Get it out of the beautiful game!
Hello, we are a group of final year TV students at Middlesex University and we are producing a football chat show called Off The Pitch. This project is also our final year project and as such, it is our most ambitious studio project yet.
Off The Pitch will seek to discuss all things football related. Our pilot episode , called “the ugly game” will focus on racism in football, how it affects players and examine why more isn’t being done to combat the issue.
Unfortunately racism is still a major issue in football and it has a huge impact on the many different people involved in the game - from the fans to the players.
What we hope to achieve through our show
We hope that through our pilot chat show we will be able to raise awareness of this issue and encourage open and frank discussion about how racism is impacting the beautiful game – and how it can be tackled.
our inspiration for this project
This project comes from the heart as we're young people of colour who have grown up watching and loving football. To see the beautiful game still rife with racism in today’s forward-thinking society is truly heart-breaking.
We feel very strongly about this subject matter and we hope our project becomes more than just a chat show. We want it to reach as many people as possible and to shine more of a spotlight on the impact of racism in the sport.
Who are we?
Producer- Usaama Naji
Usaama is producing Off The Pitch. He is also currently producing short drama, The Lying Detective. He is a hard-working, committed team player who shines in his ability to overcome any challenge, fit into any situation and is always 100% committed to ensuring any project is the best it possibly can be. He is very excited to be working on this project and will be pivotal to ensuring sets and paperwork are finalised - and that all of our objectives are met.
Joshua gibson - Director
Joshua is a 3rd year Television Production student who has a strong passion for studio-based entertainment. He is also currently working as a set designer on another TV production, so his skill set is very versatile. Joshua is passionate about this project as the topic is something he feels very strongly about. He hopes to deliver a great show as Director and play a role in encouraging change in the game by opening up further debate on the topic. Once he finishes his degree, Joshua wants to work in sports television.
abdul muhid - production manager
Abdul is a 3rd year Television Production student with a strong passion for studio-based entertainment shows. His previous experience includes working in post-production on documentaries. Abdul is disciplined and has a strong work ethic. He always shows great attention to detail. His main focus right now is ensuring Off The Pitch runs smoothly and efficiently.
Muaaz Chowdhury - Gallery PA
Muaaz is a 3rd Year Television Student, specialising in Directing and Writing. He's had many opportunities to showcase his writing skills having worked on many Television Studio Shows working as Gallery PA on productions such as 'The Good Life' and 'Movember' . He is very excited this particular project has been 'Green-Lit' and is working extremely hard to get the ball rolling on the project.
Now MEET THE REST OF THE CREW!
LOUSHA LIDDELL - VT DIRCTOR
Becky Boyfield- Vison mixer
Hollie Farrington- Floor manager
Lauren Stansbury- Camera supervisor
Daria Doksa- Sound engineer
Tosia SZARMACH- LIGHTING DIRECTOR
john oyekamni- set design
liam freeman- set design
show format
Our chat show guests will all be footballers who will be invited to share and discuss their experiences of racism within the sport, so that our studio audience have the opportunity to hear their stories and learn more about the issue first hand.
OUR plan of action
Everyone on the project is passionate about this topic and committed to making a great show but if it's going to become a reality, we need to do it right! That's why we need your help.
We want this show to look the best it possibly can and to do this, we need to raise £1,320.
You are the key to making this happen!
But where did this £1,320 figure come from?
Well, let's take a look...
travel- £250
£250 of our budget will go towards paying for travel for the crew and cast when travelling for VT (Video tape) shoots and the recording of the show.
food- £100
£100 of our budget will go towards feeding our cast and crew. This amount is relatively low because this is a studio show so keeping everybody well fed and hydrated shouldn’t cost too much!
SET- £300
A big chunk of our budget will go towards set design so it is relevant to our topic. Our set team have been working hard on making a great set and this money will help them buy the relevant items they need to dress it appropriately.
MERCHANDISE- £200
This money will be spent on securing some branded stress balls so we can offer these to our lovely donors at some rewards levels!
location & Vt - £250
Securing a location for our VT (which stands for Video Tape and its a segment of the show that's pre-recorded outside the studio to add to the story) will be an expensive job as we will need to pay certain businesses to film in their establishments . This is where this amount comes in. The main studio show will take place in our university’s Sony-designed TV studios – fortunately for us, we get to use this space for free!
contingency- £120
This might look like an odd one but when making a TV show, anything can happen! This amount will enable us to cover any unexpected or additional costs. We're usually told to set aside 10% for Contingency, so this is where this specific amount comes in.
ARCHIVE- £100
This money will allow help us to pay for any archive footage to help us bring the show to life. Due to copyright laws, we will need to buy the rights to the footage before we use it.
Your rewards
No donation is too small and every donation is greatly appreciated! By supporting this project we can create a show that covers wan important topic that we all need to be talking about more.
For those of you able to support us financially, we want to say a huge thank you from the crew and cast.
On the right-hand side of the page you'll see the rewards you can get in return for your generous donations.
Spreading the word
Donations are not the only way you can help this project. In order to be successful every project needs marketing and you can help us by spreading the word about this project and telling everyone and anyone who might be interested in supporting us. Thank you for helping us spread the word about our project!
Get involved and follow our progress
A production of this size is always going to need more crew members to jump into roles like runners, lighting/sound assistants, stand ins and anyone else who is generally willing to help out. If this is of interest, please contact us (you can see our contact details below).
Our inbox is also open to any of you who have ideas or suggestions for the show – we are always very happy to hear them!
You can contact us via email and also follow our progress on Instagram.
