This is the second video of the Q + A session. This video contains the audio of what was said during the session.
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Friday, 12 February 2010
Thursday, 11 February 2010
Feedback From BBC Blast
BBC Blast saw my blog for the show unit and left a comment on one of the blog posts. This is what it says:
Hi Mike!
Great to see you're thinking about uploading your project to Blast - and it's cool to see someone documenting how they put together a series like this. We look forward to seeing it!
And a handy hint: if you do upload to Blast then try not to put surnames in the credits, because for safety reasons we can't show videos which clearly identify young people.
All the best,
The Blast team
Hi Mike!
Great to see you're thinking about uploading your project to Blast - and it's cool to see someone documenting how they put together a series like this. We look forward to seeing it!
And a handy hint: if you do upload to Blast then try not to put surnames in the credits, because for safety reasons we can't show videos which clearly identify young people.
All the best,
The Blast team
Good stuff.
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Ending the story
Even though we were supposed to make three episodes of Lines, I felt the story was left unsolved so I decided to write a final part to the story.
The Last Line
INT. – THE DETENTION ROOM – EVENING
JAKE, ZEKE, TAYLOR and MEGAN are sitting around a table, visibly bored. SETH is pacing up and down the room.
SETH (murmuring)
I can’t be trapped. I can’t.
JAKE
You’re all missing the obvious here.
They all turn to face him.
JAKE (continued)
The door may be locked, but we have a window. Windows smash.
MEGAN
So can doors.
JAKE
Yes. But unfortunately, we do not have a bulldozer, so that’s out of the question.
ZEKE
I’m not smashing a window.
SETH
I bet you would if your mate asked you to.
ZEKE
Hey. That’s out of order. Taylor’s a troublemaker. He can do it.
TAYLOR (sighing)
Up yours.
MEGAN gets to her feet. She lifts up a chair. Fade to black. The window can be heard shattering.
SETH (shocked)
Whoa, Megan! Why would you do that?!
MEGAN
I only did what guys wanted to.
JAKE
Hey, guys. I found a key.
JAKE, ZEKE, TAYLOR and MEGAN are sitting around a table, visibly bored. SETH is pacing up and down the room.
SETH (murmuring)
I can’t be trapped. I can’t.
JAKE
You’re all missing the obvious here.
They all turn to face him.
JAKE (continued)
The door may be locked, but we have a window. Windows smash.
MEGAN
So can doors.
JAKE
Yes. But unfortunately, we do not have a bulldozer, so that’s out of the question.
ZEKE
I’m not smashing a window.
SETH
I bet you would if your mate asked you to.
ZEKE
Hey. That’s out of order. Taylor’s a troublemaker. He can do it.
TAYLOR (sighing)
Up yours.
MEGAN gets to her feet. She lifts up a chair. Fade to black. The window can be heard shattering.
SETH (shocked)
Whoa, Megan! Why would you do that?!
MEGAN
I only did what guys wanted to.
JAKE
Hey, guys. I found a key.
The third episode of Lines ended with all the characters being locked in the detention room. This ending explains how they all managed to get out of the detention room. I felt this was the perfect solution of how to end the story.
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Band Poster
Here is a copy of the poster that I designed to look for unsigned bands to send us some of their
music that we could use in Lines. I made this poster using the program called 'Pages'. I left the email address so that the bands could email their tracks to me so that I could review them and see if they fitted in with the episodes of Lines. I distributed these posters around the college in the hope that someone in a band would see them and send in their music.
music that we could use in Lines. I made this poster using the program called 'Pages'. I left the email address so that the bands could email their tracks to me so that I could review them and see if they fitted in with the episodes of Lines. I distributed these posters around the college in the hope that someone in a band would see them and send in their music.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Final Writeup
Using your experiences on this project and relating your own programmes to other webisodes you have researched, discuss how taking account of the online audience affects the process of showing creative work
Online shows can differ from TV shows or theatre by quite a lot. Online shows can be viewed at any time during the day, whether its in the morning or very late at night. TV shows can be viewed when they are first shown and are often repeated later on that day or on a different channel on a separate day. But the development in technology means that the programmes can be watched online at any time of the day.
They can also be watched on iPhones which are the latest model of phones, which can gain access to the internet by using wifi. iPods can often be used to access the internet where online shows and tv shows can be watched. Theatre shows are completely different from that of online tv shows, in that the concept of online shows are very short, usually lasting from just two minutes to ten minutes. The average length of a tv show is 30 minutes to 60 minutes. The length of a play can be from an hour to three hours. The only way a play can be watched is if someone actually pays to see them, whereas online shows and tv shows are free to view.
They all appeal to different age ranges as well. Online shows mostly appeal to teenagers as a vast number of teenagers spend most of their time on the internet. Television shows, such as Skins or The Inbetweeners, are also aimed at teenagers, although shows like Eastenders or Midsumer Murders are aimed at a middle aged audience. The same can be said for that of theatre shows. They are primarily aimed at middle aged people, but you get shows like Grease or Mamma Mia! that also appeal to a younger audience. This shows that they are catering for all age groups.
Social networking seems to be the biggest way to reach teenage audiences. TV shows like Misfits and Skins have all their facebook groups which people can join, and also follows individual characters tweeting on twitter during the airing of each episode. The websites are also interactive and also give audience members the chance to participate in the making of the show by a band sending in tracks from their myspace or getting the chance to cameo in a future episode. This generates a lot of public interest as they like the opportunity to get involved with projects. We decided to make the main page for Lines on facebook because a large number of teenagers spend their spare time on facebook. This would help to maximize publicity for Lines.
