After Effects Workshop

Today we had a workshop at the campus on how to use the softwear After Effects. This was the first of 5 workshops on this. I found it very interesting learning about After Effects as I have not previously used this programme before. 

Here's the short clip I made! 

Final Major Project- More research

Today I was flicking through the channels on the t.v and came across a new show that chef and television presenter Jamie Oliver has started. 

It is called Jamie's 15 Minute Meals. It is a follow on show from his recent 30 Minute Meals television series. Watching this programme has settled some of my worries for my own mini series.

One of the main problems I felt that I had, was fitting everything in to my short 5 minute time frame. I felt like it was a lot to do! 

Seeing Jamie's 15 Minute Meals, made me realise that maybe it was an impossible task as I first thought. This programme is set out over a 30 minute time span with a break in the middle. It consists of Jamie cooking 2 meals that take less then 15 minutes each to cook. After watching a few of these programmes, I realised that he had quite complicated recipes. This made me see that the recipes that i have chosen for my own programme are much simpler and so can fit into the 5 minute time frame that I have. 

Watching Jamie's 15 Minute Meals also made me see a new way of filming a cooking programme. The way in which 15 Minute Meals is shot is in a way which really concentrates on the food and what it looks like/hows its being cooked/ what the finished product if/ what to use rather then on the presenter or such like. This shows that the audience are going to be more intent on seeing the whole process of the cooking and so more shots such as close ups of the food when it is being cooked/ put on the plate is more important then anything else. 

Final Major Project- Recce

So today I went and did a recce of the location I would like to use to film my final major project. The location is a kitchen of my friend who has agreed to let me use it for a day of filming. 

i have taken pictures which are below and added notes on my thoughts about it. 

This is the main part of the kitchen. As you can see it is a very large and spacious location and has great lighting. 

The possible problem I could have with this location is that there is a lot more natural light come from the left hand side- which means it is a lot brighter and makes the right side seem a lot more shadowy and dark. Depending on what the lighting from outside is like on the day i may need to use stage lighting to even out the general tone of lighting on set. 

This is the main window of the kitchen that brings in all the natural light from outside. 

The kitchen has plenty of space to film and for equipment, cast and crew.


When I went and did the recce of this location I also took into consideration important things such as sound issues and health and safety.
Due to the house which which the kitchen is in, being in a very rural location, sound should not be a problem at all. As far as health and safety goes, I could not see any immediate dangers, but of course I will be completing health and safety forms ahead of the filming day.


When speaking to Helen at the beginning of this week I expressed concerns about the possibility of this kitchen being a bit too clean, well kept and 'fancy' for the kind of programme I am going for and audience I am trying to attract. But Helen assured me that i could dress the set up with props to tone the kitchen down and give it more of that 'studenty' feel. 

Work Based Learning- Robbie Williams Shoot

The W Hotel

Another shoot that I did whilst working for Dreamtek was a shoot with Robbie Williams. The location for this shoot was at the W Hotel in London Oxford Circus.
This shoot was a bit different for me compared to the shoot I did with The Killers. This was because I was involved with more of a runners role during the production process, rather then with set building and sound work.
My duties included:

• Tea and coffee runs for the cast and crew
• Cleaning down the set in preparation for the shoot and after the shoot
• Keeping documents for the production day such as schedules and scrips organised and safe and making sure that all cast and crew who needed them had them
• Taking equipment down at the end of shoot
• Doing the lunch run
• Helping with lighting 
• Going and finding props if needed

This shoot was much less complicated then The Killers shoot and more straight forward and i really enjoyed the busy day! 

Work Based Learning- The Killers shoot

Whilst working for Dreamtek I joined them on a shoot which was for Shortlist Magazine. This was an interview of the band The Killers. It was based at the London Holborn Studios. During the production day i helped out on many things including the following:

Setting up studio- this was the part of the day which took the longest- around 2-3 hours. It included duties such as: 

• Setting up the studio for the recording
• Setting up all the recording equipment 
• Helping to find the best places to put the cameras and lighting

Sound- This meant that I was in charge of the boom pole during the actual recording time and listening to the sound making sure that it was clear with no interuptions through out. Also making sure that I was getting clear feedback from each band member when they were talking by holding the boom pole in the appropriate position. 

Taking set and equipment down- this was general at the end of the day duties including putting all props back in the original positions they were found in, taking down all equipment including lighting and cameras and cleaning down things that needed to be. 

I found this experience really fun and learnt a lot about the organisation of a interview production process. There were parts of the day that made it more difficult and less smooth running, such as the band turning up quite late for the shoot, which meant we had a much shorter amount of time to do our shoot then we had anticipated. Also problems with some of the bad members not participating in the interview as much as we would have liked caused problems with filming and the general feel of the interview. But seeing how the crew from Dreamtek dealt with these issues let me learn a lot. 

Work Based Learning- More of my duties

Here is some more of the duties I did for my Work Based Learning unit-

Kit packer- this duty included being given a list of equipment that would be needed on a specific shoot and sorting it all out and putting it all together ready to be sent to the location. I would then get it checked by a producer or camera operator, tag it all with the Dreamtek labels, address it to the location and arrange for it to be collected by a courier.

Runner- this was what I was for most of the shoots that I joined the Dreamtek crew on. This included many duties including, tea and coffee runs, putting together equipment, cleaning sets, keeping documents such as scripts and schedules organised, together and making sure everyone who needs them has them. 

Final Major Project- Meal Ideas

I have been doing some research into exactly what meals I should be cooking on my show that will not only fit the short time frame and also a student friendly budget but also taste, look and are nutritious too.
I have done some research into certain foods and their prices also... looking at what kind of meats are cheaper, which shops to buy from and if it is cheaper to buy some foods in bulk such as vegetables.

