Advanced TV Production and Directing Lesson 3

The Digital Revolution.

● One of the greatest revolutions in production stems from what came to be known as the
“digital revolution.” Both audio and video were recorded as digital information, and that
allowed for a much more facile manipulation of recorded or transmitted content
● The director and producer had instantaneous random access to what had been recorded,
rather than linear-only access. Tape to Hard Drive. The newest change was advertised as
“tapeless,” in which recordings were made on digital hard drives.
● Apart from more convenient access, the digital hard drive also requires a lot less
physical storage space, which is a tremendous advantage to major broadcasting and
production facilities.
● Additionally, the move to digital recording and editing has had an impact on the price of
production and editing gear. As the cost decreases, there is a greater increase in the
accessibility of both production gear and editing programs.
● With that accessibility the doors opened to more directors and producers and to new
approaches in production.
● Another way in which the digital revolution has had an effect stems from a 1997 FCC
(Federal Communications Commission, it regulates interstate and international
communications across various forms of transmissions.) decision in which broadcasters
were given a wide broadcast spectrum so they could transmit material digitally alongside
their analog broadcasts.
● The benefits of transmitting digitally and in high definition include the following: •
Capability of transmitting more material on the same bandwidth • Capability of cleaner
pictures and audio • Possibility of interactivity. At the time, the FCC also mandated a
slow integration of digital broadcasting, starting with the top 10 markets and moving on
to the top 50 markets and finally mandating that, by 2006, all broadcasting would be
digital. The year 2009 became the new date for implementation of that requirement.
● In fact, one of the primary concerns today has to do with the great number of standards
and the interface of those standards.
● New Conventions Currently, we see many more edits during camera movement than was
once thought appropriate. There are purposeful jump cuts and shots that would have been
previously thought of as “bad angles” and so on.
● The style seems to offer a greater urgency to the message and a new, freer way of
presenting material. Perhaps it’s due to the greater accessibility to editing tools and a
need to break from traditional conventions.
● Along the way, a new editorial language is being built. At one time, only linear editing,
in which a story was laid out in chronological order, was acceptable. Then nonlinear
 “dynamic editing” emerged. With nonlinear editing it’s much easier to tell a story by
manipulating the pictures to lead the viewer to a particular point of view.
● The acceptance of new editing conventions makes it easy to juxtapose images,
manipulate the speed of montage, and distort the sense of order to make a point.

WHO IS WHO IN TV PRODUCTIONS?

⮚ Understanding the demands of the various television formats is essential to effective

studio television production techniques. Equally important is an understanding of the
facilities and the personnel who may assist in productions. No two crew members or
facilities are alike. However, all formats, from panel programs to musicals, require crews
and facilities.
⮚ There will have to be a set, or a location, and it will have to be lit. The production will
require camera operators, audio technicians, stage crew, and many
⮚ there is no single production that would require everything outlined in these chapters, and
very few facilities that would offer all the gear and personnel outlined here, but some part
of the material is essential to all productions
⮚ As a producer, You don’t have to know how to run a camera, but you do need to know
what the camera can do and who does it.
⮚ This knowledge will contribute to a reasonable and concerned relationship between you
and the crew and make for a better production.
⮚ Most directors and producers who work in major broadcasting don’t know how to operate
most of the gear used to produce the programs they oversee. At some stations and
facilities, directors and producers aren’t allowed to handle any of the equipment.

⮚ At most local stations, in contrast, directors and producers can, and usually do, handle the
equipment. In the totally open world of independent production the chances are that the
director/producer already has acquired, or will have to acquire, all the knowledge and
skills needed for their production, and then use those skills.
⮚ In any case, directors and producers need to know about their studios, the equipment, and
studio operation. Whether you’re a student, a staff producer, or a freelance
director/producer, you’re going to have to evaluate a studio or location at some time in
your career.
⮚ Mostly the choice will be based on what facilities are available or what the budget allows.
A close look at the facility and the needs of your production can increase the likelihood
of success by helping you tailor your needs to what the facility has to offer

