End of Allocation Evaluation

For my end of allocation Evaluation, I will be discussing sections of my allocation of where I have exceled in my skill set, things I need to improve upon, and what I aim to learn more about for future production roles. I will be elaborating on both roles as Production Assistant and Camera Operator, as the show role of a camera operator was just as impactful as the role I was allocated with. In the allocation of a Production Assistant, the main skills and knowledge I have come to learn is to truly understand what this role entails. Before this allocation, I had a vague idea of what this role contained as seen from my AAP before I began, of which was aiding Josh Collins, Production Manager, in duties such as; completing interdepartmental tasks set by the PM, as well as becoming more confident in my communicative skills. In ready to prepare for my later role as an ASM for my elective and perhaps in a PM role in my third year. I prepared for this role by learning as many names from the production as possible, having a to-do list system in place and to prepared to be more confident with others either over zoom or in person.

As I do feel like my communication skills have improved in this allocation, most of what I have learnt is patience and sticking up for what you feel is the right decision. I have become a more confident person in different ways that I had originally intended. I understand that choosing your battles is a very important negotiable skill- but sticking to what you feel is right is also very important. I feel like I have become less over-shadowed and less fearful of creatives in both this role as PA and as a Camera Operator. The skills I have learnt specifically in PA is better confidence in Excel Spreadsheeting, Risk Assessments and AutoCAD Drawings. I must say what was really interesting to me, was observing how Josh was organising everything; from progress meetings, to thinking ahead about the space throughout the fit-up period and liaising with all departments to make sure everyone is working cohesively. The most valuable part of this experience was just being in the space and learning how all departments come together.

In terms of being a Camera Operator- learning how to use the 'Bird Dog' operating console has been such a great experience, as I can take this forward for any future broadcasted performance, or now have the first-hand knowledge on what it is like to do a show role such as this. Before this role- I didn’t really know what, a Vision Mixer was, or what the camera caller really did. As well as having vague knowledge on the what the AV/Broadcasting department role entails- and now I fully understand. I never really did any camera work before this role either, as film was never an interest of mine, mainly because I haven't tried it. I can say now I am definitely more interested in broadcast as a future prospect of mine. Time management and knowing your limits as a Camera Operator is vital to excel in this role to the best of your ability. Being clear when it becomes too difficult or if a shot can be made or not. This role gave me those communication skills I wanted to improve upon in my AAP.

As a PA I wish to improve upon my willingness to do the smallest tasks set by the PM. I found myself becoming more frustrated with completing activities that seemed to have little impact- when in the grand scheme of things did. For example; Sharpie'ing the door hinges onstage black, adding even more masking at the doors, painting the stage floor at the entrances and exits black, or 'brailing' the full black at the back of the set with 3 sets of 3x1 timber. I thought all of these tasks were unnecessary but most of this is to maintain a working relationship with the creatives than it is to be impactful. I aim to have a better attitude towards these kinds of tasks when approaching POD as a PA. Furthermore, as I am used to this now, I don't feel these tasks will come as a surprise next time round so this in turn, should aid me in being more positive.

As a Camera Operator I wish to improve upon similar reasons as my PA which was my frustration with some of what we were being asked to do. There were times where I feel like I needed to restrain myself from starting an argument with the director from the sheer amount of Tech Notes we were getting for only 4 performances. I found myself becoming angrier with how the Vision Mixer kept reminding me of exposure levels when I can clearly see it is an issue and is doing all in my power to change it. Overall, I do believe in hindsight I used inside voices for most of this. But moving forward I want to become a calmer person in general on the outside and inside about these kinds of situations. I keep hoping some situations are subject to change but sometimes they just aren’t, and I have to learn to deal with that better.

