GMRC Series 2 - Episode 8 - The Final - 'Surprise Surprise' - 5.40pm

[noiseboy72]

It must have been so crowded and hot in there for the final, particularly when the rest of the layouts arrived. 

 

I'm looking through Kathy's photos now, as I find that gives a better representation of progress and some of the details the TV show misses. 

[JohnR]

22 hours ago, Butler Henderson said:

Just how reliable are viewing figures anyway; catchup they can log I presume but  normal transmissions its apparently a random selection of viewers who log what they have watched. I hardly ever watch anything live and play back off one of a number of PVRs (2 Freeview, a Freesat one and a BT box - admitably one of the Freeview ones is rarely used and the other gets heavily used for ITV,C4,C5 etc as it usefully has a quick skip for commercials)

 

They are fairly accurate, and have been fine tuned over the years. Either way, the figures are what are used by both TV execs in deciding whether to re-commission a programme, and of course advertisers in deciding where to advertise their wares. And neither of them would be wasting their money if they had doubts over the validity of them.

[Ballanparkway]

Our explosion!

[LocoLadies CF]

I don’t think they asked for volunteers to join next year’s GMRC or did I miss it?  Hope this doesn’t mean there won’t be another series. 

[298]

On 25/10/2019 at 19:46, noiseboy72 said:

I think it's fair to say that that the time change probably hasn't worked as well as they would have hoped. 

 

Hopefully it won't affect the chances of a 3rd series.

 

Really looking forward to the final  

 

People who I know who watch it seem to have all missed the change to Saturday and then the earlier start time. However it seemed to be suited to a Saturday teatime slot so I hope s3 is able to be shown in that slot.

[noiseboy72]

Was it just me, or did the demos tonight feel really rushed? Looking at Kathy's photos, we missed loads of detail and seemed to concentrate as much on the previous layouts as we did on the ones just built.

 

I feel the episode should have been at least 15 minutes longer, given there were 4 teams in the final.

[CharlieJohnson]

Yeah there was so much more packed into our layout that didn't even get a mention. Plus I don't know if I was just me but they seemed to really rush past our layout and focus on the others a lot more. 

 

Should have been a 2 hour special. 

[JohnR]

2 hours ago, 298 said:

 

People who I know who watch it seem to have all missed the change to Saturday and then the earlier start time. However it seemed to be suited to a Saturday teatime slot so I hope s3 is able to be shown in that slot.

 

Yes and No. Some of of Tim and James' "puns" were a bit close to the bone for a junior audience. 

[phil-b259]

I didn't envy Steve and Kathy one bit judging the final! (or indeed the second semi final) as the result was too close to call (from the finished TV programme anyway). There has been some astounding, not to mention initiative / creative modelling been showcased throughout the series which was a joy to see - even if the editing decisions didn't do them justice sometimes.

 

Hats off to EVERYONE who has taken part in this series, you have given us a most enjoyable set of TV programmes (Questionable editing and short programme length issues aside), THANK YOU.

 

Also a well done to all the behind the scenes people who helped with the series.

 

I hope that the messing round with the broadcast schedule and consequent variation in audience figures doesn't put Channel 5 from commissioning a 3rd series.

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, JohnR said:

 

Yes and No. Some of of Tim and James' "puns" were a bit close to the bone for a junior audience. 

But the ones that weren't recorded were even worse, despite James trying very hard to get one of his recorded.   Having attended the judging day it was interesting, and instructive to realise just how much footage ended up in the waste bin - I reckon that over the course of the day there must have been something between 12 and 16 hours of video recorded including a whole load of rostrum shots at the end before the judges came back with their conclusion. (before which there had been several takes of us in the 'audience'  applauding the result - which of course we didn't know).

