As Live Production | Mockup VT and Experiments

So that we could get a better idea of how we will be shooting the VTs, we were set the task of creating a mockup VT.  As a production team, we decided to create a mockup of the 'Old to New' VT as this would require the most creativity and experimentation to show off a selection of clothing items.

The two VT teams decided to shoot on the same day so that we could share some of the roles and get an idea of how each team was planning to approach the VTs.  This meant that we would have a better idea of how to keep the format consistent between the VTs and that we had plenty of hands free on the day to help out with operating the cameras and sound, as well as modelling (which Aimée and I did for the mockup 'old to new' VT).

In terms of sound, I did not have much to do for the 'old to new' VT, as we agreed that the VT would rely on non-diegetic sound such as music.  I still ensured that the rode mic was still set up to record audio to the camera in case I needed any of this audio in the editing process.

As VT editor, I will need to put together the VT clips in an appropriate and consistent style that matches the rest of the show, but also fits in with the mood of the VT piece.

George (VT director) and I wanted to attempt to edit some of the footage to look like super 8 film to fit in with the 'old' theme.  There are several things I needed to consider changing about the footage we had from the mock shoot:

• Aspect ratio: Super 8 film is 4:3, so a good way of transitioning from 'old' to 'new' would be to change the aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9.  I remembered an effect from the latest episode of Doctor Who which merged footage shot in 2017 and 1965 by recreating the original scene then fading from the recent to the original footage using an animated overlay.  This is something I thought would work very nicely with the tone I was aiming for.

• The video effects I apply to the footage is also important to establish the era we were trying to recreate.  I researched how to recreate a super 8 film-look to get a better grasp of the effect I was going to achieve.

I found some footage online that used a Holga lens - Holga plastic cameras were popular in the 70s and 80s, and so by using this lens, we could potentially hit the mark for a more authentic vintage look.  I applied the other effects I had researched to get a good idea of how we could make the footage look older.



Once we had shot the mockup VT, I got to work editing the sequence.  The main issue I found was a lack of coverage, particularly static shots, as the full outfit shots were all tilts and pans.  This can be seen in the edit as the shots of the outfit prices were very short in the first half.  Therefore, for the real VT shoot, we will need to ensure that we get as much coverage as possible, especially for static shots.

I liked the 'glitch' effect I had achieved as this broke up the sequences nicely, so I will try and develop this further for the actual VT.  The text also did not feel entirely right so I would like to work on how I handle the graphics.  I did however, feel that the motion tracking I used worked effectively to tie in the movement to the informative side to the VT so I will be incorporating this into the real thing as well.



Making this mockup VT really helped us to hone in what we want to do with the real thing.  Whilst I do like the aspect ratio effect, it may distract from the clothes to a degree so we may not end up using it in the real thing.  I also need to work on how I use fonts which look more interesting and aesthetically pleasing.  Coverage is also absolutely vital for this sort of VT, therefore we will need to ensure we get as much coverage as possible in future.