54
46 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Team The editorial department of the Television News channel is said to be the newroom. A Television newsroom can be defined as: "an office at a television station where news is gathered and reports are prepared for broad- casting ." The newsroom is where the stories are gathered, written, put to- gether, edited and assembled for the news broadcast, or telecast. The newsroom is the only way that a station can create and distribute high value content News is the only content a station actually owns and that can carry a long -termed brand.” 1 Without the newsroom the station is just on antenna. In this future scenario, the newsroom serves as the central information gathering space in the com- munity. 2 The future of electronic digital newsroom wil center around portability, wire- less transmissions sent from anywhere, computer processed, meta-tagged, archeved retrived in an instant to be sent or simply inserted live as the situa- tion warrants, to or from a moving vehicle, to ro from a base station, or in a direct feed right to the viewers home. 3 The number of jobs and people working in the newsroom vary depending on the media outlet. In smaller outlets of theTelevision, newsroom will prob- ably feature only few of journalists and a photographer. In larger media outlets, such as metropolitan television, the newsroom is much bigger, with a larger staff of people. They can include: Journalists/reporters. Photographers. Camera operators. Sound and lighting technicians. Editing room staff (where television and radio stories are cut and compiled). Receptionists and News Desk coordinators. Archive or Library staff

2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    1

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

46

2.1 Newsroom and the Production TeamThe editorial department of the Television News channel is said to be

the newroom. A Television newsroom can be defined as: "an office at atelevision station where news is gathered and reports are prepared for broad-casting ." The newsroom is where the stories are gathered, written, put to-gether, edited and assembled for the news broadcast, or telecast.“ The newsroom is the only way that a station can create and distribute highvalue content News is the only content a station actually owns and that cancarry a long -termed brand.”1

Without the newsroom the station is just on antenna. In this future scenario,the newsroom serves as the central information gathering space in the com-munity.2

The future of electronic digital newsroom wil center around portability, wire-less transmissions sent from anywhere, computer processed, meta-tagged,archeved retrived in an instant to be sent or simply inserted live as the situa-tion warrants, to or from a moving vehicle, to ro from a base station, or in adirect feed right to the viewers home.3

The number of jobs and people working in the newsroom vary depending onthe media outlet. In smaller outlets of theTelevision, newsroom will prob-ably feature only few of journalists and a photographer. In larger mediaoutlets, such as metropolitan television, the newsroom is much bigger, witha larger staff of people. They can include: Journalists/reporters. Photographers. Camera operators. Sound and lighting technicians. Editing room staff (where television and radio stories are cut and compiled). Receptionists and News Desk coordinators. Archive or Library staff

Page 2: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

47

Graphic designers Editors or chiefs of staff - either in charge of sections of the media's coverage, or of its overall coverage.Each newsroom has differences - they can be slight or significant.Generally, a newsroom works along these lines: Stories come into the newsroom - this can occur in a number of ways, someof which are:Through tip-offs from contacts, or press releaseThrough coverage of newsworthy events, activities and occasions.From story leads followed-up by journalists.From issues or stories the editors, producers or chiefs-of-staffthemselves want covered.From calls by journalists chasing up new angles on current stories.4

As this pool of stories develops, journalists are either assigned stories by editors or, in some smaller media organisations, cover the stories them-selves. This is done either by attending the event or through phone or face-to-face interviews.At times they may use archival material, such as footageor sound, which is stored on computer. At this time camera operators,sound and lighting technicians come into play. In larger print mediaorganisations, the visuals for stories can be organised through the photo-graphic editor.5

Working in television news strikes many people a glamorous way to makea living. And it is. For about a week and a half. Once the glamour hasworm off, what remains is an incredible difficult job.6

Television news journalists absolutely must have a broad education. Theyhave to know enough about the world and how it functions to even recog-nize a good story, let alone know what questions to ask or where and howto find answers.7

Television newsroom technology has changed dramatically over the pastseveral years. Newsrooms are fully computerized, enabling reporters,writers and producers to check rundowns, write their copy, veiw video and

Page 3: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

48

send scripts to others for approval or directly to Teleprompter.8

Empasizing the importance of News Bulletins Syed M H, a veteran journal-ist says, ‘News bulletins, genereal news magazines and panel discussions ofpublic affairs are some of the popular news programmes on Doordarshan.All these are either in Hindi or English, like most other programmes on the national netwrok. Visuals include slides, film clips, maps,diagrams, chartsand other sicual devices.’9

Further he says ‘The news bulletin is a major area of programming for atelevision station. It is telecast live and this had to be made error-free.’Highlighting the nature and objective of the Televsion News Bulletins hesays, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. Thegolden rule for Television news is write like you talk and not like youwrite.’ 10

