This is because news can be unpredictable, especially when filming live.
Pre-Production:
Breaking news could break anytime, therefore news directors need to be able to think under pressure, as well as be adaptable (Farmer, 2018).
Because of this unpredictable nature, I planned for filming our news segment much like I did when planning our documentary. Therefore, I made 'crib notes' (Rabiger, 2015:445) so I wouldn't forget the cutaways I needed to film whilst the camera was rolling, using the scripts to make one list for the promo, and one for the segment stories.
To also reduce this unpredictability and gain more control over what we were going to film, we did a location recce of the gaming centre we planned to film the live segment at, AllGen gaming in Rochester.
We met with the owner, Shane, who gave us a tour, and, as he is one of our contributors, we got to talk to him about his views on our story, which helped me to amend the script and the action sequences and cutaways I was planning to film for the story so everything would link.
We also got to see the amount of games the centre had, which was helpful not only for our segment, but also our promo, since we could get extra footage of the games which aren't relevant to this story, but could be to others (for example, they have the game Pong at the centre, which could be one element in a story about retro games).
We also got to see the amount of games the centre had, which was helpful not only for our segment, but also our promo, since we could get extra footage of the games which aren't relevant to this story, but could be to others (for example, they have the game Pong at the centre, which could be one element in a story about retro games).
From this recce I was able to make an overhead diagram:
One room has newer, modern consoles, and one has older retro consoles, which I hadn't realised before going there. Since they are separated by a corridor, this led to think it could be nice to have the contrast of going from the newer game room to the retro one during the live segment, if as we send our reporter back in time, through the history of gaming. This should help show the variety of games the centre has, as well as cutaways of the collection of 6,000 game titles which is behind the counter, meaning we should get the most out of our location.
Because we are shooting here live, I used the overhead to make several smaller ones with all the possible lines of action I could establish so I don't cross the line. However, since I plan to follow our reporter through the gaming centre, it would be possible for me to break the 180 degree rule, as long as the movement which breaks the line is clearly shown (Breaking Down the 180-Degree Rule, 2017). Although, I did think it would be more useful to be able to see all the lines laid out clearly, so that if I do establish a new one during the live segment I don't confuse myself or the audience.
It is also necessary for the director to have "clarity of vision", especially if there has been no or little rehearsal time, so they are aware of exactly what is happening next, and the options of what could, or might happen (Fairweather, 2016). Therefore, to pre-plan this somewhat I used the awareness of the space I had from the recce and overhead diagrams to create some rough storyboards, especially since for the live I had two possible plans.
Production:
Live
A live director has a slightly different job compared to those who direct pre-recorded events in that they, 'carefully orchestrate a team of camera operators while using a switchboard to change shots', meaning they must pay attention to the event, but also give instructions to around 2-10 different cameras, which are always on the move (Vesely, 2016).
This adds to the unpredictable nature of filming live, since once an event has happened, it won't happen again. For this reason it is essential for a director to know exactly what they want to film so that it can be rehearsed and timed in order to fit into its slot of the programme (Training for TV, s.d).
Because of all these different cameras, the director has to call the shots, making the decision on when to cut from one camera to another. Each camera change is an editorial decision, and sometimes it can be crucial to cut at the right time to avoid missing part of the action (Hood, 2016).
This makes live TV very fast-paced, so directors need to waste as little time as possible (ideally none) and have tunnel vision to direct the sometimes large crew to do so much in so short a time (Farmer, 2018).
Because of all this fast-paced action and unpredictability, as stated by one of the directors of Good Morning America, '"Live gives it that edge" (Farmer, 2018).
Studio
The most important thing about directing a crew is being able to give them the right information at the right time, therefore, it is essential to know and understand their different roles (Fairweather, 2016). However, first of all, a director needs to earn the respect of their crew. This can be achieved not only by knowing their different roles and respecting them, but also by a director knowing what they want (Bamford, 2012). It is, as stated by Utterback (2016), the director's job to "drive the bus".
