'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Development & Finalising the Graphics, Titles & Promo Work

As Tuesday the 10th is our second to last rehearsal day, Del said that we should have everything finished by the 10th so we can run through the whole of the show with all the VTs, graphics, sounds etc. As producer, I am responsible for everyone and everything that is said, after hearing their initial ideas, I watched over the final videos to make sure there was nothing offensive said. 

Graphics
Before the Easter holidays, Katie, Simon and myself had a meeting with Helen to talk about the graphics, we had an example which was completely different to our original logo and Helen was shocked as to why we had changed it. I thought it had to change and couldn't be the same as we pitched because then Simon would have nothing to work on. Helen explained that it had to develop but not change completely. Katie and myself were fine with this as we liked the original logo and would be very happy to keep it in the show. After this meeting, we worked with Simon to develop the original logo while keeping features from the original pitch.

Show logo:
During the Easter holidays, Katie and I finalised the graphics with Simon, these included the logo for the show, the captions for the presenters and guests, and the stings. Katie and I liked the idea of having an orange logo, as its a light, summery colour which suited our show being about Spring / Summer. Orange is also different to the typical red and blue chat show logos that are out there. 

After the graphics meeting with Helen, below are the examples Simon fed back to Katie and I. We weren't sure if we wanted straight lines or the blob for the background - or even if we want a background at all. We asked Simon to keep with the orange theme and he gave us some more examples based on the orange tone.

Logo examples from Simon

I felt that the background should be a lighter colour than the words, like the purple and yellow logo (above), and that the words should be the orange colour. Simon next gave us examples of the colours in reverse, and after a few tweaks about font size and colours, we finalised this as the shows logo:

Final logo 

Once this logo was complete, it was put on the end of the title sequence and trailer, however it didn't look right. We realised it was the blob around the words - it looked slightly cartoon-like. I asked Simon to remove the blob and we'd have a look at it like that:

This was a lot better and we were very happy with this as we were able to incorporate the original logo into the final one, with the same font and we were able to have the orange colour we liked. Having just the logo with no background as the main logo means we can add a light background if we want one, e.g. if the logo on the plasma on set doesn't look right with a white background, we can always add an off-white background over the whole screen.

Captions (lower thirds):

The lower thirds keep our orange tone throughout the VTs and the whole show so the style flows well. We have a double name caption for Alfie and Adeline because it's too much to bring up two names as they say them quite fast, to combat this Simon made the one lower third to say both their names. Everyone else has a lower third to themselves.

I am very happy with these lower thirds as they keep the orange tone, and they look professional. They did originally move out from the side of the screen, however, the graphics computer is very slow and the movement of the lower third wasn't smooth and therefore didn't look professional - we agreed to keep the lower thirds static and Alex would mix them in on the mixing desk instead. This made the captions look quite simple but they looked better than the rough movements. 

Stings:



This sting is for the Fashion Fail segment, all our stings follow the same structure and I am happy with them. Originally we liked the idea of the words 'flashing' in time with the music but Simon said he tried this and it was too difficult so we stuck with the words appearing up and back down again. I think this is a good substitute and think the font and colour of the stings flow with the tone and style of the show well. 

Promo
The promo team have been working on the trailer, title sequence, poster and the website.

Trailer:



This is the final trailer. I was told the plans for the trailer and was happy with what they organised - I really liked the idea of it, where they steal Adeline's outfit for the show. The trailer is entertaining and should interest people to want to watch the show.

Feedback from the rough cut mainly consisted of colour correcting, once this was done the video was ready to be put out to the public.


Title sequence: 



I really like the title sequence, I love the idea, the music and the way the presenters act throughout the video. Again, I was told the plans for the title sequence earlier in the pre-production stage and I liked the idea. I love how in the trailer we see Adeline's outfit being stolen and then in the title sequence we see them steal Alfie's outfit, and then the next we see them is on the set in both outfits. I think it fits well with the tone and style of the show and I am very happy with it. I also love the end shot where they walk through the studio and are opening the doors to be on set. Initial feedback mainly consisted of cutting the shots a bit quicker, especially as it cuts to the lift to keep the action and humour. Once they took on board this feedback the title sequence was perfect.


