Sophie Emmerson TV Production Blog

What We Did: During our second lighting workshop we looked at the different types of lighting and when we could use them: -Naturalism- in a gritty drama. -Pictorialism- this is similar to a painting style. -High key and Low key. -Subtractive- when light is taken away: for example using a canopy on a bright day. -Additive- Adding light -A direct source- when wanting to create hard lighting. -Indirect source- when wanting to create soft lighting. -Chiascurro- emphasises sharp light and shadows- Film Noir. During the workshop we created different lighting set ups in a team with a director telling us where they would like the lighting and what effects they want it to give off.  As the gaffer I was in charge of making sure the lighting was just as the director wanted it. The first thing that I did was collect any lighting that I thought we would need, as well as gels, diffusers and reflectors. Then I waited for the director to block the actors through what they would be do...

LOVE ACTUALLY - THE STORY OF KAREN AND HARRY STRAP LINE: All you need is love, or so they say. LOG LINE: The perfect traditional family is falling apart but can a broken mothers strength be the glue to hold it together at Christmas? SYNOPSIS: Nothing is more incredible but painful than the power of love, whether it is between a husband and wife, parent and child, it is rarely overcome. This is proved when Karen, a stay at home middle-aged mother is comfortably married to workaholic Harry, the managing director of a design agency. They have two children who are Karens pride and joy and she does everything she can to ensure they have happy childhoods with structure. Everything to do with the home is always done Karens way and Harry rarely helps. Karen is looking forward to their normal happy christmas but Harry puts a spanner in the works when it is revealed he is having an affair with his secretary. Karens first priority is her children therefore instead of getting angr...

Ben Taylor is predominantly a director but has also been a producer a couple of times. He is best known for directing the Bafta winning "Catastrophe" (2015) and majority of the episodes from series one of "Sex Education" (2019). The thing aspect of Taylor's work that interested me most was the originality to it. The visual style alone such as colour palettes and location make his shows stand out. For example with "Sex Education" it follows a year group of British Sixth students and how awkward teenager 'Otis' helps his classmates to overcome their sexual fears/ problems due to his mother being a sex therapist. Even though it is set in modern day in England there are many aspects that do not represent this. For example he uses extremely bright and contrasting colours throughout the episodes that almost add a 1970's/80's tone to it. There are also elements such as the size of houses and set up of the school that make it feel American. Tay...

Paul Whittington Paul Whittington is a director and writer. He focuses on many social realisms dramas and enjoys to "get lost in the story". He is most famous for directing 'Little Boy Blue' (2017), and 'The Moorside' (2017). Paul Whittington has a very original directing style that is almost documentary like. He uses handheld shots for almost every scene to make it seem as if we are part of the story and 'involved' in what's happening, he also uses it to emphasise panic, in more hectic scenes the shot will appear shakier. This may be because "The Moorside" and "Little Boy Blue" are both based on true stories so it's important that they feel real and handheld shots do help this therefore I like this directorial choice. The trailer to "The Moorside" portrays how much Whittington decides to use handheld: "The Moorside" (2017) trailer Another part of Whittingtons style that I like and will influenc...

What We Did: On 8th January we had our first lighting workshop with Ferg. The first ideas we discussed is why we need light and this is for three main reasons: -Exposure -Focus -Mood Ferg told us that before setting up any lighting we MUST consider what the end goal it. This is key as there is no important moving lights to different places and setting them all up and then deciding what the goal is and having to move them around when there are actors and lots of people on a set. The first light that we looked at was the Tungsten: -It renders the colour of images well which is useful for always knowing what the end result will always look like. -It is a yellow light (around 3200 Kelvins) and has a spot and a flood option. -It gets very very hot! -The further away it is from an object the more precise the shadows are but the closer the object is to the light, the shadows 'bloom' and feather at the edges. -You can shape the light with barn doors. We then learn...

What We Did: During this workshop we looked at how to create different perspectives and how to move the camera around. Firstly we looked at shot types and angles and what the purpose is of them: -Interior shots- These make the viewer feel as if they are part of the scene, from the POV of a character. -Exterior shots- This is when the camera is placed outside of the action, for example an over the shoulder shot creates the sense that the audience is 'looking in' on the action.. -High and low angles- These either help to create power or diminish it. -Lens angles- This is when the camera zooms in or out, and also with wide angles; also known as fisheyes. We then went on to discuss moving the camera, and that we only move it for a purpose; it creates and enhances movement and therefore can change the perspective and tone to a scene. It also guides the audiences reading of a scene and the way that they view it, therefore it is important to only move the camera when nece...

Richard Curtis Richard Curtis was born in New Zealand in 1956 and he is predominantly a writer, producer and director. He graduated from Oxford University with a first in English Language and Literature. He first stepped into the television and film industry when he began writing 'Black Adder' (1983) with Rowan Atkinson. Curtis is very famous for this however the first film that he describes as 'successful' that he wrote was 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' (1994). He then went on to write some very famous romcoms such as 'Notting Hill' (1999), 'Bridget Jones Diary' (2001), 'Love Actually' (2003) and 'About Time' (2013). However the thing that interests me about Curtis is his directing. He has directed five films in total. His most famous being 'Love Actually', 'The Boat that Rocked' (2009) and most recently 'About Time'. All three are described as comedies with 'Love Actually' and 'About ...

What Does Richard Curtis' Work Mean To Me? Richard Curtis first inspired me when I was around twelve years old; I watched 'Love Actually' (2003) for the very first time and was captivated by the concept of having multiple narratives colliding to reach one end goal, love. Therefore when researching directors he definitely came to my mind but I discovered so much more about his work than I thought I already knew. For example he has a belief that "it's important to be there to feel the atmosphere of the location". and states how he rarely uses green screens because they take away the emotion. For example in Love Actually (video below) there is a scene set outside in London on a cold night, it would ave been easy to use a green screen however using the location does add a sense of rawness to the moment. The scene is extremely simple but even the shot types communicate to the audience the strong feelings in the scene by starting wide on each character and then sl...