 

Effectively that amount of video was compressed into what amounted to less than half of the time which was aired so it is definitely a very carefully edited version which reaches our screens.  In fact as I said to one of the camera crews my sympathies were very much with the person who would be editing their output because that was going to be quite a task.  But equally as a cameraman. said if they don't turn in useful material they won't be invited back so what we didn't see was all good quality stuff - apart from numerous retakes where Tim and James didn't get their lines quite right.   From my viewpoint as an 'audience member' (i.e. in effect an 'extra') it was an interesting day albeit a long one with some periods of doing not very much or not being allowed to move lest we spoil the continuity.  I must have been a good boy continuity wise as my ugly mug features in various shots that were broadcast as does the much nicer looking visage of my daughter who was also in 'the audience'.

 

Good result - well the top three were all very close together with only one point between them, well deserved I reckon.   And I hope Bachmann weren't too upset with their singed Class 24

[CharlieJohnson]

10 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

 Good result - well the top three were all very close together with only one point between them, well deserved I reckon.   And I hope Bachmann weren't too upset with their singed Class 24

 

They were more concerned converting it to DCC than us running it through the flames. We didn't tell them until after our demonstration and at the very least they can say its flash proof. 

[LNER4479]

Well it was a great experience to compete in the final even though there were... Ahem ... certain aspects of our layout that were something of an embarrassment, despite the heroic efforts of all members of Team Grantham. Some 'behind the scenes' facts that may not have been apparent.

 

The final actually took place over FOUR days, not three! 4th to 7th July to be exact, at the same time as the nearby Henley Regatta was on!

 

Throughout the series Team Grantham were only ever a team of 5 people. Whereas we were able to get away with that in the Heat and Semi, we really needed the sixth person for the final.

 

Whinge alert! My only real gripe with KBG was that they altered the rules for the final at the 11th hour and 59 minute. The published rules clearly stated that teams would have 32 hours build time for their final layouts as opposed to 22 for Heat and Semis. This equated to three long 10 hour days, plus a final two hours on the morning of the 4th morning before the public came in.

 

As we were driving towards Fawley Hill on the afternoon of the 3rd came the email from Pat - we would require to stop building at 5pm on the third day. They'd been thinking through the logistics of the filming of the demos, with four joined up mega-layouts and decided that they needed all of the fourth day for that. The remainder of day 3 was to be tidy up time. Well, our 32 hour plan for our zany layout was impossible enough as it was but to then have 5 hours taken off us and with a team of only 5 ...  well we were sunk before we started to be honest.

 

HOWEVER (end of whinge) - it was the same for all four teams so we put on a brave face and made the best of it. It was great fun trying and there were some truly memorable moments.

 

All 15 teams had to submit an outline plan for the final! Now, it was bad enough having to plan for the semis whilst trying to concentrate on preparing for your heat but where the final was concerned that seemed so far away and unlikely at the time that it really could be afforded only scant attention. Once we knew we were in the final it was OMG - how are we going to build THAT?!!!

 

No sour grapes though. It was great fun and a fantastic experience. MASSIVE congratulations to Railmen of Kent, worthy winners and will be great ambassadors for the hobby with their layouts at Warley. TBH, if we had somehow won, it would have been somewhat embarrassing to spend all weekend at Warley explaining away our Final layout.

 

I shall be at Warley in any case -wearing my Team Grantham T-shirt with pride - as I was booked to be in the demo area anyway doing my usual layout planning & design thing. It'll be good to catch up with Fred, Carol and any other GMRC-ers there. 

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by LNER4479

[Hroth]

Well done to all concerned!, The final was an enjoyable early evenings viewing, even if we had to put up with some desperate puns (some veering into "not clever and not funny" territory), although the use of a static grass applicator as a head-flocking aid was amusing!

 

I eventually watched "live" on 5+1, and found the adverts inbetween the programme segments more irritating than usual, I'll watch one of the recordings I made later today so I can skip through the ads and concentrate on the programme!

 

Well done to the Railmen for topping the results, though its invidious to relegate Railriders, Team Grantham and WCR to also rans, as there was terrific work done by all the teams.  As Young Mr Grace would say, "They've all done very well!!!".

 

 

[MrTea]

I was fortunate enough to attend the filming of the final day as a guest of Team Rail Riders. As Stationmaster says it was a long day but fascinating to see what goes on behind the scenes. 
 