The final poster:

Poster for Steal the Style

The first poster promo sent over wasn't far off the final one. It had a placeholder logo, so we sent over the final one to be placed on the poster. They originally placed it in a slanted position, however, I thought it looked out of place, so I fed this back to them and they straightened it. 

I was very happy with the poster. I like the colour and style of it and all the information thats on it - the date, time, location etc. Once the logo was finalised, I let promo know and they added it to the top of the poster. I love the way the photo on the poster has been shot, the dark background really highlights the presenters and keeps the focus on them, it really shows their clothes well, e.g. with Adeline's top, the flowers really stand out on the clothing which is important for a fashion show. 

Gavin came up with the idea of getting the poster printed professionally and getting all of us to sign it as a gift to each presenter to say thank you for their work for the show, and Katie and I will give them to Adeline and Alfie at the end of the show - I really like this idea and I'm very happy to participate. I feel honoured to be able to give them the present at the end of the show. If I feel confident enough at the end of the show, I'll thank everyone who helped make the show, and I will thank all the contributors for coming on the show.


Website:
Katie P was in charge of the website, this should include what Steal the Style is about, selling tickets and promoting our fashion trends which will be included on the show. The final website showcases these all very well and I am very happy with it.

Katie P showed us the website with a pink banner at the top, the pink clashed slightly with the orange logo and it made the website look very feminine. So together we went through a few colours before finding the red which suited the show and logo better. The colour scheme is more suited for both men and women now, and I am very happy with the website for our show.

The website includes information on our segments, such as the dad trainers and fashion fails segments. This is good advertising for the show, so people at home can see what sort of things Steal the Style talk about and hopefully if they're interested they can go to the Tickets page and order a ticket.

The website also has a Gallery page where it showcases our fashion trends, again these are good advertising for the fashion trends we will be talking about to hopefully get people interested in the show.


Social Media
Facebook:

The Facebook is everything we wanted it to be, it showcases the show well and features our opening titles so hopefully people visiting the page will become interested in the show from the video.

Instagram:

The Instagram page shows the type of fashion we are promoting on the show, and the social media operator posted very often for the public to see. The also built up the show a few days before to get the public excited.

Twitter:

The Twitter, similarly to the Facebook page, showcases the show well. With the aim of getting people interesting in watching it, the social media operator uploaded the trailer and kept updating the public about the show.


Overall, I am very happy with all the promo work, they're all better than what I could have done on my own, I'm really happy with the work produced for the show.

One thing that I had to make sure was correct was that they kept the logo the same throughout the promo and social media work to advertise the tone of our show. I also love the background in the social media pages with the white brick wall as this is similar to what we pitched to the set design, which again allows the style of the show to be consistent throughout every aspect of the build up to it. 

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Development & Finalising the VTs

Teaser:
After rehearsing and being over on time for all three rehearsals, Katie and I decided to cut the teaser in half. This saves time and usually shows don't preview all the segments in a show at one time. We decided to keep Styles of the Season and Old to new in the teaser and briefly mention the mystery guest. We also changed the 'Still to Come', 'Styles of the Seaon', 'Old to New' and 'Mystery Guest' font to Avenir Next - the same font as the logo and lower thirds to keep the style throughout all VT's. I liaised with Drey (editor of the teaser) and Simon (graphics) for this and they were happy to make the change.

Final teaser:

The teaser flowed with the tone of our show with the orange background and I think it successfully teases important parts of the show. 


VT 1 feedback & development:
Presenter Challenge

Rough cut:

This rough cut consist on only the first half.



- I liked the sting place holders, however, these didn't fit with our colour theme and as Simon was making them, he should continue and make the stings so they flow with the other work he has produced. Therefore, we took this sting out and Simon created a new one.

- Helen fed back that some shots should be re-shot. Katie and I agreed with this, as it's a challenge and it doesn't really feel like one. We needed more shots of Alfie going in and out of shops, this can also build pressure to find an outfit.

- This first VT seemed quite slow, Katie and I fed back that maybe the shots could be cut quicker and bits could be sped up more - keeping the VT interesting.

Final cut:



- After the re-shoot the footage looks a lot better. I like how they have sped up the parts with Alfie walking to make them quicker and more interesting than just watching him walk away.

