Today we filmed our anchor section and V/O with Fran. Myself and the boys and hayley arrived at the studios early to set everything up and do a couple of tests to make sure it was all ready to go when she arrived. This was a really good idea as we had learnt from our green screen test that it will take a while to be correctly set up especially the lighting. We felt that having this sort of prep time would make our shoot run a lot smoother.
From what we had learnt on out test shoot to do with shadows and lighting, Chris had done a lot more research into green screen lighting and spoke with Fergus about some blue coloured tints for them as this makes the image and lighting more even. When we set it all up it did look a whole lot better and i was really pleased with the look of the set. Danny and Chris then did some test shots and i looked over the script for one more time to check everything was good. One of the other things we learnt from the previous tests were that the canon was the best option for visual quality but isn't great for sound. Chris has initially made the choice to use the sony as it had the best quality but we had spoken about this as a group and said if the canon was available we would take that out also and record the audio via clip mic through the sony solving both problems. As the canon was available this is what we did.
After we picked Fran up we prepped her at the studio about the set up and everything. She had been learning her lines as she'd had the script a few days earlier and she felt confident with everything. We also had the AutoCue and Danny and chris worked together to get its positioning perfect for her eyeliner. Below the camera didn't work and above it also didn't get eye line correct so they had danny stand behind chris and the camera just above it but more behind so that it looked like she was looking into the lens. It was great. We ran through the first section we wanted to record and made changes to words that suited her style and that she had issues with when spoken out loud, Then it was time to record. We took a couple of takes to get her phrasing spot on but were really happy with her delivery and connection. We did this method for each section making sure the auto cue speed and size was perfect each time. Soon after we were finished and took pictures of Fran for our website to show our reporters. On This day my job was audio recording, Danny was director/Autocue, Chris was Camera, and Hayley was Script Supivisor. These roles were a great fit for us as this meant hayley could keep an eye on the scripting for me and make sure what was being said was correct and then relay this to danny for him to make changes on the auto cue. Then when this was set up we could go for a take, i would say rolling when i was ready & filming, Followed by chris who would say rolling when he was ready & filming and then danny who would say action for fran to begin. Chris also made the call to have fran stand still and quiet for between 5 and 10 seconds after she had finished her lines on some clips so when we are linking them in post production to our other clips we have plenty of spare to use. This was a perfect idea for the credits especially as we want the virtual studio lights to dim slightly as our credits role.
Next up was the voiceover in the booth. We used 2 recording methods for this as after an inital few tests Chris was unhappy with the quality of the audio coming from the mic and wanted a back up just incase. So we used the clip mic and recorded from the sony and the audio booth recording system. We then ran through the sections we had giving our feedback and redoing as necessary. Then we were complete.
Overall i think the day was a success. Fran was great to work with and really fitted our professional yet relatable anchor that we wanted. Jamie is more lighthearted than fran and i think having the right balance of funny and professional is perfect for our channel - it doesn't make it seem immature and silly but also not overly serious and strict. The auto cue was a brilliant idea and so useful! It really helped our filming go by with such ease in both shoot days.
I have learnt from this shoot that preparation is key and having a team that knows their role and has researched things makes your job a lot easier and helps shoots to go by effortlessly.
What i would do differently next time is that although it is a good idea to help your presenters and actors to relax by taking to them and making them comfortable it can be quiet time consuming and even more so when this person is your friend. I think our shoot would have been a lot shorter if i had been slightly more professional and less chatty with Fran because i could tell initially she was really nervous and wanted so bad to do a good job for us and we really couldn't have her straight away in front of the camera as it would have shown in her delivery. I think the boys were probably a little frustrated by the chit chat and laughing especially in the voice over booth because chris was trying to listen to Frans voice levels and as i was talking it was really difficult for him so he had to keep reminding me to be quiet and have fran just talk. This is something i will definitely learn from as although it is a strength of mine to relax the person i need to be more aware of the situation and time.
stay safe,
Helen
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