Masterclass: Beth Turrell Producer/Commissioner

Take home message: "you can be anything you want to be"
Went to Royal Holloway and the culture was a polar opposite to what she was use to-more high brow and a bit of a culture shock. Her roots inspire here work even now and the decisions she makes.

If you can crack brilliant storytelling you'll be fine
Whats important in the world right now- Why now?
THINK ABOUT THE AUDIENCE

Started off as a researcher for the BBC by fluke.
Got her teeth into 'What do artist do all day' BBC Four Documentary

  • Stories that understand how we see the world
  • That can take form in many different ways
  • Make your case not moan. If you have an idea and get the opportunity to just shout but make sure you can back it.


Develop some ideas
  • Commissioners don't want to read loads of text so should be a really visual pitch make idea in one line
  • Tabloid title, broadsheet content

"YOU LIVE OR DIE BY YOUR IDEAS!"

Three pillars to Documentary:
  1. Access
  2. Format
  3. Story
Having a talent who has an audience will bring their audience with them- Automatically will have an audience.

It's implicit and its current
When pitching people want to know WHY NOW?

Find what's current and look at from a different perspective
What type of storytelling works for them

Beyond the music: Grime Photography with Sian Anderson



"Never stay in your comfort zone or you'll make a bad film"

"90% of ideas pitched don't get commissioned"

Difficult to understand what is going on with documentary

 BBC THREE NEEDS:

• Relevance: the ideas and themes that matter to our audience

• Talkability: compulsively shareable content that gets people talking

• Timeliness: things that impact young people’s lives here and now

• Originality: our content can’t be derivative, only innovative


Know your commissioner and who you're pitching to.
Keep it simple and don't overcomplicate

Treatment:

  • How is it distinctive
  • presentation is key
  • outline the story
  • know everything
  • example scene are useful
  • Get a lot of pre-production done on development
  • Locations, where they are going to shoot


Britains got talent, magicians do really well, but usually a singing or dance group will win. Know your commissioners, be passionate and don't be held back by thinking its silly.

References:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/tv/articles/bbc-three

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Story Telling Unit-Camera Workshop 3: 180 degree rule

Image
In today's workshop we were split up into groups and given a one page script and asked to film two characters discussing the 180 degree rule . The key to this task was understanding this rule and applying it. The script was a very basic duologue; the two characters come together, sit down across from each other and have a small conversation until one leaves at the end after understanding the 180degree rule. I chose to have my version with an entrance of one of the characters who is late for a meeting regarding this rule. The dialogue then starts as he begins to explain the 180 degree rule. My idea was to have them both on 'oppersite' sides of the  table, which could have appeared more tense, until the character understands the rule, the tension is broken when the first character leaves. I also wanted to test this rule with the entrance of the first character. I really enjoyed this worksop and found it useful in learning and understanding the 180 degree rule. I di...
Read more

Pre-Production: Professional Practice Interviews

Image
During the summer, I was lucky enough to be asked to take part in a work experience programme being offered to by production company 'Bareska'. In this, myself and three others were given free rein of a professional client project. I was the Co-Producer/Director/editor. I agree to do this project as it was ad-hoc- so a project I was able to work around uni and work and was also a fantastic opportunity for me to practice for my third-year major project, even if I didn't end up doing a documentary. This was fantastic practice in pre-production, directing and just speaking with contributors about a secretive subject. The Symbolism Behind the Chair I wanted to make the chair the focal point t of this piece. I feel it adds story watching Ben walk into frame and the wide shot makes it seem as though he feels alone now he doesn't have his brother, The sun is beaming in which is very atmospheric and quite angelic.  With my roles for the major project, I am going to u...
Read more

News Production: DIY Tech

Image
I am working in a group with Jack, Gavin and Simon and today we had a brainstorm after our unit briefing to find out what we could make a news channel on. We really liked one of the examples of the work of previous students who's target audience was students. We found this something that we could relate to ourselves so would be something we would be passionate about and take an interest in. Our first idea was to base it on university courses where students are made to pay for their own materials rather than the universities providing it. It was also about students taking courses in nursing and how there has been a significant drop in people choosing such courses as a result of the rise in uni fees and having their funds cut (previously the government would fund those degrees). For a segment of each episode I though it would be a good idea to do something more light-hearted too. We want it to engage our target audience of students by keeping it humorous and interesting without ...
Read more