Lines has sparked quite a bit of popularity online. The first episode was a massive success with over two hundred views on the second day of its launch. A lot of the youtube comments were very positive and we ended up with over eight hundred views. Some of the major criticisms we received from the first episode was that the acting was poor, the sound levels were different and we needed a variety of shots. We took all this into consideration and in the second episode, we had a varied use of camera shots and also tried to sort out the sound issue.
There was a massive reduction in views for the second episode. We have two hundred views. The third episode also has roughly the same amount of views, so we may have reached our peak early. With the second episode, there were some criticisms that the story didn’t go anywhere, so with the third episode, we tried to make the episode more entertaining. This worked to a certain extent, but we still got criticism for the continuity between episodes two and three.
Having looked at Living With The Infidels, an online series, their series has the episodes uploaded to their website and also on youtube. However, they have been uploaded on two separate occasions, which means when an episode is watched on their main website, the views on youtube remain the same. We tried to avoid this problem with Lines. A large number of our views are from a large number of websites, not just from youtube. This helps us to keep an accurate tally of all the views each episode has.
In conclusion, this has been a good project.
Online shows can differ from TV shows or theatre by quite a lot. Online shows can be viewed at any time during the day, whether its in the morning or very late at night. TV shows can be viewed when they are first shown and are often repeated later on that day or on a different channel on a separate day. But the development in technology means that the programmes can be watched online at any time of the day.
They can also be watched on iPhones which are the latest model of phones, which can gain access to the internet by using wifi. iPods can often be used to access the internet where online shows and tv shows can be watched. Theatre shows are completely different from that of online tv shows, in that the concept of online shows are very short, usually lasting from just two minutes to ten minutes. The average length of a tv show is 30 minutes to 60 minutes. The length of a play can be from an hour to three hours. The only way a play can be watched is if someone actually pays to see them, whereas online shows and tv shows are free to view.
They all appeal to different age ranges as well. Online shows mostly appeal to teenagers as a vast number of teenagers spend most of their time on the internet. Television shows, such as Skins or The Inbetweeners, are also aimed at teenagers, although shows like Eastenders or Midsumer Murders are aimed at a middle aged audience. The same can be said for that of theatre shows. They are primarily aimed at middle aged people, but you get shows like Grease or Mamma Mia! that also appeal to a younger audience. This shows that they are catering for all age groups.
Social networking seems to be the biggest way to reach teenage audiences. TV shows like Misfits and Skins have all their facebook groups which people can join, and also follows individual characters tweeting on twitter during the airing of each episode. The websites are also interactive and also give audience members the chance to participate in the making of the show by a band sending in tracks from their myspace or getting the chance to cameo in a future episode. This generates a lot of public interest as they like the opportunity to get involved with projects. We decided to make the main page for Lines on facebook because a large number of teenagers spend their spare time on facebook. This would help to maximize publicity for Lines.
Lines has sparked quite a bit of popularity online. The first episode was a massive success with over two hundred views on the second day of its launch. A lot of the youtube comments were very positive and we ended up with over eight hundred views. Some of the major criticisms we received from the first episode was that the acting was poor, the sound levels were different and we needed a variety of shots. We took all this into consideration and in the second episode, we had a varied use of camera shots and also tried to sort out the sound issue.
There was a massive reduction in views for the second episode. We have two hundred views. The third episode also has roughly the same amount of views, so we may have reached our peak early. With the second episode, there were some criticisms that the story didn’t go anywhere, so with the third episode, we tried to make the episode more entertaining. This worked to a certain extent, but we still got criticism for the continuity between episodes two and three.
Having looked at Living With The Infidels, an online series, their series has the episodes uploaded to their website and also on youtube. However, they have been uploaded on two separate occasions, which means when an episode is watched on their main website, the views on youtube remain the same. We tried to avoid this problem with Lines. A large number of our views are from a large number of websites, not just from youtube. This helps us to keep an accurate tally of all the views each episode has.
In conclusion, this has been a good project.
Audience Research - Q + A Session
Here is the video for our Q + A session. The people participating are Chris Lyon, James Baker, Catherine Montgomery and Jack Talbot.
They gave us very good feedback and also said that we should make an episode 4. Woohoo!
They gave us very good feedback and also said that we should make an episode 4. Woohoo!
Audience Research - Questions
Here is a list of questions in preparation for the question and answer session. The questions were prepared by me and Tara.
1) What do you think of the concept of Lines?
(Shows first episode)
2) Overall, what did you think of the first episode? What were the strengths and weaknesses?
3) Did episode 1 make you feel like you wanted to carry on watching future episodes?
(show second episode)
4) What do you think is different from the first episode?
5) What did you think of the second episode? What were the strengths and weaknesses?
(show third episode)
6) Do you like how the story has progressed over the series?
7) What did you think of the third episode? What were the strengths and weaknesses?
8) What would you like to see in future episodes? Would you want a change of characters/different locations etc?
overall questions
9) What ways did the characters appeal to you, what did you like about them and the social groups they represented?
10) Do you think Lines was marketed well?
11) Are there any other ways you think we could promote the series of Lines? (not including facebook, myspace, twitter etc)
12) Would you look forward to an episode 4?
Thank you for taking the time to come to this Q + A session, we welcome any further feedback you may have.
1) What do you think of the concept of Lines?
(Shows first episode)
2) Overall, what did you think of the first episode? What were the strengths and weaknesses?
