communication skills

This blog will show some research i have done for my TV programme for 'Run'.

According to Sky Atlantic, they are home of the world-class theatrical documentaries. A mixture of commissioned, co-produced and acquired films. Sky Atlantic are interested in a range of subject matters and there are no rules on types, but they would prefer English language films that are entertaining and compelling to watch. They believe that the talent on board is very important to them and they expect to work with the best filmmakers, producers and distributors in the world, or combination of those people and newer talent. (Anon, 2016)

Sky Atlantic would like half-hour series that have scale, lift the lid on a subject or are unexpected and could sit alongside the best of the US.  

I found out that Sky are different to other channels in the way in which you commission with them. Sky are a subscription business and not lead by advertising. Therefore when commissioning with sky, they need to commission shows that viewers can't already get from channels they got for free. 

The following paragraph has been taken from sky's website about commissioning. According to them; The way we commission is also different. The biggest difference is that, because we are all about quality and providing something that Free-To-Air TV doesn't, we commission fewer projects, and have a much leaner team than other broadcasters to do this. In turn this means we don't have meetings with every Indie who asks for one we're afraid. Not only do we not have the manpower, but also we only tend to use meetings to discuss a project we are incredibly keen on. We have meetings when there is a strong sense of purpose for a project we think we are going to love - we don't meet as a way of briefing people. Instead we brief people through this page; on the Sky Days we have every six months (in big groups for non-scripted, and smaller groups for scripted) and through public talks and briefings throughout the year at lots of public events. If you are still not clear about something, we ask that you email in. If you remain unclear after that, then we can answer a question over the phone. 

The big question, then, is how to get an idea going at Sky.

Another channel to look at is ITV and they're commissioning. This is what i have found from looking at ITV commissioning drama. ITV is the home of mainstream drama. We make series, serials and single films for broad, mainstream audiences, regularly achieving ratings above 6m. Our output aims to have variety and depth. It includes period series Downton Abbey, crime series such as Broadchurch and Unforgotten, and BAFTA award-winning serials such as The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries and Cilla.

We are looking for clear ideas which can deliver the highest quality popular mainstream drama to the largest audience. No subject is off-limits - we can rise to celebratory, hilarious highs or plunge to very dark areas of human behaviour. But we will always look for mainstream appeal and an accessible way in for our audience.  

ITV say that they can take their audiences to places they have never been before as long as they do not alienate them. They look for ideas of all different shapes and sizes. They need two, three or four parters ideally with the potential to return although not exclusively. 

I created a survey according to my tv programme and had a few people answer it for me. Here are some screenshots .

From looking at these survey answers, i found that young adults between the ages of 16-20 prefer to watch adventure and action programmes than any other. I found this could be a problem for my TV show as it is a drama and they do not seem interested in dramas. However to help me know who would watch my programme, i would have to receive the answers of my survey from anyone younger than 16 and one or two people older than 20 therefore i would have a wide range of answers and it would help me to find out who are going to watch my show the most, therefore if i needed to change the target audience of my programme. I believe that people older than 20 would watch my show as the other programmes that are on Sky Atlantic are mostly watched by older adults. 


Books

This is the information i found from three books. 

music video production diary

Production Log

25th February- I have an idea of what i want to do for my music video. This idea is taking a number of girls to the beach, Redcar, and filming them having fun.

29th February- I have decided that my music video will be to the imagine dragons song 'On top of the world'. I definitely want to do it on the beach, however i now need to find actors for my music video. Before booking out equipment i need to make sure i have everything i need completed before thinking about the filming stage.

Here is a link to the lyrics of my track.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/imaginedragons/ontopoftheworld.html

The meaning of my song i believe is that they are talking about keeping the people you love close to you. Hence the lines in the first verse of my song. The lyrics of the song talk about mountains and rivers which can link to exploring and having fun. The title of the song is 'on top of the world' meaning the song is an exciting and happy song which is why i want to make my music video with people who are very close to each other and are going to be having fun. The line 'been dreaming of this since a child' makes me think that when they were younger they didn't really have much fun whereas they are now having the best times in their life. This song when i listen to the lyrics, makes me think of summer and fun times which is what i would like my music video to be like. The verses that start with 'And i know its hard' makes me think that he has had downs in his lifetime and he is telling everyone else that you will always get back up from it. The lyrics could also imply that dreams do come true which is again why he says the line 'Been dreaming of this since a child'. The line 'I've been waiting to smile' adds to the fact that something bad had happened and that he has been down a lot but he has got back up and carried on and now hes smiling which hes been waiting for. All of the lyrics talk about being down or something being bad in some way, but then it is like he is giving everyone hope that they will come back from it and they will become happy. I am going to take on board what his lyrics are about and make my music video on the words 'on top of the world'.



