Nisserin Bessioua - UCA Television Production

As we decided that Young & Famous would be a 6-part series, we chose to write treatments for the other 5 episodes of the show. We initially decided on the storylines for the other episodes and the split up the task of writing them. I wrote the synopsis for episode 2, which we decided would have main character Annie trying to break a Guinness World Record in order to impress her family and Dean trying to find Betty's missing cat Arnold which results in an award that he's not expecting.  Young & Famous - Episode 2 Synopsis  Despite Annie and Dean’s failed first attempt to become young and famous, they don’t give up hope. After seeing reality TV star Kacey Kingsley wearing a designer knitted scarf, Annie decides to knit the world’s longest scarf and get into the Guinness World Records, adamant that this is the best way to gain her attention of her children and grandchildren. Meanwhile, Dean’s relaxing morning is interrupted when Betty comes barging in to ann...

Young & Famous Instagram In order to update our audience on developments of the show, we aim to create an instagram account for 'Young & Famous' for which we will post behind the scenes content from the show. We will also include introductions to the cast, short bios for them and of the crew members. This also be the platform where we will post our advertising posters and the release date of the pilot.  Annie's Instagram One of the ways that we aim to keep our characters involved in the marketing aspect is by creating the character Annie's Instagram which she regularly mentions and uses within the pilot of the show to try and make herself famous. This will see her posts images that the character would typically post, such as Dean's cooking and objects in her house. She doesn't quite know how Instagram works so she often posts random things that nobody is very interested in. We aim for this to funny and to stick with the comedy el...

In order for the Director and I to work out where things are going to be positioned, we decided to draw out the layout of some of the locations and block where the characters would be moving to and the best places for the cameras to go. With some of the locations we found this quite tricky in that we had to make sure there was enough room for the characters to move around the location freely whilst also being able to put the cameras and lighting in. In these diagrams we also included some key pieces of furniture so that we could see roughly how much room we would have.  Becca as the director described to be where she wanted the characters to move and the kinds of actions they would be doing, and then from drawing those I worked out roughly where the cameras would be best positioned. For my camera positions, I added in the different types of shots we would want from each scene and which camera I am planning on using for each shot. This helped with the positioning of ...

For our shot list and storyboard, the Becca and I decided to combine the two elements and create a picture storyboard. We first went through the script together and wrote out the different shots that we wanted and then from that list, I decided which camera they would be filmed on. Using our shot list, we then went to our location and I took the images, matching the list that would then form our storyboard. We created different sections which included: Shot Number This is the number shot and is useful to us so that on shoot days if the director says that we need to redo a certain shot of if I say that a certain shot isn't working for us, we all know which one we are talking about.  Shot Size These will show the different shots we aim to capture which include a mixture of MCU, LS, and 2 shots.  Camera Number This is the section where I worked out which shot would be filmed in which camera. Due to the fact we will have 3 cameras filming simultane...

After our tutorial where we viewed the title sequence so far, I went away feeling like there were lots of changes I could make to imporve the title sequence.  Some specific things I took away from the tutorial were to add in the names of the main actors and to make sure the ending matches with the theme of the show in that they never quite succeed in their goal to become famous.  As a group we decided on the ending of the titles and chose an idea that we best best conveyed to our audience who Annie and Dean are and their dreams as well as their reality.  After we see Annie and Dean on the red carpet, the background will then fall down to reveal their living room behind them, in order to show they are almost living in a dream world and the red carpet scene what what they wanted but in reality, they are just parading around their living room, and by the red carpet set falling down, it revelas to us as the audience that in reality they are a regular couple who aspire t...

In one of my test shoots, I decided to try out filming in V-Log to see what this would look like and if it would be of benefit to our project. From doing research into V-Log and into the Panasonic V-Log settings, I knew that it was important to check the exposure of the shot and make sure that it was set using the histogram feature to make sure that no clipping ours. Following the guidelines which I found in my research, I took the V-Log filming and edited the colour using DaVinci Resolve to edit the colour. I found that after colour correction, the colours in the footage were much brighter and stood out more.  I also found that it enhanced the overall look of the footage and gave more depth and the 3D look to it which separated the different things in the scene. I did, however, find that the footage came out quite grainy and this was not something I could fix in the edit which is one of the reasons why I don't think this would be the best filming techniqu...