- The extra shots of Alfie walking in and out of shops and searching around the shops has successfully added more pressure to the challenge, and it's more interesting overall. 

- The VT was slightly shorter than 2 minutes meaning we had a few more seconds for studio time.


VT 2 feedback & development:
Fashion Fails

Rough cut:



- After watching all VT's at the same volume level I realised the voice over in the Fashion Fails VT was very quiet, I told the editor of the VT, Aimee, about the problem and she fixed it straight away.

- Del said that there should be no 'cut to blacks' during or at the end of the VTs. 

- Colour correction still to be completed. 


Final cut:



- We have decided to keep each lower third featured in each VT's static to match the lower third in the studio. Unfortunately, we cannot have them animated because the graphics machine is too slow, and the animation just judders across the screen, therefore, the graphics actually look more professional as stills. 

- The final Fashion Fails VT was cut better and flowed well between the two contributors. I like how they got a professional involved to give his thoughts as it's his specialism. It's also beneficial for the audience if they ever find themselves with the same problem.

- The volume level of the initial voice over is a lot better and matches the rest of the VT.

- They cut out the cut to black which helps the end of the VT flow into the studio well.

- In a previous meeting (see Progress Meeting post), the VT team were also going to include a '5 ways to prevent this happening to you' section. They didn't do this in the end, but I don't think it needed it, the VT is fine as it is and we would have to cut a lot of information if we wanted to add in an additional section in the 2 minutes. 

- All the information said is appropriate and fits with our questions, and the VT fits with the Fashion Fails segment.


VT 3 feedback & development:
Old to New

Rough cut:



- During the last VT screening with Helen, she recommended Alex H changing the fonts in the Old to New VT as they didn't show off the idea of different eras well. He changed these and they look a lot better and suit the aim of the video more.

- The price and shop labels still need to be included.

- The transitions from era to era need to be more prominent so it's clear to see what era we're in.


Final cut:




Feedback:
- The new fonts look really good and suit the tone of the VT about the different eras.

- The editing is really good on this VT, especially towards the end - the flashing of the shots really suit the particular eras, and flash in time with the music.

- I like how this VT is very different to the others, gives the show a bit of a break from a lot of fashion information.



VT 4 feedback & development:
DIY

Rough cut:

 


- Alex H edited the DIY video, he showed us developments as he went. I asked if he could include more of the actual making of the top rather than watching her talk as the point of the VT is Bonnie showing us how to make a top. Alex made the changes and it looks a lot better. With this information, I was able to make the studio interview and questions related more towards her business and online Vs high street (as well as talking about her clothes). 


- On the final VT's Alex H came up with a good point - as the vision mixer he needs a few seconds at the end of the video to be able to mix into the studio. If the time isn't long enough the VT may cut to black before he has mixed on the vision desk and this will look very scruffy. All the VT's now have a few extra seconds for mixing time.

- We suggested adding a voice over to guide the audience within the story.

- There were no lower thirds during this VT, we will be having Bonnie in the studio and she'll have a lower third on the screen, but to stay consistent throughout all VTs, we suggested they add in a lower third and well add another during the studio interview.  


Final cut:

 


- My initial idea of this VT was that we were going to have a quick step-by-step guide in how to make a vest top. This VT doesn't show an actual guide on how to make the top but I like how much we can see of her making the top compared with her taking about her story.


General notes on VT's:
- During the last rehearsal day, Del said to me that the VT's and teaser shouldn't fade to black, I fed this back to the editors and they added the few extra seconds of the last shot instead so Alex's had time to hold the shot and mix on the vision desk, without it going to black.

- Jemma asked if the VT's could end on a multiple of 5 to make their counts easier, to do this the VT editors had to cut or extend their videos to make them end on a multiple of 5, to do this in the Styles of the Season VT (presenter challenge) we cut out a line at the end where Alfie mentions Adeline again, as we already know who he is buying the clothes for.

- I made sure that all the logos matched at the end of the trailer and the title sequence, I also made sure the set design team had the final logo as it's going on the side of the set - this makes sure the style and tone are consistent throughout the show.


Two days before the TX day, I looked through all four VT's and the teaser to check they had everything they needed. As producer, even though I am not making the VTs and teaser myself, I am responsible for everyone and what is said on the films. If they say something offensive or swear - I am responsible. This is why I made time to watch the VT's and green light them before they went onto the system in the gallery ready for the show. 

