I definitely felt very rusty being on the Director’s seat again. It’s been awhile since I last directed a live studio broadcast. Because I was still getting back into things, I think we really tried to rush with the camera setups and getting to know how each equipment works. I started the day with telling the camera operators what kind of shot I was looking before we started shooting. I think because we spent so much time setting up we didn’t really have much time to rehearse and practice, which is something I’ll take note of for next time. When I re watch the take, there are definitely things I would improve, knowing the script much more and not underestimating the speed. I knew the script, but I couldn’t keep up with the speed, as I was use to doing talk and news shows. I needed to be faster with my decision making. Shooting multi-cam is very different from single cam. We have to work fast and utilise all our crew members and cameras at the same time. When I was part of the audience, while watching the other groups do their sketches, it was slightly different as they had more preparation time and didn’t have to factor the time to take the equipment out of the closet, so it was all about them readjusting their positions. But I notice while being part of the audience, even though the sketches were funny, we didn’t laugh, we laughed after the sketch was finish. So that was something I noticed different to using a laugh track and learning how to appreciate it just more, by thinking to myself, the laugh track is there so we don’t shy away from laughing when it wants us to. However most of these sketches were quick and to the point without breaks, leaving no room for laugh tracks. But watching from a live audience feels really different, as we don’t see the angles and edits used to make a sitcom, so everything kind of just looked static on stage.

The reading in week 3 discusses the use of laugh tracks and seeing if they are good or unneeded for modern sitcoms nowadays. The laugh track use to have its place on television, it was used to add more to the show. Until it got to the point where is was used to filter out bad jokes, by adding a laugh track in, the normal human response would be to laugh with it. However television these days have proven, you don’t need a laugh track to be a successful sitcom, such as Modern Family and the Office. Shows that use other methods to substitute from the laugh track. We characters breaking the 4th wall and informing the audience, making them feel more immerse within the experience. There were plenty of modern sitcoms that use a voice over to address the audience. The laugh track was originally used to help the audience feel more liveliness within the world of the sitcom, but some others have found a new way to immerse the audience without using the laugh track.

Going into this assignment where we had to plan and setup a multi-camera live studio setup pairing it with comedy sketch was relatively easy to think about on my part. For one, before this assignment even began, I already have experienced and knew the basics onto what goes on during a live television broadcast. Some of my other members were new to the idea, so I would help them out in some aspects based on my experiences. For our group, we were tasked at recreating a scene from Parks and Recreation. The scene was simple enough, it just had 2 actors and quick conversation. As the Director, I watched the scene multiple times to get an idea of how the scene will play out it my head, until I came with the conclusion of where to place my cameras. I planned on having a simple 3 camera setup with one camera each on a character and one shot of the entire stage. Because of my experience, I was confident in the setup I wanted to use, it was all up to Production to see if I can get the same result, I saw in my head.

With the rise of live television and social media, live television shows have found ways to keep up with technology and get the audience more involved with their programs. For example one show I watch on NBA TV, is called “The Starters” during that show, they ask the audience a question on tweeter, whether its poll or even make joke for them. But regardless at the end of each show, they will read out the tweets. So the audience who are watching the show and are participating in their live tweets can basically feel like they’re part of the show as well. So with live tweeting and social media, tv shows can find a way for its audience to participate in the show as well, as having a small voice within the show. Another way for tv shows to get the audience into the show they’re into is by sometimes streaming a pre-show before the actual broadcast of the show. This can be a way to promote the show before it goes to air and at the same time the audience is still participating in the show, even though it may not be the actual broadcast. Basically social media used in live broadcast these days is to get a general and an outsider’s perspectives on what is being discussed in the show, so it doesn’t seem you’re hearing and seeing one voice the whole time. Participation from the audience is now big these days, because it used to be about entertaining the audience, the audience can be part of the entertainment now.

This week in class we were sent a task of live streaming. Whether it was on Periscope or on Twitch each group went out on live streamed whatever was available around. Our group decided we would give a live tour of RMIT campus. While live stream, I noticed it was quite hard to keep the content consistently entertaining. Because we didn’t exactly have a plan, we just decided to improvise on our way to our said location on stream. So during the stream, there were parts where it would be sort of quiet, but there are also live moments, like when we caught someone dabbing on stream, so we decided to quickly film that as something entertaining for the viewer. The main problem with live streaming, would be trying to find ways to keep the stream entertaining, so you don’t have too much dead air. But the good thing about live streaming, was that because we were giving a tour of RMIT, we made the viewer feel like they were there at the scene with us, so it was an experience they can experience at the same time. We mainly used Periscope on our phones. As a streaming app, it was simple and easy to setup. We can see the comments as it happens live and have easy analytics to assess. One thing we couldn’t do was look at what comments has been posted and at what time, without having to watch the live stream all over again.