I was able to plan a test shoot of a specific scene from our most recent script, this was useful in many different ways, including planning the best position for cameras, looking at whether they would logistically fit 3 cameras in one room, how the lighting would work and the flow of the scene.  The first this I did on this day was set up the cameras in the dining room which is where the scene I had chosen takes place. I chose this specific scene because I felt this was one of the more tricky ones in the room was much smaller than some of the ones we had previously completed test shoots in as also because there is lots of movement in this scene and a need for artificial lighting as well.  I matched up the cameras with the same settings, these included the white balance, making sure they were set to the same Kelvin and the record settings - for this test I tried filming in Ultra HD at 25fps to compare to my previous test which was done in Full HD. This proc...

During one of my test shoots, I worked with the director to test out different shot sizes that we thought worked best. Using our shot list and storyboard, we tested a specific scene from our script using different shot sizes to see what would look best depending on the scene and the dialogue between the characters.  Scene 1 For scene one, getting the camera placement was the first challenge we had as we had a few different options but each one posed its own issue. The first position we put the camera in allowed for a medium shot, following the character Dean pacing in the front entryway. This shot worked well because it meant Dean's facial expressions were visible and made his dialogue clear. This however limited how much of the background and location could be seen which includes the set design and making the layout of the house clear as there is another character Annie in a connecting room.  Another position we tried the camera in was about a 1.5m to the right...

British Sitcoms traditionally use high key lighting on a grid, attached to the ceiling, lighting from above. This is the typical style used by sitcoms that are filmed in a studio and are set based. This ensures maximum room on the floor for characters to move around and for the cameras to have as much room more movement as possible.   Sitcom Lighting on a Grid During our test shoot, I took out the Rotolight as this was a new piece of equipment I hadn't used yet and wanted to have a better understanding of. This light allowed for the colour temperature to be changed which is very useful for me as we're trying to create a natural lighting look. This means that I can change the lighting temperature to 5600K which is the daylight colour temperature to make the artificial lighting match with the natural lighting from the windows we will be using.  As written in the Young & Famous pre-production book, In the test shoot for scene 9 from script draft 1,...

Lighting gels are used to balance the colour of light sources, adjust contrast and control shadows. Using these gels helps cinematographers and videographers to create different moods and looks.  Colour Conversion Gels CTB stands for ‘Colour Temperature Blue’ but is often referred to as ‘daylight’. CTB is used transform tungsten light sources such as traditional household lightbulbs from 3200K to 5600K. This is a commonly used gel for balancing artificial light sources to daylight which the main lighting source is natural sunlight.  CTO stands for ‘Colour Temperature Orange’ but can be referred to as tungsten. This does the opposite in that it converts light sources from 5600K to 3200K.  Diffusion is used to control the softness and shadows and the softer the source the less prominent the shadows will be. There are many different types of diffusion, some of which include ‘heavy diffusion’ which lightens a shadow dramatically and gives the shad...

In order to decide which filming resolution I wanted to use, I did a test shoot of the two different options that I felt would work best for us. The first was Full HD and the second was Ultra HD.  Full HD Full HD is physically smaller than UHD in the amount of pixles that fill the screen. At 1920x1080, HD is a very high quality of filming and is used to film many televison programmes.  This is a high quality of filming and is a good option for filming Young & Famous as it look nice, is easy to edit and will  create a good overall product. Ultra HD Ultra HD gives more pixles in a frame there for allows more room for edits to be made in post-production without the loss of quiality. When the two shots are put side by side and zoomed in by 400%, there is alsight difference in the quialty in that the UHD is of a better quality than the FHD which is more pixely.  One of the stuggles I had with filming in UHD was that when it came to editing, the e...