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Updates & Drag Act Change

Updates

As we are approaching the third rehearsal we have a few updates on the programme:

- We now have two male models for Styles of the Season. This means we now have all four models we need, and we have two younger and two older, which was what we wanted from the start. This means the model casting was a success and we didn't have to change any requirements. 

- The DIY VT has been filmed with Bonnie, which looks really good. I watched the rough cut and suggested they add in more shots of Bonnie actually making the vest top as we are seeing a lot of her as she is talking, when we could be hearing her while watching her make the top. All the questions asked in the VT were all correct and allow us to follow on stage with more questions. We have agreed to keep the VT for the more creative side, where we watch her make the vest top and she can talk about how the business came about etc, then we'll have the studio interview to talk to her about the idea of online business becoming more popular than high street stores. 

- We wanted someone called Susan for the audience participation segment as she had a really good photo of her and her husband in matching bright blue and pink outfits - however, she is unable to make it to the show so we have Alex's sister involved now, Nikki. She is very happy to talk to us as she is always ordering clothes online and regularly receives the wrong item. This story will link the VT very well as online fails is what the VT is about. 


Drag Act

Unfortunately our current drag act became unavailable for the transmission date. After a week of Victoria, Jemma, Gavin, Laura and myself messaging and phoning cabarets and clubs, Laura found someone committed to us for our drag act - Conor Mckie aka Sapphire Stone

Sapphire Stone

- 19 years old

- Likes fashion from different eras
- Drag for 3-4 years, performing for 4-5 months

Gavin skyped Conor and I took notes on the chat:
- Watched RuPaul for years and took inspiration from that
- Wanted to be able to operate fashion, hair, makeup etc
- Likes different eras and the different styles - mixes fashion from different eras - might have a 20's outfit but 60's hairstyle
- He dances and lip-syncs to songs, stunts etc 
- Doesn't like to sing because he has a low voice and it would be odd to have a deep voice accompanying a female body
- Will do his own hair and makeup on the day
- Conor is available for the rehearsal on the 10th and the TX day, which we were all very happy with
- Has asked for us to introduce him as his stage name - Sapphire Stone

Conor looks really good and we are delighted to have him on board. He doesn't make a lot of his own clothes but he likes fashion from different eras, sometimes he'll have a 1920's outfit on with a 1960's hair style. He will link well with Old to New, but annoying we finish with DIY and then it's the drag segment, so I may not be able to link him well in the dialogue but he will talk about his style and he will say he likes fashion from different eras. 

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Script Meeting & Research

Script meeting with Helen, Katie & Gavin

Helen's feedback of the script:
- First half is boring
- Second half is better
- Discussing Etsy clothes in studio is a bit flat
- Making the clothes - presenters become us - they are the link between the audience and the guest
- Lost the fun - how its written and delivered brings the energy
- Teddy comes from the old edwardian style
- 'Steals' means a bargin - segment title will be changed to 'Styles of the Season' as the trends we've picked aren't bargins and 'Steals' would be misleading

Helen said we need to define our mission statement and then the dialogue for the script will come naturally.

Mission statement: The show that helps you take current fashion trends and style them in ways to help you stand out from the crowd.

Katie and I believe that this is the mission statement we set out at the beginning of the project, we will add it to the beginning of the script as the presenters walk out so the audience know what our aim in from the first few lines.

One of the main things Helen said was that Styles of the Season is a bit boring and like a list. Which is right - Katie and I were struggling to make it sound interesting because we were bored of it ourselves. Our main task was to try and make Styles of the Seasons more upbeat and fun - there needs to be more 'banter' between the presenters and it needed to be more of a conversation than a list. To do this I did some research on the fashion segments on This Morning:

I watched an episode of This Morning on the 27th March, they had fashion expert, Lisa Snowdon, in to talk about floral patterns ready for spring.

Floral fashion on This Morning

Reflection: 
Lisa, Phillip and Holly had conversations about the fashion while it was on the models.

