Prize: After some research & discussion with Chef Jamie, found potential prize for winner.
Money: Spent a long time making financial arrangements among FLCC departments & Wegmans re payment of ingredients, arranged for special checkout with Personal Shopper department to handle logistics for cashing out contestant purchases.
Marketing: Arranged to borrow A-frame & easel for signage at film site.
Signage: Created interim Serious Heat logo for signage; sorry to disappoint Josh but printing deadlines are approaching! He can redo branding for actual film. Large sign ordered for set design, determined list of other small signs needed (eg, "Do Not Enter, Filming in Progress" door sign, etc.)
Scoring Sheets & Room Set-Up: Based on Chef Jamie input & CFA Culinary Competition Manual, drafted scoring & tally sheets for judges. Made a list of table supplies needed for judges & reviewed requirements for individual kitchen station requirements.
On-site Crew: Sent reminder emails to all class members to confirm times they'll be at Wegmans on Monday.
Miscellaneous: Certificates of Participation for contestants & of Appreciation for Judges.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Another FLCC donation!
Excellent news! FLCC's advancement office is going to donate gifts from the college to our judges & emcee for Serious Heat! Thank you, thank you, Amy!
Wednesday's panic
Panic #1 -- 5 days to find 2 more judges...yikes! Decided to reach out to old contact at catering company I used to do business with. Chef was pleased to be asked, likes to support students, but already had commitments. Will check into what he might be able to do about that and get back to me Thursday. Fingers crossed!
Panic #2 -- Need to address set design so we have an interesting "feel" for the show. That means we need logo and signage of some kind. Visited printer I do business with and brainstormed some ideas, looked at samples and sizes, got some pricing estimates. If camera-ready art delivered Thursday am, they could put a rush on doing some signage. Pestered Josh for logo. He had other homework commitments; he sent me what he had so far. I worked up a design and sent it to him for review. Will get his input tomorrow, make adjustments & get to printer. Will decide type & size tomorrow am. Can't think about this any more today.
Panic #3 -- Had not heard back from Chef Mark at Wegmans re tables & end of day extension. Need linens, especially in show's theme colors. Therefore need to know size of tables. Went back to Wegmans to measure tables. Also, they have white tablecloths but too wrinkled for camera so will need to bring iron on Monday. Cooking school was open, met Chef Mark in person, he showed me the wine he ordered, talked about a few logistics, but his class was starting & I didn't get to ask him if we could be at the school later. Chef is very pleased to be working with FLCC. He has 3 family members who are/were faculty at FLCC.
Panic #4 -- Well, not really a panic, just something else to think about. Contestants need to leave the kitchen while judges are tasting & scoring, so they need a place to go where we can do a post-cooking interview. Tried arranging tables/chairs in places in the cafe we might "cordon" off for that, then a Wegmans person showed me 2 conference rooms down the hall that can be used if no meetings scheduled. Much better option.
Hoping for less panic, more progress tomorrow.
Panic #2 -- Need to address set design so we have an interesting "feel" for the show. That means we need logo and signage of some kind. Visited printer I do business with and brainstormed some ideas, looked at samples and sizes, got some pricing estimates. If camera-ready art delivered Thursday am, they could put a rush on doing some signage. Pestered Josh for logo. He had other homework commitments; he sent me what he had so far. I worked up a design and sent it to him for review. Will get his input tomorrow, make adjustments & get to printer. Will decide type & size tomorrow am. Can't think about this any more today.
Panic #3 -- Had not heard back from Chef Mark at Wegmans re tables & end of day extension. Need linens, especially in show's theme colors. Therefore need to know size of tables. Went back to Wegmans to measure tables. Also, they have white tablecloths but too wrinkled for camera so will need to bring iron on Monday. Cooking school was open, met Chef Mark in person, he showed me the wine he ordered, talked about a few logistics, but his class was starting & I didn't get to ask him if we could be at the school later. Chef is very pleased to be working with FLCC. He has 3 family members who are/were faculty at FLCC.
Panic #4 -- Well, not really a panic, just something else to think about. Contestants need to leave the kitchen while judges are tasting & scoring, so they need a place to go where we can do a post-cooking interview. Tried arranging tables/chairs in places in the cafe we might "cordon" off for that, then a Wegmans person showed me 2 conference rooms down the hall that can be used if no meetings scheduled. Much better option.