3) Did episode 1 make you feel like you wanted to carry on watching future episodes?
(show second episode)
4) What do you think is different from the first episode?
5) What did you think of the second episode? What were the strengths and weaknesses?
(show third episode)
6) Do you like how the story has progressed over the series?
7) What did you think of the third episode? What were the strengths and weaknesses?
8) What would you like to see in future episodes? Would you want a change of characters/different locations etc?
overall questions
9) What ways did the characters appeal to you, what did you like about them and the social groups they represented?
10) Do you think Lines was marketed well?
11) Are there any other ways you think we could promote the series of Lines? (not including facebook, myspace, twitter etc)
12) Would you look forward to an episode 4?
Thank you for taking the time to come to this Q + A session, we welcome any further feedback you may have.
Audience Research - Episode 3
Having released episode 3 of Lines on Monday 1st February, the
episode has had the least amount of time online than the other episodes. Here is a copy of the youtube comments from that video. We are still recieving comments regarding the structure of the episode and how things aren't being properly explained to the audience. Even though this was explained by a voiceover in the episode, maybe we need to make this clearer in future episodes. From 7th February 2010, the video had recieved a total of 231 views on youtube and two five star ratings. Here is a few charts explaining where the views came from.
episode has had the least amount of time online than the other episodes. Here is a copy of the youtube comments from that video. We are still recieving comments regarding the structure of the episode and how things aren't being properly explained to the audience. Even though this was explained by a voiceover in the episode, maybe we need to make this clearer in future episodes. From 7th February 2010, the video had recieved a total of 231 views on youtube and two five star ratings. Here is a few charts explaining where the views came from.Audience Research - Episode 2
Here is a list of all the youtube comments for the second episode of Lines. These were taken from youtube. As you can see, a number
of the people who have commented have left quite positive feedback about the episode, though there has been some confusion about the short runtime and also what the story is about as some people claim the story never really develops, which I feel is a true comment. By 7th February 2010 the video had recieved a total of 298 views, which is a massive drop from the first episode. However, this may be because some people did not enjoy watching the first episode, so they did not want to watch this episode. Here are some graphs.
of the people who have commented have left quite positive feedback about the episode, though there has been some confusion about the short runtime and also what the story is about as some people claim the story never really develops, which I feel is a true comment. By 7th February 2010 the video had recieved a total of 298 views, which is a massive drop from the first episode. However, this may be because some people did not enjoy watching the first episode, so they did not want to watch this episode. Here are some graphs.As you can see, a large number of the views are still coming from people watching the video on facebook. But what we are also starting to get is people watching the episode from watching either the first or third episodes. This is good as it shows people are interested in the series.
Audience Research - Episode 1
As of Sunday 7th February 2010, the first episode had a total of 806 views on youtube. Many of these views have come from other social sites where the video was posted. Here is a chart and graph
to prove this. 

As you can see, the majority of the views came from Facebook, which is where Lines is more heavily represented and marketed at. By the end of the first hour of Episode 1 being online, the video had recieved 89 views on youtube, which is pretty successfull. Episode 1 recieved a large number of views, which was a good confidence boost when it came to making the second episode.
to prove this. 

As you can see, the majority of the views came from Facebook, which is where Lines is more heavily represented and marketed at. By the end of the first hour of Episode 1 being online, the video had recieved 89 views on youtube, which is pretty successfull. Episode 1 recieved a large number of views, which was a good confidence boost when it came to making the second episode.
The Soundtrack
Costumes
As the story of Lines features a group of school kids in detention, we realised that we needed to put the kids in school uniform. I thought the uniform should be kept simple: black trousers, black shoes, white shirt and possibly a tie. I was thinking that alternative characters could wear different things in order to make their stereotypes stand out more. These are a few examples that I looked at.


Tim brought the costumes and they did not look much different, except from the fact that the cast did not wear a tie and did not wear the trousers. In my opinion, this made the characters stand out more in their individual stereotypes and hopefully make the audience realise why they had been put in detention in the first place.


Tim brought the costumes and they did not look much different, except from the fact that the cast did not wear a tie and did not wear the trousers. In my opinion, this made the characters stand out more in their individual stereotypes and hopefully make the audience realise why they had been put in detention in the first place.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Audience Research
Here is a screen grab of a message sent through facebook to invite people to attend a question and answer session in tomorrow's lesson. I shall also invite each of the cast members as well. Job
done.
done.
Feedback From Episode 2
Upon the launch of the second episode of Lines, we got feedback from each of the members of the class. The feedback is as follows:
Teacher Feedback
A couple of interesting shots
Strange narrative, cannot understand it (7 People mentioned this)
Cuts well
Characters work well
Sound levels are high & low (5 people mentioned this)
Taster bit / preview works well (3 people mentioned this)
Too much in one content in one episode (2 people mentioned this)
Good angles used
Jumps too much
Pointless shots used
Confusing genre (comedy or drama?)
Acting is not very good, could be better
Spy could of been done better, e.g appears in the room like is the skeleton
Silent moments ned sorting out
Need quicker cuts
Continuity works well
'Jaws' sound / music cuts in too suddenly & drops out to early
Teacher feedback (Pete)
Continuity with previous episode (costume, scripting) works well
Elliot's character has been developed well
Use of jaws music?
Suddenly goes silent
Much better editing than the 1st episode
Add footage, where it goes black / silent?
Like the taster for episode 3 at the end
We have taken this feedback into consideration and will make all the relevant changes with the third episode.
