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TV News Reporting and Production MCM 516

LESSON 30

LIVE TRANSMISSIONS

With the growth of electronic media the importance of live transmission and telecast has increased a lot.

Be it a entertainment programme, a sports event, a news bulletin, a current affairs program or a coverage

of an significant occurrence, the live transmission keeps the viewers glued to their television screens and

the audience is remains aware of, what all is happening around them locally and globally.

Live transmission can be either outdoor or indoor productions but the techniques followed, the

equipment required, the staff needed are more or less same, except that in the out door productions an

Electronic Field Production (EFP) is created and it takes place outside of a formal studio in a practical

location, where as indoor productions are studio based and are aired through Master Control Room

(MCR).

Television studio

A television studio is an installation in which television or video productions take place, either for live

television, for recording live to tape, or for the acquisition of raw footage for postproduction. The design

of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments for the special

requirements of television production. A professional television studio generally has several rooms,

which are kept separate for noise and practicality reasons. These rooms are connected via intercom, and

personnel will be divided among these workplaces. Generally, a television studio consists of the

following rooms:

Studio floor

The studio floor is the actual stage on which the actions that will be recorded take place. A studio floor

has the following characteristics and installations:

Decoration and/or sets

Cameras on pedestals

Microphones

Lighting rigs and the associated controlling equipment.

Several video monitors for visual feedback from the production control room

A small public address system for communication

A glass window between PCR and studio floor for direct visual contact is usually desired, but

not always possible

While a production is in progress, the following people work in the studio floor:

The on-screen "talent" themselves, and any guests - the subjects of the show.

A floor director, who has overall charge of the studio area, and who relays timing and

other information from the director.

One or more camera operators who operate the television cameras, though in some

instances these can also be operated from PCR using remote heads.

Possibly a teleprompter operator, especially if this is a news broadcast.

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Production control room

The production control room (also known as the 'gallery') is the place in a television studio in

which the composition of the outgoing program takes place. Facilities in a PCR include:

Video monitor wall

A video monitor wall, with monitors for program, preview, videotape machines, cameras, graphics and

other video sources

Switcher

Switcher is a device where all video sources are controlled and taken to air. Also known as a special

effects generator

Audio mixing console and other audio equipment such as effects devices

Character generator creates the majority of the names and full screen graphics that are inserted into the

program

Digital video effects and/or still frame devices (if not integrated in the vision mixer)

Technical director's station, with waveform monitors, vector-scopes and the camera control units or

remote control panels for the camera control units (CCUs)

VTRs may also be located in the PCR, but are also often found in the central machine room.

Master control room

The master control room houses equipment that is too noisy or runs too hot for the production control

room. It also makes sure that wire lengths and installation requirements keep within manageable

lengths, since most high-quality wiring runs only between devices in this room. This can include:

The actual circuitry and connection boxes of the vision mixer, DVE and character generator devices.

Master Control Room or "MCR" is the place where the on-air signal is controlled. It may include

controls to playback programs and commercials, switch local or network feeds; record satellite feeds

and monitor the transmitter(s). The description of an MCR given above usually refers to an equipment

rack room, which is usually separate from the MCR itself. The term "studio" usually refers to a place

where a particular local program is originated. If the program is broadcast live, the signal goes from the

production control room to MCR and then out to the transmitter.

Camera control units

VTRs

Patch panels for reconfiguration of the wiring between the various pieces of equipment.

Other facilities

A television studio usually has other rooms with no technical requirements beyond program and audio

monitors. Among them are:

One or more make-up and changing rooms

A reception area for crew, talent, and visitors, commonly called the green room.

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TV News Reporting and Production MCM 516

Technical facilities

Telephone for live calls

Toll free numbers

SMS

Intercom

Computer for emails

Feed back

Opinion poll

Microphones

Talk back

Studio mic.

Headphones

Emergency kit

The tapes having pre-recorded programmes in case of emergency.

Generator facility

The alternate supply in case of electric power failure.

Elements of a television system

An image source, This is the electrical signal representing the visual image, and may be from a camera

in the case of live images, a video tape recorder for playback of recorded images, or a film chain-

telecine-flying spot scanner for transmission of motion pictures (films).

A sound source, This is an electrical signal from a microphone or from the audio output of a video tape

recorder or motion picture film scanner.

A transmitter, which generates radio signals (radio waves) and encodes them with picture and sound

information.

An antenna coupled to the output of the transmitter for broadcasting the encoded signals.

An antenna to receive the broadcast signals.

A receiver (also called a tuner), which decodes the picture and sound information from the broadcast

signals, and whose input is coupled to the antenna.

A display device, which turns the electrical signals into visual images.

An audio amplifier and loudspeaker, which turns electric signals into sound waves (speech, music,

and other sounds) to accompany the images.

TV Production Overview

Of course, it's desirable to have audio and video equipment to work with either personal equipment or

equipment provided by the TV station...

