Let the Live Lesson begin!

Episode One: 500 Words - LIVE from Londons Museum of The Home

I am hugely excited to be part of the Live Lessons family this season. Each week I will be right at the heart of the lesson, getting involved, observing whats going on and transforming all of those wonderful happenings and learning into a one-of-a-kind poster that is available to download after each lesson. I had an epic time and created a behind-the-scenes summary after each episode. I edited and posted these on Instagram, but now I'm adding them here too, with extra pics and my thoughts on how it all went. I may be a little rusty as usually most of my comms are done by voice into a microphone or straight down the lens, so writing them down is feeling a teeny bit alien; but I am determined to persevere, so stick with me.

So to give myself a bit more structure and to prevent myself from simply rambling on and then having to spend several hours spell-checking and grammar-checking my prose, I am going to ask myself a few questions. PLEASE feel free to comment and let me know if there is anything else you would like to know or any other/better questions you would like me to reflect upon instead. Here goes...

Have you done anything like this before?

Yes, I have. I was actually brought up in a very creative household, and TV, music, and media were a huge part of that creativity. My dad worked in television and is still in media now, on the music side. Dad always had me and my siblings on the camera with him, and when we were older and used to film church conventions (and even weddings), at one time my sister and I were on camera. I was on the cutaway, audience cam, and my sister was on camera one. Camera one was responsible for the steady follow shot, and the cutaway camera, my camera, was responsible for seeking out audience reactions and capturing them. Being right up in the crowd and looking for interesting things that were going on. I loved it.

As part of that formative training with Dad (not that I thought of it as training, it was simply what we did as a family, but what a foundation, eh!) As part of that "training," I also eventually went in front of the camera. I love documenting and narrating what is going on, and way before selfies and social media as we know it, my sister and I were making chatty videos and taking 'arms length pictures,' as we called them.

Fast forward many years I have now worked in television for five years since 2021 when I was part of my first major series CBeebies Colours. Now that is a post all of its own! - It was fantastic.

The HUGE difference with this programme, however, is that it was LIVE! Now that I had not done before, save the mini LIVE sequence on Blue Peter for the reveal of a mural I created for the show, but most of my work with Blue Peter was prerecorded. So yes, the live aspect was very, very new.

What was it like working with Naomi and Sir Lenny Henry?

I grew up watching Sir Lenny Henry with my family, so it was surreal. I am not a person who gets starstruck; in fact, I only ever really get 'starstruck' with architecture and paintings, genuinely. I mean, you should have seen me when I saw the Basilica in Barcelona for the first time IRL and Starry Night at MOMA! - Gaping mouth, increased heart rate, I was mesmerised. But with people, not so much. This is no reflection on the individual, you understand, and certainly no reflection on Sir Lenny. He is truly awesome, and Naomi is absolutely incredible -super skilled presenter, incredibly kind, and absolutely lovely to be around, and the same goes for Sir Lenny too. I met them both for the first time during the script read and then during rehearsals on set. This entire first episode was surreal: LIVE, mic'd up, the director's voice in my ear, chatting with Sir Lenny and Naomi, remembering cues, drawing live, camera movements, makeup checks. It was an utter adrenaline rush.

It was LIVE! - Were you nervous?

Not really, and yes, definitely. I decided to not overthink it and not focus on the fact that as I speak down that lens, I am actually speaking to thousands of people around the world. Oddly, that very same thought is what I liked and enjoyed; I am speaking with thousands of people around the world - how cool is that! So instead, I just had a conversation. My goal is to make whoever is watching feel as though I am just speaking to them. I want to build that connection with someone through the lens. So that is what I am always trying to do.

Okay, that's the end of my questions to myself. I hope I guessed right, and those were some of the things that you wanted to know. Remember to leave a comment and let me know what else you'd like to know. In the next episode, I'll be doing the Anti-Bullying week.

Until then heres a few pics, a link to the reel I made at the time and to the episode on BBC iPlayer. - have an awesome week - Vee x

Official episode synopsis:

500 Words judge Sir Lenny Henry and Naomi Wilkinson are on a mission to collect the key ingredients of a brilliant story with the help of live artist, Venessa Scott. From original worlds to unforgettable characters and imaginative words, by the end of the lesson your class will have everything they need to begin their own 500 Words stories. This 30-minute Live Lesson is available to watch on the CBBC channel and on BBC iPlayer. This programme was live and accompanied by a live website commentary feed for schools.

Check out my behind the scenes reel: HERE

Check out the episode here: 500 Words Episode

Pics: Me, Naomi Wilkinson and Sir Lenny Henry. After we wrapped we had a lot of fun, capturing pics of our social media and the BBC iPlayer - Which is your fave?

Pic: Watch party with my Dad when I got back to Manchester.