Teacher Feedback
A couple of interesting shots
Strange narrative, cannot understand it (7 People mentioned this)
Cuts well
Characters work well
Sound levels are high & low (5 people mentioned this)
Taster bit / preview works well (3 people mentioned this)
Too much in one content in one episode (2 people mentioned this)
Good angles used
Jumps too much
Pointless shots used
Confusing genre (comedy or drama?)
Acting is not very good, could be better
Spy could of been done better, e.g appears in the room like is the skeleton
Silent moments ned sorting out
Need quicker cuts
Continuity works well
'Jaws' sound / music cuts in too suddenly & drops out to early
Teacher feedback (Pete)
Continuity with previous episode (costume, scripting) works well
Elliot's character has been developed well
Use of jaws music?
Suddenly goes silent
Much better editing than the 1st episode
Add footage, where it goes black / silent?
Like the taster for episode 3 at the end
We have taken this feedback into consideration and will make all the relevant changes with the third episode.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Episode 1 Youtube Audience Feedback
Here are all of the youtube comments that we received after the first episode was put online.




Most of these are quite positive comments, although some of them do give suggestions as to how the episodes could be improved.
Lines - The Online Presence
We have our facebook group for Lines, which seems to be the first place to be updated. I have included a screen grab of the
group's facebook page. This is always being updated, keeping our audience involved in the progress of the series. We also have a myspace page for the group,
group's facebook page. This is always being updated, keeping our audience involved in the progress of the series. We also have a myspace page for the group,
which mainly focuses on the soundtrack for the series. This is where we found the band 'Kids Love
Lies' who gave us the rights to use their music in the series. Here is a
screen grab of our myspace page. Twitter is another social site used to help promote our series. Here is a screen grab of the main page. And finally, we come to the official

Lines website. Here is a screen grab of what the website looks like.
Creating A Discussion
Upon uploading the first episode of Lines to facebook for everyone to see, I created a discussion in the hope that some people
would leave feedback on what they thought of the episode, how the series could improve upon later episodes and also story suggestions. I thought this would be an important aspect of the show. Unfortunately, no one participated in this discussion. Maybe not enough people knew about the series to generate a proper discussion.
would leave feedback on what they thought of the episode, how the series could improve upon later episodes and also story suggestions. I thought this would be an important aspect of the show. Unfortunately, no one participated in this discussion. Maybe not enough people knew about the series to generate a proper discussion.
Cast Auditions
This is a brief video of everyone that auditioned for a role in Lines. Unfortunately, not everyone got the roles that they auditioned for.
Audition Lines
Here is a copy of each of the characters's lines used for the auditions for each of the characters.
We gave each of the candidates a set of three monologues to perform, whilst we filmed them. This was done so that we could see who would be more suited to each role.
We gave each of the candidates a set of three monologues to perform, whilst we filmed them. This was done so that we could see who would be more suited to each role. Lines Episode 3
Here is the third episode of Lines, which went online at 7:00 pm yesterday evening. The video was edited by Matt.
Hope you enjoy...
Episode 3 Poster
Here is the poster created to help promote the third episode of lines. It was created by Tim and
Tara and can be found on the lines facebook page.
Tara and can be found on the lines facebook page. Reflections From Filming
I became the new director for the third episode of Lines. Upon planning for the third episode, we learned that the teacher playing Teacher 1 was away in Disneyland. This caused slight problems for us as the teacher helped with the main plot arc for that episode. We sent out other emails to members of staff and as we never heard back from them in time, we had to cut the teacher out of the episode.
Another problem we encountered before we began filming was that the girl playing Katie, Angelica Thomson, was ill on the day of the shoot. This was a problem as she was an important part of the first half of the episode. We were going to replace her with someone else, but as we couldn't find anyone willing to appear in that role, we had to change the scene. Instead of Taylor having an argument with Katie in person, we changed it to Taylor arguing with her over the phone.
Now that we had this problem sorted out, we had to begin the task of creating a shot list and a storyboard for what we were going to shoot. I managed to plan the shot list for the majority of the episode, but there were some parts in which I weren't so sure where we were going to put the camera.
The end of the lesson arrived and we all headed over to the filming room, ready to begin filming. I felt that the shoot went smoothly. We filmed every scene from a number of different camera angles and positions. I then allowed Dave to film the rest of the footage so that episode 2 could be edited completely.
Afterwards, we filmed the corridor scene, which we had to cut short due to the fact we ran out of time. In total, we managed to get around fifteen minutes of footage, which I feel is quite good. I feel I did a fairly average job as director. We filmed everything that we needed to and I made the cast rehearse a few times before we filmed, in order to make them more confident in their roles and subsequently act better.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Lines Episode 3 Teaser Trailer
Here is the teaser trailer of the third episode of Lines, which is due to air tomorrow night.
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Arranging The Casting - 27/01/10
Today, I emailed all the cast members telling them that we shall be filming the third episode of Lines tomorrow afternoon. Here is a screengrab of the email.
Episode 2 Teaser Trailer
This is the teaser trailer to the second episode of Lines, which will be on air this Friday. This trailer was made due to the fact that the deadline had been extended for the second episode. Enjoy!
Lines Episode 2 Poster
Here is the poster to the second episode of Lines, which will be airing on Friday 29th January at 7:00 pm. This poster is very eye catching and looks very good with the effects. Once this has been put up, it will hopefully attract more people to tune in for the second episode and also going back to watch the first episode. Fingers crossed!