I’ll be interested to see what makes into the final edit. Filming the trains traversing the 4 sets of 3 layouts took up most of the day but presumably that’ll only make up 10 minutes or so of the programme. 
 

[LocoLadies CF]

8 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

I shall be at Warley in any case -wearing my Team Grantham T-shirt with pride - as I was booked to be in the demo area anyway doing my usual layout planning & design thing. It'll be good to catch up with Fred, Carol and any other GMRC-ers there. 

We were at the final and were so impressed by all the hard work and beautiful modelling that took place. It was fun to be in the audience - probably less so for those taking part. 

 

It will be great to catch up with you and whilst we are planning to have cake at Warley (which you are welcome to join us for) we aren’t sure how long it will last!!! This was Jill’s cake for our heat. 

[Phil Parker]

16 minutes ago, LocoLadies CF said:

It will be great to catch up with you and whilst we are planning to have cake at Warley (which you are welcome to join us for) we aren’t sure how long it will last!!! This was Jill’s cake for our heat. 

 

Sounds like an important interview for Andy and I to conduct at Warley then.

 

Phil (Official BRM cake correspondent)

[Huw Griffiths]

38 minutes ago, LocoLadies CF said:

It will be great to catch up with you and whilst we are planning to have cake at Warley (which you are welcome to join us for) we aren’t sure how long it will last!!! This was Jill’s cake for our heat. 

 

20 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

Sounds like an important interview for Andy and I to conduct at Warley then.

 

Phil (Official BRM cake correspondent)

 

Errm ... yes ... .

[noiseboy72]

Having chatted with Sarah the director and also production assistant Shannon, the shoot to show ratio was about 9-1 for the main cameras, plus all the mini cam and time lapse. 

 

Each director works with an editor on a single episode, deciding what stories to tell, concentrating on the winning team and any emerging problems or team strife that might occur. The rough edit will normally be longer than the requested programme length and will then be tightened up to fit. After that it will be colour graded and finalized so that it matches the other programs.

 

Things can change even after the edit is finalized. In the programme introduction Kathy is shown discussing an infraction of the rules, but whichever episode this was from appears to have been re-edited and that scene removed.

 

The late change in the rules seems to have led to all the layouts being less finished than the teams would have liked, which might be why the final judging put more emphasis on the 3 layouts as a whole. Disappointing I'm sure, but still massive congratulations to the winners and all involved.

[whart57]

Well the old uncle did it for the Railmen again, didn't he? What has set the Railmen apart from their competitors has been the quality scratchbuilding on the grand scale, real Bake-Off style "showstoppers". On the other hand Gwion and his boys have showed us what the future holds and that is quite exciting. OK, animated grazing triceratops may not be your thing but forget the plastic dinosaur, look beyond to what else can be made to move. I think that on the night the dead heat for the final was spot on, with the Railmen winning on the overall scores for the series. I would have liked WCR to win, but that's only because it would have been nice to say we went out to the eventual winners ........

 

But hey, did anyone really interpret the theme of "Surprise Surprise"? My suspicion this was a dud was somewhat confirmed. OK two great layouts emerged but either could have been built with a different theme heading.

[phil-b259]

11 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

But the ones that weren't recorded were even worse, despite James trying very hard to get one of his recorded.   Having attended the judging day it was interesting, and instructive to realise just how much footage ended up in the waste bin - I reckon that over the course of the day there must have been something between 12 and 16 hours of video recorded including a whole load of rostrum shots at the end before the judges came back with their conclusion. (before which there had been several takes of us in the 'audience'  applauding the result - which of course we didn't know).

 

Effectively that amount of video was compressed into what amounted to less than half of the time which was aired so it is definitely a very carefully edited version which reaches our screens.  In fact as I said to one of the camera crews my sympathies were very much with the person who would be editing their output because that was going to be quite a task.  But equally as a cameraman. said if they don't turn in useful material they won't be invited back so what we didn't see was all good quality stuff - apart from numerous retakes where Tim and James didn't get their lines quite right.   From my viewpoint as an 'audience member' (i.e. in effect an 'extra') it was an interesting day albeit a long one with some periods of doing not very much or not being allowed to move lest we spoil the continuity.  I must have been a good boy continuity wise as my ugly mug features in various shots that were broadcast as does the much nicer looking visage of my daughter who was also in 'the audience'.