Our chosen location has a allowed for many different opportunities in terms of lighting and filming. Due to the larger size of the rooms, this enables us to physically put more equipment into one room, and due to the fact that we're filming with a multi-cam set up, this is really useful.  Lighting -  Sitcoms often use overhead lighting, which allows for more floor space to be used as they are attached to a grid on the ceiling. This isn't a possibility for us therefore our lights will have to be on stands on the ground. By choosing a location with large rooms, this means we will be able to have the lights on the ground without them getting in the way too much. I have decided the the lights will be situated close to/near the cameras so that the cameras have as much freedom as possible for move around and follow characters without and of the equipment being seen in a shot.  The house also has large windows which gives us the opportunity to use lots of natu...

To come up with ideas for the title sequence, I expressed my title sequence research to the rest of the group and described some the conventions I found. From that, we then had a brainstorming session where we came up with some ideas that we could incorporate into our title sequence.  We chose to go with an animated title sequence because we liked the examples of previous ones, and we agreed that would match and complement our main characters personalities.  Our main aims for it was for the title sequence to show the main characters and their personalities, for it to subtly  describe the main plot of the series. We decided that we wanted our title sequence to be quite minimal, as this was one of the themes I found in my research. We decided that it would feature our two main characters, Annie & Dean, and would represent their ideal life and bring to life their dream of becoming famous. We decided that this would include them walking along a red carpet ...

Once we decided on BBC 1 being our broadcast channel, I did some research on the credit style for the channel. The BBC has some specific rules that must be abided by if they are to broadcast the show. Some of these rules include: The text must be justified to the centre of the screen.  Credits cannot make a role appear specific to a gender, for example 'camera man', which can be written as 'camera operator' which doesn't suggest a gender.  Credit length should be between 25 - 30 seconds.  The BBC also has different rules depending on the type of production company. Due to the fact that Big Laughs Network would be considered an Independent Production Company, there are some extra guidelines that should be adhered to. These include: The company branding should appear on the end card and be no more than the name of the production company and their logo.  The end card should hold for three seconds.  "for BBC" should be written i...

I found that researching into a Director of Photography statement wasn't successful and I didn't find anything that gave me an idea of the type of things I should include. Due to this, I then decided my next best option would be to look at some of the previous pre-production books and make a list of the different things that have been concluded in the past. I made sure to look through a variety of different ones to get as much information as possible on what I should include. From this list, I then chose the topics that suited our production and were things that I felt were important to my role. MULTI-CAMERA FILMING: In this section, I want to talk about the history of multi-camera filming and what it actually means for a production. I want to include some explains of sitcoms that film with a multi-camera setup to give an idea of the final product and how they look compared to single-camera sitcoms.  I will explain why I have chosen to film with this style and ...

In my research into title sequences, I first looked at older examples to see if there any conventions of the opening titles in sitcoms.  Three of the main things that I identified in these titles sequences are: The characters are made obvious They identify the location It hints to the storyline of the show Keeping Up Appearances (1990 - 1995) The first example I looked at was Keeping Up Appearances which is a British Sitcom that began in the 1990. The first think I noticed was that the main character of the show was very clear. Hyacinth is seen making sure all the her books are straight, the her glasses are clear and sparkling and that we writes in a straight line. From this, it can be seen that she is a perfectionist and that she likes to make sure everything appears to be as it should.  This also begins to hint at the storyline of the show, in that although Hyacinth tries to make sure everything in her life is perfect, the shot of the b...

Gavin & Stacey is a British sitcom which focuses on the lives of the two main characters, as well as their friends and family. The show was originally broadcast on BBC Three and lasted 3 series, beginning in 2007 to 2010. The show displays some specific filming styles that have inspired my chosen style for Young & Famous. The first thing I noticed about the show was the natural lighting and how they make the show appear to be using natural house lights and lamps, when in reality the most likely have a grid on the ceiling and are lighting from above. To give off the idea that the house is lit naturally, the lamps in the scene are all turned on and use bright orange bulbs to make them stand out. Gavin & Stacey (Series 1, Episode 2) Gavin & Stacey (Series 1, Episode 2) If there is a scene that takes place in the evening, they show this by leaving the blinds or curtains open in the rooms to show that it is dark outside. They also use outside lig...