Where’s Camera 1?  Working from home…

Alec Bray

Did you see “Peter Crouch – Save Our Summer?”  Episode 1 on Saturday 06 June 2020?

Remote operated, tracked cameras as per the News studio.

I’ve seen programmes shot this way in Italy when on holidays (remember them?)  – for many years, Mediaset’s channel 5 early evening game shows have used remote cameras like this, but may be this is a first for a prime time BBC show? 

I have thought for many years that programmes like “Pointless” could be shot this way – my wife and I went to see “Pointless” being recorded some years back, and the cameras – standard peds with camerapersons – hardly twitched during the whole recording!

If this carries on, Roger will have to update “Cameraman – the Movie”:

As reported in the credits, the show took place at the (new) Riverside TV Studios!

 

Vernon Dyer

Oh blimey – that’s going back a bit!  Roger’s ‘Cameraman’ superhero strip cartoon in “Zerb”, with his 2001-on-a-ped ray gun!

 

Dave Plowman

Re: ..the ..standard peds with camerapersons – hardly twitched during the whole recording!

I thought they used some form of arm – as you often see the shadow clearing across their main screen tower. Which for some reason annoys me.

Likely because it looks like a boom arm shadow.

[Ed: at least one camera on an arm…]

Our Yorkshire Farm

Alec Bray

It is possible to make an outstanding TV production with amateurs and iPhones. Helped, of course, by idyllic scenery …

Amanda Owen filmed the last episode of “Our Yorkshire Farm” (Series 3) on her iPhone.

“Our Yorkshire Farm” (Channel 5) has been the most-watched programme in a 9pm slot for two weeks in a row (episodes 5 and 6), and the last episode (6) was set in lockdown. No TV crews allowed on site …”

Amanda (and the children) did the camerawork and sound …

And then there was “Clem Cam” with the camera strapped to the head of four-year old Clem:

For the most of the programme, the picture quality and framing would put some professional crews to shame (OK, a bit of an exaggeration, but I wonder how many of the audience would have noticed any difference to the profession crew work).  And ClemCam etc was charming!

It just shows what can be done.

 

Dave Plowman

Re: “Our Yorkshire Farm” (Channel 5) has been the most-watched programme in a 9pm slot for two weeks in a row

Is that Ch5 only, or across all networks?

 

Alec Bray

Across all networks!

 

Alan Taylor

Being the most popular programme across the networks is greatly affected by what it’s up against.  This Tuesday (25^th August 2020) it had a repeat of “Who Do You Think You Are?” On BBC 1, “Manctopia” on  BBC 2, A repeat of “Morse” on 3 (ITV) and “[How to Avoid a Second Wave]” on Channel 4 with a programme about the Yorkshire Ripper on BBC Four.

The show is pretty good, but it was up against rather poor competition.

 

Brian Curtis

We watched it and it was very well done by Amanda and family right down to Clem Cam. The sound was pretty good too, only a little bit of wind noise, but that’s to be expected out on the moors with iPhones.

Masks

Tony Grant

This was sent to me by one of my U3A chums:

 

Graham Maunder

They are £11.99 each from a cameraman called Tom Sykes (Or DIY via www.tsykes.co.uk/masks)

Virtual Audiences

“Britain’s Got Talent” and “The Last Night of the Proms” were just two of the programmes in September which normally have raucous live audiences but which went out live with Virtual Audiences, and with the performers suitably socially distanced:

 

Socially Distanced Audiences

“The Graham Norton Show” returned on 02 October 2020 with a socially distanced audience – with masks – and socially distanced guests:

(By 10th November, with the new 4-week lockdown in England, the socially-distanced audience had gone…)

“Strictly Come Dancing”  returned on 24 October 2020 also with a socially distanced audience – mainly NHS workers and with masks – and socially distanced performers and judges:

On 7^th November – in the first week of the second England lockdown – there was no audience. 0n 14^th November, judge Motsi Mabusi was self-isolating, and dancing couple Nicola Adams and Katya Jones were out of the competition as they had been in contact with infected people.

And ITV’s “I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here” had to relocate from outside in the Australian outback to inside Gwrych Castle, Wales, because of the pandemic.

And finally ..

Monday 14 September 2020:  Social gatherings of more than six people are now illegal in England as the coronavirus “rule of six” comes into force.

The Seven Dwarfs have been advised, one of them is not Happy.

And Sneezy is self-isolating.  Picture evidence attached!

It’s OK! There are only six dwarfs. Doc is only available by telephone appointment.

Thanks to Pat Heigham, Graeme Wall, Nick Ware, Mike Jordan, Alec Bray