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Television Production & Broadcast Journalism
Talk the Talk
In some facilities, the terms “visuals” and “graphics” are
used interchangeably.
Copyright
Any picture taken from a magazine or book, Web site, or a motion
picture still frame is almost always copyrighted. This means that these
images may not be used in a video program without the copyright owner’s
permission. The simplest way to obtain images for a production is to cre-
ate your own—take original photographs or make unique pieces of art. If
existing copyrighted works must be used, fi nd the copyright holder and
get permission. Refer to the copyright information in Chapter 12, Legalities:
Releases, Copyright, and Forums.
Still Photos
If used sparingly, still photography can work well in a video program.
Excessive use of still photography, however, makes a television program
look like a slide show. To make interesting use of still photos, move the
camera around on the picture to create a sense of motion.
Assistant Activity
Watch a few documentaries to see this “roaming the
camera on a still photo” technique. Also notice that sound
effects and music are added while the camera roams across
a still image. The net result is quite effective.
Photos may be used in a video production, if certain precautions are
taken. Take the picture holding the camera horizontally. A horizontally-
oriented picture more closely matches the shape of the television screen
than a vertically-oriented picture, Figure 14-1. A horizontal picture is a
rectangle with the long side on the top and bottom, just like a television
screen. If using a photo print, use a satin fi nish instead of glossy. Glossy
photo paper reflects the glare of lights into the lens of the video camera.
Photographic slides may be used instead of printed photos, which
eliminate the issue of lighting glare. A photographic slide must be oriented
in the slide projector horizontally, rather than vertically.
With the prominence of digital video, many non-linear editors (dis-
cussed in Chapter 24, Video Editing) accept image fi les in various formats,
such as .jpg, .tif, and .gif. There are also computer programs available that
allow the user to crop and change a photo in many ways before sending it
to a non-linear editor, Figure 14-2.
graphics: All of the
“artwork” seen in a
program, including
the paintings that
hang on the walls of a
set, the opening and
closing program titles,
computer graphics,
charts, graphs, and
any other electronic
representation that
may be part of a visual
presentation.
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anchor
assignment editor
assistant director (AD)
audio
audio engineer
camera operator
cast
CG operator
content specialist
crew
cue
director
distribution
editing
editor
executive producer (EP)
fl oor director
fl oor manager
frame
framing
gaffer
graphic artist
grip
lighting director
maintenance engineer
makeup
makeup artist
news director
photographer (photog)
photojournalist
post-production
pre-production
producer
production
production assistant (PA)
production manager
production switching
production team
production values
reporter
robo operator
scenery
scriptwriter
special effects
staff
talent
video
video engineer
VTR operator
video operator
Professional Terms
Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:
• Explain how the responsibilities of each
production staff position are dependent on the
functions of other production staff positions.
• Identify the primary responsibilities of each
production staff position.
• Recall the activities in each step of a production
workfl ow.
Introduction
To understand an individual role in the
broadcasting industry, you must be familiar with
all aspects of the production process. Each
production area is interconnected to many others,
with the interrelationships resembling a spider web,
Figure 2-1. To learn proper camerawork, you must
understand proper lighting technique. Proper lighting
technique is dictated by the colors used on the set
and on the costumes. The colors of the set and
costumes directly affect the kind of special effects
used in the program. Special effects are created in the
special effects generator, but must be edited. Knowing
the tools and techniques of editing is also required.
To learn television production, you must have a solid
understanding of all the contributing roles.
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Professional Terms. Each chapter
begins with a list of terms that
are introduced and defi ned in that
chapter. The terms in this list appear
in
blue bold-italic type
when fi rst
presented in the chapter.
Talk the Talk. These features explain
the difference between consumer
and professional terms and provide
examples of appropriate uses of
industry terms.
Objectives. A list of learning
objectives is included at the beginning
of each chapter. The objectives
provide an overview of the chapter
topics and explain what each student
should know or be able to do upon
completion of the chapter.
Assistant Activity. These features
contain activities students can
complete independently, outside the
classroom. The activities enhance
comprehension of chapter content
and concepts through experience.