Class Feedback From The First Episode
After the launch of the first episode of Lines, the episode was shown to the whole class and they gave us feedback. After listing both sets of feedback, from the class and from Pete, our teacher. The feedback from the class is as follows:
Sound levels need improving (some bits are louder than others) (Mentioned 5 times)
CD films logo too long (Mentioned 4 times)
Credits are too fast at the end (Mentioned 3 times)
Poor acting
Opening sequence is to repetitive
Editing of the video is good & works well
Nice logos, they look well made and effective to the audience
Poorly recorded narration
Inappropriate music used throughout the video (including the opening sequence)
Camera work could be better
Too many cuts
Script is too basic
Poor cuts used
Poorly planned
The actors need rehearsals before acting in next video as they don't seem very confident in the first episode (Mentioned 3 times)
Catchy song works well (Mentioned 3 times)
The stereotypes are not clearly shown in the 1st episode
Need more close ups
Need more core content
Visual gags of skeleton work well
Need more comedy rather than drama to make it more comedic
Continuity issues need improving (Mentioned 3 times)
Here is the feedback we received from Pete (Teacher):
When the character is holding the polos, there could of been a close up
While he was watching the 1st episode, he felt as if he was in a theater. There needs to be more use of close ups and shot changes
Voice-over explaining each character works well, needs to be more narration
Cut to show different characters
More planning is needed prior to next shoot (rehearsals etc) to avoid bad acting
High angle show works well, but panning shot doesn't work within the same shot
Sound levels need improving / editing
Upon receiving the feedback from the class and Pete, these are the things that need to be changed in order to make the second episode better. The sound levels will need to be changed, and also filming with the microphone closer to the cast in future. Rehearsals also need to be done beforehand in order to make the cast feel more confident with their role. The storyboard also needs to be stuck to. If all this goes to plan, we should have a very good second episode.
Sound levels need improving (some bits are louder than others) (Mentioned 5 times)
CD films logo too long (Mentioned 4 times)
Credits are too fast at the end (Mentioned 3 times)
Poor acting
Opening sequence is to repetitive
Editing of the video is good & works well
Nice logos, they look well made and effective to the audience
Poorly recorded narration
Inappropriate music used throughout the video (including the opening sequence)
Camera work could be better
Too many cuts
Script is too basic
Poor cuts used
Poorly planned
The actors need rehearsals before acting in next video as they don't seem very confident in the first episode (Mentioned 3 times)
Catchy song works well (Mentioned 3 times)
The stereotypes are not clearly shown in the 1st episode
Need more close ups
Need more core content
Visual gags of skeleton work well
Need more comedy rather than drama to make it more comedic
Continuity issues need improving (Mentioned 3 times)
Here is the feedback we received from Pete (Teacher):
When the character is holding the polos, there could of been a close up
While he was watching the 1st episode, he felt as if he was in a theater. There needs to be more use of close ups and shot changes
Voice-over explaining each character works well, needs to be more narration
Cut to show different characters
More planning is needed prior to next shoot (rehearsals etc) to avoid bad acting
High angle show works well, but panning shot doesn't work within the same shot
Sound levels need improving / editing
Upon receiving the feedback from the class and Pete, these are the things that need to be changed in order to make the second episode better. The sound levels will need to be changed, and also filming with the microphone closer to the cast in future. Rehearsals also need to be done beforehand in order to make the cast feel more confident with their role. The storyboard also needs to be stuck to. If all this goes to plan, we should have a very good second episode.
The Inbetweeners
I looked at the Inbetweeners as another source of inspiration for the writing of the series as it is a sitcom based at a
secondary school. I liked the way the first series opened with Jay being a newcomer to the school and meeting the other members whom he later befriends. I also like the frequent narration during the episode, which helps to push the story along. I also included a copy of the title sequence for you to look at. The music is also light-hearted. Adds to the light-heartedness of the series. The only thing I ignored about this series is that there is strong language throughout. I did not include any profanities.
secondary school. I liked the way the first series opened with Jay being a newcomer to the school and meeting the other members whom he later befriends. I also like the frequent narration during the episode, which helps to push the story along. I also included a copy of the title sequence for you to look at. The music is also light-hearted. Adds to the light-heartedness of the series. The only thing I ignored about this series is that there is strong language throughout. I did not include any profanities. Monday, 25 January 2010
Skins
I looked at Skins for a major part of inspiration whilst creating the
characters for Lines. I wanted to use what they did and have a group of characters with a clash of personalities. This is part of the theme of Lines. As there is a clash of personalities, they argue a few times. I also like the concept of each episode focusing on a different character, which I tried to incorporate in Lines. The first episode focuses on all of the characters as they have only been introduced. The second episode then features on Seth and Zeke. The third episode more of Taylor's personality, along with a hint of Megan's character. At the end of the third episode, the only character not to be fully developed is Jake, the main character, who's character is to be developed throughout the whole thing. I have included a clip of the fourth series of skins. This helps to illustrate the points I have just made.
This whole clip illustrates how it is made for a teenage audience. Nightclub rave scenes, joy riding and complex relationships are all shown in this trailer.
characters for Lines. I wanted to use what they did and have a group of characters with a clash of personalities. This is part of the theme of Lines. As there is a clash of personalities, they argue a few times. I also like the concept of each episode focusing on a different character, which I tried to incorporate in Lines. The first episode focuses on all of the characters as they have only been introduced. The second episode then features on Seth and Zeke. The third episode more of Taylor's personality, along with a hint of Megan's character. At the end of the third episode, the only character not to be fully developed is Jake, the main character, who's character is to be developed throughout the whole thing. I have included a clip of the fourth series of skins. This helps to illustrate the points I have just made.This whole clip illustrates how it is made for a teenage audience. Nightclub rave scenes, joy riding and complex relationships are all shown in this trailer.
