Health And Safety (Radio)

Producing radio features and shows results in a lot of health and safety planning to ensure that no damage occurs to equipment or personnel.

In-Studio

On Location

T/601/8573 - 4.1+4.2; The Broadcast

J/601/6648 – 2.1; Equipment

Photographic Equipment:

I decided I would set myself a challenge by using a bridge camera, as opposed to a DSLR or silver-based model, to see what results I could achieve with this. Despite being the type of camera I own and have used most for photographs, I have never fully experimented with it and decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. The model I used is a Panasonic DMC-FZ18, which has an 18x optical zoom and a 28-504mm equivalent focal length range.

I have three batteries for this, which were fully charged before I set out to allow me plenty of photographic time. I also ensured that the 16gb memory card I had for it was clear and inserted thus allowing me plenty of memory space for taking photographs.

As a secondary device, I took along my iPod apple device (4th gen model) to experiment with photography on a smaller device of lower specifications. As with the batteries for the camera, I ensured this was fully charged before setting out; photographs taken on this are extremely small in file size, but I was careful to confirm I had at least 100mb of memory space left on the device.

J/601/6648 - 2.2 + 3.1 + 3.2 + 4.1 & 4.2; Photographs

Test Images

The image above was taken using my iPod 4, and is the only photogrpah that I thought was to an acceptable standard. What I like about this shot is the the realisation of scale - the clock tower of St Pancras towers over the building work of the London Underground station entrance, upon the scaffolding of which stands a lowly worker creating a point of interest - what could a single person be doing up on scaffolding at a building site?

I'm less fond of this one after posting it compared to when I took it, however I still like how the statue has been placed inside St Pancras international in relation to the clock. The statue, of  former Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman, is  actually looking up at the magnificent glass roof, but I liked how, when viewed from this angle, the clock seemingly enters his line of vision.

The photo above demonstrates a sub-genre of my theme - namely human instinct to disobey rules. Pedestrian crossings almost serve no purpose in the capital; the vast number of pedestrians on the footpaths would mean that queues at crossings could be unbearably large if people were to wait for the green man. Unfortunately, the day I was at Kings Cross pedestrian numbers were surprisingly low - I was hoping to capture more people on the crossing (which can be seen at red) but had to make do with the handful that were around at the time. As a point of contrast, notice the one person on the other side who is patiently waiting for the green man...

The lack of lighting in this shot on the passengers I think adds to the atmosphere of this shot. Perhaps one thing Britain is commonly associated with is queuing. This shot puts a little spin on that idea, by not focusing on a linear 'queue' like one in a shop, but instead what I refer to a 'mass' queue, where people are waiting for something, like the announcement of a train time and platform in this still. Rather than all pressing into one group, people have spaced themselves out, respecting other people's personal space, whilst still trying to stand in a space that would allow them a 'quick get-away' once they have the information they need.

Final 5

The images below are those I have chosen as my final 5.

This image is similar to the last of my examples above; however I have chosen this as a final image as I admire the roof structure and the space between it and the waiting passengers below.

The curiosity that arises from the single person in this shot is why I chose this as a final image. You cannot clearly see if the person is standing or walking, so you can't be sure if they are going to or from a train, or if they are waiting, observing or just 'sightseeing.'

My only criticism here would be that I needed to be more central - unfortunately a pillar would have obstructed the view.
The arched roof gives a clear impression of the depth of the staion as it shrinks into the distance.

Another image that portrays the human instinct to disobey; despite a clear 'No Entry' sign above the door, people persistantly enter through it into the station. The two potential passengers in the foreground are a contrast as they continue on their way past toward the genuine entrance.

Several images of London captured in one place together: Busses, Black Cabs, Kings Cross and Traffic. The bus spanning two lanes in the background nicely examples part of the chaos of London, whilst the signpost in the foreground creates a division in the photo of those vehicles closest to the camera and those in the distance.

I'd like it to be known that I have not edited these images using any photo editing software or camera filters. I do not believe that such means result in a 'photograph,' as they can warp appearances. I prefer to share the raw photo as that honestly represents what I have intended to capture.

