: A Real World Approach for Producers. (2nd edition) Oxford: Taylor & Francis. At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/reader.action?docID=535177 (Accessed 12/04/2022)

Ravindran, M. (2020) ‘U.K. Film and TV Industry Faces Mental Health Crisis: “Seismic Shifts Need to Happen”’ In: Variety 12/02/2020. At: https://variety.com/2020/film/directors/uk-film-tv-mental-health-crisis-film-and-tv-charity-1203502271/ (Accessed 12/04/2022)

The Film and TV Charity. (2022) Support For You. At: https://filmtvcharity.org.uk/your-support/ (Accessed 12/04/2022)

The Film and TV Charity. (2022) Through the Looking Glass: Charity Launches UK Film and TV Industry’s Largest Ever Mental Health and Wellbeing Study. At: https://filmtvcharity.org.uk/news-event/through-the-looking-glass/ (Accessed 12/04/2022)

Youtube. (2022) Youtube. At: https://www.youtube.com/ (Accessed 12/04/2022)

As Live - Production Paperwork

 Production Paperwork

Initially, I made a pre-production and production schedule on Excel, which I uploaded to the Cosmic Snatchers Teams folder, which all cast and crew had access to. The production schedule I created was in the style of a Gantt chart, which was recommended by Executive Producer, Jonathan Glazier and is a popular way of showing tasks on a project timeline (Gantt.com, 2022). I created an individual schedule for each person and tasked myself and each individual person with filling it in. 

Fig. 1 Gantt Chart of Cosmic Snatchers Production Schedule (2022)

However, within a couple of weeks, it was decided that it wasn’t working as the crew were not using it. Due to this challenge, I held a production meeting with Programme Director, Mike Rymer, who suggested having people set their own deadlines as often this helps people stick to them (Kiisel, 2013). Therefore, we came up with a solution that seemed to work out. We held production meetings a couple of times a week (more if it was needed) and then emailed the crew the deadlines that we had worked together to agree upon. This proved to be mostly successful with only one or two people not achieving the deadlines that had been set.  

Despite the Gantt chart not working for this production due to some difficulties with people’s organisation and motivation, I learnt what a Gantt Chart was and how to create one as well as the importance of setting key dates in order to try and keep the crew and cast on schedule (Millerson and Owens, 2012), which will be useful going forward.

Due to Heather Wallbanks being dyslexic, I proofread some of the later drafts of the scripts in order to make them grammatically correct and insert punctuation. However, upon the printing of the final draft for the actual show, the version that hadn’t been proofread and had changes made to it wasn’t printed off. In future, it is important to ensure that the correct script is printed in order to align with the changes, which includes the changes made on the script for each department. 

Links to scripts:

https://ucreative.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/UC_CosmicSnatcher/Ed4jRADViT5Nq7KKVd4uyboBQdy8dr5DS1WO02WAuco_Iw?e=V6XnlZ

https://ucreative.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/UC_CosmicSnatcher/EbbxvzYTFN9Jq9FYxjBiPlAB7AqgNNplsRj1XwE8rXAVSA?e=3jbTaQ

https://ucreative.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/UC_CosmicSnatcher/EU_ZyVI4gxNDt0FYK7Mpc30B8qV8tZVnzFGJ-w16RbThJQ?e=9fFvT4

https://ucreative.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/UC_CosmicSnatcher/ETtugEBq3uZCuCDUOgBdrzQBb2OUDToByhZ8rRuqCTL8Tw?e=6hdcWJ

https://ucreative.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/UC_CosmicSnatcher/EeX_f2duHFtNhUiRyFQYg4MB2KYNpa1F3lCG9ptVgH7F9w?e=gX17at

https://ucreative.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/UC_CosmicSnatcher/EaQnp3Izwe9BrhMAc_ZGVZsBRhh8TxVB-9TsrntejEOYTQ?e=PyGoO2

As a producer and production manager, I was responsible for managing the budget. I created a bank account for the show so that we could use the show’s card to avoid mixing the show’s finances with my personal finances. Through using a Monzo (Monzo, 2022) bank account, I was able to see exactly what everything was being spent on, how much was being spent and where that money was going. This proved very useful as when I didn’t have time to look at the spreadsheet I created, Monzo gave me a very clear idea of the show’s finances. I also set up a justgiving page, where we raised the budget for the show. We managed to raise over £500.

In order to understand what money was being spent on, I created a spreadsheet and inputted all the information of what was being spent and on what. I wasn’t entirely sure how to create a budget in a spreadsheet for the show so used and adapted the layout from the Trending (2021) budget. Towards the end of the show, there were some very last minute items that were required that I did not have time to put into the spreadsheet as I was multitasking two roles (the producer and GRAMS operator). However, I still needed to keep track of how much we had left and what was being spent, so I wrote in my notes app on my phone how much had been spent and on what as well as ensuring that the receipts were kept for everything that was bought.