The production staff are responsible for editing by ensuring tapes forcompleted stories are ready to be played in the right order as the bulletinprogresses. Competition for space or air-time can be fierce, with stories of-ten missing the cut, or being cut-down, due to space or time restrictions.Even at this late stage things can change if a big news story occurs. Somestories might be cut back or even left out of the news bulletin to accomodatethe latest stories.11

The most visible members of television news teams are the anchors,reporters and meteorologists who are ‘on-air’ but tv newsrooms are filledwith many more people. Without them the round the clock 24-hour broad-casts would not be possible. Life in the newsroom is fast-paced, competi-tive, exciting and stressful. Since news happens around-the-clock, the staff-ing of newsrooms usually follows suit. The life of all the members here isvery busy as they are required to be 24 hours on duty, ready to cover anyincident or event as and when it happenes.The best Television journalistsare those who can shut out distractions- which are many-and focus on thetask at hand.12

The News Anchor is the face of the newsroom. Although he or she is just

Page 4: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

49

one member of the team, it is this person whom the public identifies with thebroadcast. Securing an audience's trust and loyalty is important because oncethat relationship is established, viewers will continue to turn to that channelto get the day's news. The news anchor is athe person who appears nightlyin viewers’ homes to tell them the latest events of the day. Often, viewerscant identify the station or network they watch, but they can recall instantlythe names of the prople they watch and know. The news anchors’ job re-sponsibility include being friendly, professional, knowledgeable and cred-ible. Appearance is also a part of the job. News anchors are clean, neat, welldressed and physically fit. Performance, too, is the part of the job.13

The news anchor introduces stories, interacts with reporters, interviews ex-perts and sometimes provides analysis of, and commentary on, stories.The Reporter are almost as visible as news anchors. They are usually in themidst of all the action, delivering news straight from the field. For some thismeans going out into communities to interview sources on camera. Othersreport from war zones and storm-ravaged areas. Some conduct "man on thestreet" interviews with passersby. Those who want to become reporters gen-erally major in journalism or communications in college. Like anchors theyoften begin their careers in small markets. As new technologies have enhanced news gathering practices, the expec-tation of superior quality news coverage had likwise increased- the impactof which is that journalists must become more creative in the manner inwhich they deliver the news.14

Digital technologies have established the emergence of the video journal-ist, broadcast journalists capable of both filming footage with protablefigital cameras and editing their stories using desktop softwares.Digital advancements have proved important in relation to the immediacyof news , as journalists are able to broadcast live from any destination andare able to send images and video footage directly to newsrooms, viavideophones.The news environment had been significantly altered bydigital and online journalism, as news organizations now have the ability

Page 5: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

50

to gather, produce and transmit information readily and instantaneously tothe public.15

Executive Producer & Associate Producer Every entity needs someone tobe in charge. In a television newsroom, that person is the executive pro-ducer. He or she oversees an entire broadcast, or sometimes multiple broad-casts. His or her responsibilities include dealing with financial and businessmatters. The executive producer, particularly if he or she is employed at alarge station, is assisted by an associate producer. Working under them areother producers who tend to hands-on tasks such as writing or reviewingcontent and researching topics. The executive producer oversees all em-ployees including the news director, associate and other producers, on-airpersonalities and the crew. He or she coordinates news broadcasts, makingsure everything goes as planned. In smaller stations, where there may not beassociate and other producers, the executive producer tends to tasks theywould otherwise handle.The Audio Engineer Audio engineers operate the equipment used to trans-mit news broadcasts to households within the viewing area. They regulatevolume level and sound quality and consult with producers and directors.

Page 6: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

51

2.2 Responsibilites of Producer and DirectorThe first thing as a part of News Bulletin production is that creativity

is the key of success. This responsibility lies here on the shoulder of a pro-ducer. A creative Producer has to present the idea and have to work till itsexecution for making the programme ready for the telecast.An idea is any conception existing in the mind as the result of mental under-standing, awareness or activity. It's a thought, a notion, an impression, anopinion, a point of view, a belief, a plan of action a concept developed by themind and a theme. A producer therefore is required to possess certain char-acteristics and qualities of mind and soul.The following qualities of a pro-ducer results in the best quality of creativity:Creative ,Innovative, Analytical, Logical, Critical, Deep observation, Vaststudy, Visualization power,Decision power, Sense of humour, Sense of pro-portion, Acute conclusion, Common sense, Aesthetic sense, Great exposure,Editorial judgment, Self starter, Initiative, Team leader, Forbearance, Toler-ance, Practical experience, General knowledge, Courage, Confidence, Brav-ery, Time management, Accuracy, Precision, Conviction, Consistency, Eth-ics, Communication ,Motivation, Determination, Patience, Fairness in con-troversy, Disinclined, Unbiased, Unprejudiced, Investigative, Informative,Inquisitive , Objectivity, Technically sound, Pleasant personality, Commandand control.-A newscast producer holds perhaps the single most important role in thenewsroom.Put concisely, the producer has to apply solid news judgement,a good aense of aesthetic and ample technical knowledge toward the goalfo fitting a newscast with content.Its producer who gets the show on theair and its the producers responsibility if anything goes wrong.17

Keeping in the view that a TV programme can never be anticipated good orbad as the viewer have there own choices, a producer has to prepare theprogramme to the utmost of one's abilities. The audiences have many choicesof channels and the variety of these television programmes give then openchance to select the programme the want at some particular period of time.