When listening to the song it makes me feel happy and reminds me of the summer. It makes me feel this because it is very upbeat and fast paced. When you listen to it you want to sing along. I believe that doing a music video that is fast and fun will work best with this song and its lyrics. I am hoping to have a group of girls that i know will agree to do my video having fun on the beach. This links in the summer feel as it is on the beach and i will have them doing activities that they would normally do when having a day at the beach. 

7th March- I haven't made a script or storyboard for my music video. This is because i don't want my video to look planned. I will have the girls do whatever they want and video them. I want to do this because then it will look more natural than planned. I also believe this will work better for the group of girls as they will also be natural rather than act differently because of the camera being there. I have decided to do my music video on Redcar beach and have decided on some of the equipment i am going to take for them to do activities. Things such as; a Frisbee, enough towels, one for each girl and a ball. I know that at the beginning of the video i want the girls walking on to the beach altogether carrying they're towels etc, just like they would if they were going out for the day. 

Here is a picture of the place i will be filming, and some links to archive footage that i looked at to help me get ideas. 

https://archive.org/details/Beach_1

https://archive.org/details/Beach_6

https://archive.org/details/UndpBeach

My risk assessment will be added separately.

Here is my song. The song is 3 minutes 11 seconds in length, therefore i have to make sure i collect enough clips to fill all of the time. 

I have permission from all five girls. I explained to them all that my music video would be going on either vimeo or YouTube and they said that it would be absolutely fine and didn't have a problem with it. I will receive their signatures to prove that they are happy with it. 


14th March- Today i am going to message all of the girls that i would like to do the music video for me. I will need to ask around to find a Saturday that most if not all of us are free. I need to do this in plenty of time so that people are aware to keep that Saturday free for my filming. 

21st March- I managed to get an answer for the girls. I have around 7 girls helping me out with my assignment. We worked out that Saturday the 30th April was the best day for most f us as we all had that day free. Today i am going to message Sarah and book out some equipment for my filming. I am going to use the Black Magic camera and tripod so that my filming is as good as it can be. 

28th March- I have decided that i would like my music video to be different. I don't want a storyline for my music video still, but i have decided that i would love my video to be natural. Meaning my shots will be different, and not precise. I want it to be like this because i think this would go best with the theme and song for my music video. With it being at the beach and the music being upbeat i think it will be best to have the filming as if it was just a day out at the beach that someone was filming as the day goes by. I will have the girls doing different activities and having fun so that it looks as natural as possible. I am excited to film my music video. I have emailed Sarah and asked her to put my request in the diary to pick up my equipment on Friday 29th for me to film on the Saturday and then i would take it back on the Monday. 

11th April- Today i don't have too much to do as i have to wait until The Saturday to film then i can begin my editing. I decided i would maybe start doing some sketches as a storyboard, however this didn't work out as i did not want to plan what the girls where going to do. I want the filming to be natural and have them acting as if i wasn't there filming them. I want them to be doing there own things or what they would normally do at the beach making my video look fun and enjoyable. The girls i am asking to be in my music video, i know very well. They are used to being in front of crowds and being together as they all do dancing together. I know that they will love to do my video and would love to be on camera. 

25th April- This Friday i will be collecting my equipment for my filming on Saturday.

30th April- I ran into a huge problem today. On Friday i went to collect my equipment for my filming on Saturday. However the technician was not in at that time. That Friday, we were not in lessons as it was our cinefest festival. However once this had finished i completely forgot to go back up to the technicians office and collect my equipment. This was not good as i do not own a good enough camera for filming. Luckily i have my own tripod meaning I was able to use that. My Dad has a Fuji-film camera, so i decided i would use that. It didn't go as bad as i thought it would and the filming was clear, but still natural. I am really happy with the clips i have of the girls on the beach. Another problem was that two of the girls unfortunately couldn't make it on the day therefore i only had five girls. However this worked well and i was very happy with how they done. 

2nd May- Today i uploaded my clips to the computer at college and started my editing. I got quite a lot done today and i am very happy with how it is looking. My favourite parts are the ones when the girls look like they are just having a day out and haven't came just to be filmed. The girls were up fr doing anything i asked them to do and that made it so much easier for me to get a lot of footage for my video. I have used editing techniques such as reverse speed, speeding up clips, flipping them upside down and repeating clips but changing them slightly. One of my favourite clips is when i took the camera off the tripod and give it to one of the girls. I then had all the other girls stood around her in a circle pulling different faces or poses and she span around with the camera held up in the air. I pout this clip to the beginning of the chorus and it works really well.

