Week 10 - The Updated PowerPoint

Having made the changes as suggested, I went to the next production meeting with more confidence than last time. Overall, Julia was happy with how it turned out and this meeting was spent going through fine tuning suggestions. There is just a few more things I will work on this week, and then I will email the final draft back to Julia in readiness to send the pitch off to the BBC commissioners. Julia said she will organise who it is we will send the pitch to and work out how exactly to go about doing that for BBC.

This week I was also able to take part in a production for a corporate promo video. There is a local business in the outskirts of Grimsby that wanted ECP to make them a promo video, particularly showing off the production process in their factory. I got experience in being a runner for the day, but as there was also a professional cameraman there I was able to see how he went about his job. It was interesting and insightful to see how he directed people to get the shot he wanted. What impressed me was he clearly knew what he was doing and knew how to get the shots he wanted.

Watching Julia in the role of a producer was also interesting as this is perhaps the role I would want when I leave uni. The role of producer clearly requires good communication skills with the clients as well as the team. It also requires patience, as when people aren't co-operating as hoped, or if the production is a bit behind schedule, the producer is the one that needs to keep a level head.

My role as a runner included setting up equipment for the different scenes and carrying the equipment between sets. There was an awful lot of equipment as they used cameras, tripods, a track and dolly and three point lighting. I was able to set it all up no problem, as I've had experience with all this kind of equipment from uni.

Overall a very good experience and I'm glad I took part in it.

Reflections on Week 10

Although I was just the runner in this shoot, I still felt like it provided me with a wealth of experience. I have done promo videos in the past, but what stood out to me in this shoot was the professionalism of the crew. In previous shoots, I was working with students. In this shoot, I was working with industry professionals who knew what they were doing. I also felt like I was useful, as I was kept very busy setting things up and carrying equipment.

Another thing I like about this job is the connections and contacts you can make with clients. Doing promo videos a lot means you meet a lot of new people, and if you do a good job for them or stand out in some way, maybe they would be more likely to hire you for something in the future.

Week 9 - The PowerPoint

This week I spent about a day on the PowerPoint presentation using the notes I made from the discussion Julia and I had in the previous meeting. I had to do a lot of research for various things, so it took a lot longer than I was excepting.

I had to find stock photos of people that could represent the characters I was using. I also had to find breathe-taking images of space that would not only wow the commissioner, but also truly represent what could be seen in the episodes.

I would also admit that when it comes to page layout and presenting a message using visuals, that really is not a strength of mine. Some people really know how to layout a page to display information in a good, clear and concise way, for me it simply doesn't come as naturally. It took me a long to try and get the PowerPoint looking professional and interesting. It also didn't come as any surprise to me when I went for my next meeting with Julia that she changed a lot of what I had done.

To be fair, the basis of what I had produced so far was retained, but font sizes and colour changed, positions of pictures, picture choices, layout etc. I could also agree with most of the changes. I now have to polish up what we did in this meeting throughout the week and hopefully I'll have something even better to show Julia next week.


Reflections on Week 9 

It seems I have found another weakness of mine, knowing how to creatively lay out a presentation. In this case though, I feel like this is a skill that can be learned, rather than a gift given at birth! I looked online for some inspiration to see how other people did it. I also took into account how Julia wanted it to look. I probably haven't cracked this skill just yet, but at least I know where to go to improve, and as I get more experience at it, I will have a better eye for it in the future.

Week 8 - Episode Summaries Completed

The meeting with my brother was very productive. We spent about half a day going through each episode and smoothing out the storyline for each one. I am now extremely happy with each episode summary and was pleased to be able to email them to Julia.

In the development meeting, Julia was also happy with the episode summaries. She said the only additional and essential thing we need before we go to the BBC3 pitch is making a PowerPoint presentation. The presentation needs to be concise and have a hook, and also be able to 'wow' the commissioner. Julia broke down what I would need to put into the PowerPoint in very precise details so I know what I need to work on now.


Reflections on Week 8

This week made me think about the importance of having contacts and connections in all different aspects of work life. One can simply not be a jack-of-all-trades. It's important to realise weaknesses, but also important to know those who can help out. In this case, I was glad to know my brother, who is studying creative writing and has always had a knack of storytelling. I know there will be other times in the future where I'm not so strong at something, but what will be the most important is having the contacts who would be ready to help out in that situation. I feel like this is especially the case in the TV and film industry.

