Today has been extremely eye opening, but we are on the right track! What I'm about to write will sound worrying to some, but don't worry we are dealing with it and we WILL make it work in one way or another, we just need to get a few things cleared up.
I had a meeting with Paul ( Our Sound Technician) and spoken to our ONLY hope for a good Sound Engineer, Rory.
Rory is a mutal friend of mine and Lauren W, he has recently graduated as a sound engineer and has LOTS of equipment.
In Pauls words, we have "bitten off a lot to chew", but I know if we communicate well, we can make this happen, so no one panic, I like a challenge and I've got my head round everything that needs sorting :)
It looks as though sound is our NUMBER 1 PRIORITY, and we are going to need MONEY to get it to work. It is my view that if we can't get what we need in terms of sound, the show will not be able to work, it simply can't if we can't hear or record the bands properly. We can get by without the right lights or even the right set, but sound HAS to be the one area we cannot compromise on, otherwise a music show CANNOT be achieved.
The main problem is the fact I'm still not sure how much we have to spend on sound. As the main equipment and sound engineer cannot come through the Studios, and so we need a seperate budget...which hasn't been confirmed due to a quote needed from the studios etc.
So in order to explain better I need to break it down in simple steps.
1. The studio 1 sound gallery only has 20 imputs, this is simply not enough for what we need. ( We need at least 25 to be anywhere near safe, due to the bands we have).
2. We therefore need a LARGE PA and PA DESK, to mix all the sound on the studio floor and then send it through to Paul.
3. Maidstone studios doesn't look like it has a PA large enough or good enough to help us out, so we need to hire one in from someone we know (Rory). Without it OUR SHOW WILL NOT WORK!!!
4. So we desperately need Simon or Helen to give us the go ahead to employ Rory and hire his equipment. He has roughly said between £70- £100 a day for his time (heavily discounted) + the hire of equipment which I am waiting on a rough estimate for.
5. In order to get this sorted, we NEED to know the budget, what we have to spend on the studios and other technicians, the lighting and what we have for SOUND. We can't continue with one set price from the studios, we need to have a pot we can use to spend on hiring equipment and Rory as a sound engineer.
6. We need to know if we are allowed to do this from the Studios point of view AND from the universities point of view, but I can't stress enough that the show simply cannot happen if we do not hire in Rory and extra sound equipment, it just isn't available from the studios.
This is a rough guide to the equipment we need and where we can get it from for sound:
What's available from the Studio:
1 x presenter radio mic (From Studio)
2 x Hand Held mics for interviews
1 x fixed mic for interviews
3 x fixed mics for audience
( That is a minimum of 7 imputs for general sound )
What we need for mainstage (To hire from Rory)
3 x Vocal mics
3 x Di boxes for 2 guitars and bass
3 x Percussion Mics (minimum for drum kit)
1 x Kick mic for Drum Kit
3 x monitors (minimum)
1 x Bass Amp
( That is a minimum total of 11 imputs for the vocals, guitars and percussion on Mainstage)
What we need for Acoustic Stage (To Hire from Rory)
3 x vocal mics
3 x Di boxes for acoustic guitars and bass
1 x mic for Cajon (percussion)
(Total minimum imputs for acoustic stage 7)
That is a Minimum Grand total of 25 imputs requiring 25 channels, but our gallery only has 20 not including channels for back up!!!! So you see how important a 25+ channel PA is :)
We also need to hire in (From Rory):
The PA
The PA desk with 25+ channels
Fold Back speakers (minimum of two for each stage)
Minimum of 5 monitors for both stages
Possibly a Splitter Box and Digital Track Recorder.
Simon or Helen if you get a chance to read this over the holidays could you let me know whether we can book Rory for his time and hire, because I fear if we lose him, we may not be able to find another person with cheap rates of the large amount of equipment we need. Thank You.