Hoping for less panic, more progress tomorrow.
Tuesday -- long day, productive day!
Tuesday was off to a poor start, as I was running a little behind for an 8 am meeting with Jamie. Once in the car, I noticed I was on fumes & stopped for gas, then ended up behind several school buses in no passing lanes, so I finally called Jamie to apologize and reschedule for 12:30. Went back to work & left a meeting early to make it back down to Canandaigua on time. The day began to improve.
At our 1/2 hour meeting, we reviewed:
After meeting, I sent emails out to Jeff K. as follow-up and to Chef Mark at Wegmans with additional questions. Tried unsuccessfully to download class contact list from Google docs. Reviewed all notes to make separate list of tasks I needed to accomplish, plus more questions I need to ask. Tried to brainstorm ideas for more judges.
Picked Josh up at 5:10 to head over to NYWCC for 2nd day of shooting. Met with emcee Jeff M., discussed what he would wear to distinguish himself from other chefs during competition, reviewed logistics of competition with him. Zach joined us after his film shoot with Ben's group. Josh & Zach got more B-roll footage plus CUs, mid shots & interviews of 2 male contestants. Donna asked each contestant the same 7 questions off camera. Last contestant was unavailable -- we'll have to return to shoot in class after competition. All 3 contestants were very sincere & well-spoken. Only mishap was that one of the audio sources didn't appear to have recorded the final interview at the very end of the evening -- may have to be redone if secondary audio isn't good enough quality.
Josh revised the presentation of dishes with Jamie, general group discussion with Jamie & Mark re event. We left at 8:30.
At our 1/2 hour meeting, we reviewed:
- contestants (one had to cancel and he had to find a substitute)
- judges (still need 2 more, Jamie's contacts not responding to him)
- scoring sheet, table height, CFA guidelines for items required on judges' table, time allocation for judges tasting & scoring
- ingredient list to be finalized by end of week
- clock needed for contestants (Jamie to bring, Donna to bring plate holder)
- transportation to Wegmans on day of shooting (Jamie will transport all contestants, attempt to have them all at the cooking school by 1 pm, ensure they're attired properly/well-groomed, etc.)
- CFA competition requirements & Jamie's adaptations (category K-1 Hot Food Cooking)
- equipment review (most items available at Wegmans, Jamie to bring ice cream maker & additional butane burners)
- differences in timing for entree & dessert rounds
- presentation of dishes to judges
- shopping for ingredients at Wegmans process with filming logistics
- wine ordered from Wegmans for 1 dessert ingredient (Donna)
- reminder emails sent to classmates to verify times on Monday & additional equipment
- FLCC branding issues
- logistics of budget, arrangements to pick up $300 cash for purchase of ingredients (Donna/Josh)
- photo releases
- list of specific "talking points" for marketing culinary arts program
- issues, competition requirements & revised timing estimates from Jamie
- GoPro situation
- equipment needs (Zach to serve as point person) -- types & number of cameras (for similar looks, different types of shots - wide, 1 dummy for sound only, etc.), mics & audio challenges, lighting, adequate batteries and SD cards
- who can do what kind of shots, at what time of the day
- logo (Josh to start with static design, Zach to help)
- signage & other set design needs (Donna)
- drafting questions for contestants on day of competition & sending to them in advance; note specific activities per contestant during competition to ask related questions about (Donna)
- more specific walk-through of the timing, personnel & logistical needs for the whole day; determined we had to start at 7 am & move up film schedule, especially in-store filming before competition
- shooting footage of emcee for film promo (Donna to script)
After meeting, I sent emails out to Jeff K. as follow-up and to Chef Mark at Wegmans with additional questions. Tried unsuccessfully to download class contact list from Google docs. Reviewed all notes to make separate list of tasks I needed to accomplish, plus more questions I need to ask. Tried to brainstorm ideas for more judges.
Picked Josh up at 5:10 to head over to NYWCC for 2nd day of shooting. Met with emcee Jeff M., discussed what he would wear to distinguish himself from other chefs during competition, reviewed logistics of competition with him. Zach joined us after his film shoot with Ben's group. Josh & Zach got more B-roll footage plus CUs, mid shots & interviews of 2 male contestants. Donna asked each contestant the same 7 questions off camera. Last contestant was unavailable -- we'll have to return to shoot in class after competition. All 3 contestants were very sincere & well-spoken. Only mishap was that one of the audio sources didn't appear to have recorded the final interview at the very end of the evening -- may have to be redone if secondary audio isn't good enough quality.
