#TVFUTURES

Danny Hutchings

Author: Danny Hutchings

Published 1st February 2014

by Danny Hutchings Issue 85 - January 2014 Since introducing myself to tv-bay readers in October I have been working on two major assignments for this year, which are a video production unit based on a 20 minute documentary and a multimedia unit producing a studio-based TV show for exhibition on a range of platforms. These so far among other smaller units have definitely been the highlight of the course!
When starting our video production piece we decided to produce a 20-minute documentary on family run businesses in and around Weymouth with a traditional theme. When finding family run businesses to film it all went really smoothly as the owners of these were more than happy to co-operate with all that we needed, this made our whole production so much more easier!
What we ended up filming were 3 main elements, which were a glassblowing business, a delicatessen that has been here for 40 years and a local blacksmith who’s been working for the best part of 20 years. To break them up we filmed a series of short adverts/promotional videos for other companies around Weymouth: a West-Country inspired restaurant known for their pizzas, pies and ciders; a local theatre and the local FE college.
We split up into small groups and I took on the glassblower and theatre with 2 others in the group, both shoots went to plan – in fact better than planned in some respects. I strongly recommend checking out the Weymouth glassblower, so interesting watching him and his techniques! As of now we have everything filmed and have put our first edit together to fill our 20-minute slot plus a professional-sounding voiceover to introduce each section of the piece. We showed our lecturer before deadline day to see what feedback we could get and what to change to make it better… so far we are just under a Distinction! I’m very much looking forward to making those small changes and bringing the finished article to its full potential.
For the past month or so on top of the 20-minute doc we have been working on our multimedia project, which involves creating a 20-minute part live TV show of some kind - we chose to produce something similar to ‘Later with Jools Holland’, where there is a combination of live music from different artists and interviews. Now our basic planning is completed we are been trying to find the right variety of artists to fit the show. Alongside that I have been given responsibility for the set design. This is not something I’ve done or considered doing before but so far has been really fun and refreshing. I came up with the idea of breaking down wooden pallets to construct wooden frames, then screwing different shapes, sizes and angled bits of wood to catch the light in different ways when our lighting has been set up for it. Researching for the variety of music was quite interesting to see what was popular and available locally, so far we have one band and a solo artist on-board but are potentially searching for another 1 or 2.
Working on this project so far has given me greater confidence when working in a studio environment and I now know that there is so much more I need to know, I’m eager to get stuck in and learn!
I was contacted by a local artist, to film and capture a play for a TV programme ‘What artists do all day’. An informal piece, but it will be showcasing her work and how she produces it, explaining her processes. Not only will it help me cover criteria on my course for a client piece but its something that is different to what I normally do and should be an interesting and worthwhile experience!
We have also had an approach from the Weymouth BID project see if we could film and edit a promotional video of a Victorian Christmas event that takes place every year in Weymouth town centre, so that they could attract more interest from clients and customers and perhaps some additional sponsorship for this traditional evening in future. We have completed filming and are currently in the post-production stages, almost ready to show the client, I look forward to hearing his feedback!
Currently I’m searching for a top-up course in film production but not entirely sure which field to get into from there. Until then I am promoting myself and hoping for any work experiences/placements to get my foot in the door and build up a bit more of a network for the future!

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