Journals
Week 8: 02/11/2020
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03/11/2020​
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At the moment, I am overlapping Opera Triple Bill as a Camera Operator whilst ding Production Assistant work on POD.
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Started off altering four Risk Assessments that have already been identified; Blood onstage, Wearing High Heels, performance at height, Smoking on stage.
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Sent an email to Josh Collins to ask what further PPE he orders on a daily basis for the opera to then use on POD
04/11/2020
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Sent RAs to Ben Wallace and Sam Bennelick-Jones for signing off
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05/11/2020
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Sent over COVID PPE Safety Item Excel Spreadsheet to Maisie Roberts. Josh Collins (Opera PM) edited my original PPE list for the opera and included two more tables. Yellow table is what SS needs and the Red table is what needs to keep being reordered. This should kick start any amazon purchases.
06/11/2020
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Begin the write up for the Meeting Minutes from the POD progress meeting.
Reflection of the week:
This is my first week of doing any Production Assistant work for Maisie. Still, the progress has been very slowly and wont come into full force until the fit up next week- starting on Thursday 12th. I aim to finish the progress meeting minutes and re-draw the Silk Street Cad Plan for the production desks using the names of the new team. Luckily for us, because me and Georgie are coming straight off of the Opera, all of these jobs should take half as long to do. I am looking forward to seeing how next week will go.
Week 9: 09/11/2020
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09/11/2020
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I finished the Meeting Minutes from the POD progress meeting on the weekend and emailed it to Maisie.
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Have been recieving multiple emails from Akhila about different aspects of how to Broadcast POD from her area of expertise (Screenshots)
10/11/2020
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Whilst on Opera strike in Silk Street Theatre, keeping in mind of whats best to strike or keep for POD when it fits up on thursday. Such as; keeping the quick change area, keeping the some chairs out and keeping the broadcast as it is.
11/11/2020
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POD Progress Meeting 3
12/11/2020
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Cleaned up the Student Production Office
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Write Risk Assessments for Gimble Wire across the stage and Actors Fighting whilst Socially Distanced. Added the Chewing Gum (Rehearsal Room) RA into teams.
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Oversaw first years on Load-in
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Was on flys for a majority of the afternoon flying in bars to move borders, LX and sound.
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Continued Georgies CAD Plan to organise the Production Desks (V1)
13/11/2020
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Construction fit up today
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Finished the first version of the CAD plan for the Production Desks. This was emailed as a PDF to the creatives for confirmation of placement.
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Created a variety of signs for the space, making sure there is an entrance and exit system for the auditorium.
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Talked to Sam Bull about the plastic sheeting and how to rig it- as well as the full black behind the side of the plastic sheeting (I only found this out today by the PM)
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Discussed the boom placement with Finlay (Prod LX) and luckily it doesnt affect the desks too heavily. The right side of the auditorum will have to be moved more left.
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I need to add wearing high heels as a hazard in the Action on a Platform Risk Assessment
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Had a discussion with Sam Bennilick Jones about mine and Georgies concerns with Maisies leadership as PM
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All four of us had a discussion about the best way to organise our tasks as well as talk through how to get the plastic sheeting against the auditorium right wall - not flush. Here is our solution:
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Helped Georgie make some steels for more trapeze bars to hang down from the gallery for the 4m black.
Reflection of the week:
This week has been very tough as I was transitioning from the Opera to the Drama, all within the same theatre. It has been very physically demanding and has also taken a strain on my mental health. I didn't realise this until the friday when my exhaustion was pointed out by external PM Sam Bennelick-Jones. Me and Georgie was sent home around 5 to get a longer weekend and to recover from 9 straight weeks of show time. Furthermore, transitioning from a PM of whom had so much pre-planned and was under control to another that should have sorted out certain tasks weeks ago- made me and Georgie more stressed. The exhaustion mixed with the stress, caused anger and frustration against Maisie (without her knowledge) and the panic of getting tasks done as the PM wasn't doing them caused me to have an injury. Upon reflection, as PAs we need to calm down, breathe and work through a task priority list that (hopefully) Maisie has organised for us on Monday.
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Week 10: 16/11/2020
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16/11/2020
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Created Version 2 of the POD Groundplan. I have moved costume staff behind the bathroom, shifted the auditorium right desks further left and have rearranged the steel deck placement more to the left so it is out of the way of the pre-filming area. I have noted that some sections are subject to change either for pre-filming or dress rehearsals.
