Cue sheets and Scripts

The layout to the script is that it should always have audio to the left and video to the right, this is an easy way to lay things out for the director and the crew to see. This is useful as it shows the sound desk what levels need to be changed.



One of the most important things on the script is the VT's. This is very important on the script as it shows the DVD operations when to play each VT. When making the script the director can make notes on it as this will make it easy for everyone to see what is happening.

Floor plan

Directors commands and Jobs

The role of a director for multicam productions includes being responsible for supervising of cameras, lighting, microphones and props.
During filming, the director is in charge of positioning the cameras and calling which shot to film. it is also the director's job to be cool under fire and maintain order among the staff in the control room, on the set, and elsewhere. The director's commands must be artistic, accurate, and calm. There is usually no room for error. While talking to the camera operators the director might ask them to perform either a PED, a crab or tracking.

Crab - to the camera operators and means that he wants them to move either left or right, e.g. crab left (move left)

PED- to the camera and this means that he wants the camera operator to move the shot either up or down e.g. PED UP (move the camera up)

Tracking- to the camera operator and means that he wants them to either move towards the guests/ host or object or move away from them e.g. tracking in (move towards them)

Floor Ready- Asked to FM to confirm that floor is ready for shooting

DVD inserts and Requirements

The DVD is one of the most crucial things which is needed in the show as it contains all VT inserts, stings, opening titles and credits. With the DVD there are certain requirments that are needed:

Make sure that when recording VT inserts or Stings that all of the settings our the same and so the screen aspect ratio is not different on each clip. This is something we failed to do and ended up with different clips of VT in different aspect ratios.

You must have at least 7 seconds inbetween each VT. This is because in these 7 seonds you will need 3 things. The first being 1 second of black so this will not cut straight into the next sequence. The second is that you will need 5 seconds of VT roll, this is the count of what VT this is and what it is, it is also a way of getting to the track quickly. The final thing which is required is a further 1 second of black, this is the more crucial of the 2 blacks as this is where the DVD must be paused at and so the director can shout roll DV and that is when the DVD is played.

Camera angles and shots

Long shot (LS). Shot which shows all or most of a fairly large subject (for example, a person) and usually much of the surroundings.

Extreme Long Shot (ELS) - see establishing shot: In this type of shot the camera is at its furthest distance from the subject, emphasising the background.
Medium Long Shot (MLS): In the case of a standing actor, the lower frame line cuts off his feet and ankles. Some documentaries with social themes favour keeping people in the longer shots, keeping social circumstances rather than the individual as the focus of attention. Establishing shot. Opening shot or sequence, frequently an exterior 'General View' as an
Extreme Long Shot (ELS). Used to set the scene.
Medium shots. Medium Shot or
Mid-Shot (MS). In such a shot the subject or actor and its setting occupy roughly equal areas in the frame. In the case of the standing actor, the lower frame passes through the waist. There is space for hand gestures to be seen.
Medium Close Shot (MCS): The setting can still be seen. The lower frame line passes through the chest of the actor. Medium shots are frequently used for the tight presentation of two actors (the two shot), or with dexterity three (the three shot).
Close-up (CU). A picture which shows a fairly small part of the scene, such as a character's face, in great detail so that it fills the screen. It abstracts the subject from a context. MCU (Medium Close-Up): head and shoulders.
BCU (Big Close-Up): forehead to chin. Close-ups focus attention on a person's feelings or reactions, and are sometimes used in interviews to show people in a state of emotional excitement, grief or joy. In interviews, the use of BCUs may emphasise the interviewee's tension and suggest lying or guilt. BCUs are rarely used for important public figures; MCUs are preferred, the camera providing a sense of distance. Note that in western cultures the space within about 24 inches (60 cm) is generally felt to be private space, and BCUs may be invasive.

Angle of shot. The direction and height from which the camera takes the scene. The convention is that in 'factual' programmes subjects should be shot from eye-level only. In a high angle the camera looks down at a character, making the viewer feel more powerful than him or her, or suggesting an air of detachment. A low angle shot places camera below the character, exaggerating his or her importance. An overhead shot is one made from a position directly above the action.
Viewpoint. The apparent distance and angle from which the camera views and records the subject. Not to be confused with point-of-view shots or subjective camera shots.
Point-of-view shot (POV). A shot made from a camera position close to the line of sight of a performer who is to be watching the action shown in the point-of-view shot.

Two-shot. A shot of two people together.

Wide-angle shot. A shot of a broad field of action taken with a wide-angle lens.

Tilted shot. When the camera is tilted on its axis so that normally vertical lines appear slanted to the left or right, ordinary expectations are frustrated. Such shots are often used in mystery and suspense films to create a sense of unease in the viewer.