Reflecting on working with other production members, it was mostly a positive experience. I was with 3 other PAs for the first 6 weeks of this allocation of which was; Ed Walters, Emily Robertson and Georgie Bottone. Ed Walters is a really nice person to work with; he’s organised and receptive to any thoughts and feelings I had. The only negative feedback I can give is that he tends to neglect his PA responsibilities/jobs and end up in helping LX quite a lot of the time. Of which I am sympathetic to as PA jobs can be very dull and we are both in TT- but he needs to stay on track with the task at hand, so his reliability in both paperwork and hands on tasks sometimes was questionable. With Emily, I have nothing but positive feedback. She was willing with everything that Josh and Simon tasked her with, even in areas not to her strength like assisting LX or building steel deck. She was hot on paperwork and sanitisation also which was great. The only thing I wish she did more was to voice her opinion to either Josh or Simon about her insecurities with some tasks. She was sometimes too compliant for my liking. Overall, really good PA.

Me and Georgie are very close friends to begin with and are basically a household or 'bubble' since the beginning of the lockdown, so we worked closely with tasks in general. Furthermore, she stayed on with me as PA and Camera Operator after 6 weeks as she has a double allocation with me. We are both quite outspoken and voice how we feel quite a lot of the time, which I feel works in our favour mostly. Especially when it came to dealing with the high demands of Simon Sturgess, external PM. However, Georgie can blurt things out that can come across unprofessional in the heat of the moment or say things in a tone that can be quite harsh. As I am close to her, I know it’s all from a good place and doesn't actually hold any malice, but others may not know that. At times I have to bring it up with her, but she does listen to me-so that is great. In terms of PA, with hand on tasks and organising people, she is brilliant with that. She knows what a priority should be and what shouldn't be. Biggest downfall is any paperwork, especially risk assessments, on the other hand, she is quite skilled with AutoCAD. I am so happy Georgie has been with me throughout this journey as she has been my rock on this allocation.

Feedback on external PM, Simon Sturgess is that I felt he was very good at his job. He noticed small details that no one else did and a lot of the time it saved us later on. A good example of this is when we changed the angling of the French bracing of the set. I didn’t see the point at first but then soon enough Simon Corder LD, asked about it moving, and we were already doing the task at hand. I can tell that he is very experienced in his role and was willing to do a lot of the jobs either on his own or with us as a team. The issue that we faced with him most of the time was that he liked to micro-manage everything that we need. He directed each of us individually for every team task- examples are moving the seating bank to create an alcove for a musician and building the quick-change area. I really feel like if we all just worked together and got on with it, these tasks would have been done a lot quicker. Another example of where I felt his perfectionist nature was overbearing was one morning before a progress meeting at 12, I had about 5 plus emails before I even woke up about altering the CAD plan. One of the criticisms was that the vertical masking flats weren’t flush against horizontal masking flats downstage on the plan. Looking at it, it was flush, and his response was when it was zoomed in- it wasn't. Just really picky and unnecessary changes for such a stressful morning. So sometimes he really wasn't helpful.

With the student Production Manager, Josh Collins, he was a fantastic Production Manager- especially for how much work he had to do for the first COVID safe show of the year AND it wasn't just an Opera but a Triple Bill. On top of that, he had to deal with creatives that were very demanding and not the nicest to work with. Under the circumstances, he really exceled to the tasks. As I was new to being a PA, I was finding the adjustment difficult when it comes to doing the tasks, he sent me to do. Over-time I understood what his role is properly, and I saw his confidence grow enormously over the 8-10 weeks. My main concern for Josh was that he was overworking himself, not taking any breaks and even working when he got home past 11pm. I would be more than happy to have Josh as a PM in the future.

I feel by analysing my thoughts and feelings of this allocation(s) have put into perspective of how I want to grow as a person rather a member of a production team going forward. My biggest aspect to overcome is the internal fight I have within myself to remain professional and headstrong but also wanting to confront others about decisions I don’t like. I aim to become someone people can trust, look up to and respect but I also want to break down some of the toxic, unnecessary relationships this industry faces. Such as treating the workforce as a food chain, slaving over creatives and seeing others lesser or better than oneself. I want a change, and sometimes a change can't be made by being compliant. However, this can be viewed as unprofessional and immature. So, I need to find a way to balance the two by being respected whilst making a difference. Reflecting on this now will propel me forward to be a better manager and organiser for my Grad Project in third year. I hope to organise a team for my vision and for us all to feel just as important as each other.