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Printed out signage and put them on the necessary doors
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Construction were in to add more to the set as well as build the bathroom
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Discussed the production desks further with the production team and made further amendments such as; moving Karen onto steel deck and shifting costume across. As well as moving the desks down behind the bathroom.
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Went to front desk about the tables and they weren't aware of the email I sent last friday. I need 27 desks overall: 2 props desk, 2 mic tables and 18 production desks, but I only need to ask for 24 as we already have three tables.
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I measured out the corner of where the steel deck begins from the CAD plan and spiked it on the floor so we know that is our starting point. I have yet to spike the other side so I know that it is even but I have a feeling the position will most likely change anyway.
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We prepped the plastic sheeting ready for tomorrow- how we did this was by attaching 7 double-ended barrel clamps to the Auditorium right gallery with the clamp facing out without the top part attached. We then got three bits of rope, clove-hitched them onto the gallery and hauled up two bits of scaff to then sit ontop of the clamps. We took the top part of the outer clamp and fixed the scaff into place. Then me and Georgie rolled out the plastic sheeting but couldn't find any white gaffa to make the eyelets, so we have to wait for our flints order tomorrow.
17/11/2020
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LX focus all day.
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Edited the CAD Plan
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Added white gaffa to the white plastic sheeting and pierced holes into it
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went home early
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Edited smoking risk assessement
18/11/2020
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Created the performers walking around on stage risk assessment
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Altered the 'Bare Feet on stage' Risk Assessment for POD and added it to teams.
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Cut the plastic sheeting to size and tied the sash to the eyelets.
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Went down into the cloth store and got out two black legs for the back of the auditorium next to the house right
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Scaff was rigged as a trapeze from the back end of bridge 5 to then hang white plastic sheeting from
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White plastic sheeting was tied off to the scaff poles
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2 Heras fences was placed in front of the plastic sheet on the house right wall
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Tied to the two legs flush to the seating bank section directly behind the return of the white sheeting.
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Production desks were measured and laid out relating to the CAD plan, I moved the position of the ALD to be behind the LD and the programmers needed to be in a better position
19/11/2020
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Finished meeting minutes and uploaded to teams
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Fixed bracing to bathroom masking and put into place
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Fixed two masking flats together to be self supporting next to the bathroom for the monologue sequence.
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At the Welsh Centre on Grays inn road, watching the run through for POD.
20/11/2020
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Added a french brace with the pin hinges to a new masking flat for the bathroom as the other one was added to the two other flats instead
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Added 6x1 at the back of the bathroom masking flat in the middle with L plates
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I consulted with Matt Daw (Lighting Designer) about the placement of the practical on the flat when in view of the camera , Matt prefered it off-centre so that mean I had to attach more timber to fix practical to.
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I found a long peice of 3x1 and cut it to the spceific length to it between the flats structure. I then attached it short blocks of 3x1 that act as fixings.
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I opened up this practical, took the bulb out and drilled the practical through the masking to the 3x1 that act as fixings
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I opened up the practical, took the bulb out and drilled the practical through the masking to 3x1 behind it. Reattached the bulb and cover.
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Had an hour with broadcast, mostly setting exposures, colours and gains and storing them as presents
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Our order for more desk lamps and extenstions came, so I added more desk lamps and powered them up
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Taped up the running cables apart from the LX desk with white gaffa.
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Moved most flightcases backstage and tipped some to leave more space
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Cleaning it up backstage ready for SM get in at 6pm
Reflection of the week:
This week felt a lot more productive than the week before. Having the first years to assist was such a great help, and their enthusiasm for work made jobs get done really quickly. The jobs we were tasked with were a lot more satisfying to complete as they were large visual changes. Such as the plastic sheeting, steel deck, legs and masking flats. However there continued to be a lot of miscommunication and important information from the PM side was not being vocalised to us as PAs. Such as; the positions of the black legs were changing back and forth and we was not being notified. The plastic sheeting for the 'neutral zone' was not communicated. So as PAs we thought there was plastic sheeting to be stapled and draped to the black masking flats in the neutral zone- but when bringing Rose Bailey from paint to discuss this, she wasn't aware, so it made us look unproffessional. Rose then informed us that there is a new plastic sheet for the house right wall, for the pre-filming section, that is being done. This is the first that we heard of this. As PAs- we should have known first as we put a lot of effort and planning into getting the original sheet up, just to not be told that another painted sheet is covering it. I dont care how small the changes are, we have a right to know as we are liasing with other departments as well as giving information to first years.