Zoom. In zooming in the camera does not move; the lens is focussed down from a long-shot to a close-up whilst the picture is still being shown. The subject is magnified, and attention is concentrated on details previously invisible as the shot tightens (contrast tracking). It may be used to surprise the viewer. Zooming out reveals more of the scene (perhaps where a character is, or to whom he or she is speaking) as the shot widens. Zooming in rapidly brings not only the subject but also the background hurtling towards the viewer, which can be disconcerting. Zooming in and then out creates an ugly 'yo-yo' effect.
Following pan. The camera swivels (in the same base position) to follow a moving subject. A space is left in front of the subject: the pan 'leads' rather than 'trails'. A pan usually begins and ends with a few seconds of still picture to give greater impact. The speed of a pan across a subject creates a particular mood as well as establishing the viewer's relationship with the subject. 'Hosepiping' is continually panning across from one person to another; it looks clumsy.
Surveying pan. The camera slowly searches the scene: may build to a climax or anticlimax.

Tilt. A vertical movement of the camera - up or down- while the camera mounting stays fixed.

Crab. The camera moves (crabs) right or left.

Tracking (dollying). Tracking involves the camera itself being moved smoothly towards or away from the subject (contrast with zooming). Tracking in (like zooming) draws the viewer into a closer, more intense relationship with the subject; moving away tends to create emotional distance. Tracking back tends to divert attention to the edges of the screen. The speed of tracking may affect the viewer's mood. Rapid tracking (especially tracking in) is exciting; tracking back relaxes interest. In a dramatic narrative we may sometimes be drawn forward towards a subject against our will. Camera movement parallel to a moving subject permits speed without drawing attention to the camera itself.
Hand-held camera. A hand-held camera can produce a jerky, bouncy, unsteady image which may create a sense of immediacy or chaos. Its use is a form of subjective treatment.

Process shot. A shot made of action in front of a rear projection screen having on it still or moving images as a background.

The journal of the role i played in the Live TV Quiz Show. CULTURE CITY

week one:

During the first week of our multi-camera project, we were divided into small groupsof four. It was from these groups that we were each assigned a role to perform in the show. i choose to be the Art Director. As an Art director it was my job to draw out ideas for a set design. This included ideas for colours, logos and layout of the set. After the class decided a theme for the quiz show, each group was given a round to work on. As the theme of our quiz show was Media, our group was given the television round to focus on.

Week two

The second week was more productive than the first. During then second week me and the other Art Directors got together and voiced our ideas and opinions on each others ideas for a set. Eventually we all decided that we were going to somehow created a city-scape. We thought that this was a good effective idea for a set design as it tied in with the idea of a Media theme because a city is full of advertising and culture. We also drew up a rough design of what we could put on the set.

Week three

During the third week, i mostly just painted the set. I painted the sky on all of the flats, drew the buildings, and painted the city scape onto the boards. Later that week I painted the lights in the building for the set to make it seem more realistic as a cityscape in Silhouette. i also set of to create a logo for the project, and i came up with the idea of having the name of the show in an over lapping crossword grid. It was then decided that the show would be named Culture City.

Week four

This week we finished off the flats and began rehearsals using the last groups script. We each rotated through different roles within the studio, this was really fun as it gave us the chance to have a go at lots of the different roles. I was on camera through most of the reheasals, but i also found my self vision mixing and playing the role of a contestant. i enjoyed being a camera man the most and i decided that it was what i wanted to in the live shoot.

Week five

This week we spent everyday doing rehearsals, I got to have a go on sound and perfecting camera operation. Both roles I enjoyed and found no difficulty performing, but I decided that i preffered to operate the camera. i enjoyed being a cameraman because it gave me the hands on experience that i want to gain from my time on the course. during the reheasals i found my self gaining in confidence with my camera work and with my self in general. i feel that being part of a large team boosted my confidence with the group. i am very happy with the turn out of our quiz show. i think that everyone performed there roles with very little error and that our final product was very much worth the effort that everybody put into it. i am very pleased with the work i did on the set design, i dont think we could have done anything else that would have worked quite as good as our design did. i also thought that stuart did a very good job as director, I also asked Stuart if I could use some of his pictures on my blog because he had taken pictures of our set. i have enjoyed this project very much.

Reheasals, Recording practise and Technical reheasals

Before we recorded the show live, we did plenty of reheasals. for these rehearsals we each performed the roles we had requested as well as taking turns to be guests and then ran through the show. Doing the reheasals i took role as a camera man, i cycled through each camera and mastered the shots i had to deliver. It was important to do these rehearsals to work out if there were any techincal problems or anything wrong with our questions. From doing reheasals we found that some of the questions were to easy, so we set off to make them more challenging. We also had to decide whether it was going to be possible to have buzzers in our quiz show. Recording practice allowed us to work effectively together as a group. It definately gave us more confidence knowing that our show would work. Although, at first it did not seem that way.

From technical rehearsals we learned that our buzzers sounded too similar, so we had to find an alternative for one of the buzzers. we were originally using two dog toy squeekers as our buzzers. so we replaced one of the toys with a bell. Another problem we had to deal with was that the VTs were not in the correct order on the DVD, as a consequence this meant that we had to edit our script and our running order. Despite this we also found benefit from technical reheasals as they helped us improve our skills as camera crew by constantly reframing and changing from camera shots. It also helped us adjust the sound levels so that they were just right and let us practise on when to cut from the VT inserts back to the studio. Without the reheasals we did, our show definately would not have turned out as successful as it did in the LIVE shoot.