Josh revised the presentation of dishes with Jamie, general group discussion with Jamie & Mark re event. We left at 8:30.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Great work at NYWCC today, Zach!
Zach was in true creative mode this morning, filming background at the culinary lab. We got a nice interview with Kathryn, one of the contestants who was very well-spoken, and a series of comments about the program from Chef Jamie. We tried to show student diversity, salmon deboning, basic prep work (chopping, stirring, whisking) and clean-up, plus stacks of ingredients lined up and B-roll of the New York Wine & Culinary Center, using a variety of angles - including slider shots!
We'll be back for the other contestants in tomorrow's class!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Milestones Reached ... & Miles Yet To Go
So many details finalized ... and so many new questions. Will we have Finger Lakes wines as part of the competition? What should the emcee wear? Can we get everything filmed in time? Will we get the judges we need? The list goes on...
Whew!
Yay! We have a location! Wegmans Menu Cooking School has donated their facility for the entire day! They've even agreed to let a camera follow our contestants through the store as they pick out their ingredients (under a Wegmans staffer's supervision). Great news!
Monday, October 6, 2014
Getting Anxious
Monday ended without hearing about locations from either Mauricio at Next Door or Angela at Wegman's Pittsford Cooking School, as both had promised.
Serious Heat Timetable
Week #
|
Friday Date
|
Deliverables
|
2
|
10/3
|
1) Meeting held with client Jamie Rotter to determine basic structure of
culinary competition (*documented)
2) Brief filming session of culinary class lab tentatively scheduled
3) Investigation made into possible filming locations
4) Invitations sent to marketing & strategic growth committee clients
to meet with class for their input into project
5) Storyboard ideas outlined
6) Various film angles brainstormed
7) Script ideas outlined
8) Assigned roles outlined
|
3
|
10/10
|
1) Script drafted, Episode 1
2) Storyboard drafted, Episode 1 (*documented)
3) Additional client meetings held (*documented)
4) Investigation into budget issues, possible sponsorships
5) Culinary class filming date finalized, equipment reserved
6) Exploration of music options (*documented)
7) Logo design drafted and animation ideas outlined (*documented)
8) List made of potential judge and emcee candidates with contact info
|
4
|
10/17
|
1) Logo design finalized, intro animation outlined (*documented)
2) Location and film date(s) finalized
3) Film site visited to determine logistics, set & equipment needs (*documented)
4) Equipment located and reserved
5) Contest rules, structure & ingredients finalized with client (*documented)
6) Script drafted, Episode 2
7) Storyboard drafted, Episode 2 (*documented)
8) Invitations sent to judges and emcee(s)
9) Culinary class lab filmed (*documented)
10) Set design outlined (*documented)
|
5
|
10/24
|
1) Intro animation designed, ideas for segue animations outlined (*documented)
2) Culinary class lab segment edited
(*documented)
3) Twitter account set up (*documented)
4) Set design finalized (*documented)
5) Script and storyboards finalized
6) Emcee(s), judges and volunteer crew members finalized
7) Competition filmed (?) (*documented)
8) Prize/gift ideas brainstormed and costed out (*documented)
9) Budget reviewed, additional sponsors contacted
10) Music options narrowed down
|
6
|
10/31
|
1) Narration recorded (*documented)
2) Competition filmed (?) (*documented)
3) Animation segues designed, credits animation begun (*documented)
4) Tweet #1 sent
5) Still photos taken/edited, news release/photo #1 distributed (*documented)
|
Week #
|
Friday Date
|
Deliverables
|
7
|
11/7
|
1) Music & sources of kitchen/other sound effects selected (*documented)
2) Episode 1 edited (*documented)
3)
FLCC website link explored
4)
Tweet #2 sent
5)
Credits animation fully drafted
|
8
|
11/14
|
1) Episode 2 edited (*documented)
2) Episode 1 finalized
3) Tweet #3 sent
4) Still photos taken/edited, news release/photo #2 distributed (*documented)
5) Credits animation finalized (*documented)
6) Class presentation prepared (*documented)
|
9
|
11/21
|
1) Edits and adjustments made based on class feedback
2) Finalize Episode 2
3) Tweet #4 sent
4) Designs of contest elements created for posters, signage, invitations
& DVD labels (*documented)
5) Script and storyboard drafted for FLTV promotional ad (*documented)
6) Panel presentation prepared (*documented)
|
* documented = suggested possibilities for documenting project
progress
ROLES
Serious Heat
Pre-Production (7 roles)
Producer Donna
Coordinates the
financial, legal, administrative, technical, and artistic aspects of a
production; works with client on casting, wardrobe, location, logistical and
organizational items; responsible for all creative aspects, creates a shooting
plan
Assistant Producer Josh D & Zach
(with consulting and assistance from Jeff Kidd)
Assists producer with
research of facilities and other logistical and organizational elements, as
well as the creative content, shooting plan, filming, and action within the
program; serves as project’s timekeeper
Set Designer Geoff (temporarily?)
