Category Archives: 3rd Year BA Media Production

My Final Media Project ‘One Mic‘ was successful enough to make it on Television. It has got quite a few followers now, there are many people who ask me on a regular basis when the next series is out. As of now the next series is filmed, and is undergoing the post production process. The changes i have made to the lighting made the pictures look better with more depth. This time all the footage was filmed in the same format so there wasn’t a problem with quality of the video. This time the DJ recorded the quality of the sound the quality we required. We requested him not to use his equalizer. It has demonstrated a high standard of production which has now made it on OHTV a well established independent TV network, with high international presence.

I must thank a few people first:

Pav Vryaparj for being there for me when i thought i just can’t blog no more.

Mum and Dad for sending me to uni and helping me thought it.

Jamal for being such a cool person to work with.

Shaka for making it possible to air on OHTV

My logo: which appeared at the end of each show (full screen)…

In conclusion, my progression this year throughout level 3 has been tremendous. Its all been an amazing expiriance, iv learnt so much and opened my eyes to the world and it evils. I feel i have developed the skills in the audit i constructed. My main aim was to gain experience in pre and post production processes and distribute the show to a wider population. I wanted to create a prodcution for FMP which was on a high threshold and i feel i achieved this. My aims have been fullfilled and i now look faward to working with Repdat on their second series. My logo has been well recieved and advertised, this is getting me widely recognised and adding to my twitter and web followers. I can estimate 40+ unique followers have joined me since one mic and many more daily.

This is just the beginning…

One Mic DVD Label

One Mic DVD Cover In Lay

Poster

The Advert That Was Aired on OHTV Sky 199

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

DropBox

One Mic was a great experience from start to finish, It was a very good learning experience where i was able to pull of a production that was going to be aired on OHTV. Thought out the whole time i was part of this project i felt as if i was accomplishing something.

Director In My Directors Jacket!

There was a few problems during the film and editing process but we have been able to over come them with quick thinking our toes, Gov was very good at helping me come up with solutions especially those related to editing.

Im The Director. So Let me make sure I like it before you press record.

The TV station was very Indecisive which made our jobs a little harder as  we had to send many cuts of the episodes back and forth so get them verified by the producer.  But this was good as i was able to understand better what the TV stations are looking for in the industry, this helped me broaden my knowledge and eye.

We also had problems with uploading files to Dropboxas the file sizes are too big as we wanted to keep the footage in the best possible format and resolution for the TV station. In order to get the files on Dropbox we had to ask the Producer to upgrade Gov’s  Dropbox account to accept files upto 10gb. This was a great ask and asking it helped make life easier. So ask and you just may get is another thing i learnt from this experience.

The TV station had one problem with one of the acts as he was too explicit in his material which gave us a little problem as we had to edit the act out and still make the narrative flow.  We dealt with the problems very swiftly but affective demonstrates how we can respond to many situations.

Apart from having to deal with a million emails from all the shows co ordinators i enjoyed every part of this project, it has made me learn so much about making a TV show. I was able to have my first shot at Directing a TV show which was amazing. I was also able to make valuable contacts from the TV station on a personal level which is a good prospect. Shaka Henry has already asked me to go and join OHTV after i leave uni. I also made many other connections which will allow me to further expand my skills as a director. Many of the artists are up and coming and all need music videos Directed, They have all taken my details and have promised business.

Sound Check!

There is another series for one mic being planned and they have asked me to organise another shoot. For this coming shoot i plan on making sure that this time there is no problems with delivery on time. I will make sure to invest in a Dropbox account to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I will also make sure that the cameras all record in the same format  suitable for editing on final cut pro. I will also make sure that the ride we catch to London is more spacious and comfortable as I like to keep my team happy and high spirited, this is something im especially keen on. I did make sure that i bought lunch for the crew at the services, but i made sure i built up the apetite first with a toke. I look forward to the next series of one mic especially if im working with these guys.

I was really happy to get exposure for my business Prophecy Media across 3 continents, Europe, Africa and The Americas, I was given  Exposer on all the advertising as well as on the posters at the Venue as well as having my Logo’s a splash at the end of the show.

Whatever you do, do not make any other plans! For Rep Dat, in association with OH TV will be showcasing the hottest, UK Urban talent to break through the barriers in 2012.

Filmed exclusively at the luxurious Kempinska Club in London, 9 artists competed in 3 genres, Reggae, Rap and R’n’B to be crowned the winner of One Mic. Winning the coveted prize of a 6 hour studio session with Unit 10 Recordings and a music video produced by Jimmy Chiba!

Guest Judges, Maria Kempinska (club owner & founder of Jongleurs Comedy Club), Tippa Irie (80′s Reggae legend), Lady Lush (Lady Gaga supporting act) and Solomon Penumuchi (A&R scout for Sony/BMG) all had a hard time determining the winners. It’s a wonder the fire crew weren’t called out with all the talent that set the stage ablaze!

Lil Miss Sunrize was the first of the acts to kick start the Reggae category. A feisty lady who lit up the stage with her presence and feel good tune – “You make me want to be in the sunshine listening to you…you make me feel good!” remarked Judge Maria.

Next to follow in the same category came the mighty Askala overflowing with confidence and full of acappella praise to Jah. Her strong vocals, stage presence and catchy hook “Put Jah First” had the judges and audience alike bobbing their heads along. One judge however, Tippa Irie, caused a stir when he commented on Askala’s dress sense “the way you look is not doing anything for me” he later went on to add that his fellow female judges (Kempinska & Lush) “will take you shopping” a comment that sent ripples of hisses and cussing throughout the audience. Judge Solomon however came to Askala’s rescue by saying that he really liked her image and thought it was cool.