THE PERSONNEL

▪ This lesson is about the various jobs and personnel that are involved in the production of
television programmes.
▪ While it does not mention all the production jobs at every station, it probably includes a
great many more kinds of jobs than are to be found at any one facility. Some positions,
however, such as the camera operator, sound technician, director, and producer, are found
at every facility.
▪ There are differences in the level of skills needed at different levels of production, but the
fundamentals remain the same. Some of the same jobs, skills, and personnel necessary for
a student news production at a college facility are the same as those needed for a
multimillion-dollar rock concert at a remote site.
▪ The difference lies in the level of skills required, and the reliability and creativity
expected in executing the jobs. This lesson is about the people who come into direct
contact with the director/producer during the working phases of preproduction,
production, and postproduction. Others—those in sales, marketing, public relations,
advertising, and so on—although essential in commercial television, are not covered in
this lesson.
▪
▪ As a way of describing production jobs and their responsibilities, let’s imagine a
director’s/producer’s final production meeting. While not all productions have such a
meeting, they are common, and they are a good way to investigate who is going to do
what in a production.
▪ Sometimes unusual circumstances cause job descriptions and job categories to change in
midstream. Nevertheless, there are times that actors or directors are hired at the last
minute and have no time to perform all the preproduction requirements.
▪ Final meeting. At this final meeting all involved with the production commit to what
they anticipate is required from their areas and what they will deliver. Even recurring
programs—sitcoms, daytime dramas, talk shows, and so on—have at least one such
major production meeting a week. The goal is to address the following week’s out-of-the-
ordinary demands. By the time the meeting is called, the director and producer should
know almost all of the answers to the questions that will be asked by the participants.
▪ The value of the meeting is that everyone hears everyone else’s plans. It’s here that the
lighting director may discover that he or she can’t use red gels because the costumes were
changed to orange at the last minute. Operations may discover that audio is planning
something that contractually requires an extra crew member. These meetings are also
valuable because problems may be revealed and then resolved in open discussion. It’s a
public forum for the production personnel regarding the specific production.
▪ This is particularly relevant when the director/producer has to work in a market or area
that is unknown to them. Production costs are divided between “below-theline” and
“above-the-line” charges. These charges relate to both physical plant and hardware and
personnel costs. • Below-the-line personnel are those who are paid as part of the facilities
budget. Their jobs are usually technical in nature. Below-the-line costs would also
include the buildings, hardware, vehicles, and so forth that are part of the facility. •
 Above-the-line personnel are those who are paid out of the production’s budget; they are
often thought of as being “artistic.” Most often these are “freelance” employees who
work on a variety of projects for different clients and producers. They are writers, actors,
set designers, graphic artists, and so on.
▪ The Executives
The executive is the liaison between the business end of the production and the creative
end. However, executives are accountable to the organizations they represent. Although
they often recognize that it’s the creative side of the business that attracts viewers, they
tend to operate in a way that they feel will be most advantageous to the organization and
to business interests. At best, there is a balance between the executive, the creative, and
the production arms of the production. They make the deal, set the spending parameters,
and may have the final say over who is hired. They may also recommend particular
facilities, certain personnel, and so on.

