This week we had our first rehearsal and I finally got to fully participate! It was an incredible experience and I enjoyed it very much to be a floor manager. I feel like I did well, although there are, of course, many aspects to improve on.

I’ve got to be honest: in the beginning, everything was rather chaotic. Before we started, I printed out run sheets and scripts in multiple copies to distribute among the crew. I felt like it would help us concentrate and keep track of the time, although I have to admit that the first couple of rehearsals were incredibly messy… When we started our first rehearsal I was terrified of how little I was aware of what was happening. To be fair, no one really knew what was going on, but as a floor manager, I felt like I was supposed to be more informed. The start time kept changing and I wasn’t sure if I am the one to set the exact time, or just announce what was told to me. Producers tried to step forward and take charge of the timing, but in the end, no one did anything until the director told them so. We still managed to stay more or less on time though. Communication between two studios was a little messy as well: it was difficult to synchronise during the first couple of tries. I couldn’t talk to studio C and could only rely on approximate timing and the DA. By the way, in terms of group collaboration, I found myself talking mainly to the DA- she was giving me instructions and director’s requests. I thought I would have more contact with the director, but he wasn’t wearing his headset most of the time. The first couple of rehearsals were really messy and people were uncertain of what they were doing, but in several tries, we got much much better. I think it was necessary for us to mess up the first few times to get a feel of what it’s going to be like and learn our roles. I think everyone did their job really well in the end- it took us several tries to get on track but by the end of the day we were able to produce a clean and concise run-through. If I were to say so myself, we are ready for the live stream. Next week, I am going to learn the script by heart to be 100% aware of the situation. Hopefully, nothing will change again. I also want to be more in charge and take more control of the studio: this time I was just learning what to do and was sometimes hesitant.

It’s really difficult to describe the experience in detail because it was really chaotic and sometimes even spontaneous. I was running around trying to organise everyone, helping everywhere I could, and learning the ever-changing script on the way. It feels like the whole day lasted just one adrenaline-fuelled minute. Overall, I absolutely loved the stress and the pressure, and I am proud of what we achieved.