Analysis of the concept and content of a studio production relevant to the commissioned production

Part of the difficulty in finding something to research relevant to the pitched commission is that the Producers did a great job in identifying a gap in the market that they wanted to fill; a contemporary, post-watershed gossip show that was irreverent, opinionated and fun led by two Female presenters. There was inspiration found in other sources outside of Television; Saving Grace, and The Girls Bathroom respectively, were both podcasts that helped to bring Let's Talk Sh*t to fruition. This, along with an awareness of social media trends and content that was audience-focused and engaging, all fed into developing the concept as we began working on the commission and our vision of the end product.

The pitch was so comprehensive and the concept of the idea so strong, that I immediately had ideas regarding its direction as soon as I was aware that this would be my role in the show. Both Hollie and Emily had both mentioned Girl's magazines in the 2000s and the columns that wouldn't be amiss in these: Gossip, fashion and advice. The task was to translate these ideas into something palatable for Television, that was visually and contextually interesting and engaging for a viewer, but Emily and Hollie had also begun to shape these ideas in the form of "Am I the Asshole?", (Inspired by a popular Reddit thread of the same name) "Unpopular opinions" (Which became Potty Mouth) This was an excellent foundation to start building on, and these ideas- many of which were already present in their pitch, were refined and improved throughout the pre-production process.

(Loose Women, 2020)

Perhaps the most relevant, though also very different to our own, show that came to mind, was "Loose Women", the long-running ITV daytime talk show with a panel of female hosts. I watched this short clip of Loose Women from the specific perspective of Directing, trying to understand Camera placement and movement and trying to consider what shots would be being called at one time. In this clip, the Presenters are discussing the seating Plan of King Charles' coronation and that Harry reportedly didn't confirm his attendance until receiving a seating plan.

There were multiple camera angles that were used for the basis of the show, these did at times alter slightly when a Presenter unexpectedly stood or moved in the studio space, but largely the same shots were used consistently.

The locked wide shot, all four Presenters symmetrical on screen. Plenty of headroom allowing for the central branding above and leadroom below allowing for the graphic at the bottom of the screen.

The most uncommon of the shots, this shot crabs left to right and vice-versa, giving us a wider shot still, and a view of the audience. The lighting above the audience is complimentary to the set.

Two-shot of the Presenters, used as an option if consecutive Presenters were in conversation or a reaction shot from the presenter seated next to the speaker. Notice the continuing lower third throughout the entire segment.

MCU of presenter.

Having this variety of shots makes for lots of cutting options that create visually interesting options for a Director. I struggled to work out how many cameras were in the studio, but my educated guess would be 4- The locked wide, the dolly wide, and a camera on either side cross-shooting available to do singles or two-shots.

The cuts between cameras were quick and on the action and reaction in equal measure, with the wides providing additional coverage and a chance for cameras to reframe shots. Cameras gently follow movements if Presenters move within the frame, but never felt jerky, something that only comes with experienced camera ops. 

It was surprising to me in some ways to see how many options were available from a single camera, I had wrongly made an assumption that cameras would often be locked to the operator sticking to the same shot, with a large number of cameras capturing different shot compositions. Of course, this was a misguided belief and when I came to directing Cameras it was interesting to see how the shot variety could be achieved from a single camera, cutting out to the wide while the cameras reframed and offered an entirely new shot when they were back on tally.

"Multi-camera studios are expensive to set up and to crew, but they can turn out a great deal of material in one day. This just takes good planning and clear thinking.

A good grasp of what works in a multi-camera studio is also, in my experience, a brilliant foundation for working with a single camera. You can see options and cutting points laid out before you as you go!" 

(Singleton-Turner, 2011)

An on-screen graphic at the top of the story introduces the piece and contextualises it.

Much like our plans for Let's Talk Sh*t, Loose Women deploys a variety of graphics to help guide the viewer through the story. This initial graphic of Harry helps to lead us into the story, while a consistent lower third remains on screen reminding the viewer the context of the piece and helping viewers who may be tuning-in late to help follow the story. 

Watching this sort of TV is usually outside of my remit, with scripted drama usually being my personal go-to, so it was interesting to watch something that was more relevant to the task at hand and to consider how all of the individual parts are pieced together to create a programme live, when things can easily go wrong or differently to your expectations.

REFERENCES:

Loose Women, 2020 (2020) The Sun. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/11496768/loose-women-return-itv-coronavirus/ (Accessed: April 11, 2023). 

Singleton-Turner, R. (2011) Cue & cut: A practical approach to working in multi-camera studios. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.