Reddman UK was the final Reggae artist to grace the stage and he OWNED it! Full of character and with a song you couldn’t help but dance to, Reddman UK was in control and loving every second of his time on stage, even judge Lady Lush had to congratulate him, “You had a lot of energy” she gasped. “You looked cool and was cool” said Maria. Judge Solomon added that he “loved the track” and thought it would ”do well on radio and in clubs“. Reddman UK later disclosed that his track was already being played by Choice FM.

The second bouts of heavyweights were the Rap contenders. Here the judges were “looking for someone unique” someone that would light up the room – cue the entrance of B Hype! With his tongue in cheek lyrics, charisma and swagger to match, B Hype tore up the stage and sent the crowd into a frenzy when he performed “Heels and Handbags”. All four judges had nothing but praise for him“I’m finding it difficult to find something negative” commented Maria, even Tippa Irie (the Simon Cowell of the judges) remarked that he “liked the hype, the swagger!”

Just when you thought B Hype had it in the bag, up stepped Fdot1 with his remake of a classic Rose Royce hit “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore”. The energy that he flung out in his lyrical content onto the judges and the crowd wowed everyone. Working both the stage and the floor, Fdot1′s presence alone could light up a darkened room. “You remind me of Bone Thugs & Harmony…”declared Lady Lush “you kept everyone involved!“

So what could third contender Smartz bring to the ring that the other two hadn’t? B Hype rapped about the fine ladies, while “Fdot1″ spat lyrics about being played but Smartz, being true to his name, gave the crowd and judges realness in a thought provoking track about his darkest days, even judge Maria said that she could relate to that, “I absolutely loved the song and I think we’ve all been there and had our darkest days”. This round was a hard one for the judges to decide on.

Opening up the final round in the R’n’B/Soul category was Davinia. With her song about how she couldn’t get enough of a guy, left the judges impressed and they felt that they wanted more from her and each gave positive feedback.

Following Davinia was Deja (who incidently wasn’t billed to compete but did so as someone dropped out) his shy, nervousness made me want to wrap him up in my arms but it was me who melted when he sang the opening bars to his song “Fall”. If there was a song that you wanted a man to sing to you on Valentines Day – this would be it! The clarity of his voice, against the accompanying guitar, beautiful lyrics and his whole persona pulled at heartstrings throughout the audience. Speaking of his performance, Lady Lush said that he had a “versatile voice that can do other styles of music and that’s rare”. Solomon too commented on his versatility and song which was in his words “Simple but nice (with) heartfelt lyrics” Maria added that he looked great and that she couldn’t wait to see him perform more, while Tippa Irie said that Deja had a great future.

Ending the battle was Andrea Galaxy with her song “Sweetest Sin”. This wasn’t any old love song; it was a dark and heavy track which Andrea pulled off with her equally powerful voice. This song could easily make the transition into the charts and would do very well, the production was fantastic. The only constructive criticism the judges had was that she needed to own the stage but otherwise they were highly impressed.

So with all the judges again being so full of praise – how could they possibly choose a winner?? To find out that answer you need to tune in to OH TV, Sky channel 199 on Monday 5^th March at 10pm!

The concepts based on the title sequences of the show, show to us a microphone  with the words One Mic popping up as well as a instrumental beat for the sound track of the show. This allowed the viewer to get a schema of what the show is about. From the way it was produced its clear visually its not a mainstream talent show. The stage didnt look like it was of high production value but it was the mood and atmosphere of the event which created this difference.

People associated with the advertising and distribution as there was a lot of response form the  turn out of the event, there was a full house as well. For the show to work we need our Judges to be strong and Jamal delivered as he promised, they all gave great feed back and even a great performance from Lady Lush.

The talent show is not a new concept but the content of one mic was different compared to the likes of x factor and the voice where the music shown is usually pretty similer and usually something you have heard before. Most of the Artist performed their own original content and delivered to par, Redd Man UK was my favourite act of the evening and i wish he had won. I could relate to his songs as these were sounds iv heard before and they felt familiar.

When it came down to getting the angels of the shots perfect i worked with my camera operators and gave them a brief understanding of what my vision was and from there they went and made my vision come to reality, that’s what a good camera operator must do and all mine done that. The shots were beautifully framed and Adams Stage camera was perfectly framed as he smoothly tracked the act on stage. I was also very happy with Yasmin and Sam on the sub team as they were able to carry out all the tasks that was required of them at a sufficient level.

The lighting in the venue was wonderful on the recce day but when we got there they had installed new stage lights that were a bit cool. Even after white balancing the camera was still had a hue of blue in the picture. In order to compensate for this lighting problem we used 3 dedo lights to create a nice ambiance on stage. However this soon became a huge problem as Tayo’s camera was capturing a huge shadow being casted on the judges by the act on stage. This was quickly resolved on the 10 min break.

The mood of the show was very welcoming and warm as we colour corrected the blue hue out of the shot. This made the show look more welcoming to the viewers eye as well as mine.

The show was very diverse as there was acts from all walks of life, some teachers some students some business men some unemployed. The show had class diversity as well as having ethnic diversity.

Finally the producers left unanswered from the television show was what the viewers would think at home. Obviously there was no accurate wider public vote and the judges gave there final decisions on the best talent. Hearing the studio audiences responses in cheers was convenient and simple for this production. However this can always be developed into an future idea.