I have given my answers to these questions after doing my own research on magazine programmes as well as my own opinion after completing the production of our group production.

•Why are studios used to make programmes when tape is so cheap and available?

My reasons for believing that studios are used in magazine programmes is because they create a sense of being, a central hub to control everything else that goes on in a magazine programme. It also creates a comforting homely atmosphere which is very welcoming to a viewer. Without the use of the studio programmes would be very similar, it would be hard to create a magazine show with all of its different features if they weren’t all in one place. A professional television studio would often have several rooms or sections – which are kept separate for noise and practicality reasons, in each of these rooms a different feature would take place. A studio can be used for live shows, or for recording live to tape or raw footage for postproduction so they can be useful for many things.

•What are magazine programmes?  Why do audiences like them?

Magazine programmes can either be specialist or general. As a group we chose to do a general magazine show as we felt it gave us more freedom to do that we wanted. They are both informative and entertaining, often consisting of different stories, news, demonstrations, debates, performances, games and general talk and gossip. More often then not they are presented by two presenters, one male one female, and sometimes three presenters if the magazine show is more specific, an example being Top Gear. Referring back to lecture two magazine shows are easy to make, they fill time and need and supply steady work and a good income.

Audiences seem to be drawn to these programmes because of the programme content, they will know exactly what it is they are getting from the programme. They seem to follow the same structure throughout the show often including similar content each week. Magazine shows are also very welcoming programmes as they are easy to watch and allow the audience to relax. They also consist of some very interesting content which varies in subject which can appeal to a wider audience. They also involve a lot of audience participation, and make a viewer often feel like they are taking part in the show. Whilst nurturing them throughout the programme reminding them of what is to come, and making an audience think that watching the programme is a worthwhile investment of there time.

• What are the limitations of magazine shows?  How can they be improved to ensure  they continue?

Magazine shows are limited due to there format, a magazine show is organised into different features, and each has its own story. A lot of these are regular features which will occur every week, i.e. general affairs, discussions, interviews etc. Although these make magazine shows easy to watch it also means they can often be repetitive. Because magazine shows have a laid-back and light hearted approach to presentation I think they will always be around to watch. After creating our own Magazine show I would say that to improve to ensure they continue they would need to keep up with recent affairs and a wide range of features that keep viewers interested in the programme. Again referring back to lecture two they should allow more `power to the people` using websites such as Twitter and Face book to get audience involvement within the show, an example being This mornings virtual choir experiment in 2009, which took place using YouTube.

• Consider other sources of distribution for magazines type shows?

Other then the TV I would suggest the internet as a source of distribution for magazine shows. The internet plays a huge part in today’s society and it is now easy to watch TV programmes online at any time. This would either be a good thing for an audience as they would be able to access the programme they wish to watch at any time – although if magazine shows can no longer keep up with what audiences wish to watch then no one would consider watching them online and instead they would choose the programmes they want to watch over magazine programmes.

There were a lot of problems that happened throughout our post production work and also during the live show, all of which we managed to resolve. Initially it was hard to get everyone’s participation in the group meetings as there were a lot of us and we weren’t all living in student accommodation or close to the uni. However after our producer Laura organised a schedule each week, everyone seemed to gradually fit into there chosen roles. It did seem however that throughout the weeks of post-production some group members were putting in a lot  more hard work then others, as it seemed to be the same people getting things done. This was a shame as we really needed to rely on each other to get a successful programme ready.

Our first problem seemed to be with completing the set; we wanted to use wallpaper although this seemed too expensive and had also been out of stock. Our next option was to us curtains which we had brought from IKEA, but this also didn’t work as they looked to white and modern for the type of set we wanted to create. I took it on myself to have a complete set-rethink and came up with some other ideas, such as painting the wallpaper ourselves and using student posters and graffiti. Kirsty also came up with the idea of using a fake brick wall which also worked really well.

We also had problems in getting a sports guest, but I managed to get a back-up in advance for the live show and Matthew was able to come in on time and practise with us before the show which was really helpful.

Towards the end of the production there were also some problems involving the graphics, but Laura and Mick resolved these problems and re-made the end graphics which for some reason hadn’t been completed in time.

We had a really early start Friday Morning so that we could get in and prepare the set and set up all the talkback, studio equipment and gallery equipment ready for nine. Everyone came in on time and got started getting everything set up. The rest of the wallpaper needed to be stapled up, all the furniture needed to be brought in, smaller objects needed to be placed in the correct places, i.e. pillows, flowers etc. Those people that needed scripts had them printed off, the guests needed to be briefed again and the sound and lighting needed to be ready to go.

Myself and Stan set up all the talk back leads and headphones as Sarah and Kirsty hadn’t come in as early so these where ready when they were needed. I also over looked how the set looked; going between the Gallery and Studio to make sure it looked good on the cameras. I also posited the sofa, chairs and table in the correct position as well as the pillows and the large boards of wallpaper. Me and Kate also stapled up the posters onto the boards, and I made sure everything that needed to be brought in between VTS was ready to be used quickly and carefully.

