Basic Studio Directing

Rod Fairweather

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 1998
• eBook ISBN: 9781136044410
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Film & Video

All studio directors need to know the basics of studio directing, whether they go on to direct news, drama, children's programmes or light entertainment. Learning the ropes on air can be costly: this book gives you all the practical and technical guidance you need to deliver a trouble free programme.



All studio directors need to know the basics of studio directing, whether they go on to direct news, drama, children's programmes or light entertainment. Learning the ropes on air can be costly: this book gives you all the practical and technical guidance you need to deliver a trouble free programme.

Starting with an emphasis on the skills that make a good director, the essential day to day know-how is outlined - from different presentation formats to the roles of the production team, camera technology, composition, lighting, digital video, chroma key, make-up and wardrobe. Whether you are a student or practitioner wishing to sharpen up your technique, this manual is an excellent guide to the technology and skills required.

This book:
· Provides essential day to day information in one handy source
· Offers a combination of theory and practice, technical data and intuitive skill
· Is an excellent introductory text for anyone embarking on a career in directing

Contents:
Networks * Cameras and Pictures * Pre-Production * Cutting and Combining Pictures * The Studio Team * Interviews * Magazines * Script Layouts * Electronic Newsrooms * Practical Directing * Communications * Directors Technology * Dealing with Problems.

Rod Fairweather is a freelance director and has worked for companies such as SKY TV, GMTV, ITN and MTV Europe. He conducts training courses on directing all over the world including Singapore, India and Australia.

The vision mixer (the operator)

If the vision mixer presses the wrong button, it is on air and cannot be salvaged. Needless to say, a good vision mixer is a vital member of the team.

Cutting and mixing

Vision mixers want to know clearly and simply what to take next and when, so develop the habit of clear speech patterns.

‘Coming to 3 … and cut’

‘Coming to VT 4 … VT 4 roll … and cut’.

‘Coming to stills store A on a mix … and mix’.

Do not snap your fingers

This is an irritating habit for everybody on talkback, particularly the vision mixer, as it is impossible to react instantaneously to a snap. If you find yourself doing it unconsciously, hold a pencil in your hand.

Wipes

It is very hard to perform a smooth wipe manually, so they need to be automated – Le. the vision mixer hits a button and the wipe takes as long as has been programmed into the machine. So the director must inform the vision mixer beforehand how quick they want the wipe to be. Smooth mixes can, however, be manually controlled by the vision mixer.

Keying

This primarily consists of putting captions on air. Use generic terms, not machine specific.

‘Coming to capgen … and super.’

Preview

Your vision mixer should whenever possible put the next source on the preview monitor. Some prefer not to, but this should not be tolerated. If the wrong source is on preview, you have a chance of stopping an impending mistake. The exception to this is very fast sequences, like interviews, where ‘hot cutting’ is permissible.

Taking responsibility

If you as a director say, cut’, it means you are happy for the picture on the preview monitor to go to air. If it is wrong, get it changed first.

It is your fault if you say ‘cut’ and the Incorrect source on preview goes to air – you must take responsibility for that mistake.

	Marked on Script:		Instruction
	X		Mix
	/		Cut
	W		Wipe
	CG, CAP		Caption Generator
	S/I		Super (impose)
	T/O		Take Out
	Q, DVE, ADO, DPM, A-53, (and a few dozen others)		Animate Digital Video Effects
	Also:		Animate (DVE)
			Change (Capgen or graphics)

Vision mixing commands

	TJ		Telejector (gives a TV picture from a transparency)
	TK		Telecine (replay off film)

Old sources, rarefy used

The production assistant (PA)

The role of the production assistant (sometimes known as a ‘timer’ or ‘director’s assistant’) varies from company to company, and programme to programme. I want to concentrate on the studio role, and in particular on how to make programmes run to time.

Stopwatch junkies

PAs have a counting fixation. Usually backwards. They count programmes on and off air. They count through VTs, letting everyone know when they are coming to an end. At some stations they count to the capgens that have to be added (assuming they have been given the information in the first place). During pre-planned sequences they will call out the shot numbers and which camera is next.

A few places make the PA run the VTs – although it is more common for the PA to give the VT a standby and for the director to roll the tape. Where the remote controls of VTs are fed into the control rooms (e.g. Betacart, Profile etc.) there seems to be a fairly even split between the number of people who make the PA roll the tapes, and those who make the director press the buttons.

Story durations

PAs work from information given to them. If they get fed duff information, then all their calculations will be wrong.

Awareness of timings

Directors must know whether programmes are running on time, as it is likely to hit you right between the eyeballs if you have to lose 30 seconds of time suddenly (i.e. crash out of a VT early or drop large chunks of the script). Programme editors will also need to be kept regularly up to date.

If you’ve just had a hectic sequence and finally run a VT of a couple of minutes duration, the PA will work out the overall calculations as soon as possible, but they need a few seconds. There is no point in demanding the answer as soon as you have cut to the VT – just wait a few moments.

Be clear how the end of the programme works, and talk to the PA beforehand to agree who is running what and when. You don’t want to wait until 30 seconds to off air to discuss which of you was meant to run the capgen roller.

Out words

PAs should say what the out words of a VT are just before it finishes. They may sign ‘Sign off’ (SO) or ‘Standard out cue’ (SOQ), which means the standard phrase used by all reporters for that programme (e.g. John Martin, News at Eight’).

Standard video tape audio formats

The floor manager (FM)

The role of the floor manager varies depending on the type of production, but for the purposes of this book S will restrict myself to their work in the studio.

Safety

The FM is responsible for safety on the studio floor. That means they have the authority to stop a production if they are unhappy with the safety arrangements for a show.

They are responsible for the presence and use of all substances in the studio, including glass, pyrotechnics and aerosols. This is particularly important when working with a studio audience, or with young or disabled people.

Interpret and relay instructions from the control room

This may not be necessary if the presenters are on talkback, but even so the FM checks that the presenters heard the instructions.

The ‘interpreting’ bit is important. There are many times when the control room has become very stressful, and the FM has interpreted ‘Get the ******* presenter onto the stage now’ into ‘We’d like to start recording please Mr Entertainment. So, starting positions everyone ….’

Cue presenters

They make sure the presenters know which camera they are working to, and they give countdowns in the studio for everyone not on talkback.

Co-ordinate props, sets and wardrobe

During small programmes they take care of props etc. On larger programmes they either work with assistant floor managers (AFM), or with specialist prop, set and wardrobe staff.

Anticipate problems

An experienced FM will predict problems before they happen, and will probably sort them out before you even know they exist.

‘Mr Good-vibes’

The hardest part of the job to teach, and the bit everyone appreciates most, is the influence on staff morale. Studio days can be long. Pe...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Networks
• Cameras and Pictures
• Pre-Production
• Cutting and Combining Pictures
• The Studio Team
• Interviews
• Magazines
• Script Layouts
• Electronic Newsrooms
• Practical Directing
• Communications
• Directors Technology
• Dealing With Problems
• Glossary