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Week 11: 23/11/2020
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23/11/2020
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Stapled painted plastic sheet onto existing sheet
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Put green netting behind heras fencing with cables ties
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Added the third heras fencing to the neutral zone and put netting on that in the same way by cable tying.
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I helped Finlay by cable tying the two bulkhead practicals to either end of the Heras fencing for the filming segment
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Made a 'leaves on floor' risk assessment
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Joined Broadcast at 12.45 for the first tech. We went through shot by shot for Mothers monologue up untIl the second pre-recorded section
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Started framing Pecs monologue
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Created a Risk Assessment for the Gimble Camera
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Altered the acting on a raised platform from 4ft drop to a 1.5ft drop
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Added lino to the Bathroom flat and moved it back into the auditorium
24/11/2020
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Stretched half of the lino on the bathroom flat before heading up to broadcast
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Went through three monologues before lunch, such as; Pecs, Doorwhore and Mr Science
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Had to go through colours from 1.00 to 1.35 then have an hour lunch to then be back for 2.35. The tech sessions for us can become very confusing very quickly as the preset numbers as well as the cue numbers are not linear- its what Akhila Krishnan is used to as a broadcast director, so its something we need to get adjusted to
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Focusing on the character 'Facts'' section after lunch. Luckily we have 15 minute gimble scene after her monologue so we can relax a bit more in broadcast
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We finished at 5 as there was a paint call in the evening
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On the right is an example of the airtable link that we use to follow our cues. We have now started to add in screen grabs of today to help with where we are in the show
25/11/2020
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​We have two tech sessions today from 2pm to 9pm. ​
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For the first session we went from the first dance battle, of which is the dance showcase and the slap between Ginger and Golden. As well as the bathroom scene with Golden, New Girl and Sunny to Facts' monologue to then end with the outdoor conversation between Gabby and Pecs.
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In the tea break, we added some bell wire in-between the two bits of beige lino on the hard masking behind the bathroom door, so it separates them better. Jess Curtis was satisfied with the outcome and hoped for paint to come in add more to it.
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In the second session we went through the transition from Gabby and Pecs to the estatic dance scene to the second bathroom scene with Golden, New Girl and Sunny
26/11/2020
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We have been starting to plot broadcast and LX at 9.30 with Matt Daw and Akhila. We looked at the Orca scene and changed the cameras to black and white and saved them with presets.
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We started Tech in the afternoon with the end of the bathroom scene with Golden, New Girl and Sunny then the transition from that scene to the 'explosion' scene. We finished just before the start of the last bathroom scene.
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In the evening Tech session, we went from the third bathroom scene to the end of the show. However the final dance sequence for both LX and Broadcast hasn't been looked at, we plan to look at this tomorrow morning ready for the first Dress Rehearsal
27/11/2020
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In at 9.15 for Rig-Check then started plotting Broadcast and LX at 9.30 for the final dance sequence, mothers monologue and the Orca sequence.
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Attached the bell wire with hot glue to the lino for the bathroom flat and split the ends more
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Started first Dress Rehearsal at 2pm, then second Dress at 7pm.
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There were a few issues with the first dress rehearsal that I noticed. Such as; in cue 110.0 - Justice (Mother) moved from his mark. 115.0, 119.0 and 151.20 - Chloe didn't call these, perhaps didnt add them in the airtable? I talked through these with Chloe and she did just miss these. Cue 230.0 to change this preset to be more to the right so change the preset from 55 to 70? I also need to take note of how quick the preset change from 91 to 94 is on camera 2. I think its just a case of practising. Lastly, on Camera 1, preset 126 and 127 is wrong as it shows the rig.
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With the second dress rehersal, Akhila wanted to move camera shots live and preset them as we go. However because I control the most busy cameras, I found this really difficult.