Fig. 2 Budget for Cosmic Snatchers (2022)

The remaining money left over after the show was used to pay petrol money to the crew members who had driven the cast to and from the shoots and to the crew members who had spent money on anything for the show. After each bank transfer I made throughout and after the show, I ensured that I showed it to at least one of my peers whether that be the other producers of the show or the lecturers, to ensure that I had witnesses to vouch for me on the spending for the show. 

Being in charge of the budget and the show card meant that I also had the responsibility of sourcing the props and everything that we needed for the show that used our budget. As well as the spreadsheet that I had made, I also collaborated with Vicki Christofi (games producer) to ensure that we had all the props needed for the games for the show. We created a props list on our teams folder, which made it easier for me to see what props I needed to get and how many of each prop we needed. 

Links to the props lists:

https://ucreative.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/UC_CosmicSnatcher/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7BB91E7702-34D0-444B-85FD-AFACFB0585C5%7D&file=The%20prop%20list.docx&action=default&mobileredirect=true

https://ucreative.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/UC_CosmicSnatcher/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7B8BDF5628-28FF-4BB6-8449-BB51A3C328FA%7D&file=Props%20for%20the%20show%20and%20rehearsals.docx&action=default&mobileredirect=true

When it came to filming the VTs, researcher and assistant floor manager, Heather White and I agreed that it was a sensible idea to make a list of all the kit we needed to pack and take to Chatham Dockyard (the location of our VTs). I asked each department for everything that was needed for the shoot date as well as technical tutor and kit store manager, Fergus Moloney, and then created a list of everything on Teams. 

Link to checklist:

https://ucreative.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/UC_CosmicSnatcher/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7B32C0D82C-4842-4311-81E7-04D48A2F4F57%7D&file=Checklist%20for%2015th%20March%202022.docx&action=default&mobileredirect=true

In order to be able to use the talents’ images, we ensure that we printed off release forms for them to sign. Through gaining the consent to use the talents’ images, it means that the person/people are satisfied appearing on camera and on the show, helping to avoid any copyright and legal issues that could potentially occur in the future (BBC, 2022).

To ensure that the show ran smoothly, I created a rundown with script supervisor, Sarah Newton, in accordance with the script. The rundown/running order displays the order that each item comes within a show (Collins Dictionary, 2022). Having never created a rundown before, apart from the one for the pitch, it was incredibly useful, especially with understanding the format of a rundown. Sarah and I emailed each other and updated the running orders throughout the few weeks leading up to the live show, which took place on 31st March 2022.

Fig. 3 Running Order for Cosmic Snatchers (2022)

The running order had columns for the Item number, the description of the item, who the talent was on screen, the graphics, the source, the sound/GRAMS played in, the cameras and the camera shots, the running time, and the accumulated running time for the show. Through having these labels for each column, it made it much easier to input the information of each item and what was happening in each item into the rundown. In order to know what information to put in to the rundown, Sarah Newton (Script supervisor), Heather Wallbanks (producer), Anouk Jansen (studio director), and I all sat down in a meeting where we looked at the script and discussed what we would like to include in each item of the show. As a result of working with Sarah, I now have an idea of how to create a rundown for a show, which I will use going forward.

Link to the run downs:

COSMIC SNATCHERS UPDATED RUNNING ORDER (1).xlsx

COSMIC SNATCHNERS RUNNING ORDER (1).xlsx

COSMIC SNATCHNERS RUNNING ORDER (2).xlsx

For the VTs and adverts, it was decided that the VT Producer (Ruby Chapman) and the researcher and assistant floor manager (Heather White) would complete the risk assessments. Whereas, I took it upon myself, as production manager, to complete the risk assessment for the live show. Once the risk assessment for the library room was complete, I sent it off to production coordinator, Laura Coull, to sign off. 

Link to the Studio/Library room risk assessment: 

https://ucreative-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/personal/lcoull_ucreative_ac_uk/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7B2E54F57D-3DBC-47FE-9FFD-C988B3A887AE%7D&file=Risk%20Assessment%20for%20the%20Library%20for%20Cosmic%20Snatchers.docx&action=default&mobileredirect=true

Another important document that was useful to refer back to throughout the production was the document that Executive Producer, Katarina Sengstaken, had made of the roles within the show. 