Eastenders E20
I looked at a series of TV Dramas and a few online dramas as inspiration for the scripts I wrote for Lines. The first one I looked at was Eastenders E20. A new online show aimed directly for teenagers. Here is a copy of their cast photo and also their title sequence.

The opening titles for this are quite pacy. The original Eastenders theme has been remixed with a drum and base theme. The cast of the show are teens, which helps make the show appeal to teenagers. The show is also created by teens, which makes the series more realistic and grittier at the same time.

The opening titles for this are quite pacy. The original Eastenders theme has been remixed with a drum and base theme. The cast of the show are teens, which helps make the show appeal to teenagers. The show is also created by teens, which makes the series more realistic and grittier at the same time.
Sunday, 24 January 2010
Project Overview
As part of our show unit, we had to create a three part Webseries
with the possibility of making more episodes if we wanted to. As a class, we decided to base it on a group of kids in detention. I was given the role of casting director
within the group. The group was eventually split into two. I worked with Matt, Tara, Kirk, Alie, Tim, Ash, Sam and Dave. I took on the role of scriptwriter and was still in charge of casting. We called our series ‘Lines’ whilst the other group stuck with the name ‘Detention Deficit’.
I set about creating a set of realistic characters. I figured that the series would work best if we
had a newcomer to the detention group. That character soon became Jake, a teen actor and musician who is new to the school. The funny thing about the character is that I got the inspiration after watching Hannah Montana with my sister. The character was called Jake Ryan, hence the reason why I called him Jake. It was after a brief confrontation with a teacher that he was put in detention. The
re, he comes across Taylor, the school bully. I figured that you wouldn’t have detention if you didn’t have a troublemaker. But I wanted to put a twist with his character. Instead of bullying people for the sake of it, he does it because he is insecure with himself. Outside of school, he is a perfectly behaved individual. This comes to a head in episode three where Taylor argues with Megan because of it. The next character I created was Zeke, who is always in detention
because he takes the blame for his friend’s troublesome antics. He is unable to stand up for himself. I actually thought of the character whilst watching Neighbours. Anyway, the nature of him being in detention is revealed in the second episode. The friends question why he always talks about his friend, but then it is shown his
friend constantly takes advantage of him. We have Megan, who is a well educated girl who is rebelling against the system. She’s used to getting what she wants at home, and at school she gets in trouble for this. I don’t actually know how I thought of her character, just that I wanted to have someone do that. The final character is Seth, who believes that a secret agent is following him. This character was used in the other group, but I wanted this version to be less
paranoid. There are other characters introduced throughout the series, but these are the main ones. I
knew straight away that I did not want this series to be a sitcom, such as The Inbetweeners, but instead I wanted it to have a more a dramatic approach, such as Skins.
with the possibility of making more episodes if we wanted to. As a class, we decided to base it on a group of kids in detention. I was given the role of casting director
within the group. The group was eventually split into two. I worked with Matt, Tara, Kirk, Alie, Tim, Ash, Sam and Dave. I took on the role of scriptwriter and was still in charge of casting. We called our series ‘Lines’ whilst the other group stuck with the name ‘Detention Deficit’.I set about creating a set of realistic characters. I figured that the series would work best if we

had a newcomer to the detention group. That character soon became Jake, a teen actor and musician who is new to the school. The funny thing about the character is that I got the inspiration after watching Hannah Montana with my sister. The character was called Jake Ryan, hence the reason why I called him Jake. It was after a brief confrontation with a teacher that he was put in detention. The
re, he comes across Taylor, the school bully. I figured that you wouldn’t have detention if you didn’t have a troublemaker. But I wanted to put a twist with his character. Instead of bullying people for the sake of it, he does it because he is insecure with himself. Outside of school, he is a perfectly behaved individual. This comes to a head in episode three where Taylor argues with Megan because of it. The next character I created was Zeke, who is always in detention
because he takes the blame for his friend’s troublesome antics. He is unable to stand up for himself. I actually thought of the character whilst watching Neighbours. Anyway, the nature of him being in detention is revealed in the second episode. The friends question why he always talks about his friend, but then it is shown his
friend constantly takes advantage of him. We have Megan, who is a well educated girl who is rebelling against the system. She’s used to getting what she wants at home, and at school she gets in trouble for this. I don’t actually know how I thought of her character, just that I wanted to have someone do that. The final character is Seth, who believes that a secret agent is following him. This character was used in the other group, but I wanted this version to be less
paranoid. There are other characters introduced throughout the series, but these are the main ones. I
knew straight away that I did not want this series to be a sitcom, such as The Inbetweeners, but instead I wanted it to have a more a dramatic approach, such as Skins.Now that the characters had been created, I worked on some audition
forms which Tara and I put around the College. I also had to sort out the model release forms which the cast had to fill in, in order for us to be allowed to film them. The auditions quickly came around and we had a total of nine people turn up to audition. It was then down to me to make the final choices, and I emailed all the cast members when I got home that evening. I also requested that they give us a copy of their timetable so that a filming timetable could be arranged.