Lisa had a few 'play on words' which made the dialogue flow better, e.g. "deal of the day", "bold and bright",  "flower power", "best buy of the week", "floral on floral", "best of the bunch"

Phillip and Holly reactions such as "love it", "and "does that come with the bag?", "gorgeous, beautiful", "a bodysuit makes life so much easier" - they put their own experiences / opinions on the outfits 

Phillip and Holly may be confirming things the audience might be thinking e.g. "it's like having a nude heel" 

Maybe we could mention that the clothing website has a deal on at the moment - Lisa explains that Accessorise have a spend £25 get £5 off deal at the moment - "spring bling"

"Think of summer holiday - only have to wear sandals with it" - linking it in with upcoming weather / activity

"They come in black as well"

"Floral and denim are a match made in heaven"

"Flares are everywhere - making a real revival"

"Gentle way to do floral" if people don't want to wear bright bold flowers - soft muted, pinks and beiges 

Bargain jeans - spend a bit more on... but save on the jeans

Floral flock - the colour "feels more spring than high summer" - could talk more about colours and why these colours are chosen

Upbeat music helps fun, upbeat conversation

Floral background to link in with fashion - we will be having a flower wall featured in the set which will link to the Spring / Summer fashion

Lisa would add bits of advice e.g. you can pop this dress in the suitcase - it doesn't crinkle or wrinkle, wear with sandals for holiday, or a heel for a summer party, wedding etc

This was only a small segment at 6 minutes but they fitted in 5 models in this short space of time. They were rushing and Philip said things like "oh quickly now" so we could see they were rushing slightly. We will have a little bit extra on this segment (currently at 7 minutes) so we should easily be able to fit in good conversation like this.

Now I have heard different ways of making conversation and a few 'play on words', I will help Katie to try and incorporate some of these into her half of the script, specifically in the Styles of the Season segment to make it more interesting and fun for the audience. 

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Final Set Design

Alex and Shanice from the set design team at Rochester came to the studios to listen to our production meeting, we also had a meeting with them after about the final set design changes.

Notes:

- Size of set - 8x4 foot per flat, 10.5 flats

- 3.5 metre catwalk

- Catwalk will be one step high, so no need for an additional step

- Floor is 11 metres long at widest part (the front of the set)

- We will be keeping the green and red sofas - we want two of the same coloured sofa

- Set design have a floor, and it's available to use if it fits the set

- 'Steal the Style' logo - 16 by 9

- To avoid the camera shooting off the top of the set, we've decided to have a - half foot of grey at the top of set - gradual into the black curtain around the studios

- Neutral colour for curtain

- Curtain maybe being reversible - plain and then glitter for Oliver

Below is the model set they brought in to show us. The colours and similar to what we want, with the pale neutral background and brick wall. We also have the feature wall back and will have plants growing up this. This will work well with our Spring / Summer fashion for the show. 

We agreed the catwalk to be 3.5 metres long, which we thought was proportional to the rest of the set and the sofas, looking at the model. 

There is a curtain at the back of the catwalk to disguise the back of the studio. We agreed that this can be reversible because we want a glitzy / shimmery backdrop for when we see Oliver step onto the catwalk for the first time - being his big entrance, we should do something with the background. Whereas, with the models we wanted a plain background as we won't even see the models until their half way up the catwalk on the screen. This is where a reversible curtain would work well. Alex and Shanice are going to work on a curtain stand on wheels which we can turn around when needed - with a plain light colour (possibly white) on one side and a glitter / shimmery on the other.

I like the idea of having the logo for 'Steal the Style' on the side wall - this is being kept and we are sending over the final logo for them to start putting into the set. 

Alex and Shanice also brought in some mood boards they made with our ideas for the set in mind. They researched into these styles before they made the model so they had a good idea on what style we wanted. 

The flower wall & general look

The flower wall came up in the discussion and we agreed this was a definite. They went for the industrial / rustic / studio look for the general style - with the metal poles and brick walls. We liked this as we pitched the rustic / brick style from the start. They are also able to create a real looking brick wall instead of painting one on to make it look more realistic.

We will be having metal struts down the walls to hide the lines in the joins of the flats, this will add to the industrial look. 

