STUDIO PRODUCTION: STUDIO DIRECTOR RESEARCH

As well as the previous research I did in preparation for the interview for Studio Director. I wanted to learn more into the role I was taking on. More on the paperwork side at first as I was unsure where myself and George stood in regards to research, preparation and VT production.

Studio Director
Looking online, I found a video by BAFTA which was an interview about Multi-camera Directing by BAFTA Award winning Director Hamish Hamilton. Hamish has been known for Directing huge Multi-camera shows and events such as Music Awards, The Academy Awards and also the London 2012 London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. Below is the Mini masterclass:

Although the video doesn't show me any of him Directing the different cameras or working within a Studio Environment, it has already got me thinking on aspects I didn't think of which fall under this role. He talks about when he was Directing a show and Robbie Williams was the main performer. He explained that they had chosen to have Robbie performing at Wembley Arena but he couldn't see it working, so he went forward and changed it and got the Royal Albert Hall, a music theatre which instantly brought the performance up. He also had a say in how the set looked as he wanted it to feel like Las Vegas so he also added in LED strips on the stage and had a big RW added which when Robbie came out it would be a HUGE kick to the show and it would get the audience really up and going as well as selling Robbie for the lively performer he is. 

With the final section of the video, this really made me think of how you can work and block as a Multi-camera Director. Hamish talks about when he was Directing the Half Time Super-bowl and it was with a performance with Madonna, he had everyone coming to him with ideas, Madonna, Lighting, dancers, etc and he explains that with all that, it's really easy to have all that fall apart and the show not come together. During a performance practice or a run through of what would happen, He went around with a Canon 5D and a stabiliser and filmed the rehearsal from every possible angle he could think of and worked through every position, on stage, off stage, above and below and then went to a studio and had it edited together so that they had a mock up of what the show COULD look like. He explains that this wasn't anywhere near perfect but it allowed them to look and see what they needed to fix. 

Our tutor Helen has already talked to us about Mock ups and that we will be putting some together as practice. 

Hamish also talks about the importance of staying calm. I read this also in the Creative Skillset section for Studio Director. Del, Jordan and Becca also told me that you need to remain calm with this role and from what I've read this does sound like a stressful role. A Studio Director has to Direct all cameras, the vision mixer, Sound and Lighting department and communicate with the floor manager and talent and work through the entire show. Creative Skillset states one of the main skills for a Studio Director is "have a methodical approach to work, along with a high stress tolerance and stamina" (https://goo.gl/SiD1bS) so I looked into ways I could stay calm in stressful situations. Finding a website called WikiHow with an article on there for ways to remain calm when dealing with high levels of stress. Most of them involved breathing exercises or tackling the stress at the source. The document below is what I found with simple ways to stay calm:

My reasons for looking into this, is simply because I can already assume I will get stressed and overwhelmed with the role at first so I'd like to have a few ways to stay calm and work through it as this is what would be expected from an industry professional. 

Directing 5 cameras

Hamish has directed over 20 cameras with his shows. However, our Studio Production will only have 5 cameras (estimate!), so I looked into a Director who does Direct a 5 camera Studio Production and found a Masterclass on BBC Academy.

John Smith - Weakest Link Masterclass

The Weakest Link stopped airing back in 2010. However, as an example of Studio Productions it's a good one as it's filmed with 5 cameras, involves cueing the presenter, cueing in graphics and sound effects and of course choosing the shots and communicating with the camera department when shots need to be changed or adjusted. He explains that with Multi camera Directing, patience is key, this will be all the way through the entire production. He also says that 75% of the work is done before sitting in front of the Monitors. With this, I know I'll have to do a lot of planning and working with George Lock during the Pre-Production stage.

John also explains that also you have framed up the cameras, you need to be aware of where your cameras are in the studio so that you are aware how much room you have if the cameras need to move and also with the way they will shoot, for example, with our studio Production we want 2 presenters which means we will need to cross shoot for the single shots of each presenter.

I also know that myself and George will have to block the rehearsals, help with casting, lighting, sounds and music through this show as well as help give feedback on the script and content once it has all been chosen.