forms which Tara and I put around the College. I also had to sort out the model release forms which the cast had to fill in, in order for us to be allowed to film them. The auditions quickly came around and we had a total of nine people turn up to audition. It was then down to me to make the final choices, and I emailed all the cast members when I got home that evening. I also requested that they give us a copy of their timetable so that a filming timetable could be arranged. I felt that the filming of the first episode went okay, but a lot more
close-ups could've been used. Dave then appointed himself the role of director and decided that he would rewrite the script for the second episode, without even consulting me. I turned up ready to film and then learnt about that, so communication could've been better there. I felt that this was done far too close to the deadline, but I couldn't be bothered to disagree even further, so I went about making sure the cast were available to film on Monday afternoon.
close-ups could've been used. Dave then appointed himself the role of director and decided that he would rewrite the script for the second episode, without even consulting me. I turned up ready to film and then learnt about that, so communication could've been better there. I felt that this was done far too close to the deadline, but I couldn't be bothered to disagree even further, so I went about making sure the cast were available to film on Monday afternoon. I noticed that a few of the character's personalities had changed in the rewrite, but I have faith
that it will all work out in the end. The final version of episode one was uploaded to youtube at the end of Friday's lesson. By the end of the night, the video had a total of two hundred and forty-two views with eleven comments. A lot of people stated that they would continue watching the series, which is what we aimed to do with this project.
that it will all work out in the end. The final version of episode one was uploaded to youtube at the end of Friday's lesson. By the end of the night, the video had a total of two hundred and forty-two views with eleven comments. A lot of people stated that they would continue watching the series, which is what we aimed to do with this project. I feel that I have done pretty good work with this project. I liked the script that I wrote for the first episode, but I wasn't so keen on the second and third episodes. I felt they were lacking something and never really felt the urge
to keep on working on it until I wrote the perfect script. I think was because I avoided using humour to keep the pace of the episodes going. That's why I thought I should have another go at writing the third episode. I think I functioned good enough with the casting as well. I felt I made a perfect selection with the cast, though it didn't help when I went away for the weekend. I think I worked a lot better when Kirk was director because he didn't moan whenever we hadn't got something done by a certain time. With Dave, he is a lot more aggressive towards us crew members, which is inapprorpiate. I felt more willing to work with Kirk because he was polite and encouraged us to work hard, not forcing it upon us.
to keep on working on it until I wrote the perfect script. I think was because I avoided using humour to keep the pace of the episodes going. That's why I thought I should have another go at writing the third episode. I think I functioned good enough with the casting as well. I felt I made a perfect selection with the cast, though it didn't help when I went away for the weekend. I think I worked a lot better when Kirk was director because he didn't moan whenever we hadn't got something done by a certain time. With Dave, he is a lot more aggressive towards us crew members, which is inapprorpiate. I felt more willing to work with Kirk because he was polite and encouraged us to work hard, not forcing it upon us. Saturday, 23 January 2010
More of A Progress Report
Okay, I tried to upload the first episode of Lines onto the BBC blast website and also E4, but the video size was too big. Blast had a limit of 50mb and e4 had a limit of 20mb. I now have to wait until we get back to college and process a youtube version so that we are able to give Lines the chance to be viewed by a wider audience range.
I also did the majority of a redraft to episode 3, which I must say now that I have actually thought through the script, I have made it much better... I hope. I have a also created a shot list, which will be coming on here at somepoint and have also began work on a storyboard.
During the week, I hope to make sure that the cast each have a printed copy of episode 2 for filming tomorrow afternoon. I will also use the storyboards from all 3 episodes of Lines to create an animatic. Not unless someone else does this before I do. I think that's it for now?
I also did the majority of a redraft to episode 3, which I must say now that I have actually thought through the script, I have made it much better... I hope. I have a also created a shot list, which will be coming on here at somepoint and have also began work on a storyboard.
During the week, I hope to make sure that the cast each have a printed copy of episode 2 for filming tomorrow afternoon. I will also use the storyboards from all 3 episodes of Lines to create an animatic. Not unless someone else does this before I do. I think that's it for now?
Redraft of Episode 3
I got bored yesterday and decided that I should have another go at writing the third episode of Lines. Tara and Matt helped me with ideas on what could happen, although we are still missing the most brilliantly amazing finale we could possibly hope to achieve at the moment. Anyhow, here's the script.
Fade In
INT. – SCHOOL CORRIDOR – AFTERNOON
JAKE is creeping along the corridor, towards TEACHER 1’S office. He has a walky-talky in his hands, which he switches on.
Cut to
INT. – DETENTION ROOM – AFTERNOON
ZEKE is sitting with the other walky-talky. MEGAN and SETH are sitting either side of him.
ZEKE (deeply)
Jake, I am your father.
JAKE
So that’s the reason why I never met my father.
ZEKE (voiceover)
Well, you know. Was a bit busy. Had things to do. Girls to be with.
Cut away to TEACHER 1 sitting in his office, then back to the detention room. MEGAN tries to snatch the walky-talky away from ZEKE.
MEGAN
Let me say something.
ZEKE
Are you the one with the walky-talky?
MEGAN
No.
ZEKE
Shut up then.
Cut to
INT. - SCHOOL CORRIDOR – AFTERNOON
JAKE hears talking in the distance. He ducks next to a computer, just as TAYLOR and KATIE come into the corridor. Both in a heated discussion.
TAYLOR
I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this.
KATIE
Maybe because you lied to me.
TAYLOR
There’s lies and then there’s lies. What would you rather me do?
KATIE
They’re both the same.
TAYLOR (sighing)
God. Get with it, woman.
JAKE comes out from behind the computer. KATIE screams. TEACHER 1 comes out from his office. He glares at JAKE.
TEACHER 1
You.