For this reason, a director needs to be focused on their job, and let the rest of the team do their jobs for them (Fairweather, 2016). If the director isn't concentrating on directing then the production could suffer later. This is because the quality of what is directed in the studio depends more on the preparation of the director in pre-production and their organisation during filming than what could be fixed or cut around in the edit (Bamford, 2012).
Key skills for a studio director are 'good spatial awareness and an ability to think quickly and calmly in any situation' (Bamford, 2012). This is so they are able to come up with solutions to possible problems which could arise by using the space and cast and crew they have to work with.
Although the director commands the show, the producer and director are a team (Fairweather, 2016).
Yet, if while directing a mistake is made by the director, it is better for them to admit it (Fairweather, 2016). This also helps with the crew's respect, and by pointing it out it is more likely to be able to be fixed or worked around.
However, it takes time and practice to get good at directing and develop all the necessary skills to instruct the running of a programme (Fairweather, 2016).
Post-Production:
In post-production, the director starts working with an editor. However, at first, the editor puts together a rough cut on their own, which the director later reviews, looking at things such as structure, chronology of the scenes, tone, and pacing (Directing the edit, 2016).
It is better for the production if the editor is not also the director. This is true in both fiction and non-fiction, short and long form, since an editor is detached, unlike the director, and therefore looks at the footage like the audience does, rather than thinking about how much effort it took to get one shot or concentrating too much on the script (Chichignoud, 2015).
The relationship between the editor and director is built on trust and collaboration (Feld, 2004). The director will sit with the editor after reviewing the rough cut to refine the edit, and get it to the stage where it can be 'picture-locked', meaning the story/structure is permanent (Directing the edit, 2016).
However, it is not always necessary for the editor and director to agree on everything. In fact, 'each has a job to do, and trusts the other to do it, but the greater the ability for direct collaboration, it is felt, the better the film will be' (Feld, 2004).
Therefore, some disagreement can actually make the film stronger. For example, when a director is able to talk through their ideas and vision with an editor, it can help to change their view towards the film, or reinforce their belief in what they want (Chichignoud, 2015).
A good editor is incredibly valuable to a director, since they are technically the final contributor to the film, and are able to give a second opinion on the film's turnout that the director may not have considered (Directing the edit, 2016).
The relationship between the editor and director is built on trust and collaboration (Feld, 2004). The director will sit with the editor after reviewing the rough cut to refine the edit, and get it to the stage where it can be 'picture-locked', meaning the story/structure is permanent (Directing the edit, 2016).
However, it is not always necessary for the editor and director to agree on everything. In fact, 'each has a job to do, and trusts the other to do it, but the greater the ability for direct collaboration, it is felt, the better the film will be' (Feld, 2004).
Therefore, some disagreement can actually make the film stronger. For example, when a director is able to talk through their ideas and vision with an editor, it can help to change their view towards the film, or reinforce their belief in what they want (Chichignoud, 2015).
A good editor is incredibly valuable to a director, since they are technically the final contributor to the film, and are able to give a second opinion on the film's turnout that the director may not have considered (Directing the edit, 2016).
Screen direction
Screen direction has an affect on how the audience perceive the film. This is because studies have shown that audiences feel negative when subjects move from right to left in a frame (or are framed screen right), but that they see moving left to right (or framing screen left) as an indication of progress and success, making them feel positive (Renée, 2016).
Therefore, I considered this while filming our news bulletin in terms of how familiar or unfamiliar the subjects on screen were to the audience, and how this could affect how they were perceived.
For example, I aimed to keep all the reporters on the left or in the middle (see fig. 1 and fig.2), so the audience were more likely to feel positively towards them, or they were in neutral ground (in the middle). This is because they are the faces of our brand, and are familiar to the audience, or need to become familiar to build brand loyalty with viewers.
Fig. 1 YouTube: GLITCH News (2018)
Fig.2 YouTube: GLITCH News (2018)
For this reason, I decided to frame the psychologist on the right, since he was a guest (see fig.2). He was unfamiliar to the audience, but we wanted them to trust him. However, I thought that this trust could come from the reporter's presence, but also the psychologist's expert status. The information he gives would build trust with any audience members who may be unsure since this shows he has in-depth knowledge of his topic.