Page 7: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

52

Thus a producer should feel the pulse of the viewers and should design theprogramme in such a way that it reaches to the target audience as it is beingtelecast and for that there are again two factors one should bear in the mind;The news director is often the person who makes decisions about resourcesthe station wil commit to newscasts and to specifie news stories. His or herresponsibilities can include setting the news budget, hiring and firing news-room employees, scheduling employees’ working hours and vacation timeand approving rundowns and scripts.18

The executive producer is responsible for nearly every aspects fo newscastsduring his or her shift. The executive producer often makes decisions aboutwhich stories news reporters will cover and which stories will be included innewscasts, especially if there is no assistant news director in thatnewsroom.18The producer is responsible for a newscast flow, video, graph-ics, camera shots, timing and much more. In short, he or she is responsiblefor the newscast. The newscast procuder builds the rundown. He or shedecides what format stories will take. The newscast producer sets the cam-era shots and makes decisions about full-screen graphics and over the shoul-der boxes.19

Qualities and Duties of News Producer :A journalist is required to be ageneralist so a successful journalist, a flourishing newsman and a boomingmedia practitioner has to know something of everything and in a way every-thing of something. In fact there is no end to knowledge and as for as theknowledge of a journalist is concerned, sky is the limit.20

Therefore the one should try to learn every new thing which comes inhis way. He should have a very strong desire for learning new subjects andnew things to increase the knowledge. The following are the qualities andcharacteristics to be a news producer. Some of the qualities can be incul-cated, some can be improved, but still there are certain qualities which areinborn and a person needs to have them to be a media man.Determination, Knowledge ,Awareness, Imaginative, Sense of humour andwit, Inquisitiveness, Sharp an active, Curious, Observation, Social and

Page 8: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

53

sociable, Active and Dynamic ,Well informed, Courteous and well behaved,Intelligence , Specialized in the beat, Law-abiding, Qualified, Creative andInnovative and Decisive.Duties of a News Producer: Here are some of thethings that a news producer does.He decides which stories are covered, who covers them, and how they arecovered.Decides the order in which stories appear in the newscast. Deter-mines the amount of time each story is given. Writes copy for some stories.Integrates live reports into the newscasts.21

Page 9: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

54

2.3 Script Writing and Production PhaseMore of the success of the programme depends on the script writing as it isan important step in the production of any television programme and theproducer should choose such an author having the knowledge of writing ascreenplay. The subjects for the TV production should be one not treated inbook. The writer should have the mental images built on remembrance ofscenes and experience that help to visualize and create the scenery. He orshe must have "eye of mind" and be capable of making mental pictures.Berger Arthur a senior journalist says,’ A news package is the basic ele-ment of television news in which voice and vision are put togather. Televi-sion news, because it is technologically so comples, has a whole language ofits own, besides following some of the principles of radio news. Leads bridges,quotations and closers are basic to the logical structure of news bulletins.’22

The plot of any story, drama, novel, or play has following basic ingredientsIntroduction:beginningComplication:development of complicationsCulmination:climax of conflictSolution:resolution of issuesConclusion:endingThe writer should keep in mind that the characters must be intensely human,close to real life and day- to-day situations. More universal the theme, greateris the audience. A good author has a study of lives of those who will be theaudience so he or she should develop the ability to write dialogue by listen-ing to the conversation of those particular people.Syed MH says , ‘With the acquisition of ENG and latest computerized graph-

Page 10: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

55

ics equipment, the number of visuals has increased. Indeed, the news bulle-tins, have in recent years taken on the format of magazine programmes.’23

Pati Malay Ranjan mentions about the languae of Television news , ‘Thelanguage of news in television is considered essential to promote the flowand understanding of information. The uniformity of the message and itscommunication as well as the national interest. The style and form of thelanguage of the news broadcase bridges the informational gap betwen theviewers and the communicators.’24