Friday, 30 March 2012
Thursday, 29 March 2012
This is a list of everything I know/ need to know/ want to make the show work well and look visually AMAZING on the day. (of course this will swap and change as we go)
Music:
Source music, lyrics and good recording of songs, to start breaking down chords changes/ bars, and prepare shot list and camera script.
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Floor Plans:
I need to get a floor plan of the studios and place the dimensions of the set on it. I will need to talk to the CAFT team and Lauren W to get the measurements
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Lighting:
Emma has suggested that we will need a rigger/electraician ( That was Danny last year) and a consultant op to programme the lights and operate them on the day.
She said we shouldn't need to hire things in as long as it isn't over complicated, and I don't think lights thats "move" are available.
What We Know We Need So Far:
Smoke Machine ( From Fergus at Campus)
Floor Up Lights - To reflect onto transparent curtains, in Turquoise and Purple
ALL of our 9 x Studio lights ( Kits in Base Room) To create "Industrail/Loft" atmosphere.
CAFT are making "fairy light" style pieces to create more style and effect
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Sound:
1 x Radio Mic and Ear Piece for presenter.
2 x Mic to interview bands with, one to be passed round, one to be fixed on coffee table.
3 x Mics on Audience (Possibly one on a boom?)
Talk Backs:
5 x Camera ops
2 x Floor manager and Assistant. Fran is to use her talk back to communicate between gallery and ALL runners.
1 x Assistant Producer
Equipment Needed For Each Band:
Charlie Rivers Band:
3 x DI boxes for 2 acoustic guitars and 1 bass
3 x Vocal Mics
1 x Mic for Cajan and Percussion.
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Cameras:
List of Cameras and their equipment:
Camera 1 - Lock of high/ Wide Angle Lense Attached / Master/ Safety Shot
Camera 2 - Fixed Camera - Tripod attached to Wheeled Base ( Available from studio)
Camera 3 - Fixed Camera - Tripod attached to Wheeled Base ( Available from studio)
Camera 4 - Camera on Track/ Dolly ( Pick up from Campus) -Wide Angles Lense Attached - In front of the Main Stage
Camera 5 - Master Handheld to follow presenter, pick ups from presenter/ in audience/ track hand held shots of acoustic stage.
Camera 6 - Handheld - To get amongst the action, follow the band from behind, nice shots of audience, quick pans
I also want EVERY camera to have a cable basher/ assistant to always make sure settings are correct, white balence, frame rate, SD (We don't have ability to shoot HD), and from . This is EXTREMELY important for the hand held cameras and dolly camera. The ONLY camera to stay in the same postition for the whole show is the one locked off on the rig, so it is important we rehearse positions over and over again.
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Questions I need to ask/ get done:
1. Emma would like a list of the weights of ALL the things we would like to hang from the rigging
2. Emma has also requested floor plans and lighting plans.
3. Paul our sound guy wants to know if we are recording on multi track for sound, to help us edit, but not sure if this is possible due to memory card being used?
4. Paul also has suggested that we need him to mix the record in the gallery, but someone to mix the sound and the PA for in the studio.
5. Contact Fergus about smoke machine
6. Get dolly booked for rehersral and record from campus
7. Get list of ALL sound equipment needed from bands
8. Find out from Emma/ Alistar
9. List of lighting changes
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For List For Budget (To be Worked on):
1. Floor Lighting
2. Staging for The Drummer / Interview area.
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My Contacts
Standing on Giants Simon: 07792445162
The Soundcasters Tom: 07990 872303
Charlie Rivers, Steve (guitarist) 07838933647
Monday, 26 March 2012
As Live: Project Update
We're now using our gmail account (unsigned.live.2012@gmail.com) to upload any documents, just find it on the tab at the top of the page. I've posted draft call sheets, floor plans, the pitch, leaflet info, and anything useful.