Reflection of the week:
This week has been very long and slow, which is expected of Tech week. It felt a lot slower than the Opera I have to say as I feel like the creatives for POD are more perfectionists (in a good way) than those on the Opera- and I think that we can easily stop and start it- due to it being a drama, this can be a factor to the slow process. Working with Akhila Krishnan, our Broadcast Director, has been really enlightening to how a broadcast team is meant to work. Such as setting the exposures and colour settings as presets well before working with the actors. And using a more sustainable cue sheet online on Airtable. The only issue I have with Airtable is that you can't colour in the rows for our cues unless you have premium, which can be very confusing for me and Georgie to differenciate between eachother. I am concerned over how many Tech Notes that are left to go due to how particular and careful we was throughout the week. Im am also concerned with the birddog system as sometimes the presets changed after they've been saved. So I hope it will all go to plan on opening night.
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Week 12: 30/11/2020
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30/11/2020
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First we run through broadcast with LX and Company, starting with Facts 2 Monologue, Legendary scene, first dance before tea break
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Continued with Explosion scene then onto Doorwhore preset with the Gimble before Lunch
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Dress Rehearsal 3; not too many issues with my cameras, only a few with some framing issues and 2 cues that I need to look at auto focusing for. We then re-framed the last dance without Akhila. Added in a different camera 1 for the curtain call to catch the tech team on the gallery.
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First Show! I made an operator error in the showcase battle as I trying to pre-empt a later cue, therefore the camera spun around to the auditorium. The presets in the showcase were also very wrong- preset 55 made the camera spin to a wierd position. So this needs to be looked at. The section before mother faints in the estatic dance section (around cue 255) becomes really difficult for me to manage on my own, so I would like Georgie to help me if possible. Apart from this, it went rather smoothly.
01/12/2020
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Went through the majority of Camera 1 and 3 shots and lightened them up using manual iris gain on the controllers as it appeared a bit dark on the stream
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Went through the last dance so that Chloe (Camera Caller) can perfect it as it is a hard section for her, as well as presetting the curtain call. After tea break we looked at the estatic dance sequence, to frame up the kiss better and to try with Georgie taking one of my cues. This went rather well. We then moved onto the showcase dance to look at why the presets didnt work, we composed new presets for this section, so it should work better this time around.
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We did a more vigorous pre-show rig check, by calling every preset in the show to make sure we don't find any horrors along the way.
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Had Show 2 at 2.00 as a Matinee- it went really well for broadcast, especially as camera operators. We didn't mess up, the only things that affected us, wasn't our issue. Such as Umi and Aoife didnt hit their mark before the kiss- making Dan not hit the cue and therefore me and georgie were behind on presets. This was brought up by Jaime and Vicki and is a section that really needs to be looked as it is vital for storytelling.
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We had Justice (Mother) for a while after the show and lightened him up as he was really dark on the stream. After Dinner, the priority is getting the kiss/faint section correct for the next show.
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Repeated the new pre-show rig check
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Show 3 at 9.30 for the evening show. Everything went near perfectly for broadcast. The only issue we had was trying to catch up to the mishaps we had with sound being too early on their cues due to the actors not being in place. We need to be in at 5 tomorrow to do more tech notes with Akhila.
02/01/2020
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11.00, Production Review Meeting. We got high praise as camera operators.
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Start at 5 for further Tech Notes with Akhila. Changing a few presets to be lighter on the iris gain.
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Pre-show Rig Check
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Show 4 at 9.30- Last Show! Everything went to plan and only had 3 show notes that werent related to our department.
03/01/2020
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Striking POD from 9 to 4pm ​
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Got rid of the bathroom, neutral zone and pre-filming masking.
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Cleared and put away the production desks
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Cleaned a majority of the auditorium
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Collated last petty cash information onto the existing spreadsheet. Printed out the e-reciepts remaining and stapled all recepits in order from the spreadsheet and handed this into Barbican Finance. Approximately £8 was missing and I had to give them £10 from my personal money.
Reflection of the week:
This week has felt very rewarding overall, each show kept getting better and better. The only real issue I found was that the constant lighting and broadcast changes after opening night was taxing. We didn't get the 'show week' luxuries of only coming in for show time. These changes were made right up until the last night, and even though these changes did improve the details of the show, I question how necessary they were just for one more night, when it looked great before. The final night was momentous for all of us, it was a mix of relief of completing the last production of the term and also not finding any mistakes in the last show. It was a shame it ended for me feeling overwhelmed by the petty cash situation but the eagerness to get the show out and to get home earlier for christmas was evident in how quickly we finished.
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