 

Good result - well the top three were all very close together with only one point between them, well deserved I reckon.   And I hope Bachmann weren't too upset with their singed Class 24

 

You do seem just as well connected in the model world as you are with real railways Mike, being at the NRM for Rails announcement the other week and now the GMRC final.... not envious at all....

Edited October 27, 2019 by phil-b259

[noiseboy72]

Apparently the Surprise Surprise theme came from the Channel 5 commissioning editor himself!

 

It stumped us during our planning and had we made it through, planned to present magic tricks - all involving the layout. Quite how that would have worked with the way the demonstrations were orchestrated, I don't know, as we would have needed interaction with the judges and presenters to make it work.

[Ballanparkway]

Our first heat layout  ( Heat 4) layout “ The deeping  project” A centre of the Earth mining shot

[whart57]

36 minutes ago, noiseboy72 said:

Apparently the Surprise Surprise theme came from the Channel 5 commissioning editor himself!

 

It stumped us during our planning and had we made it through, planned to present magic tricks - all involving the layout. Quite how that would have worked with the way the demonstrations were orchestrated, I don't know, as we would have needed interaction with the judges and presenters to make it work.

 

Stumped us too. One "surprise" we had planned was to build the final layout using OO gauge track but with rolling stock to 1:32 scale. A couple of "Smokey Joes" would have been given big cabs and long funnels.

[Phil Parker]

Question: Jame says the 3D printed figures were 7mm scale, but on the boards they seem to match the 4mm ones. Does he just not know what he's talking about? 

[hicksan]

11 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

No sour grapes though. It was great fun and a fantastic experience. MASSIVE congratulations to Trainmen of Kent, worthy winners and will be great ambassadors for the hobby with their layouts at Warley. TBH, if we had somehow won, it would have been somewhat embarrassing to spend all weekend at Warley explaining away our Final layout. 

 

I shall be at Warley in any case -wearing my Team Grantham T-shirt with pride - as I was booked to be in the demo area anyway doing my usual layout planning & design thing. It'll be good to catch up with Fred, Carol and any other GMRC-ers there. 

 

These last-minute rule changes are par for the course with GMRC, as we have all discovered who participated this year or last. Sometimes good, but sometimes they result in teams getting stuffed when the best laid plans suddenly turn into dead ends. You just have to take it and cope, I'm afraid. I guessed from the broadcast that you were down on numbers in the final. It was never going to work with just one person doing all the hardware, track and wiring. There's always lots that doesn't get said, because it doesn't help the 'story'. It is about drama, after all. The one thing reality tv isn't about is reality.

 

I sincerely hope we DO see you, AND your layouts, at exhibitions over the next year. If not at Warley at least at some of the other major shows like Ally Pally. The public really don't care who won the show - but they do appreciate good layouts (and yours were stellar - all three of them) - and exhibition managers know that and will want to draw those kinds of crowds. So I suspect your phone will be red hot very shortly.

 

Heck, Missenden Modellers got totally hammered in public last year - but Ealing Road has turned out to be the real star and been drawing crowds ever since. We mostly have to put it on auto so we can all stand in front to talk and answer questions, about the show and how we did various stuff, because the interest and demand is so great. People will have huge respect for what you did (I certainly do) and the fact that you lost by only one point speaks volumes. You've had a good few months since filming to polish off all the rough edges. I hope you've done so and not let it go to waste, as some teams did. No-one will be expecting to see the layout in it's rough "as broadcast" state. It had a lot of potential and, in our experience, folk will want to see that realised. It was inspirational modelling. Well done.

 

Bottom line: there are no real losers in this show. Not even teams that lose their heats. Hat's off to ALL of you. And the real winners are: the hobby as a whole. So thanks very much for taking part.