Cue and Cut: A practical approach to working in multi-camera studios

Description

Cue & Cut is a ‘practical approach to working in television studios’ for anyone who might want to work in that medium. It’s full of useful information about kit, and how you would use it to create multi-camera content. Written by a multi-camera producer-director with years of drama and teaching experience, it presents both a way of handling studios and a source of information about how things have changed from the days of monochrome to HD tapeless modes - with some thoughts on 3D HDTV The book is firmly based in first-hand teaching experience and experience of producing, direction, floor managing (and so on) and on working with top flight Actors, Writers, Musicians, Designers of all disciplines and Sound and Camera crews, both at the BBC and in ITV. The book will certainly cover multi-camera aspects of Undergraduate, HND and B.Tech courses and should be useful to those on short courses, whether practical or post-graduate. CUE & CUT Contents Illustrations Tables Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Basis of the book Multi-camera content Notes on exercises PART I: SAFETY AND GOOD PRACTICE Safety first Risk assessment forms Places of work TV and film locations and studios Third-party liability Conclusion Fire extinguishers: types, uses and colour codes (applies throughout the UK) Good practice – good studio discipline PART II: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDIO 1 Basics The studio Production control gallery Sound gallery 2 Working with cameras Basic elements – studio cameras Shot sizes and some common terms Changing shot (1) Line-up and its history 3 Lenses and shooting conventions Introduction Focal length Horizontal angle of view Vertical angle of view The human eye Properties and quirks of camera lenses Conventions Conclusion 4 The studio production team The Producer The (UK) chain of command The Director The Floor Manager The production support team 5 Technical jobs in the studio The Vision Mixer Technical Director Sound Supervisor Sound Assistant Camera Operators Lighting Director Lighting Assistant Character generator and Graphic Designers Videotape Operator Tapeless studios Prompting devices (Autocue, Portaprompt and others) Technical Resources Manager Video editing 6 Design and sets Set design and Designers Studio floor plans History Design – other disciplines 7 The job of Script Supervisor and multi-camera paperwork Stand-bys Timings Shot calling Alterations Continuity Timecodes when recording Tapeless recording On location and post-production 8 Camera scripts, camera cards etc. and creating them in MS Word (with a note on Autocue) The camera script document Creating a camera script with MS Word Finished sample of a camera script Conclusion 9 In the studio: communication Rehearsal Some useful phrases used between team members Going for a take Student recordings 10 Lighting for video cameras: an introduction Basic concepts Simple lighting set-ups Shadows Lighting balance Different lighting conditions Colour temperature Effects and lighting for effects Lighting hardware: a reminder Lighting control desks and consoles Conclusion 11 Microphones and sound Microphones: a summary Sounds you want – sounds you don’t Mounts for microphones, including booms Basic trouble-shooting (for students) Buzz tracks and ‘atmos’ Stereo and surround sound Dubbing The dub An argument for division of labour PART III: CONTENT 12 Interviews, discussion and chat Introduction – and the need for camera script exercises Interviews: general points Rehearsal questions Rehearsing the shots Adjusting and marking positions Stand-ins Necessary rehearsal Make-up Recording – and aims Shooting interviews 1 + 1 interviews 1 + 2 interviews 1 + 3 interviews History 13 Demonstrations and movement Format A: Presenter plus guest demonstrator Shopping channels Format B: demonstrations with a single Presenter and no guest Demonstrations: conclusion Movement Give Us a Clue 14 Having ideas The proposal The treatment The next steps Student projects Writing Notes for multi-camera fi nal projects and planning meetings PART IV: APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES Introduction Multimedia formats ‘360-Degree television’ 3DTV 15 Getting it all together Planning Planning a magazine programme Shooting and retakes Metadata and tapeless recording A brief word about money and budgeting 16 Drama Episode 1: history Episode 2: approaching drama Episode 3: Actors Episode 4: other kinds of Actor Reverse-scan monitors Episode 5: shooting drama Episode 6: cameras, sound, VM, PM (or FM) and Script Supervisor Conclusion 17 Music Sources of music Shooting musical performance as live Live ‘Hybrid’ Miming Conclusion 18 Shooting action Iso1-cameras Dance and mime Motion towards the camera A brief word on sport Conclusion Afterword Appendix I: aspect ratios History The Golden Mean, widescreen and the human eye Mixing formats Other formats A word about memory and storage Summary Appendix II: continuity – a summary What it is Continuity and broadcasting Continuity television Select videography Bibliography and references Suggested further reading Index