Paul Appleby (Executive Producer)

In today's session Paul Appleby came in for a chat, Paul is a producer for the BBC and is about to go freelance. Paul was a very enthusiastic man and had lots to share; we quizzed him about the future of broadcasting which he was very ken to talk about. Paul was very interested in the future of broadcasting, he really emphasised the importance of the audience and he his really keen to involve the audience more he said that the internet can allow this, he told us that television can get the audience interested in the subject and then the internet can then be there to give more information for those who wish to find out more, he said this is a good way to find your qualitative audience rather than the quantative audience and that this is important because they can give feedback to you so that you are able to know what your audience wants. Below you will see 3 of the questions I asked Paul and some of the interesting answers he gave me;

1) How do you think the changing technology will affect broadcasting?

He believes that the media will become more net based and believes this will make it easier to target specific audiences as it is easier to set recommendations such as the one we can see on itunes. He also stated that it could effect the social aspect such as people chatting about big event viewing such as a world cup final so he said its important to be sophisticated with the new technology so basically to still show the big events as they happen. A third point Paul made about this was the new technology gives audiences more chance to view something for example if you miss something you are easily able to see it again on the net on sites such as BBC iplayer, the new technology also allows word of mouth to spread for example your friend may say did you see "planet earth last night, you would love it" this will then get you interested in watching this and due to the net if you didn't see it you are able to log on and watch it in your own time.

2) What do you have to do, to ensure your programme fulfils the rules with in ofcom? And will this still be the case with broadcasting on the net?

Paul stated that when he is producing a programme he goes to a checklist to make sure that it won't upset the majority of the audience. He then gave us an Internet link so that we can check out the guidelines for ourselves this can be seen below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/

In terms of the internet effecting the rules of ofcom Paul did say it would be really tough to manage but stated that the audience have to become responsible for what they view, because things such as the watershed can’t be forced on net based programming. He suggested that adding warning messages to the start of programmes, so that the audience know that they may find it offensive.

3) Is there more job opportunities with in the media, due to the development of interactive T.V?

He stated it doesn’t exactly offer more job opportunities but said that it makes it easier to get stuff out there for example it may be easier to get something on television but will not necessarily get paid or a job out of it, he also said it gives you more chance to get a message across.

Cojack Interview

Its taken me ages but I have finally managed to convert my interview into an mp3 so that I can share it on my blog!

Earlier on in the semester we interviewed a band called cojack, we were split into groups and prepared some questions to front to one of the band memebers, we then had to edit this inter view and add some music to the package this can be heard below:

Mark Fox Phone Interview

I was set a task to undertake a phone interview with an editor Mark Fox, I had a list of pre-prepared questions which can be heard in the embeded mp3 below, I found out some interesting information from mark, I found it very interesting how some of his methods differed from the methods of Andy Netley a previous editor we had spoken to, I found this interesting because it shows how much freedom you get within editing and it allows you to add your own touch.

Sanjida O'Connell (Presenter/Producer/Writer)

Sanjida is a presenter, producer and a writer, she says that she enjoys presenting because it is less stressful than the other jobs, she stated that once the job is done its done, there’s no taking the work home with you. She also told us the best way to be, whilst presenting, is to be natural so that you come across as yourself. Sanjida went on to tell us some of the difficulties in presenting she said that sometimes it can be difficult because you can often get pigeon holed in one particular area, therefore you only get offered certain jobs so it’s a good idea to be adaptable. Sanjida then gave us a few kill skills for presenting they included; enthusiasm, knowledge, to be interesting, to be good with people and sound natural. She also told us that its important to research what you are presenting so that you have the information and understand what is going on so that you can present well. At the end of the session Sanjida told us how to go about becoming a presenter she said, to make a small film or show real, to practice lots, to get an agent as they can find work for you and finally have lots of full backs so that if you can’t get a presenting job you can do something else with in the industry then maybe one day have the opportunity to present.

Eric Hyton Freelance Camera Man

In today’s lecture a freelance cameraman, Eric Hyton came into for us to talk to. Eric has worked on shows such as the BBC’s Dr Who and Freaky Eaters, Eric had lots of tips to share with us, he explained that its important to learn the technical aspects to being a cameraman such as lighting, camera placement and the type of shot which is required he also stated that after a while this becomes second nature and said this then allows you to “look at the bigger picture” and start thinking about the storyline and plot and what type of shot is needed for the mood, or what fits in with the storyline, he said that its important to always listen to what people are saying so that you are able to learn the what is going on so that you know what might be affective to film so that the best opportunities don’t go begging. Eric also told us how important it is to learn how to solve problems quickly and affectively, such as learning to work with difficult people, he said, “do what it takes to get the job done” and to always focus on delivering your work. One tip Eric gave which I found interesting was to allow your own style to come through and to try lots of new things and that “that’s is the best way to learn”, but he did also state is important to be open to new ideas to help develop your own work even further.
Further on in the session Eric gave us a step by step guide on how to use a Sony Z1 camera, so he set up a mock interview in which he showed us how to position the interviewer and interviewee, what objects may to be suitable to have in shot relating to the subject matter, he showed us how to set the white balance so that the picture recorded looks natural and not orange, he also told us about the rule of thirds, in which you should imagine a grid on the screen, a certain objects should be placed with in the different sections on the screen for example the horizon is usually placed on the top 3rd or the bottom 3rd depending on what type of shot you need. I found the work of a camera very interesting, after talking to Eric I hadn’t realised how much work there is involved and how much effort and time you have to put into being a cameraman.