| Control Room – Director | DIR |
| Vision Mixer | VM |
| Sound Operator | SO |
| Clock, Stills, Switcher | CSS |
| Behind The Scenes Film | BTSF |
| Studio – Floor Manager | FM |
| Camera 1 | C1 |
| Camera 2 | C2 |
| Camera 3 | C3 |
| Camera 4 | C4 |
| Behind The Scenes Photography | BTSP |
The whole crew in the Studio and Control Room were very professional. There is clearly a different way of directing & vision mixing emerging from the crew; a traditional director role would line up the camera shots and tell the vision mixer when to make the cuts. Our VM had a really good rhythm and he was getting the shots just before he was told to by the DIR. Our DIR would say coming to (camera) 3 and the VM would make the decision when – cutting on the beat to the the music. Traditionally they should wait until being told when to make the cut. The VM is also using the a combination of both hardware, as well as software. It’s quicker to press buttons than use the mouse sometimes and he was mastering both. One thing they did was work out how to do a fast mix because they felt like the mixing was too slow for the pace of music; it took a while to work out the adjustment because it wasn’t as straightforward as putting in another number (0.08 would go to 2. You could get to 0.08 but you had to do it a certain way). This time the music didn’t call for lingering transitions, so quick cuts worked fine and they did it well.
Our ‘hands on’ environment gives young people a platform to develop skills, rather than us saying, ‘here is the skill’ we will be learning today.
Peter Barrett June 2021
Sound was on task all the time; there was no distortion & our SO was watching the levels, as well as turning it down in between takes so it didn’t overwhelm the Control Room. They always remembered to turn it up and would also remind others to record sometimes; they feel confident & happy in their role. Our CSS is working intuitively with the DIR, which is a great skill.
Last week, when the comms didn’t work, the Studio started the countdown without hearing Control. This wasn’t the right decision as downstairs wasn’t ready to record the mix. However, on another occasion the DIR’s countdown was too quick and our FM in the Studio, counted at the correct speed. As the countdown had started downstairs and had got to 5 already that was the correct thing for them to do; which is a good example of Studio Management.
There was a sense of urgency to get the shots because we were following the music, which resulted in all roles learning exponentially between the 1st & 4th take; proving they are capable of producing a decent mix altogether as a team.
Peter Barrett June 2021
The cameras were framing the shots far better; an example is when the singer stood up the camera moved with them and got the shot – that was exceptional. In the second band shoot the cameras were getting the shots framed 90% of the time with the DIR reminding them to adjust their composition. If they needed reminding the DIR would calmly repeat the instruction slower. They didn’t just leave it and wonder why they hadn’t done it. Which shows how they are growing together as a team. Cameras were changing shots more smoothly and responding quicker; C1 was exceptional with their camera angles and stillness. They have worked out how to use their body to help them support the camera and stop it wobbling.
As the session progressed, the DIR got better at praising people and their comms was a lot clearer. The conversations between the Studio & Control Room were clear; everyone knew what they were doing. The synergy between the Studio & Control Room was really good; very slick. The cameras enjoyed it, they had more to do. The DIR had directing down to a fine art during the last take of the second band shoot. I [Peter Barrett] was listening to the talkback, but had stepped outside the room. In one instance the DIR made the decision that when the camera was moving he let it carry on and didn’t cut through the move. A good example of an intuitive, sophisticated decision which produced a better end result.
The band shoots went incredibly well. The crew are not only progressing fast, but they are learning in great depth; both band shoots have given them valuable practice to pull together what they’ve learnt over the last 10 weeks, and they produced great results.
Lorraine Smith June 2021
end2end TV CIC 