Sofas 

We were initially unsure about the sofas because they were quite bright and our colour scheme is more pale / pastel / dull colours. However, as the show has developed our titles have changed and are a slightly brighter colour, so the sofas shouldn't stand out too much from the colour scheme. Alex and Shanice also did some research into chat show sets and the sofas are all quite bright and bold, and as we don't really want to go down the route of buying new ones we have agreed to keep them.

I am looking forward to seeing the set up and running. We will be able to see the show come together when were rehearsing with the set. 

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Production Meeting 5 & Graphics Changes

Production Meeting 4
Check script with Helen

VT 1 & 2
- Been filmed - both VT’s ready for the 10th

VT 3 & 4
- 3 at fine cut stage
- 4 getting filmed on Tuesday

Music
- Rough versions of stings and music bed
- Oliver’s performance music is being made
- Oliver coming in on the 10th

- Get stand in’s for models who cannot come in

Promos
- Trailer and opening title sequence

Everything thats meant to be in the show done by the 10th - VT’s, promos etc


Graphics changes
Katie, Simon and I had a meeting with Helen about the graphics for the show. The main conversation was about the logo:

Current logo

Helen was shocked that we had changed it so much I thought it had to be changed otherwise Simon wouldn't have anything to work on. Helen explained that it has to develop not change completely. I liked this logo above but it was very different to the original and if there was no problem with it then why don't we keep it. I found this logo a bit magazine-like and maybe not for the television, even though I really liked it.

Katie and I were very happy to go back with the original logo with a few tweaks. We have started working with Simon for the final logo, but not forgetting to incorporate features from the original logo. We both like the idea of keeping the original font - Avenir Next, but we do like the layout of the logo above so we may keep that.

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Rehearsal Day 2 & Lighting Visit

Rehearsal 2
Today was the second rehearsal with Del. We started the day by setting up. As producer, I mainly need to concentrate on dialogue and timings on the day of the live show therefore, I helped set up by taping the set down and getting a big enough gap between the set, cameras and audience. This will help when Laura has to practice turning round and going handheld in the audience participant segment (fashion fails). We agreed last week that we would change the set position to be on the smaller wall of the studio just in front of the gallery, I made sure to set up against this side of the studio and not where we had it last week. 

We had the real presenters in today, Adeline and Alfie, this was the second time I have seen them after the auditions so I made sure to introduce myself again and started to build a rapport with them. I asked them if they had any initial thoughts on the script, and then, I made sure to check up on them during each break between rehearsals throughout the day. The producer of a show communicates directly with the guests and talent a lot, because of this, I made sure to keep in contact with them and I spent a lot of time on the studio floor as well as seeing what it looks like from the gallery.

There was a bit of confusion about the script last week in rehearsal day 1. Katie and I had checked the PA and directors were finished on the script so we could announce the finished version 2 script to the rest of the production team, we did this the night before, but then one of the directors updated his section on the morning of the rehearsal so not everyone had the exact same script. This didn't happen this week, I made sure everyone was finished with their part of the script the night before and made sure there would be no more changes until the next version - this meant that everyone had the same script this week. 

While I kept checking on the presenters throughout each rehearsal, I kept asking if they had anymore updates for the script, as I want them to feel as comfortable as possible when they're reading it. A lot of the feedback was mainly that it feels quite scripted when they read directly from it, I assured them that they could ad-lib as much as they wanted as long as it stayed around the same topic - it's their show at the end of the day on camera, so the more comfortable with what they're saying, the better for the show and audience.

Reflection on rehearsal day 2:
- This rehearsal day was very useful for everyone, it was very helpful to have the presenters in because everyone was able to meet them and they could start to feel comfortable in the studios.

- Today was very beneficial for the script, as I was able to hear it from the people who will be saying it on the live show. I was able to communicate with the presenters well and iron out any initial problems with the script. Tiny tweaks with the dialogue I was able to run out of the gallery and quickly mention it to the presenters and we would all write it on the script, ready to be changed for the next version. 

- This was also beneficial for the timings as we were able to see what part of the script was too long or short. In one of the first rehearsals, we saw that the last two segments, DIY and the drag act, were very rushed because we had got through a lot of information in the first half. This has proved that if we get any extra time, DIY and drag should be where it will go first.

- I was able to build a friendship with Adeline and Alfie, and next week should be a lot easier to get straight into rehearsals.