Some equipment may not be available to you. That's okay; it's important to understand the equipment

and techniques that are part of larger production facilities.

For one thing, you may suddenly be confronted with an internship or job opportunity where this

knowledge is essential.

Camerapersons, writers, directors, producers, and even on-camera talent find that having a solid

understanding of the tools and techniques of the entire process makes a major difference in the success

of productions not to mention their careers.

In television production, as in most of today's high-tech areas, knowledge is power.

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TV News Reporting and Production MCM 516

Enough of the sales pitch. Let's get down to business.

A Bird's Eye View of the Production Process

Let's take a whirlwind tour of the production process; we'll come back to these people and places later.

For now, let's take a quick look at the production process from the standpoint of the key people.

We'll start by thinking big -- big productions, that is -- because many of these things can be scaled

down, combined, or eliminated in smaller productions.

Who Does What and Why

This list is long, but have you noticed the lengthy credit lists for major films and TV programs?

The person generally in charge of launching entire production is the producer.

He or she comes up with the program concept, lays out the budget for the production, and makes the

major decisions. This person is the team leader, the one who works with the writers, hires the director,

decides on the key talent, and guides the general direction of the production.

In smaller productions, the producer may also take charge of the more mundane activities. And in small

productions, the director may handle the producer's responsibilities. In this case, the combined job title

becomes producer-director.

Some productions may also have an associate producer who sets up schedules for the talent and crew

and who generally assists the producer.

On a major production, one of the producer's first jobs is to hire a writer to write the Script (the

document that tells everyone what to do and say). The script is like a written plan or blueprint for the

production.

The producer will next consider the key talent for the production. In general, the talent includes actors,

reporters, hosts, guests, and off-camera narrators -- anyone whose voice is heard or who appears on

camera.

Sometimes talent is broken down into three sub-categories: actors (who portray other people in dramatic

productions), performers (who appear on camera in non-dramatic roles), and announcers (who generally

don't appear on camera).

In a large production, the producer will hire a director.

The director is in charge of working out preproduction (before the production) details, coordinating the

activities of the production staff and on-camera talent, working out camera and talent positions on the

set, selecting the camera shots during production, and supervising postproduction work.

In other words, once the producer sets things in motion, the director is in charge of taking the script

from the beginning to the very end of the production process.

Assisting a director in the control room is typically a technical director who operates the video switcher.

(A rather elaborate version is shown on the right.)

The technical director, or TD, is also responsible for coordinating the technical aspects of the

production.

One or more production assistants (PAs) may be hired to help the producer and director. Among other

things, PAs keep notes on ongoing production needs and changes.

The lighting director (LD) designs the lighting plan, arranges for the lighting equipment, and sets up

and checks the lighting.

As we'll see, lighting is a key element in the overall look of a production.

Some productions have a set designer who, along with the producer and director, designs the set and

supervises its construction, painting, and installation.

The makeup person, with the help of, for example, cosmetics and hair spray, sees that the talent look

their best -- or worst, if that's what the script calls for.

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TV News Reporting and Production MCM 516

Major dramatic productions have a wardrobe person who sees that the actors have clothes appropriate to

the story and script.

The audio director or audio technician arranges for the audio recording equipment, sets up and checks

mics (microphones), monitors audio quality during the production, and then strikes (another production

term meaning disassembles and, if necessary, removes) the audio recording equipment and accessories

after the production is over. (Mic, strangely enough, is pronounced mike.)

The microphone boom/grip operator watches rehearsals and decides on the proper mics and their

placement for each scene. During an on-location (out-of-the-studio) shoot, this person may need strong

arms to hold the mic boom over the talent for long periods of time.

The video recorder operator arranges video recording equipment and accessories, sets up video

recordings, performs recording checks, and monitors video quality.

In dramatic productions, the continuity secretary (CS) carefully makes notes on scene and continuity

details as each scene is shot to ensure that these details remain consistent among takes and scenes.

As we will see, this is a much more important job than you might think, especially in single-camera, on-

location production. Once production concerns are taken care of, the continuity secretary is responsible

for releasing the actors after each scene or segment is shot.

The CG Operator (electronic character generator operator) programs (designs/types in) opening titles,

subtitles, and closing credits into a computer-based device that inserts the text over the video.

Camera operators do more than just operate cameras. They typically help set up the cameras and ensure

their technical quality, and they work with the director, lighting director, and audio technician in

blocking (setting up) and shooting each shot.

On a field (out-of-the-studio, or on-location) production, they may also coordinate camera equipment

pickup and delivery.

Depending on the production, there may be a floor manager or stage manager who's responsible for

coordinating activities on the set. One or more floor persons, or stagehands, may assist him or her.

After shooting is completed, the editors use the video and audio recordings to blend the segments

together. Technicians add music and audio effects to create the final product.

The importance of editing to the success of a production is far greater than most people realize. As we

will see, an editor can make or break a production.

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