VT Meeting Today:
Gig Guide (Hennie & Abbi)
Venues
-Earls
-Druids
-Style & Winch
Presenter
-Around Maidstone (fri/sat evening - 'buzzing' feel)
-Possibly chats with landlords, bands? (not sure how much they can tell us/if they're interesting)
-Script information - what (pieces to camera/ actuality/ VO)
-Top, middle and end
-If chatting to people, get self-contained answers
-Pacing - roughly 3 words a second
Get all your facts together and all your research and figure out what you want the presenter to say, in a structure. And think about where and what the presenter is doing whilst she's delivering this. What are we showing? What will be voice-over?
Day Job (Maddie & Jane)
Standing On Giants
-Bookie worker (Daryl, drummer) - contact William Hill press office?
-Lead singer (Simon) - teacher, extreme skateboarder?
-Ant studies guitar
-Alex works at a record label in London
It's not essential that we show them all in the VT, as long as we get a sense of what they're about, who they are and what they do in the day. Talking to Simon and Daryl, they're all about the music, its amazing how they talk about it so passionately.
Develop a concept. Create a juxtaposition between the band and Daryl's job in the bookies? They're great talkers, it's all about getting to know them, show us something extra that we won't see in the live show, what they like doing. We're attending one of their rehearsals 18th April and recce that location for filming.
On the Road (Fran and Jo)
There's so much potential for this VT. The standard of bands on the show is high, they're slick and they attract audiences old and young, people that appreciate good music. It's the reason why I cast them, and it's the reason why Pizza Express is the type of venue that fits with the style of the programme that I'm setting out. It's not about the bands that play for a hobby or just starting out, these bands are passionate about what they do and they're serious. Plus it's not your typical venue, I wasn't aiming to pigeon-hole bands into a stereotype that all there is is pub gigs. There's so many supporters of music out there, and Paul, who runs these gigs, is one of them; he runs festivals and gigs at least twice a week for a living. It's a great opportunity for any unsigned band to play, and it has great content for a script. I admit, it might not be the "on the road" VT everyone pictures, and everyone thinks differently. But this project is adapting and changing all the time, I think we should just go with it, be daring, and we know it's doable and it will look good!
So, think about sequences, what is the presenter doing, what is she saying. Is she taking us into the venue and walking into a soundcheck or how will she travel with them? If you want it to feel like its more "on the road", I think you'll have to think about what opportunities you can film. You can definitely have a good recording and video of them playing to cut to. And there's potential for good backstage content.
Everything is confirmed so far. I suggest you take a look at the venue, and come watch The Soundcasters on Sunday to hear their thoughts and get some information for your scripts.
On another note, CAFT are building the set! I've asked for lotsa pictures, they're gonna let us know when promo team can come film, and I definitely will be popping over to see how its looking!
Lauren's been doing well getting onto sound and lighting, be good for her to communicate what she's found out to Matt and Jo and write up what her plans are. We're gathering together a kit list. She's also gathering first years to try out for cameras and develop their skills. We'll also look into advertising runner roles to help Maddie and Fran on the floor.
AS Live Unit: Advert ideas
So last week me and Dan discussed possible idea's for our adverts for the show. He came up with one great idea to have the presenter on the set urging viewers to watch the show and giving a brief description as to what it is. Whilst doing this he would literally be dodging and weaving in between people with instruments as they set up the show. I like this idea as the instruments symbolize what the show is about. That was the idea for our Long advert
Now the idea i came up with was to film a short clip of one of the acts from our show or even just any band while they are at a gig. Then have somebody narrate or if possibly get one of the presenters again to just again urge viewers to stay tuned. Now these were thought of on the spot and are just possible ideas. During the week we will do some more research as to how other shows have advertised themselves and keep you updated. It would be nice to get some feedback on what you think of our idea's though.
Now the idea i came up with was to film a short clip of one of the acts from our show or even just any band while they are at a gig. Then have somebody narrate or if possibly get one of the presenters again to just again urge viewers to stay tuned. Now these were thought of on the spot and are just possible ideas. During the week we will do some more research as to how other shows have advertised themselves and keep you updated. It would be nice to get some feedback on what you think of our idea's though.
