Eurovision, EastEnders, Strictly and more!

I think there needs to be some equation set out that explains the disinterest in blogging and tweeting if you do it in your work-life. Something along the lines of…

blogging + work = not blogging at home

There, that can be it! Not sure what all these mathematicians and scientists are singing and dancing about…. equations are actually quite easy.

Anyway, since my last entry so much has changed! Life seems to have a fun way of twisting and turning in such a short space of time and before you know it a year has already passed, you’ve done two months on EastEnders (as blogger Guest Insider) and you are back to working on Strictly Come Dancing.

Me presenting at my playback session

I guess the most recent thing that has happened has been my presentation about integration and how successful it can be to a production. Using Eurovision 2011 as an example, I gave my top 5 tips to getting the most out of Multiplatform and Linear teams working together.

Me presenting at my Playback session

They were:
1. Be positive– I knows sounds totally cliché but it’s amazing how many ideas get turned down within the first sentence because of the word ‘no’ aka ‘can’t be bothered to investigate’

2. Do your research – I think as well as being part of the Multiplatform team, it’s also your job to educate the linear teams about what is possible regarding audience interaction these days. And to also let them know how cheap it can be these days!

3. Get involved – being a self shooting, self editing ACP means that I can film and edit for the linear teams. It’s a great way to really feel part of a team so if you have and skills, even if they are very basic, get practicing so that next time someone needs something covering you can put your services forward.

Presenting at my playback session

4. Be flexible – It’s clear that you aren’t going to work office hours anymore, especially when the production really gets going. It’s important to understand and remember this!

5. Finally, learn the lingo – Not only is it your job to educate people about the world of the web but also, to help with team morale and getting involved – see tip 3 ;o) – learn the lingo of the TV production. It really helps you to feel part of something more than ‘just the web’

So they are the top tips I presented. It was a very interesting experience and one that I really enjoyed. It’s really helped me to get focused for upcoming events.

Soon I shall be working on Strictly and I have already set reminders to help me blog each week about my experiences. It’s certainly set to be an interesting autumn!!

The views and opinions expressed in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

Teleweb from Gerd Leonhard

Have you seen the video below? Basically it’s everything I have been harping on about (sorry about that) in just 8 minutes!

Gerd Leonhard, Founder and CEO of The Futures Agency, Media Futurist, Author and fellow blogger explains the future of television now that the internet has arrived.

He talks about how in 2 – 3 years television sets will automatically connect to the internet and how social networkers are the next broadcasters. In just 5 years you won’t be able to seperate TV and the internet!

It’s good to see that there are professionals with the same thoughts as I have…perhaps I’m not a loon after all!

Jury Duty Bingo

If you don’t already know, I have been away for the past two weeks on Jury Duty (which by the way is FANTASTIC and so much fun!)

The first week we got a case with a chap who had two counts of ‘violence occasioning actual bodily harm’.

This case took four days and we came to a unanomous verdict of gulity for both counts. He’ll be going dahhhhhn.

The second week we got a case with another chap who had two counts of ‘violence with the intent to cause GBH’

This case got thrown out of court after it appeared his health may have been a deciding factor to the attack…it left a lot of the jury questioning the decision quite heavily but I suppose that’s how it sometimes pans out.

Anyway, during the two weeks I noticed various things about the courtroom and how people spoke / addressed others.

Therefore, I have come up with Jury Duty Bingo, so if any of you out there have the fortune to be called up to serve, take this along with you and see if you can get all 9!

I’ve also scaled it the same size as a pad of paper which you get to write on in court so you can tuck it nicely in between the pages ;o)

Not all will be said. For example the ‘disobediant open black gown’ corresponds to the gown the barristers / ushers etc wear and the amount of times they have to pull it back onto their shoulders! Watch out for that one.

The thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

5D fun to come…

It appears that the next few weeks will be somewhat quieter compared to recent months.

I am therefore taking this opportunity to get my showreel up to date again and have a go at using some new equipment. I’m sure people in the office won’t mind me filming them.

So I am booking in some time with a 5D which you can see in the picture complete with a rig!…although I don’t think I can get the rig. There also seems to be a little wait to hire the 5D. Not sure why that could be!?

The full article by Adam Wilt, with information from the NAB 2009 can be found here. It even includes Airstar’s reflective balloon which floats up and bounces ground-based lights from it instead of using a crane. 

The views and opinions in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

Eurovision 2010 Final vlog

During the Eurovision 2010 Final, I kept a short vlog about what goes in to making a website for a live show.

And here it is……..

The views and opinions expressed in this article and video are that of my own and not my employer.




It’s the time for competition…

I have recently been lucky enough to be sent information about a few competitions that are taking place.

The first is the Twitter Contest being ran by the Met Film School.

Basically, you have to follow MetFilmSchool on Twitter and pitch them your idea in one single tweet! Then one winner will be rewarded with a free place on their Introduction to Screenwriting course!

What a fantastic way to use Twitter for an online competition. It’s great to see the different ways in which people are using Social Networking to reach a larger audience.