I have found out some very useful things from my research including the following:

It is cheaper to buy turkey and pork instead of chicken and beef.

Its is cheaper to buy things such as onions, potatoes and other vegetables in bulk bags or in a selection pack that some supermarkets sell now. 

Certain supermarkets have 'price wars' or 'lowest price guaranteed' promotions, which means places such as ASDA will guarantee your food bill to be cheaper then anywhere else, and if its not you get money back on your next bill. 

Buying larger bags of foods which keep for a long time, such as pasta and rice is much cheaper then buying ready made packs and much healthier too.

Buying spices and things alike is a much better way to save money and keep healthier, rather then going to the ready meal section! 

Final Major Project- Structure of shows

So my show will have a basic structure of 3, 5 minute episodes. In each of these episodes the audience will be shown how to make a quick, simple, cheap, nutritious, easy and filling meal. I am aiming to cook these meals on a budget, of which I need to do some research on. Because these programmes will be on such a tight time frame, I will have the prep for the meal done before filming starts and then take the audience through this and show them what i have done at the beginning of the show. Before going onto cooking the main meals.
The basic idea will be to get all ingredients that are a staple in everyones kitchen cupboards or fridge. Giving Students tips on where to buy food along the way.

Final Major Project- shots

I have been thinking about ways in which I would like to shoot my cookery show. I have been watching many cookery shows including ones broadcast on TV and on YouTube also. I have come to the decision that many cookery shows have basic shots which they use including the following:

Up close shots of food.

This shot is a basic shot to show the audience either how something should be done or how something should look. It is very useful to give detail to the audience and help them in making a meal or a particular part of a dish. Also when food is being cooked, the camera is often positioned close up to give a nice shot of this.

This shot is used to show the audience what the finished dish should look like, with all the finishing touches. 

Medium shot of chef/presenter and kitchen.

This shot is used the most in cookery shows. It gives the audience a sense of the surroundings and also a view from further back of what is happening in the kitchen. 

Finished dinner shots.

These shots are done to show the audience people enjoying the finished meal. These shots can also be used in the run up to the meal being finished to give the audience more detail into what the food should look like.  These shots can also be used to fill in during the ending titles of a programme.

Work Based Learning- Duties

For my Work Based Learning I have been given many duties to perform including the following:

Keeping track of online media based activities- things including Twitter followers, Facebook 'likes' and the Facebook page, updating YouTube meta data and finding appropriate links for the Dreamtek website.

Being sound assistant for shoots- this was for a shoot Dreamtek were doing for an interview with the band The Killers. During this shoot I helped to sort out the set and cameras, fit lighting together and positioning in the correct places and holding the boom pole and making sure sound was good during the actual recording. I also helped de-rig the equipment at the end of the shoot.

Scouting locations- I have done lots of scouting for locations during my time at Dreamtek. This has involved doing lots of research, keeping in contact with companies about prices and dates and visiting locations to do recce's. 

Researching V/O artists and make- up artists- I have been given the job of finding a selection of make up artists and V/O artists for various shoots Dreamtek are working on. This involves going on to websites such as http://www.meetthejoneses.co.uk/ and http://www.mandy.com/

to find suitable talent in suitable locations who have a good level of experience. 

Final Major Project- Title

Decisions, decisions, decisions! Deciding on a name for my shows has been one of the hardest things for my mind to think about for a long long time!
I need something that will do the following:

• GRAB peoples attention!
• Give them a UNDERSTANDING as to what the programmes will be about
• WANT them to watch it!

Making all these things happen when a person sees a simple, snappy and short title to a programme is extremely hard.

I want something which is quick off the tongue, gets to the point and will make students think they could learn something whilst enjoying themselves.

Some titles I have come up with so far include:

• A Scoop of Student Cooking
• Cooking up a Student Storm
• Student Sizzlers 
• Sizzling up a Storm

I think these titles give a good understanding as too what my programmes will be about, but at the same time I do not want to just appeal to students. I would ideally like people of all ages to watch, but if this cannot be achieved then an age range of around 14- 28 years old. So having the word 'student' in the title could possibly segregate the viewing audience and put people who aren't students off just by seeing the name.

I have also been doing some research into cookery names. You do not get a cookery show (that has been extremely successful) that is anymore then 4 words long. 

                                     For example:

Come Dine With Me

Ready Steady Cook

British Bake Off

River Cottage Bites

MasterChef 

Final Major Project- Setting

So for my Final Major Project I have been looking at a series of locations for my cookery show to be filmed and doing some recce's.
When I was first trying to decide where I wanted to film and what kind of space I wanted to film in I had to take some important things into consideration. Not only did I have to make sure there was basic things on the set such as:

• Good lighting 
• Minimal noise from outside
• Enough space for a crew and cast and possibly a small audience
• A presentable area.

But I also had to look at things such as if the set fits in with the overall look I was going for, for my programme. 

A friend of mine works in a local pub called The Downs. I approached him and asked if it would be possible to do some filming in there after pub hours. But when I went and looked at the kitchen it was very much too professional for the kind of set I am going for. This is because I am aiming my shows at students and people of around this age... It is not likely that these kind of people will have flash, posh kitchens, with multiple ovens, dish washers, grills and things like this. This is why I have made the decision that I am going to film in a home kitchen. 

My aunty has a good sized kitchen with good lighting and a decent amount of room that I know will be able to fit a cast and crew in easily. It is also bright and airy with windows. The noise levels will not be a problem either as it is a detached house and not on a main road. 

I will post pictures of this kitchen ASAP.