Digital News Unit: Filming Day 2 (Roller Derby)

After a successful first day of filming with Pole Persona, it was onto the second day; this time with the Roller Derby Girls in Herne Bay. This was another exciting project, as it is a very fast paced sport with good characters. We wanted to reinforce this character, so we used my friend Jamie Terry as the reporter as he is very funny and engaging.

The day started off quite slow, as when we got there we had to wait around for a while for the arena to be free. We thought this would help give us time to set up, however we couldn't set up in the arena so it ended up being a waste of time. On the other hand, it gave us time to show Jamie the script (who only received it there and then), therefore making him feel more comfortable. The next problem we faced was constantly changing our ideas/layout due to different opinions.. This is where I had to step up as director and not only be decisive, but steer the ship in the right direction so we didn't waste valuable time. This turned out to be a good move, as we got set up just in time for when the action was about to start.

While the girls were warming up; we interviewed our first person - Lady Killer. She was carefully chosen as we wanted someone who was confident in front of camera, therefore giving us good answers without any fear. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the day, as not only did she answer all of the questions perfectly, but Jamie was superb too! We did it in one take, which was great considering it's a live piece. I was particularly proud of Jamie because he performed the script perfectly, and even added his own humorous twists which made it very entertaining for everyone.

We then moved onto the second interview, but this time with Jamie asking the questions with Roller Derby gear on. We thought this would help the audience interact with the programme more, as well as adding an entertaining element to the piece. Unfortunately we only had one clip mic, so we were slightly worried about the audio.. However we made sure Jamie stood close to the interviewee so we could pick up both voices clearly. After asking questions, we got the interviewee to teach Jamie a move used in Roller Derby, as this helped explain the sport as well as showing the audience that it can be done even by beginners. I would say this interview was slightly weaker than the first one due to the audio and the nervous interviewee; however Jamie being taught a move helped save the piece.

The last bit of filming was for the package, which will be placed in the middle of the piece. This involved us filming the girls in action so we can explain the sport to our audience. I put Chris in charge of the Sony again, and decided to put him up high so he could film the whole arena from a slight birds eye view (like a football match). Helen and I took in turns of filming right next to the action with the Canon. Similarly with the Pole Fitness, we helped each other look for good shots while swapping to save energy. We wanted the shots to be as still as possible, therefore needing 100% strength. Being right up close to the action helped us get some great close up shots, and Helen and I even managed to capture some people falling over too - which was great for the commentary, as well as entertaining for the viewers.

Overall it was a good day! It started off slow, with all of us being indecisive and not prepared.. However this enhanced my role as a director as it meant I had to make quick decisions, as well as getting everyone focused on the same wavelength. This was a challenge, but one I very much enjoyed and believe I performed it well under pressure. We got all the shots we needed, and we were extremely happy with Jamie and our interviewees.