Pre Production

The group was split into groups of 4 or 5 to create a round for the quiz show with 4 roles needed to be done, they were:

- Content/Round Producer - Responsible for producing a scripts and questions for your groups round.
- Post-Production Producer - Creating inserts to be used within the round e.g. DVD clips and images.
- Art Director - Help design and create the set using props, paint etc while helping out with the other Art Directors.
- Technical Producer - Have to make sure everything the group comes up with is technically possible and how it is done.

I was chosen to be a member of the Quickfire round which was the only group with 5 members along with Reece, Steph, Sharni and Amy. My role was to be the Content Producer, which i felt i did a very helpful job on helping to come up with a script for our round, the quick fire round, which needed the most questions out of all the rounds and we managed to come up with more than enough. Me and Reece also came up with other ideas for the rounds scripts including lighting and sound effects, the original idea was to have the lights dimmed with heartbeat audio track being played to create the nervous, tence atomosphere we wanted as our round was the final, deciding one. However, on the day we could not use the heartbeat audio track as the CD made with it did not work on the DVD player in the audio room and we did not have enough time to fix the problem. Me and Reece also created the Cue cards with the questions for the host to use during the show, we designed them making them a rectangle shape big enough for a couple questions and with the logo on the other side. We used the gillotine to cut out lots of card rectangles and logos and glued all the logos onto the cards and then i laminated them in the correct order. Our rounds script and questions were all completed and so were the cue cards with no problems so me and Reece took it upon ourselves too help out with other responsibilities within the entire group, we helped paint the set for a couple of days sacrificing some of my clothes and moved around the set all through out the production of the set. We also took the job of finding someone to be the host in the show so went to performing arts to find an ideal person for the job and we managed to find Sam who was happy to do it. We then helped erect the finished set in the studio by placing it and screwing it all together before checking everything was safe and secure, we also helped strike it. Whilst all this was happening, as a group we were being taught theory and being helped out in different sessions with Jon Sayward, Jon Dempsey, Kate Flurry and Peter Craven which was very helpful collecting information we needed to make the show run as smoothly as possible. On Wednesdays we had technical sessions with Peter, who was very helpful throughout the making of the show, as we had some time to work with the equipment doing run throughs and rotations to get some practice and experiance before the real show arrived and it helped showing gradual improvment from the group every week. As we started to draw closer to the real show we started to have some rehearsals and the date of the show was set back a week which gave us some needed time to get everything ready. I myself was getting some practice in with the equipment, particually the sound desk which i found helpful and i filled in as the talent on a couple of occasions which i was happy to do.

Talkback Protocol and Health and Safety

Talkback Protocol -

Communication is very important when making a TV show and in particully when being recorded as Live as everything and everyone has to be doing their role efficintly and the show needs to run smootly with as little problems as possible. So by having a method of comunication between crew members, in particually the Floor Manager and Director, using a talkback protocol is a very useful tool to have as it helps to do this. When a issue arises in the studio, the camera opperators and FM/AFM's each have a set of cans on and can instantly contact the director without leaving there desinated roles to inform him of any problems which can then be dealt with quicker and in the correct way e.g. cleary state the problem and how much time will be needed to deal with it. It is also very important for the director to be able to communicate with the camera operators to help guide them and tell them what camera shots they would like and this method is very quick and easy.

Health and Safety -

In the case of an emergency there is are strict guidlines to abide by:

- There are 2 exits to leave from; there are double doors on the studio floor and a door in the Audio Room.

- Everybody in the studio is the Floor Managers responsibity so they are in charge of getting everybody out safely and in a organised, calm way.

- The Director is in charge of getting everybody out of the Audio and Vision Mixing Room.

- The set has to be checked for any health hazards e.g. lights and camera positions.

Visual and Audio Signal Paths

This diagram shows the audio and visual signal paths being used in a TV studio for a Live Show. If your recording an audio level e.g. microphones and want to mix it into the sound desk there is a mic and line level to follow, the line level is stronger and comes from any kind of sound being used for the live recording e.g. theme song, DVD. The Mic level comes from the Stob box which is connected to the microphone which is being used to pick up the speech from the talent on the panel. These levels are both analogue being put into the sound desk. The DVD however is digital and is visual aswell as audio but can convert into analogue making it easier to use and operate using a D.A.C (Digital to Analogue Converter). Sound desks can handle 12 mic inputs and 4 line inputs, the audio is then put to the mixing desk to get the right levels (not to loud or quiet) and is digitally recorded on a HDD. The visual path is more simple as the stob box, which is very important, connects what the camera is capturing and sends it to the vision mixer and the vision and audio then come together to be recorded.

Framing and Eyeline

Remembering the frame work and grid when using a camera is very important, so knowing the sweet spots is key. As shown in the diagram the eye line should be captured in the top 3rd of the grid whilst leaving head room at the top and looking space either side, the amount of this room and other spare space on the grid depends on the camera shot being used. This diagram shows the sweet spots using lines to show this e.g. the eye line is captured on the the top 3rd line of the grid.

