TV NEWS - Workshop Films and Output

30/10/2020 - Green Screen Work Shop 

What we did today x 

Today in our groups we used the green screen room and had a workshop on how to get the best from the equipment we will be using to film our news piece. This includes a teleprompter, the Panasonic camera and also the LED lights for lighting. Although we will also be using microphones for both the Live OB and also our news room piece, we were unable to use these today. 

Within our group we set up the teleprompter with our first drafted script, which allowed Sydney to read through on camera to see what worked and what didn't. 

As DOP I also got a chance to use the camera and start visualising how to frame Sydney within our studio news piece. This was beneficial as my other Job role is working on the graphics for our news channel. This allowed me to picture the spacing needed around Sydney to allow room for the graphics to also be on the screen in the correct position. 

What went well? 

I was really nervous about being DOP for this Unit, especially because I feel News is structured and formatted in a way, that as soon as you see the framing or set up, you're aware that its a factual and a reliable news piece. For instance, I could never imagine the studio piece being on a handheld camera, as if the camera was slightly shakey or you could tell it was handheld, it would throw off or the reliability of what the News Presenter is saying because it wouldn't seem as formal. 

However, although I feel nervous about this because I haven't covered news before. Today was really beneficial for me to have a play around with the framing and put into practice all my research regarding news formats and what works well for the studio presenting part. I decided to frame Sydney so that it was from her lower waist up while she was sitting down. It really gave me an insight into how it will look when we have a table in front of her, which is how we plan on setting the studio. Sydney sitting at a table. Our channel is based on technology and entertainment, so although our target audience isn't the same as BBC News and we plan on being less formal, because we want our news channel to be credited and reliable, we feel Sydney sitting down in casual smart clothes, this will give us the credit and image we're after to appeal to our target audience but to also be a reliable source. Our target audience is 18-30.

What didn't? 

While going through the run through of our script, it was evident to myself that it was so important we got the speed of the teleprompter correct. At some points it was evident that it was going to fast which effected the way Sydney emphasized on words and how she delivered the script because she was trying to rush to say the script in time of the teleprompter. This was evidentially an issue as it's important the news stories we're telling are delivered clearly so people can factor out the importance of each story. 

Once we had found the correct speed, Sydney was then able to slow down what she was saying and had time to emphasize on the more important aspects of the news story she was spreading. 

What have I learnt?

The workshop today was extremely helpful with honing in on some of the finer aspects of our studio news report and was beneficial for me as both the DOP and also the creator of our news channels graphics. It allowed me to focus on the framing and envision what it will look like with our background and graphics to the side of the screen. It means I'm now in a position were I can really start working on the image we're going for and how spacing around Sydney on the screen will work. 

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After Effects Green Screen workshop. 

Our second workshop we were able to do was based on After Effects and the green screen, unfortunately I wasn't able to attend on they day, but I later caught up with Ferg and spoke to my group about what was learnt so I could ensure I caught up. 

Within the workshop I caught up on, I used after effects to see how you could edit the green screen footage using After Effects. I haven't used after effects much before so I found it difficult to know what to click on and what not to, or what most buttons do. Although, I am experienced highly with Premiere Pro, I don't feel clearly that the skills are transferable as After Effects is a tool that is used differently to Premiere however, it also feels slightly similar. I was apprehensive to get started as I sometimes find learning new things difficult, especially with new software.

I started by following the after effects powerpoint on the my UCA website which shows you the functions of the after effects and how to use the keylight. The key light affect is what gets rid of he green screen from the shot and pushes forward the presenter, so that you can highlight the background and get rid of it. This Then allows you to key around and change the background however keeping the presenter in full vision and colour with only the background change. 

I started experimenting with how to change the backgrounds and did a few different ones to see what looked better regarding our news channel and if there was any first initial backgrounds that may go with our news channel aesthetic to see how it looked.

Although, I had started to key out the green background and replace it with other news backgrounds, I still was slightly confused as after effects seems more extreme then premiere pro with lots more buttons. 

I also on occasions with certain backgrounds, could still see a faint green line surrounding the presenter, as in a green glow, however, once I caught and questioned this with Ferg, he advised me you can actually select the key light and use specific buttons to make it bolder, which means that the background comes to the forefront. This was really useful to know as it was something I was noticing I was struggling with. Also means I can actually ensure that all the green is gone.

Once I had followed Fergs instructions, I actually began to feel confident that I would then be able to clearly key out all green and ensure that the background looked clear as well as the presenter in our case. 

Error

Due to my hardrive, unfortunately the footage I used to show on the workshop blog was corrupt and when I went to upload the footage to the blog to reflect on what I had done within the workshop, the footage was un openable. I attempted to research how I could save it online, if my hardrive had corrupted the footage, however, I was unable to save or retrieve the footage which means I am unable to show what I have done within this workshop. Due to timescales, it is unrealistic for me to attempt to go through the workshop stages again on after effects as I don't have access to the software at home and due to shoot week, I am not currently at the studios. 

What I have learnt and how I will improve 

I've learnt from this workshop a number of things, I was first apprehensive about after effects as I hadn't used it that much and by first look it seemed a little complicated as I wasn't aware of what the majority of the buttons did. However, by going through this workshop and working out how the keylight works and how pushing the green to the back and the presenter to the forefront is how the keylight then removes the green, means I am now in a position where I have learnt how to use a green screen. This has made me extremely happy as I know how useful this will be in general and for future projects. Although, I feel great that I have learnt this, I am aware that it is going to take persistence and practice to ensure that I get the most from after effects. It also means by having these skills it also offers for me a wider range of jobs and skills to put on my CV etc. 

From doing this workshop, I have also learnt how important it is to actually back up your hardrive, I also feel because my harddrive has both a mac and a PC wire, I think I may have put it on the hardrive incorrectly, so not only have I learnt about green screen and after affects, it has also taught me a valuable lesson in being more patient in respects to exporting footage. 

I will ensure I improve by continuing to practice keying out green screen footage with different backgrounds until I am in a position where I am extremely confident to be able to do this, and I will also improve by ensuring when i am exporting footage I am backing up everything I have done and alos ensuring I take the time to check if the footage has exported onto the hardrive correctly.