- Everything ran a lot smoother than the first rehearsal - this meant we were going in the correct way. Our next task is to get through a whole 30 minute rehearsal with no stopping, this should be the aim of next weeks rehearsal. 



Lighting visit
We had John in from the lighting team who will be setting up and working the lights for our show. The directors walked him through the layout of the set and our initial thoughts about lighting. 

Sofa area
- We initially agreed to have the sofa area flood lit so everything has the same amount of light over it. This will work well because we want it to seem homely so having the same amount of light over the whole area will suit this. 

Hard area
- We started thinking about having a spotlight on the mannequin in the hard area but soon realised that the presenters are walking back and fourth from the sofa area and catwalk so thought it would be best to flood light this area also - to keep it simple we will have both areas completely lit. John informed us that a spotlight is usually used for dramatic lighting, which isn't the look we wanted for the hard area, this was another reason why the flood lights will work better here.

Catwalk
- The catwalk is slightly different as we want the lights to be aimed at the middle of the catwalk, but we want the light to be attractive on the models, e.g. we don't want the light coming straight down on top of the models because there will be shadows on the models faces. To prevent this, John came up with cross lighting the catwalk, this is where we will have four lights in a square above the catwalk and they will cross each other - this will give a more attractive light, and it will light the length of the catwalk without the risk of the models walking backwards and forwards and in and out of the spotlights. 

Example of cross lighting for catwalk

We also had the idea to have par can lights to go up the side of the catwalk. This will give a professional look to the catwalk and will hopefully look good with the models walking up and down with the lights below them. 

Example of par cans for catwalk

Audience
- As we are going into the audience for the Fashion Fails we needed to light the audience members who we are talking to. As one of the cameras will be turning round and facing the audience we need to light it well - this gave us the idea to flood light the audience as well. This will work well with our show because it's not a tense game show and therefore doesn't need dark lighting around the set, having the audience lit also might allow them to feel more involved with the show / set if they're lit the same.

Drag act
- The directors had the idea of putting coloured lights up for the drag act, so as he walks down the catwalk there will be coloured lights shining down, ideally giving a party vibe / atmosphere, along with the music and performance. John said that this was very possible, and he would try it for us. 

Reflection on lighting visit:
- It was very helpful to stand in and listen to what was being said between John, from the lighting team, and the directors. I was also able to put across my ideas / opinions.

- Having to liaise with a professional lighting man was very helpful, in terms of the future, apart from finding professional actors online, we have only really liaised with the tutors and other students, so to have someone from a professional lighting team who have lit a number of big-budget shows come in and talk to us about how we want our show to be lit was very exciting.

- I've learnt a lot about lighting which I didn't know before, I didn't know cross-lighting existed and the reasons why we would use it, e.g. when John explained that the cross-lighting will give a softer feel, which fits more with the tone of our show, than one or two dramatic spot lights. 

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Script Draft 3

Version 3 of the script was completed by Katie, Jemma, Victoria and myself. Katie and I made changes to the dialogue, while Jemma and Victoria put in the duration times from the running order.

Version 3 of script:



Changes include:
- The durations are more up-to-date after script changes and match the current running order (running order 3).

- The introduction to the drag act is longer and more interesting - I will talk to Adeline and Alfie and ask them to put more emphasis on it to make a bigger and bolder introduction.

- Little tweaks made, such as clothing that was brought on the presenter challenge (Steals of the Season VT1) and the prices from the charity shops.

- We do not have a proper job role for Helen yet so as a place holder I said that she works for Tesco for timing purposes.

- We also don't have our male models yet, but once we do Katie can place their names and jobs in her half of the script. However, we do have one Fashion Fails participant willing to talk to us about an old outfit - Dave Joslin. 

- Katie helped me finalise the DIY and drag questions as I needed someone else's opinion to see if they were the right questions to ask and if they related to the show well. 

'AS LIVE' PRODUCTION: Running Order Draft 3

Jemma and Victoria created running order 3, taking in consideration the changes from running order 2. 

Current running order:

Changes include:
- Shot number column
- More spaced out within boxes, easier to read
- Updated timings to match updated script
- This running order includes a lot more information about each part of each segment
- This was the running order we used in our second rehearsal (blog post Rehearsal day 2 & Lighting Visit)