Programme Planning and Admin

- Today I Started to mock up 4 front covers for the programme, I sent these to Mr Hawkins.
He decided the outer glow on the first one he didn't like and preferred the second one with the logo on the black background, however he did agree the logo needed to blend a bit more. He also liked the idea of the purple overlay over the picture for the main body of the programme where I will put my sourced font for the main body of the text.


-Today Mr Hawkins and I also went through our paper 'mock' programme to agree how we will lay it out, I also sent him the list:

• Principals list
• A word from producer and director  
• Band list
• Synopsis
• Song list
• Acknowledgements

 

of what I need to create the body of the programme. From this Mr Hawkins sent me some of the information such as the principals list. In the mock programme we determined the order of the layout: front cover, synopsis, song list, principals page, cast page, band, director and producer comment, acknowledgment, legal requirements and a collage page on the back. In some way Mr Hawkins wants to incorporate the gangs into the cast page, however I do not want to have 'floating' Photoshopped gangs, I would like to keep the artistic integrity of the programme by carefully placing them. The cast page can feature a natural rehearsal shot including all the gang members. It was also decided I will start to take pictures in rehearsals and skating sessions so we can refine and find the perfect 'natural' rehearsal shots that will really  enhance the programme. I am seeking inspiration from the photographs taken during Miss Saigon.

Problems So Far and Resolving Them

1. Venue:

Original Plan: Have the usual layout of the hall with the front of house in the canteen.




Modified Plan: Use a marquee to house front of house, back stage and the stage.




This was a chosen solution by Mrs de Lancy Green and Mr Hawkins as it was a safer option due to the large cast size of 90 instead of the discussed 60 in the summer. Due to this I will need to manage a team to create a welcoming front of house with adequate stalls for our sponsors due to the increased costs.




2. Seating Change:


Original Plan: To use the school hall with 260 seats, then with marquee changed to 330.




Modified Plan: The ordered tiered seating uses now 357.




This was a decision made by Mr Hawkins as the seating reflects the chosen marquee layout. The extra seats more tickets need to be sold to a wider audience, this will need an increase in advertising and getting the word out. I will need to work closely with the school office and our sponsors to ensure appropriate emails and information are given out accordingly.


3. Licence:


Original Plan: To have a large social media campaign to spread the word and create a 'hype' around the production.


Modified Plan: The licence prevents this as we can only advertise and discuss the show on the school website.


To adhere to the licence legally we are obliged to not have any social media campaigns. Through out our promotion of ticket sells I will have to make sure that the reception staff and those emailing and sending letters through school adhere to the regulations.

Challenges Faced When Producing Starlight Express in a Marquee

Generally:

• If generators fail no mains to use for electricity
• Will not be locked and as secure as a building could have equipment stolen if not safely away
• If any damage occurs to marquee water could come through, this could cause an electrical fire risk
• Sound will travel more easily through walls than a conventional wall
• Backstage will need to be accessible for roller-skates and allow enough room for 93 skaters
• The backstage area will need to be in the marquee or connected to another building but have a solid stable floor and protection from outside conditions
• Makeup will need to be stored not in the tent to regulate the temperature not allowing it to get too hot or cool
• Adequate lighting backstage
• Ability for the whole tent to be in black out including natural light
• Outside the marquee sufficient paved or boarded walkways to easily transport equipment without stepping on the grass
• Outside noise will be more easily heard
• Security!

 

My Role:

• More seats to sell tickets for (70 seats)
• Storing merchandise and programmes
• It will be hard to attach posters

Starlight Express Licensing

The licensing is tight for Starlight Express so today I'm drafting a letter to the Really Useful Group asking if we can have merchandise, broadcast and advertise to a larger audience and if we can manipulate the logo.

Mayflower Starlight Express Programmes Analysis

Programme	Good Aspects	Bad Aspects
2007 Tour	·         Plain black background ·         Contrasting colours between the main text and title ·         Black and white images of principals above information ·         Name then role ·         Songs on running order have who is in that song ·         The 2 acts are well defined	·         No link to trains ·         Terrible 00’s Si Fi font ·         The glow around the logo ·         Use of gradient within the font ·         Large logo condenses text pages ·         Text style is not consistent ·         Starry backgrounds not effective ·         Transparent outlined boxes look amateur ·         Varied colour schemes ·         Text is not in logical format and is spread round ·         Empty space but other text too close together
2013 Tour	·         Relevance to trains on outer cover ·         Blue sits as a subtle colour scheme effectively ·         Simple standard text ·         Stars as bullet points ·         Roman numerals for acts	·         Not stylised ·         Mix of greens and yellows as ‘lights’ at the bottom of the page ·         Spacing of text leaves vast gaps ·         Stars in background ·         Change of font ·         Italic font

Cast List Decsions

Today we're being sent the cast list in the gang format and general format. Discussing with Mr Hawkins we've decided that we will decide at a later date whether to list the whole cast or list them in their gangs. However listing the cast in their gangs will make the programme more interesting as well as breaking down huge lists of names.