Fig. 4 Roles within Cosmic Snatchers (2022)

Through having the roles clearly displayed within a document, it enabled all cast to understand what their role was and where they were placed within the hierarchy. The hierarchy was important to establish as it allowed crew to be sure of their knowledge of who they were to report to and who managed who. In future projects, more so studio productions, this may be helpful to use if people are unsure of their roles and who they report to.

Link to the roles within the show:

https://ucreative-my.sharepoint.com/personal/1903408_students_ucreative_ac_uk/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?listurl=https%3A%2F%2Fucreative%2Esharepoint%2Ecom%2Fsites%2FUC%5FCosmicSnatcher%2FShared%20Documents&viewid=eb93a513%2D1b3f%2D4920%2Dbcd7%2De7b7909dbca4&id=%2Fsites%2FUC%5FCosmicSnatcher%2FShared%20Documents%2FGeneral%2Froles%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FUC%5FCosmicSnatcher%2FShared%20Documents%2FGeneral

We used Microsoft Teams throughout the entirety of the production. Through doing this, it meant that all crew could access all the information needed. I have used Teams for previous productions and as it had previously worked well, my co producer, Heather Wallbanks and I both decided that it was a good idea to carry on using Teams for this project. I will continue to use Microsoft Teams going forward. It will be key to ensure that everyone is using Teams and knows where information relating to them is to be found. Within this production, people often struggled with the concept of uploading their work onto Teams and emailed it instead however, for future projects solely emailing will not suffice as not everyone has access to the email that they have sent therefore, it will be vital in ensuring that everything is put onto Teams. 

Link to Microsoft Teams Folder: 

https://ucreative-my.sharepoint.com/personal/1903408_students_ucreative_ac_uk/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FUC%5FCosmicSnatcher%2FShared%20Documents&listurl=https%3A%2F%2Fucreative%2Esharepoint%2Ecom%2Fsites%2FUC%5FCosmicSnatcher%2FShared%20Documents

Bibliography:

BBC. (2022) Guidelines: Informed Consent. At: https://www.bbc.com/editorialguidelines/guidance/consent/ (Accessed 14/0/4/2022)

Collins Dictionary. (2022) Collins Dictionary: Definition of Running Order. At: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/running-order (Accessed 16/04/2022)

Fig.1 Gantt Chart of Cosmic Snatchers Production Schedule (2022) [Microsoft Teams, screenshot] At: https://ucreative.sharepoint.com/:x:/s/UC_CosmicSnatcher/EVxeuDul9clBluzMsqp8aQwBcqNlXTaf8wnvvdpAwRNaJQ?e=hKWgvr (Accessed 14/04/2022)

Fig.2 Budget for Cosmic Snatchers (2022) [Microsoft Teams, screenshot] At: https://ucreative.sharepoint.com/:x:/s/UC_CosmicSnatcher/Ed347uCufKFDlh_mf2YrY80BJgEqsuVyvn-dcvqpIy_ZOg?e=z1dN37 (Accessed 19/04/2022)

Fig. 3  Running Order for Cosmic Snatchers (2022) [Microsoft Teams, screenshot] At: COSMIC SNATCHERS UPDATED RUNNING ORDER (1).xlsx (Accessed 14/04/2022)

Fig. 4 Roles Within Cosmic Snatchers (2022) [Microsoft Teams, screenshot] At: https://ucreative-my.sharepoint.com/personal/1903408_students_ucreative_ac_uk/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?listurl=https%3A%2F%2Fucreative%2Esharepoint%2Ecom%2Fsites%2FUC%5FCosmicSnatcher%2FShared%20Documents&viewid=eb93a513%2D1b3f%2D4920%2Dbcd7%2De7b7909dbca4&id=%2Fsites%2FUC%5FCosmicSnatcher%2FShared%20Documents%2FGeneral%2Froles%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FUC%5FCosmicSnatcher%2FShared%20Documents%2FGeneral (Accessed 19/04/2022)

Gantt.com. (2022) What is a Gantt Chart?. At: https://www.gantt.com/ (Accessed 14/04/2022)

Kiisel, T. (2013) ‘Are Deadlines Important?’ In: Forbes 27/03/2013. At: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tykiisel/2013/03/27/deadlines-objectives-and-action-oh-my/ (Accessed 14/04/2022)

Millerson, G and Owens, J. (2012) Television Production. (15th ed.) Oxford: Taylor & Francis. At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=860639 (Accessed 14/04/2022)

Monzo. (2022) Monzo. At: https://monzo.com/ (Accessed 14/04/2022)

Trending. (2021) Trending Budget. At: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Jm4jIrM6k_kyhwESivbXXoQhqQht_7w1iZLHK_6Pisc/edit#gid=0 (Accessed 19/04/2022)