Cut to
INT. – DETENTION ROOM – AFTERNOON
JAKE, ZEKE, SETH, TAYLOR, MEGAN and KATIE are sitting quietly inside the room.
MEGAN
Do you know what I like about being in detention? We all get to learn people’s true colours. Taylor, for example, is a goody two shoes.
TAYLOR
That’s rich coming from you. Little miss perfect to daddy and a complete sausage to everyone else.
MEGAN (furiously)
You take that back right now!
SETH
I think we all need to take a deep breath and calm down.
JAKE
I’m with you on that one.
MEGAN (exhaling)
It’s still not helping me.
Fifteen Minutes Later
They are all sitting silently around the room. SETH gets to his feet.
SETH
I’ve had enough of this. I’m outta here.
SETH goes to open the door and realises that it is locked.
KATIE
It’s locked.
SETH
Yes, I know that.
SETH sits back down.
Five Minutes Later
SETH gets to his feet. He walks over to the door and tries to open again, forgetting that he has previously tried to open it.
JAKE
Why are you trying the door again? It’s obviously locked.
SETH
It might’ve been unlocked that time.
TAYLOR
Well it’s not.
SETH
Yes. I can see that. I do have eyes. (pointing to his eyes)These things in my head. God, It’s like being on Big Brother.
ZEKE
Look, try and use your intelligence, man, even if you are a politician.
They all stare at him.
ZEKE (continued)
Sorry, am a bit of a Doctor Who obsessive.
Fade In
INT. – SCHOOL CORRIDOR – AFTERNOON
JAKE is creeping along the corridor, towards TEACHER 1’S office. He has a walky-talky in his hands, which he switches on.
Cut to
INT. – DETENTION ROOM – AFTERNOON
ZEKE is sitting with the other walky-talky. MEGAN and SETH are sitting either side of him.
ZEKE (deeply)
Jake, I am your father.
JAKE
So that’s the reason why I never met my father.
ZEKE (voiceover)
Well, you know. Was a bit busy. Had things to do. Girls to be with.
Cut away to TEACHER 1 sitting in his office, then back to the detention room. MEGAN tries to snatch the walky-talky away from ZEKE.
MEGAN
Let me say something.
ZEKE
Are you the one with the walky-talky?
MEGAN
No.
ZEKE
Shut up then.
Cut to
INT. - SCHOOL CORRIDOR – AFTERNOON
JAKE hears talking in the distance. He ducks next to a computer, just as TAYLOR and KATIE come into the corridor. Both in a heated discussion.
TAYLOR
I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this.
KATIE
Maybe because you lied to me.
TAYLOR
There’s lies and then there’s lies. What would you rather me do?
KATIE
They’re both the same.
TAYLOR (sighing)
God. Get with it, woman.
JAKE comes out from behind the computer. KATIE screams. TEACHER 1 comes out from his office. He glares at JAKE.
TEACHER 1
You.
Cut to
INT. – DETENTION ROOM – AFTERNOON
JAKE, ZEKE, SETH, TAYLOR, MEGAN and KATIE are sitting quietly inside the room.
MEGAN
Do you know what I like about being in detention? We all get to learn people’s true colours. Taylor, for example, is a goody two shoes.
TAYLOR
That’s rich coming from you. Little miss perfect to daddy and a complete sausage to everyone else.
MEGAN (furiously)
You take that back right now!
SETH
I think we all need to take a deep breath and calm down.
JAKE
I’m with you on that one.
MEGAN (exhaling)
It’s still not helping me.
Fifteen Minutes Later
They are all sitting silently around the room. SETH gets to his feet.
SETH
I’ve had enough of this. I’m outta here.
SETH goes to open the door and realises that it is locked.
KATIE
It’s locked.
SETH
Yes, I know that.
SETH sits back down.
Five Minutes Later
SETH gets to his feet. He walks over to the door and tries to open again, forgetting that he has previously tried to open it.
JAKE
Why are you trying the door again? It’s obviously locked.
SETH
It might’ve been unlocked that time.
TAYLOR
Well it’s not.
SETH
Yes. I can see that. I do have eyes. (pointing to his eyes)These things in my head. God, It’s like being on Big Brother.
ZEKE
Look, try and use your intelligence, man, even if you are a politician.
They all stare at him.
ZEKE (continued)
Sorry, am a bit of a Doctor Who obsessive.
Friday, 22 January 2010
Progress So Far
So far today, I have made an account with e4 where we can upload
the first episode of lines later this evening. This will allow us to get more views and to appeal to a teenage audience. It will also give us the opportunity to get a wider audience instead of our friends and the friends of the cast members.

the first episode of lines later this evening. This will allow us to get more views and to appeal to a teenage audience. It will also give us the opportunity to get a wider audience instead of our friends and the friends of the cast members. I have also set up an account with bbc blast, which is a section

of the BBC, especially set up for teenagers to upload their work and to have them viewed by others. The videos will be uploaded on the websites tonight.
Over the course of the weekend, I need to get in contact with the cast and make sure that they are all turning up for filming Monday afternoon.
Requesting Filming Permission - 19th January 2010
Requesting Filming Permission
This is a copy of a request form so that we can get
permission to film the second episode of Lines at the end of the day on Monday 25th January. We also needed to seek permission to use the HD camera, a room for filming and a microphone so that we can record the sound. The permission was granted for us to film at this time.
permission to film the second episode of Lines at the end of the day on Monday 25th January. We also needed to seek permission to use the HD camera, a room for filming and a microphone so that we can record the sound. The permission was granted for us to film at this time.
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