▪ The producers—executive producer, the series producer, line producer, or show

runners—shepherd productions to completion. In some organizations the series
producer handles the function of the executive producer. Production Executive or
Executive in Charge of Productio.
▪ The Line Producer/Show Runner The line producer or show runner answers to the
producer, executive producer, and production executive. He or she manages the
day-to-day operational problems and acts as the liaison for the executive
producer. Show runner is a term that is often used for sitcoms, while line producer
is more often associated with episodic or filmed productions. However, there is no
hard-and-fast rule for which title a program uses.
▪ The Associate Producer/Assistant Producer In the academic community, the titles
“assistant professor” and “associate professor” indicate rank.
▪ The AP’s job is to implement the producer’s initiatives. Assistant or associate
producers may be called on to make original contact calls or to carry out research
on anything relevant to the production. In some formats, such as panel programs
or variety programs, they may greet guests and take them to the stage manager,
who in turn takes them to their assigned dressing rooms. The room assignments
are usually made in consultation with the producer or the producer’s staff,
including the stage manager.
▪ The Production/Program Assistants The two major kinds of production assistants
(PAs) are “runners” and “booth PAs.” Runners This kind of PA is usually in an
entry-level position. Runners for the production are the “all other categories” of
the production team. They make copies of show routines, scripts, budgets, and
schedules; make coffee; and run errands for the production
▪ They also learn who is responsible for different areas of the production, what
they do, and how best to work with them. As they go about the business of
 “running” for a production, they become intimately knowledgeable about that
production and the people who work on it.
▪ They are counted on to be aware of minor events that can lead to great problems
in editing.
▪ Additionally, the PA needs to find out about crew assignments and any other
information that can be useful during the inevitable sudden emergencies that
occur during all productions.
▪ The Production Manager The production manager, sometimes called the unit
production manager, is responsible for tracking costs and making sure that
vendors are paid. He or she is also responsible for updating the producer on costs
and expenditures. In any production, there are real out-of-pocket costs versus
book or transfer-of-fund costs. There are also projected versus actual costs, which
must be kept current. Without close attention to how much has already been spent
(current costs) it would be easy to go over budget without being aware of what
was happening. • Below-the-line costs (Indirect costs). Stations have ongoing
costs, such as hardware and crews. The building has a mortgage, and ongoing
electric and gas bills, etc. Station crews get regular salaries whether or not they
work. In order to offset these expenses, charges are built into the cost structure of
the facility. The program’s production budget must reflect these operating costs.
These below-the-line costs are sometimes called transfer or book costs; they are
most significant to in-house programs, since there will be no actual transfer of
money. • Above-the-line costs. (Direct costs)Producers who are renting facilities,
however, must count the studio and its personnel as above-the-line costs or actual
costs, because they will actually have to pay for these services. Actual costs are
real costs and reflect real payments—to talent, to groups holding rights, to the
studio and its personnel for their rental, and to any other group from which rented
services or materials have been purchased.
▪ Downtime is any period when an unforeseen event hinders the production.
▪ Set designer/Constructor A stage crew is responsible for loading in, setting up,
and running all operations and effects of the set ….
▪
▪ The Art Director/Set Decorator At some facilities, the title of art director belongs
to the person in charge of graphics rather than anyone involved with sets. At other
facilities, the art director has the job of decorating the set. Sometimes set
decorators work for the art director, and sometimes they work for the scene
designer. The names and title are not really that important; what matters is that
someone must take charge of creating the environment for the project. The set
designer will design a set. The set will then be dressed or decorated with chairs
and tables, light switches, telephones, and other props and accessories.
▪ The property master will maintain the props once they are acquired
 In this capacity, the set decorator works with the scene designer to find whatever
unique props or set pieces are needed.
▪ The Lighting Designer Lighting designers (LDs) design and implement the
lighting for the production and do the following: 1. Draw up the plans for
placement of instruments 2. Specify types and wattage of the instruments 3.
Indicate any special notes regarding the lights ….supervises the placement and
focusing of the lights. ( Mention a gell…A gel is colored material placed in front
of a lighting instrument to change the color of the light. Moonlight might be blue,
for example, or a nightclub might have)
▪ Make-up artiste
▪ Graphics desiner
▪ Reception (office staff, friends, or crew position at a school or university) 2.
▪ Studio manager (staff technician at a school or university)
▪ Engineering crew (crew position at a school or university)
▪ Technical director (crew position at a school or university)
▪ Cameras operator
▪ Audio operators/soundman
▪ Stage manager/floor manager
▪ Prop crew .Prop Crew Ordinarily, the prop crew consists of a property head and a
crew of as many assistants as are necessary. They maintain specific, regularly
used props and a collection of generic, often-used props (such as phones, file
folders, kitchen supplies, etc), and they acquire and rig special props for each
production as needed.…….
▪ Talent, including chorus, extras, and so on
▪ The Receptionist. First place where guests interact with your production is
reception. This is where they find out what studio to go to or where they are held
until they’re called. Make it easier for the person acting as receptionist to know
what to do when people show up at the front desk and when calls come in
▪ Talent All performers who appear on or off camera are referred to as “talent.”
That includes actors and actresses, singers, musicians, acrobats, stunt personnel,
hosts, narrators, professors, generals, and even trained seals, to name but a few.
The word is not generally used when referring to guests and contestants; they just
remain “guests” and “contestants.”
▪ Graphics /Graphic artists, or “image editors,” work with and create images that
serve as icons or logos for .Typically, this is the type we see in news broadcasts
which are referred to as “locaters.” They indicate the names of talent or let the
audience know whether an event is happening live or was recorded earlier. A
production may require that a graphic artist or a character-generator operator be
either in studio or on call. News programs may have regular graphic artists as well
as character-generator operators assigned. They may also use graphic programs
 built into editing packages. As soon as possible, the graphic artist or character-
generator operator needs a list of the graphics required, including the names and
titles or artwork. They input the information or artwork, a logo or icon, and check
it before the program—ideally without time pressure, although that may not be
possible on news broadcasts. In the case of end credits, it’s best for the producer
to indicate the order in which the graphics are to appear and which ones are to
appear on screen at the same time.
▪ Caterer
▪ Logistics
▪ Legal…contracts eg my case
▪ Location manager….Location services arrange either a portion or all of the
services required for location shooting, which may include: a. Location scouting
and securing of the location. Some homeowners or locations charge a great deal
per day. Location fees can vary from a few hundred dollars to many thousands of
dollars a day. (Whatever the cost, location owners are very particular about the
condition in which the locations are left after the shoot.
▪ Permits
▪ Insurance