9th April. Today is the due date for our assignment. I have finished my editing and have created two title pages for my video. However, when i had finished and I was beginning to render my video, a message popped up saying there was an error. I asked my tutor for some help as my proper teacher was off sick today. However he couldn't help me and told my to email my teacher who I have for the lesson  and explain that it wouldn't work an that i needed his help exporting it.  

communication skills assignment 1

Planning my short film

STEP 1- PRODUCTION

The type of production I am writing about is a film; however there are other productions that could be included, such as a TV programme, a game etc. A film is created through these 5 stages, it will start with development, which is where the rough idea is created and a storyline and script is created/planned. Then comes the pre-production stage this is where plans and designs are made ready for the final production of the film. This would be where the schedule would be created for the cast and crew. The budgets will be allocated and storyboards are drawn. This is where everything will be prepared eg. Costumes, props etc. The next stage is production and this is where the actual shooting of the film begins. The props are set up and all the clips are shot in that location before moving on. After this comes postproduction. This is were the movie is edited and polished. Scenes are cut and the audio is finalised. Any special effects are added and then the movie is considered locked. Afterwards there's distribution. This is when the films sent out as DVD's or in cinemas. This also involves promotions through interviews, film showings and film festival activities. The list below shows the steps included in filmmaking. 

• Schedule 
• Script 
• Script Breakdown 
• Budget 
• Storyboards 
• Risk Assessment 
• Call Sheet 
• Clearances and Contracts 

Step 2 - TIME

A schedule is part of time management. A schedule is a sort of timetable for you to follow when doing a project. This keeps you on track for any deadlines you need to meet. Your schedule will tell you what you have to accomplish each day in order for you project to be finished on time. To make a schedule you can use Microsoft Word. If I were creating a Schedule I would use a table to help me. A schedule would include the time you need to be somewhere. The place/location you are shooting at. The cast members that have to be there. The props that are being used and the shot that will be taken. Also any equipment needed and any risks at the location. All of these are involved so that nothing is forgotten and everyone can run on time and knows what they have to bring if they do so. This is what a schedule can look like.

Another aspect of time management would be the script. This will be included because you will know what shots are taken in each scene and what needs to be finished. It will also decide how many actors you need, what equipment and props you will need and what location/locations you will be filming at. This is an example of a professional script. 

The third part of time management would be the script breakdown. This happens when your script is locked and you will not be changing anything else therefore you would go through the script and number each scene. You breakdown you're script, as it's called. You would go through and mark in a colour key; speaking actors, actors with no speaking parts, props, location, costumes etc. The colour key example is underneath. The script may look untidy but it will help you. You then go through the script breakdown and decide where about in the real world you can shoot these scenes that will end up being what you wanted. Most of this would be done by the location manager but its nice to know yourself to keep everything in check. You will go through the script and decide how many actors you need, not necessarily speaking main roles, but background actors to full a scene out. You could then even write a list at the bottom of the page of what costumes and props you need to save you looking through the script for colours etc. 

The last thing included in time management is the call sheet. A call sheet is a list for each cast and crewmember, telling him or her where he or she needs to be and at what times on what days. This would be included in time management because it will take a lot of time to go through each cast and crewmember depending on how big the film is going to be and how many people are involved. It will need to include the dates that the person will need to be free for, the times that they will start and finish and what breaks they will have during the day, what they will need to bring with them eg. Costumes, props, cameras etc. depending on what your job is throughout the film. Below is an example of a professional call sheet and how they are set out. 

STEP 3- RESOURCES

The first thing included in resources is a script. This will be included because when you write you're script you will need to decide what equipment etc. you are going to need for the project. To do this you would need a word document so that you could note down all the things you will need. This will help you to remember what you need etc. 

Another thing you could use is the script breakdown. This helps you to mark down the resources you need. You do this by highlighting or colour coding your resources. This will help you when you go back to look at what you need because you will know what resources are highlighted in what colour. For example if all props were coded in blue, then you know you only have to look at what's coloured in blue. This will help you a lot because you wont have to read through the full script and find them, they will stand out to you. Which will make time shorter. 

Another thing that is included in resources is a budget. On a spreadsheet you will note down each resource, which is going to cost you money. This would be things such as; Cameras that are being hired, actors that are being hired, locations you have to pay for and props and costumes you will need to buy/hire. These are all placed on here in order for you to remember what things you are going to need and the things you are going to have to pay for. 

As well as these there is a risk assessment. A risk assessment is a table explaining all the hazards or dangerous areas in the locations that you are working in. These could either be for the cast or the crew. This is included in resources because it is giving everyone involved a warning on what they have to look out for that could be dangerous. It may be different areas or the location, or things in the location. But this risk assessment is giving vital information to all involved. 

