For 7 weeks last summer, 12 single participants lived it up in a villa in Majorca to see if sparks flew on ITV’s hit show Love Island. The series saw singletons pair up in a paradise setting and the finale pulled in 2.6 million viewers – ITV2’s biggest-ever audience! The show has made a lot of people very popular, and thanks to presenter Iain Stirling, a camera operator on the ITV2 show has unwittingly become a celebrity…you might know him as Benny on camera 2.
If you want to work in TV Production creating shows like Love Island, then you can develop the skills you need to succeed on our TV Production degree courses. Benny and the Love Island film crew worked tirelessly throughout the show, and in this blog, we’re going to highlight the skills and techniques they used on some of our favourite scenes – all of which you can also learn if you study TV Production at Confetti.
1. Muggy Mike enters the villa for the first time
When Mike entered the villa he caused a lot of drama. The slow motion shot used when he walked up to the front door generated initial tension and suspense – ideal for any reality TV show. Our BSc Television Production (top up) students have access to a HD camera that can shoot in full quality at 60fps (frames per second) to create brilliant slow motion shots.
2. Jess is voted off by the other islanders
During the first ‘dumping’ of the series three couples were at risk of being voted off and in a shocking twist, the remaining boys and girls had to vote off one islander of the opposite sex. During the scene, the shot switched between multiple cameras in a variety of positions – some fixed and some manned. Students on the BSc Television Production (top up) course will look at setting up multiple cameras across an environment – operated or robotic – and will learn to cut between them from a hidden, backstage environment.
We’ve had students gain valuable work experience at the Royal Concert Hall this year, laying cables throughout the building, directing and mixing from backstage. Other groups filmed a series of live gigs at the Bodega for our regular live music event Confetti Live, cutting between shots from the back of the room, while the cameras captured the band doing their thing!
3. Boys and girls are split into two separate villas
When the boys were told they’d have a ‘lads’ night out, little did they know they were actually moving into a brand new villa – Casa Amor – with new contestants. The production team wanted to present this in the same way that they introduced the original contestants, at a fast pace, in order to feature the new islanders within the timeframe of one episode.
Students on the TV Production Foundation Degree are taught these ‘promo shooting’ camera techniques, and how to frame and edit those shots to match this fast-paced action style. Our students learn how to use post-production software, so they can take what they have shot on location and cut together vignette packages. These skills are then developed during the top up year, which results in some incredible pieces of work! Across two modules, some of the BSc top up TV students shot and edited interviews with 11-year-old Matthew Smith, before becoming part of history when they recorded him becoming the youngest person to conduct a 75 piece orchestra – see the video below.
4. Kem asks Amber to be his girlfriend
The islanders had their fair share of cringe-worthy moments, but if you’re looking for the best of the lot…look no further than Kem’s romantic gesture to Amber. By leaving a trail of imaginative texts, Kem led Amber on a quest to his heart. Romantic lines included ‘where we first broke up’ and ‘go to the fireplace’ before Kem finally emerged from the glow generated by the 70 cameras watching their every move, to ask Amber if she’d be his girlfriend…SHE SAID YES!
During this scene, a variety of remote cameras were used and controlled from a Camera Control Unit. With the right planning, students on the BSc Television Production (top up) course will have access to the remote cameras we share with Notts TV, allowing students to create these kinds of shots. Students have been able to use these cameras as part of TV studio shoots, allowing them to program in particular shot types, that they can switch between at the touch of a button!
Want to become the next Benny on camera 2? Apply now to study on our FdSc TV Production Technology or BSc TV Production top up degrees, or come along to one of our degree-level open days and take the first steps towards a career in TV Production.