Collaborates with
the director, assistant director and graphics coordinator to create an interesting
and lively environment for the production, and then communicates necessary
details of this environment to the entire production staff
Writer Donna, with editing by Josh D
Creates a script/teleplay,
drafts messages for social media, develops message content for publicity and
promotional items
Storyboarders Josh D & Zach - Episode 1 (first draft due 10/3)
Josh D & Zach - Episode 2 (first draft due 10/10)
Provides visuals to
map out an effective production blueprint for the TV show prior to the filming;
using the script/teleplay, 1) understands the required mood & overall
theme, and 2) provides an easy-to-interpret breakdown of all included scenes to
show the director how he/she may be able to shoot the project (angles for
shooting, lighting themes, color, and motion/blocking set-ups, etc.)
Animation Designer Josh D
Creates the show
logo and animation featured in the TV episodes that can be adapted for print,
websites and social media, using 2-D or 3-D animation
Production (8-10* roles)
Camera Operator (4-6*) Josh D. Josh P.
Ben Sean
Zach
Ensures the
required action is correctly filmed in the frame, takes direction regarding
type of shots required, and reacts instinctively as the proceedings take place,
as well as helps to establish the theme and appearance of the show
Lighting Director Tom
Responsible for determining
equipment; creates lighting set-ups necessary for types of shots required; obtains
and returns equipment; makes sure there are back-up supplies; works closely
with camera operators to provide camera support, especially if the camera is
mounted to a dolly, crane, or in an unusual position, such as the top of a
ladder
Sound Director Geoff/Zach
Responsible for
recording all sound on set; identifies the sound requirements for all scenes; assesses the acoustics of the performance area
and assembles all the necessary
equipment; selects, positions, adjusts and operates the equipment; monitors
sound quality to detect sound-quality deviations or malfunctions; anticipates
and corrects any problems with auio
Floor Manager Donna & Gary
Collaborates with
director to give instructions and direction to crew, cast, and guests; checks
that the floor and surrounding areas are clear and safe for the filming; checks
that scenery, set pieces, props are ready; makes announcements, helps maintain
quietness and order, calls cues, and prompts talents as required
Director Donna
Supervises the
overall filming, manages shots, and keeps the assignment on schedule
Runner * Jeremy
Does most
production odd jobs, supports anyone who needs help,
*Will need to add
some volunteers (culinary students?) to be assistant runners on the cooking
competition side of things
Post-Production (10 roles)
Editor (2) Josh D
Zach
Edits raw footage, animation, titles, credits, music, sound
and audio effects into rough cuts, then the finished work, following the storyboard; adjusts video and audio for best results using a
variety of editing techniques including filters, volume curves, equalizing, and
so on
Publicist Donna/class
Raises public awareness of production
through traditional and social media; creates invitations, ensures the media and
target audiences are well aware of the project
Signage Donna/class
Create and produce
appropriate signage and posters internally for FLCC and externally for
community awareness
Distribution Donna/class
Display internal
signage and posters according to FLCC policy; deliver posters and invitations
by hand and via email to local organizations, businesses and individuals;
ensure production
is on FLCC’s online media outlets, uploaded to YouTube, and DVDs are burned,
creatively labeled and given to identified individuals and departments both at
FLCC and externally
Season Premiere Donna/class
Plans and carries
out a Season Premiere public event, creates agenda, communicates with all
special guests, handles details of culinary arts display and food serving, sets
up equipment for showing the video and prepares all DIG 230-related materials
for the video
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