Sunday, 25 March 2012
AS Live - Director Update
Director Update
First of all I really agree with Lauren about the rehearsal date, making a music video would be an excellent idea!
We need to get the dolly over too for that day, so the camera operators learn how to use that properly. I also want to audition camera operators for the dolly, and the two hand helds. In the real world a director employs a camera supervisor and they employ the camera ops, so I would like to work with Alex and Jane, in selecting the camera ops. I think it would be good practice for the first years if they draw up some kind of mock media resume, or record some test shoots for us to look at, and then audition them on the day of the rehearsal. So I will place a notice on our broadcast media wall for all those interested in applying.
I think it is important we have some kind of lighting, so we should book out the studio lighting kits, and start sampling colour gels, as this will help give me a better understanding of how to achieve the look I want.
I'm going through lighting as we speak, and starting to get familiar with the names of different lights and the effects I want to achieve. I'm going to make a list of the equipment I would like with the help of Fergus, including a smoke machine.
I am also in the process of emailing Paul, to get some advice in regards to sound, what we need and what’s achievable. I’ll keep you posted
First of all I really agree with Lauren about the rehearsal date, making a music video would be an excellent idea!
We need to get the dolly over too for that day, so the camera operators learn how to use that properly. I also want to audition camera operators for the dolly, and the two hand helds. In the real world a director employs a camera supervisor and they employ the camera ops, so I would like to work with Alex and Jane, in selecting the camera ops. I think it would be good practice for the first years if they draw up some kind of mock media resume, or record some test shoots for us to look at, and then audition them on the day of the rehearsal. So I will place a notice on our broadcast media wall for all those interested in applying.
I think it is important we have some kind of lighting, so we should book out the studio lighting kits, and start sampling colour gels, as this will help give me a better understanding of how to achieve the look I want.
I'm going through lighting as we speak, and starting to get familiar with the names of different lights and the effects I want to achieve. I'm going to make a list of the equipment I would like with the help of Fergus, including a smoke machine.
I am also in the process of emailing Paul, to get some advice in regards to sound, what we need and what’s achievable. I’ll keep you posted
I went with Lauren, Hennie, Maddie and our presenter Jess to meet some of the guys from standing on giants on Thursday, I am confident they have good camera presence, and will be able to bulk out the V.T and interviews. They are really interesting guys, with lots of opinions about the world and philosophy!
Friday, 23 March 2012
Bands and presenters Bio
Standing On Giants
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The vivacious band, Standing on Giants first leapt onto the stage back in February '09. The four members of the rock/indie/pop band are currently climbing the roots of the music scene which has seen them perform alongside acts such as Bloc Party, The Holloways, Kid Harpoon, Kid British, Underground Heroes and The Crookes. In the summer of 2010, Standing On Giants released their debut 3 track EP ...‘No A Medias’, with Alex Gettinby producing it before he came into the fold as a fully fledged member of the band in January 2011. Standing on Giants released their debut single "The Signs" in August 2011 to very warm critical acclaim, followed by the 4 track EP it featured on, a month later. It was recorded at Alex's studio, but mixed and mastered with the help of Angus Wallace (The Prodigy, The Fall, Ian Brown) @ Far Heath Studios, Northamptonshire. The Soundcasters
The Soundcasters were formed in early 2008 through a mutual love of a variety of music ranging from Latin Jazz, to 70’s Punk. As young lads, this gave them a unique edge in today’s music scene of teenage bands and with such a wide knowledge of music it took a short while to find their original sound. Their first EP had a 60’s pop feel to it that had a huge response from a mixed audience which expanded their fan base. With their second EP, produced by local, respected musician Ben Jones, The Soundcasters have returned with a more mature image, feel and sound. The Soundcasters are influenced by such bands as The Beatles, The Band, The Animals and newer bands like The Arctic Monkeys, which is where they developed their 60’s Indie style from. The Charlie Rivers Band
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