T/601/8573 - 2.2 + 3.1 + 3.2; My Feature

T/601/8573 - 4.1+4.2; The Radio Show

Alice-Anne Bull was designated producer for the radio show, and as a group, we decided that we would do a full feature show spanning two hours that would include all of our postcode documentaries, with Christmas music played between.

Once Alice had selected the music, I produced a rough running-order based around everyone's expectations of their project's duration, the tracks selected and the presenter's desired talk time.

Original Running Order

Obviously, nothing ever goes to plan. By the week of the show, the documentaries had all changed in length and some of the tracklist had changed to better suit our target audience (which was never fully discussed but vaguely steered in the direction of 16-21 year old college students.)

Amended Running Order

The original role designations were:

Alice-Anne Bull; Producer

Owen Hayward; Engineer

Carly Wilson & Samuel James; Presenters

Jamie Mumford; Publicity, Engineer's Assistant.

Much like the original running order, this too was subject to change, albeit on the day of the show itself when Samuel James was taken ill and unable to attend. The final roles were:

Alice-Anne Bull; Producer

Jamie Mumford; Engineer

Carly Wilson & Owen Hayward; Presenters

Script - (Due to time constraints, Sam's name on the script was not changed to mine. It should also be noted that we had asked a HND student, Luke, to fill in. He had initially accepted, but due to the planned duration of the show and pressures from his own projects, had to later decline.)

Carly produced the script, which was subject to several 'ad-hoc' and last second alterations and additions.

Mercifully, there were no further setbacks during the broadcast. Samuel produced a separate 30-minute show two weeks later, to which I engineered.

T/601/8573 - 2.2 +3.1 + 3.2; Soundscape

Kings Cross Soundscape (Download Link)
Soundcloud

J/601/6648 – 2.2 + 3.1 + 3.2 + 4.1 (Part 2)

Below is an example of a silver-based image taken by myself on a twin lens reflex camera (TLR) on a 120 medium format film.
Had there been more film left when I received the camera for use, I would have had several more images to share; this setback demonstrates one problem working with silver-based devices. Whilst preparing to take the image, I personally found it a challenge to correctly set the focus and Depth Of Field as the viewfinder was very small and dark, thus making the image unclear.

I developed these myself by removing the film in a dark room, then treating film with solutions that would then allow me to view the negatives in the light; I am relieved that this step went smoothly as, if the solution quantities and concentrations were not correct, the film would have reacted with the light and 'fogged' up.

One other issue of working with printed photography is that when scanning them in, it is highly possible that some form of dirt/contaminant will sit on the cel that will be captured with the scan (as can be witnessed with my example;) the type of scanner will also affect how large the photo can be replicated before distortion occurs.

Should it not be visible, click here for the IMAGE

J/601/6648 – 1.1-1.2 & T/601/8573 - 1.1; Pitch

The area I have selected for my London-Based Animatic is King's Cross (NW1.) Built around no less than 3 main line stations, the area is a constant hub of activity with travellers moving in and out of the capital, as well as the daily commuters, tourists and street-sellers.

Considering the points above, I have decided to theme my animatic around humans. This is rather a broad subject as it will not limit me to just people, but also to what human actions can result - Kings Cross has some magnificent architecture which is all a result of human planning and physical labour.

My radio feature will detail the history of the area's development both past and present, as well as referring to the station's major part in the Harry Potter Films. It should also cover perhaps the most memorable event in the area, namely the Kings Cross Fire of November 1987. It is my intention to record this on location to add to the atmosphere of the piece.

The piece will be recorded on a Zoom H1 Device, a portable recorder, which I know from previous experience to be reliable and capture clear sound. However, should any of the recording encounter issues, discovered during the edit (on Adobe Audition), then I shall use studio equipment to cover the missing vocals to save time.

To produce the final animatic, I intend to put together an After-Effects 'slide-show' to create a visually appealing piece of work.

J/601/6648 – 2.2 + 3.1 + 3.2 + 4.1 (Part 1)

These photographs were taken using a Nikon D3200 camera with a Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm lens. These images made use of varying aperture settings and shutter speeds to achieve varied depth-of-field perspectives and brightness.

The images above are examples of non silver-based photography.