Week 7 - Finalising the Episodes

During the week I worked on the other episode summary sheets. Unfortunately, I was only able to get four out of eight completed as I was struggling for ideas for the remaining four. I had researched all the facts, but was struggling to come up with a plot that didn't seem overly cliché.

In the development meeting with Julia, she was happy with the episodes I had completed so far. The four that were only half completed, she helped me brainstorm some plot ideas. By the end of the meeting, we had come up with some good ideas which I'll try and incorporate into plot outlines.

I also have asked for my brother's help with nailing down plot outlines for all the episodes as I feel even the ones I have completed could be improved. He is studying creative writing at a university level at the moment, and has a huge passion for stories so I'm hoping that he will help me structure a good story for each episode. I will speak to him in a few days.

I was also able to do some editing for Julia this week. She had a meeting during the morning and so I was able to use her MacBook while she was busy. I edited the footage we filmed while at the Business Hive Live business expo. This included cutting footage and motion graphics.


Reflections on Week 7

The thing I could have improved on this week is not leaving the episode summary sheets until late in the week. I assumed they would be easy to do, but actually it was a lot harder than I thought. I realise now that I am not the most creative person when it comes to storywritring. If I had realised I was struggling for ideas earlier in the week, I could have asked for my brother's help earlier and might have even been able to have a brainstorming session with him before my meeting with Julia. As it turned out, I went to the meeting with only four of the eight episode summaries completed. Julia though was understanding and helped brainstorm some ideas too. She is actually a very nice lady and seems genuinely interested in helping her crew out the best she can, which is nice to see in a boss.

Week 6 - Episode Development

This week I worked on one of the episode summary sheets. The episode summary sheets required me to research facts on the episode subject. I would then need to come up with a potential plot based on one or a few of those facts. The plot needs a conflict and then a resolution, which I gave several options for.

Julia was largely happy with my work this week and has tasked me to continue on with the rest of the episodes during the week, so that I'll have them completed by next week.

I was also meant to do some editing while the the Beehive Business Centre today but as East Coast Pictures don't have a MacBook spare I wasn't able to do any. Unfortunately I don't own a Mac myself, only a Windows based desktop computer at home which is incompatible with the software they use there - Final Cut 7.

Reflections on Week 6

It's a bit of a tricky situation to know when it's important to my career to invest in equipment or not. For me, I've always been against Apple products as I find them completely overpriced for what they do. Unfortunately, Final Cut only operates on Mac computers. So far I have gotten away with it as I have always used the equipment found at uni. The same applies to the camera equipment. There are occasions however, where I find myself needing a camera at short notice, or in this situation I could have done some editing if I owned a Mac. I don't feel I have the answer to this problem yet, as I have to weigh up the cost of the equipment to how useful it will be to me. The decision would be a lot easier if I had a lot of excess cash but sadly that is simply not a situation I am in right now!

Week 5 (Part 2) - Series Development

Julia listened to what I had brainstormed but disagreed on a few points. Although the series will be fictional, it will be mostly based on fact and she thought I might be diverting away from that too much.

This week I have been tasked with thinking up subjects for each episode of the series. I will need to complete a episode summary sheet for one episode. This way Julia can see if I'm on the right track, and if I am, I will be able to continue working on the episode summary for the rest of the eight episodes.


Reflections on Week 5

To a certain extent, I understand how directors must feel when the studios give them strict guidelines and don't allow too much in the way of creative freedom. To be fair though, I submitted on a few points simply because I am the one learning the ropes here and Julia has done it many times before. I think she has a better eye than I do for what will be successful or not. At the time I was a little disheartened, but now I'm determined to see the idea through that we've now agreed on. 

Week 5 (Part 1) - Series Development

This week I was away travelling, but used the time while on the train and plane to brainstorm ideas with my wife for the BBC3 pitch. While I am good at coming up with concepts, I'm not so good at coming up with stories. That is more of my wife's forte. The pitch is for a fictional web series, which means we need a rough story before we can go to the pitch. We got a rough idea of characters and a potential story which I will be able to bring to Julia on Thursday 13th October.