Also, the prize is fantastic and would really help anyone who took part in the Scriptwriting Frenzy!

Please note, the deadline is 18th May so get those thinking caps on!

The second challenge I have my eye on at the moment is the one ran by Framepool/LBBOnline/Fireflies. For this, you have to make a piece of work showing the meaning of the word ‘courage’. It can be from 30 seconds to 3 minutes in length and the winner will be the first to win this annual award!

Please note, the deadline is 20th May for this challenge.

It certainly appears that with the summer coming soon, the competitions are certainly surfacing.

In other news, I am busy editing together the Hero VT for our UK Eurovision hopeful. The video will be published the week before the live final.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

Future of Filmmaking

I was recently sent this trailer which I think sums up exactly what I have been thinking about the future of filmmaking.

With the introduction of new technology which allows people to make their own productions and edit them together, the world of filmmaking is evolving and changing.

Being at the forefront of all this change, for me is so exciting!

It’s like the beginning of the space race all over again. But without the space.

Also, I have a feeling that in the future, the ‘celebrity’ as we know it will also change. Instead of the socialites and reality TV show graduates, the future of a ‘celeb’ will revolve much more around blogs and web feeds.

Who knows, the acclaimed 15 minutes of fame may turn in to more like 5!

The views and opinions expressed in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

Scriptwriting Frenzy

With just 4 days left to go until the deadline for Scriptwriting Frenzy, my fingers have been creating smoke and sparks this weekend!

If you haven’t already guessed, with my blog topics over the past month, Scriptwriting Frenzy has been taking up a lot of my time.

On Thursday morning I heard an argument on the tube between two people who worked together at a local catering company. Person A; we’ll call her Lucy had ignored Person B; we’ll call him Jack.

Lucy had prepared a fruit salad, NOT a leafy salad!

Needless to say it went straight in to my script when I had chance to get a pen and paper out. I changed the topic slightly though. I’m not sure a salad argument would work as well in a Car Showroom.

On Friday it was a bizarre conversation with a colleague at work that really helped me past a stumbling block I’ve had in episode two. She was talking about how someone in her block of flats keeps stealing the post. (it’s delivered to a communal place). One of her flatmates found £500 missing from her bank after a new debit card came for her and a neighbour managed to find it first! Eek!

As she was telling me I began to think, that is exactly something that Mickey would do. It’s strange how the characters in my script are becoming more like actual people.

Anyway, another 16 pages to write. Then its just a case of uploading it to the website……

The views and opinions expressed in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

Blogging, Scripting, Filming and Birthdays!

It’s now very apparent that I can’t blog AND script at the same time!

I started out quite well with my Scriptwriting Frenzy, but then lost a few days because of filming and celebrating birthdays. This has meant that I am now writing around 4.5 pages a day in order to keep up with the schedule.

It could be worse…it could be a case of writing something from scratch with just a week and a half to go!

I have also been filming with Josh Dubovie, our hopeful for Eurovision 2010.

I filmed behind the scenes on Wednesday and Thursday, following Josh during his rehearsals.

Then I planned an interview on the Friday morning so that he could talk about the rehearsals and the footage that I had already shot could be used as ‘paints’ to illustrate what Josh spoke about.

I then needed to edit the package together and comply it on Friday afternoon so it could be published.

(Needless to say that the interview was rescheduled for the Thursday afternoon instead. Great as it gave me more time to edit the package. But it meant I had less time to think about the questions.)

Shooting to edit is a very important technique when you have such a small time frame. For example, with this interview I threw some ideas around on the Wednesday afternoon after the first lot of filming to come up with two ‘safe’ options I could talk to Josh about.

These ‘safe’ options couldn’t give away anything that was taking place with the staging.

I chose to ask Josh about being in TVC and the simple dance routine he had been practising.

This consequently meant I knew exactly what to film during the behind the scenes.

A few more filming dates are coming up in the next few weeks which I will tell you about…

For up to the minute information about what I am doing, you can follow my Twitter account.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

Sunshine and Pens

Temperatures are expected to reach 17C this weekend. With that in mind, it’s time to take the scriptwriting on the road!

Well, when I say on the road, I mean to the park.

I’m 13 pages in to my Scriptwriting Frenzy.  I should be writing about 3.3 pages per day in order to meet the 100 page quota for the deadline. Certainly won’t be doing the College trick and leaving it until the night before!

In other news, the recce went really well and I was able to make contact with the people running the Eurovision event.

Took a few stills and have worked out where to do any filming; the venue is a pub and so noise was instantly a real issue.

From my experience when I filmed in a Playgroup for Children in Need, I shall be using a clip mic on any contributors and make sure their backs are to the crowd. It worked really well for me with the Tess Daly video

One last thing. A huge thank you for the link on The Manchizzle website! Make sure you keep up to date with all the Manchester based blogs by visiting this site.

Meanwhile, you can keep up to date with my weekend adventures with my Twitter account.

The opinions and views expressed in this article are that of my own and not my employer.