VU Meter

The VU (Volume Meter) is used to show the sound operator the level the sound is at in dB (Decibels) from what your recording, so it's easy to find the right level. When a member of the talent is speaking you want to find the right mix and have flexibility to adjust when they change their volume, so the ideal level to use is around -8dB and -18dB so their is room to go louder or quieter depending on if and when the talent gets louder. To find a more suitable and realistic sound when a live TV programme is being recorded there is a stereo output to use. As shown in the diagrame the VU Meter can go up to around +7 dB but anything above 0dB would come out very unclear and loud so there is no need to go as high as that.

Floor Plans/Studio Crew Layout and Cam Configuation

This diagram is showing where everything is postioned in the studio including equipment and crew members. The majority of the floor place is left open for an audience to be placed in between the two cameras at the back and the panel which has two other cameras postioned either side of it. The audio control room and vision mixing room are smaller and at the back of the studio with sound proof walls in between. The audio control room has two people operating the sound desk aswell as the DVD operator, the vision mixing room has the director aswell as his assistant director and the vision mixer. The FM and AFM are on the studio floor with responsibilitie of the entire floor and each camera is used by two people, a camera operator and an assisstant camera operator. As shown on the diagram, each camera operator and both FM and AFM are using cans to communicate with the sound desk and the director.

Terminology/Equipment

Floor Monitor/Screen - A big flat screen located in the studio and linked to show the live camera shot for the talent, camera operators and floor managers to see.

Tally Light - The small red light just above the lens on the camera, if it's on, it means that the camera is being shown live which benefits everybody in the studio.

Soft/Fill Light - These "Barn Doors" are little energy lights that direct light to where required.

Flood Light - Used to generate the all around light in the studio to make it a more workable studio to record in.

Dimmer Pack - Used to give the other equipment power and the correct amount of it in different watts and voltages.

Spot Light (Small) - These lights use lots of energy and is used to light the everyone on camera e.g. the studio talent and host.

Lighters Panel - Contols the brightness going to each light in percentages and is the equivelent to an audio desk so is easy to use by the way it is designed with a computer screen.

Audio Desk - Controlled by two crew members and postioned in its own room is the audio desk which controls all sound levels being used and recorded live, this includes sound being picked up by the microphones (talent speaking) and sound being played into the studio when the DVD video formats are being being shown as live controlled by a DVD operator.

Stob Box - Connects microphones and cameras to the vision mixer to prevent wires so is a very useful peice of equipment to have.

Camera Pedestal - A tripod controled on wheels by the camera operators which is designed in a complex way to make the camera movements more smooth and easy to do.

Curtain Track - The Curtain Track is postioned behind and either side of the panel so that it is within camera shot being used as a background. In has easy moving rails circling the studio and gives the set simple yet profesional look.

The Crew and TV Studio

There are many different important roles within a crew that are vital to a successful show.

Camera Operators - When on the cameras, you have to be very alert and sharp as you have too not only listen to directors but also make your own decisions on the fly. So you must have good understanding of shots that are required at the right time and iniative to execute them.

The Vision Mixer - If your using the vision mixer during a live show you must also be very alert and efficient so that your ready to respond and operate it quickly to the directors orders. Good understanding and knowledge of technical terms are also important as the majority of the role is listening to the directors calls.

Sound/Audio Crew - To be successfull on the audio desk you must have good concentration and need to be very quick responding to whats happening live as you have to quickly operate the faders as the talent speak so it's not too loud or quiet and so that no unwanted sounds are heard.

Floor manager and Assistant Floor Manager - They are responsible for what is going on in the studio so must always know and be on top of things, they have to make their presence felt by the everybody in the TV studio and take the leadership role. They must have communication with the talent to get their orders across.

Director - Finally there is the director who is the most important member of the crew as they are in charge and lead the entire show. They need to have great communication skills and have communication with every member of the crew as it's their orders that have to be followed. They need to have creativity a good understanding of all the technical terminology and guide the entire show.

Production Design

Nothing is accidental!

1) Broad sheets -

- Tonal palette
- Visual motifs

2) Concept Art

- All designs add to theme
- It cannot distract audiences attention

3) Script Lockdown

- Scene breakdown
- Prop breakdown - action props, dressing props
- Budget

4) The team

- Production Designer
- Art Director
- Props Master
- Construction Manager
- Lighting Master

5) The Product

- How much room?
- Specific needs?
- Textures and finishes
- Build it
- Decorate it
- Erect it
- Light out
- Strike it

Camera Movements and Parts

Camera Movements

PAN - follow the focus/talent from lift to right (vice verca)

Tilt - Tilt the camera up and the down

Crab left/right - Move the camera sideways

Track back/forward - Move camera forewards and backwards

Zoom in/out - Move the focus of the camera fowards/backwards


Parts of Camera

Tally - Light on the top of the camera to show when the record is happening as live

Exposure Contol - Bright/dull

Focus Control - Sharp/soft