“Working in the Television Production Industry” Chapter 2 “Working in the Television Production Industry”

Dividing Up the Work The staff works behind the scenes These individuals work in the more creative labels of production management The crew are generally equipment operators They are not normally seen by the camera, but are integral to the production Anyone seen by the camera, whether or not they have a speaking or any other significant role in the program is talent Cast is the collective name given to all the talent participating in the production

Executive Producer Provides the funding necessary to produce the program Rarely steps foot on the set The more expensive a program is to produce, the more likely it is to have multiple executive producers Essentially places the money in the bank and hires a producer

Producer Purchases materials and services in the creation of a finished program Hires a director, designers, camera operators, a lighting director, sound engineer, and talent Arranges travel plans Requires extreme attention to detail and strong organizational skills Ultimately responsible for the program’s successful completion

Production Team The producer and the director make the hiring decisions regarding the rest of the production team Includes everyone involved in the production, both staff and talent Must constantly be aware of the budget Compromise is necessary to balance and successfully complete all aspects of the program production

Before/During/After Production Pre-production refers to any activity on the program that occurs prior to the time when the cameras begin rolling Includes production meetings, set construction, costume design, music composition, scriptwriting, and location surveys Production refers to the actual shooting of the program Post-production involves anything done after the program has been shot This includes music beds, editing, audio overdubs, titles, and duplication

Director In charge of the creative aspects of the program Interacts with the entire staff Responsible for casting the program’s talent Conscious of the budget Reviews the program’s script and visualizes the entire production Coordinate and manage the staff and cast to keep the production schedule and to ensure that all of the program’s elements are properly incorporated

Production Manager Handles the business portion of the production by negotiating fees for the goods, services, and other contracts by determining the staffing requirements based on the needs of the production Ensure that programs and scripts conform to established broadcast standards Contributes to production by managing the budget and available resources

Production Assistant/Assistant Director The titles “production assistant” and “assistant director” are interchangeable “Jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none” Hired to fill a variety of positions when key personnel are sick, out of town, working on another project, or otherwise unavailable Beginning stage of a career General assistance around the studio or production facility

Floor Manager Also known as a stage manager Director’s “eyes and ears” in the studio Wears a headset and relays the director’s commands to all studio personnel, except the camera operators (who communicate directly with the director) The only person in the studio that may say “cut”, other than the director (usually because the director instructed them to do so) Responsible for making sure that the set is ready for production Initiates program countdown - “3…2…1…action!” A cue is a signal that implies something very specific to happen

Camera Operator Runs the piece of equipment that captures the video images of the program Responsible for framing shots that are visually pleasing to the viewers Respond to the type of shot the director asks for Frames shots so annoying or inappropriate background information that is not wanted does not detract from the image

Video Engineer Responsible for the technical quality of the video signal Required to have extensive schooling in the electronics of video production Makes sure that images captured by every camera are exactly the same Ex. Ensures that an actor’s skin color does not change when cutting between cameras

Audio Engineer Audio/sound quality on the production Operates the microphone mixer Music and sound effects recorders/players Mics the talent and is responsible for maintaining the overall audio levels on the studio’s master recorder

Lighting Director Decides the placement of lighting instruments, the appropriate color of light to use, and which lamps should be used in the instruments Purposefully aim lights in varying directions with varying degrees of brightness The lighting director’s assistant is called a gaffer - he or she often does the actual hauling of heavy instruments up and down ladders

Scriptwriter Placing the entire production on paper Meet the objectives of the producer and the message to the viewer must be clear Not often acknowledged as being an expert in the subject matter of the production A content specialist is hired to work with the scriptwriter, because they are considered to be experts on the program’s content

Graphic Artist Responsible for all artwork required for the production Includes computer graphics, traditional works of art, charts, and graphs Very well versed in computer graphics applications

VTR Operator In charge of recording the program on to videotape by correctly operating the VTR equipment Must take every precaution to ensure that each piece of equipment is functioning properly to produce a quality recording across the board, video and audio Places the entire program on the master videotape

Editor Puts various pieces of the entire program together Individual scenes are rearranged into the proper order with all of the mistakes and bad takes removed, leaving only the best version of each scene

Makeup Artist Applies cosmetics to the talent’s face and body, giving them the intended appearance in front of the camera May enhance facial features or actually change the appearance entirely, as necessary in portraying a particular character convincingly

CG Operator Creates the titles for the program using a character generator Titles include the credits that appear before and after a movie or television show News flash that crawls across the bottom of the television screen Creates titles that are accurate and appropriate for the program and makes sure they are legible to viewers

Grip Moves equipment, scenery, and props on a studio set Called a stagehand

Maintenance Engineer Keeps all of the production equipment working according to “factory specifications” Not a repairman Ensure that each of production equipment functions at its optimum performance level Makes sure all settings are correct

Video/Video Framing A frame is the actual edge of the video picture Framing a shot is the camera operator’s responsibility and involves placing items in the picture by operating the camera and tripod

Question #1 Explain the difference between the talent and the staff of a production.

Describe how the director interacts with the program’s producer. Question #2 Describe how the director interacts with the program’s producer.

What are the three phases of program production. Question #3 What are the three phases of program production.

Question #4 Define the frame of a video picture. Who is responsible for establishing the frame?

Question #5 Why is it usually impractical to shoot all of the scenes of a program in sequential order?

Answers The staff works behind the scenes, while the talent is anyone seen by the camera. The director is responsible for coordinating the production so that the producer’s vision emanates throughout the production. Pre-production, production, post-production A frame is the actual edge of the video picture; camera operator’s responsibility to capture acceptable framing by utilizing the tripod and operating the camera Scenes will be edited, and moved around extensively as part of the editing process during post-production