Workshop

Directing/vision mixing

One of the first workshops we had as a live unit was the vision mixing and directing workshop led by JG. A black magic vision mixer, a television screen, and three cameras were used in this experiment. JG demonstrated how live television works during this workshop, as the majority of us had never seen it before. JG demonstrated briefly how the director communicates with the vision mixer operator and how everything appears on the screen. Following that, everyone had the opportunity to try their hand at directing, vision mixing, being one of the three cameras, or even being a stand in. I didn't get a chance to direct the vision mixing that day because I was mostly on camera. However, observing the entire process was very interesting to me. Being on camera was very interesting because you always had to be on it when the director called out shots. 

Even though I didn't get to direct that day, I was given the opportunity to do so later in the project when we switched roles. I was just observing at first, and then I decided to give it a shot. It was all very new to me, but it was also very interesting. It was quite nerve-racking for me because I had never done any form of directing before, but once I sat down and started talking, it just felt good. Because it was my first time, I did make quite a few mistakes, such as speaking too quickly or forgetting what I needed to say. However, that is something that would come with practise. 

I'd like to give it another shot someday, or even observe in a more professional setting, because there's still a lot you can learn by simply observing. However, one thing I did miss out on was vision mixing; it was not something I put myself forward for or even considered doing, but I wish I had because it is an important part of live television.

Kevin price sound worksop 

Kevin Price is an industry professional who works with sound, and he has graciously agreed to give us a workshop on the Studer Vista 5 in the sound studios at Maidstone's studios. For the most part of the day, when Kevin came in, he told us stories about his experiences in the industry; he talked about what it's like to be a sound person and the types of people one might encounter in their day-to-day life in the industry. It was all very interesting to hear and enjoyable to listen to because Kevin is a fantastic character. Eventually, during the workshop, we went to the sound room at the studios, where Kevin took us through all of the fundamentals of the Vista 5.

On a different day from the worksop for talked me thru MADI (multichannel audio digital interface). Made allow you to send up to 64 discrete channels of audio via a single fibre optic cable over distances of up to 2km it supports audio forms up to 24-bit/192khz and does not use lossy compression. 

24, J., 2022. What is MADI? A guide to the audio format | Jigsaw24. [online] Jigsaw24.com. Available at: <https://www.jigsaw24.com/articles/what-is-madi-a-guide-to-the-audio-format> [Accessed 15 April 2022].