Lastly included in resources would be a call sheet. This is included because it will remind you of who is going to be involved in your project. For example all the cast that you will have performing, main roles or background and all the crewmembers involved, for example the cinematographers or set designers. 

STEP 4- BUDGET

Included in a budget is a script. This is included because when you are writing your script you are deciding what you want your story to be. Therefore you are deciding what props, actors, sets, locations etc. you will need. This is all planning up to the final product. If you go with a detailed storyline with lots of locations etc. then you are going to need more actors, crew, sets and equipment, therefore it is going to cost you more money. Which all comes down to the budget. The smaller and simpler the storyline the cheaper your budget is going to be so on so forth. So when you are writing your script, if you don't want to be spending a lot of money and have a high budget then you need to make your film simpler. Maybe use only to or three locations, maybe one that will be free. And only a few cheap actors that aren't going to cost you a lot of money. This will help you to keep your budget as low as possible. 

A script breakdown is the next thing on budget. This is also included like a script because you will have coloured all of your resources, therefore you can go through and check what resources you will need and whether you will have to pay for them or not. These are all the things I talked about in the paragraph above. Things such as, locations actors and equipment etc. this then may hep you to cut down a bit. This will probably take up some time if you need to go back and take parts out of the script but if it makes your budget smaller then it will help in some way. 

The next thing included would be a budget itself. A budget is an excel spreadsheet that will add up what your film is going to cost. This will all be marked on the left hand side of the spreadsheet, in the next column; you would have 'number of days'. This means the number of days you need to hire that certain thing for. Then in the final column you would have prices. You would put in here all the prices of each resource at the price they cost to hire for a certain amount of days. You will then have a total budget of the film altogether. This budget will be an aim. You would aim to stay at this price meaning the amount of days you are hiring equipment for, needs to stay the same otherwise its going to cost more money. This means you need to make sure all the filming goes well and sticks to the timetable in order for your cost to stay as low as possible. Here is an example of a budget. 

STEP 5- COMMUNICATION

The first thing communication contains is a script. This is included because the directors would talk to the actors or crewmembers to tell them what they have to do. They would explain what the story line is and what they will be needed to do. For example, you would explain to your actors that you want them to start in a certain place and what to do next. Eg. Walk towards the TV and pick up the remote. Or if you were talking to your camera crew, you may say to cameraman 1 have a close up from behind the TV of the actor. This is all done through communication and talking to the cast and crew to inform them what they have to do.

The next thing included is the script breakdown. This is included because you would tell your cast and crew what colours are what. For example, you may give out a script breakdown to all cast and crewmembers. This will help them to know what they need. If you have made a list of all the things included like props and costumes and coloured them then it is easier for everyone involved to know what they need. You would explain to them that all props are in yellow and all speaking roles are in green (this is just an example). Then they would be able to find whatever they are using easier.

As well as these, storyboards are involved in communication. They are included because you would go through the storyboard and show the camera operators each picture. You would do this because then the camera crew can see where about's they will need to be standing when filming each shot. You would explain to them 'the actor will be stood facing the front, I want you to be at the right of her but a panning shot around to in front of her'. This would be communicating what you want to happen through talking instead of it being written down on paper for everyone to read and understand. Talking to your cast and crew may make things easier for some people to understand. Underneath are two different examples of storyboard. Some people will just draw their storyboard whereas others may write on the bottom of the picture to explain to them what they want to see. 

The last thing included in communication is a call sheet. A call sheet would be involved because communication is all about talking and the call sheet is when you ring up your; cast and crew, hiring companies and any other things you need such as costume people or who your hiring props off. This is when you ring them up to make sure the contact numbers; names and addresses are correct etc. You may also use these if you need an extra rehearsal or shooting date that needs to be arranged. You would use this number to ask your cast and crew to see if they can make it. Call sheets are all about communication. They also explain to everyone the dates times and locations. This means you’re cast and crew could all get in touch with each other in case they were needed. Maybe your location is a large place and your actor may need to be at one side of the sight but then is suddenly needed at the other side. This means anyone from the crew or cast can get in touch with him or her and ask them to come over.

STEP 6- PERMISSION

There is only one thing included in permission and this is clearances and contacts. This is a letter that declares all that needs to be said. It will be signed by each cast and crewmember in order for him or her to be used in the film. It will state things such as; 'you will be available to film at ... location' this will then be filled in by the person. At the top of this letter there will be a space where the company/directors name and address would be and also a space for the cast or crewmember to pout their name and address. At the bottom of this letter there will be a space for the members signature. This is in permission because it means you are being allowed to use the members, or even the companies you are hiring equipment from it is part of copyright that must be signed before being able to film. You have to sign for the right before you do anything in order for you to use things that have already been produced. Here is an example of a permission letter.

Hopefully my information will help along the way of making a film.