Fig.3 YouTube: GLITCH News (2018)
This is also why I decided to frame our other guest in the right side of the frame (see fig.3). He was an expert on the space we were reporting live from since he was the owner of the gaming centre, therefore his status and the knowledge he gave would help viewers build trust with him.
I tried to keep this screen direction as consistent as possible throughout the bulletin, with the reporters on the left or in the middle and the guests on the right. However, there were some instances where this changed either to make the shots cut together better so they were more interesting for the viewer, or so I didn't cross the line and break the 180 degree rule.
List of illustrations:
Figure 1. GLITCH News (2018) [YouTube Webpage] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RIY_eLWILY (Accessed on 1 November 2018).
Figure 2. GLITCH News (2018) [YouTube Webpage] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RIY_eLWILY (Accessed on 1 November 2018).
Figure 3. GLITCH News (2018) [YouTube Webpage] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RIY_eLWILY (Accessed on 1 November 2018).
Bibliography
Bamford, N. (2012) Directing Television: A Professional Survival Guide. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Breaking Down the 180-Degree Rule (2017) [user-generated content] Creat. Alex Ferarri 29 March 2017. At: https://indiefilmhustle.com/180-degree-rule/ (Accessed on 15 October 2018).
Chichignoud, J. (2015) How to be a Good Director, According to an Editor. At: https://videoandfilmmaker.com/wp/index.php/features/good-director-according-editor/ (Accessed on 24 October 2018).
Directing the edit. (2016) [user-generated content] Creat. Chad Perkins 18 August 2016. At: https://www.lynda.com/Filmmaking-tutorials/Directing-edit/129022/511889-4.html (Accessed on 24 October 2018).
Breaking Down the 180-Degree Rule (2017) [user-generated content] Creat. Alex Ferarri 29 March 2017. At: https://indiefilmhustle.com/180-degree-rule/ (Accessed on 15 October 2018).
Chichignoud, J. (2015) How to be a Good Director, According to an Editor. At: https://videoandfilmmaker.com/wp/index.php/features/good-director-according-editor/ (Accessed on 24 October 2018).
Directing the edit. (2016) [user-generated content] Creat. Chad Perkins 18 August 2016. At: https://www.lynda.com/Filmmaking-tutorials/Directing-edit/129022/511889-4.html (Accessed on 24 October 2018).
Fairweather, R. (2016) Basic Studio Directing. Oxon: Focal press.
Farmer, A. (2018) Keeping GMA's Daily Sprint on Course. At: https://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/Categories/Television/News-Directing.aspx?IID=%7B090F3B13-E2CB-4B86-8A15-92FFCAB249C4%7D (Accessed on 15 October 2018).
Feld, R. (2004) Directors and Editors. At: https://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0405-May-2004/Directors-and-Editors.aspx (Accessed on 24 October 2018).
Feld, R. (2004) Directors and Editors. At: https://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0405-May-2004/Directors-and-Editors.aspx (Accessed on 24 October 2018).
Hood, T. (2016) 'Tips in 60 seconds... Directing live sport'. In: Royal Television Society. [online] At: https://rts.org.uk/article/tips-60-seconds-directing-live-sport (Accessed on 24 October 2018).
Renée, V. (2016) 'Left or Right? Why a Character's Lateral Movement On-Screen Matters in Film' In: No Film School. At: https://nofilmschool.com/2016/02/left-or-right-why-characters-lateral-movement-screen-matters-film (Accessed on 24 October 2018).
Training for TV (s.d) Studio Directing Tips. At: https://www.trainingfortv.com/sdt.htm (Accessed on 24 October 2018).
Utterback, A. (2016) Studio Television Production and Directing: Concepts, Equipment, and Procedures. (2nd ed.) Oxon: Focal Press.
Vesely, S. (2016) Calling the Shots - Directing Live TV. At: https://grcmc.org/node/10822/calling-the-shots---directing-live-tv (Accessed on 24 October 2018).
Vesely, S. (2016) Calling the Shots - Directing Live TV. At: https://grcmc.org/node/10822/calling-the-shots---directing-live-tv (Accessed on 24 October 2018).
Comments
Post a Comment