Before starting running through the live programme I suggested we had a rough practise, as it was early in the morning I wanted to make sure that everyone new what they were doing, including the guests. So we did a run through which went extremely well and really smoothly. After this Mick got everyone into the Gallery for a quick group talk, it had looked really good on the camera and everyone had done really well, however we all needed to keep up our concentration so that everyone new what was happening. I really enjoyed working as floor manager, and took charge in letting everyone in the studio know what needed to be done, what the times where and making sure the set was perfect. I also made sure all the guests were okay on each take and they knew where they were starting of from. Kate and Adam did really well in keeping an eye on me and the movements I had organised with them so they new which camera to look and when to stop and start, whilst still looking professional.

After looking over the first take the gallery crew had noticed that the lights needed to be changed around which was the Job of Yidan Li, we had to spend some time fixing the lights so they were positioned properly which altogether took away time we could have been filming. I had assumed the lights had been sorted out at the beginning of the day, as they are really important for the programme; however it seemed that our lighting designer had taken a look at them properly.

Once we were back on track we ran through the programme three times over – each time everyone seemed to be getting better and better and we the last take worked really well. Everyone had worked really well on each of the takes; however there always seemed to be something slightly wrong. Our best take was the last one but unfortunately there was a problem with the end credits which left a blue screen in the middle of the programme, so we decided to take the third take which turned out to be the best.

Everyone worked really well in producing each of the programme takes. The guests were absolutely brilliant and were always at the best. Admittedly some group members worked a lot harder then others which was a shame because I personally really enjoyed my role as Floor manager and would like to think I did my best at my individual job not just for myself but also for all the other members in the group that wanted the production to go well. Our second year helpers were also a massive help and were always there for anything that we needed help with.

I found it hard to rely on other members in the group, especially when it seemed to be the same people putting in the hard work. Overall the production did go well, and everyone worked together.

These consent forms are for Model 1, Model 2, Sports Guest speaker, and both musicans. It was important that we had these signed and ready for the 4th so that if anything had happened whilst in the studio, we had all the correct forms signed by all non crew members. There were no problems with anyone of the guests signing them as they were all briefed about everything that was going on. We all worked hard to make the guests feel welcome. I felt that it was my role as floor manager to talk to them and make sure they new what was going on and where they needed to be. I also offered them drinks and somewhere to wait whilst we were organising everything else. I understood that setting up the studio for other items in the show can be very boring for anyone that isnt involved in these sections, especailly as we had to repeat the programme more then once. So i wanted to keep the guests informed about everything that was going on and how long it was before they were needed next, whilst also making sure everyone else was organised in changing the set over so that no one was waiting around with nothing to do for to long.

Health and Safety risk assesment forms -

After Laura had completed these risk assesment forms for the interim crit last week, myself and Mick (Director) read through them to make sure we were happy with what the risks were and how we were able to resolve them. I agreed with all the risks laura has brought up on the form and new in advance what kinds of risks there might be.

Later on today we will be going into the studio to set up for the morning; this will hopefully give us a head start when we get started tomorrow. Yesterdays practise went really well and everyone worked well together. I am really looking forward to getting the set up and ready to go so that we have plenty of time to run through the programme to create our best take.

To complete task three we decided to get into groups of three or four, so me and the camera crew decided to get together for this task. It was filmed whilst having a studio practise so all the equipment was out and ready to go. We want each of us to talk a small amount about what our job included and the rest of the footage would be us working/behind the scenes. I tried to be really creative with editing this short video so that viewers could take a look at a behind the scenes look at what we were doing.

• Tuesday 9- 1 Studio Practise

• Wednesday – Group meeting

• Friday  1-4pm Lighting and Set

Seeing as we now only have two weeks left before we have to film the live programme we wanted to have everything prepared way in advance so that all we now need to do is lots of studio practise to get everything perfect. There are a few things that need to be completed this week such as the set, placing a clock on theVT tapes, the discussion and fashion section of the programme. The majority of that will be compelted this week so next will be spent in the studio practising.

Everyone seems to be working well together as a group – some poeple do seem to be putting more effort in then others which can make things difficult for those of us that are working hard. Laura has been fantastic getting everyone together for group meetings and giving everyone deadlines for the indvidual work to be completed. I definatly feel that i have really involved myself with the entire process of the pre-production work. I took charge  in creating the set and where things need to be and have spent time working with a few others going over the script and working with the presenters when they are on set so that we can communicate clearly with each other. I have also worked with Laura, kirsty and sarah to complete the VT that we were assigned to do and that is also ready to be used.

As floor manager i have created some small cards to show the presenters when they have 30 seconds and 20 seconds left to wrap things up. This is something that me and the presenters talked about to try and make things easier for them and for me. The cards are colourful so when they see a specific colour they know how long they have left, without needing to watch me so much.

We have managed to get a lot of things done so far, and we have been really organised and prepared so far, In the next two weeks we need plenty of studio practise so that everything runs smoothly in the live programme.