Ten Newswriting Guidelines :With a bit of help from Ms. Debrah Potterof red dot RTNDF, the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation,here are ten guidelines for writing news: 1. While making sure you bring the most interesting and surprising elementsto the forefront of your story, don't give away everything right at the begin-ning. Maintain interest by spreading these "nuggets" throughout the story.And try not to let the lead-in to the story steal the thunder from what follows. 2. Use the active voice: subject, verb, and object. 3. Remember that nouns and verbs are stronger than adjectives and ad-verbs. Don't tell viewers what they should be feeling by using adjectives,especially shopworn adjectives, such as "tragic," "amazing," and "stunning."If the story's facts don't make such things obvious, you might want to exam-ine your approach. 4. Avoid jargon; use well-known terms. For example, your audience prob-ably won't know what ENG and B-roll mean. 5. Include defining details, such as the make of the car and the type of treesbeing cut down. 6. Write (tell!) the story as if you were trying to catch the interest of a friend.Try mentally to follow up on the phrases, "Guess what...," or "This may behard to believe, but...." 7. After you write something, set it aside for at least ten minutes and con-centrate on something else. Then go back and review the story with a freshperspective. At that point it may be easier to catch and eliminate unneces-

Page 11: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

56

sary words and phrases. 8. Read the story aloud (not under your breath). Rewrite:sentences that are too long tongue-twisting or awkward phrasesphrases that could be taken two waylong titles ("The 18-year-old, College Park Central High School sopho-more...") 9. Don't rely on the sound track to tell the story or explain the video. Thebasic idea should be obvious from the video. At the same time, the audio andvideo should complement and strengthen each other. (See the section be-low.) 10. Screen the complete audio and video story (package) as a "doubtingThomas." Have you made statements that could legitimately be challenged?Your clearly stated and verified facts should silence any rational critic.‘The news broadcast through the visual medium has played a significantrole in our society for the dissemination of information and ideas. Televi-sion transfers the events and the information into news and the newstransfers the viewers into the victimised. Television news has the capacityto capture and radiate instant, enormous and widespread attention.’25

Characters:The writer of the script must also make each actor act inthe way as the characters, are supposed to act in real life and in the dialoguesemotions must be brought to the viewers. They should speak in clearnessand directness.Actor-proof script:The television script should be an "actor-proof" script,as it should be written in such a way that it can not be misinterpreted by theperformers so the sentences are good to be short, crisp, clear and simple.Effects:The effects are the moods, emotions, gestures, original sound, mu-sic, whispers, exclamations and questions.Length: The story should be timed exactly and tempo must be maintained.Rehearsals are the source to measure time and it can be increased or de-

Page 12: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

57

creased accordingly.Manuscript:The script should be legible and double-spaced with marginson sides. The characters, names, ages, type of personality, place and loca-tion should be all well defined. It should be well in time for the approval ofthe authorities in the organization or a television channel.Script Paper:Traditionally, television scripts are prepared using a 2-columnformat with video descriptions on the left side of the page, and audio on theright. Depending on the format of the program; news, interview, etc.,the audio portion will vary from fully-scripted (every word spoken is writtenon the script), to semi-scripted, or even an audio outline.Camera Shot Sheet:Camera shot sheets are prepared from the finished scriptand are simply a breakdown for each cameraposition, listing each camera's shots in order as they appear in the script. Forinstance, for a 4-camerastudio shoot you would generate four shot sheets--one for each camera.Editing Log:The editing log is an essential part of preparation for post-production. Before you can begin to edit video, you must have a clear under-standing of the video and audio contained on your source videotapes.Rather than watch and listen to your videotape and then attempt to recallfrom memory, the editing log sheet allows you to jot down in and out pointsof all of your visual and auditory material, making notes as to the usefulnessof individual shots or sound bites. The use of SMPTE time code makesediting logs all the more effective. Since time code is an absolute framereference, all references to in or out points is an absolutely reliable referencefor finding that material again once you begin editing. S-VHS tapes recordedin either of our camcorders or in our record VTR will be recorded with timecode. Both the playback VTR (AG-7650) and record VTR (AG-7750) willread time code or control track. For logging at home, a VHS copy of your S-VHS source tapes can be made with a visual time code readout on screen.Using this VHS window dub allows you to log your tapes, with the accuracyprovided by time code; in the comfort of your own living room (I love this

Page 13: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

58

business!).Storyboard:The storyboard is a visual, shot-by-shot depiction of your project.Critical frames are sketched, much like a comic strip, so that others (clients,crew, and financiers) can share, and hopefully approve, your vision.Storyboards are commonly used for spot advertisements, promotional spots,and movies. I've also included a "photo-board". This is created after-the-factfrom actual frames from the project. In this case it is not used for pre-pro-duction but rather for promotion after the project has been completed.Equipment Reservation Form: The equipment reservation form is used toreserve location gear (camcorder, lighting, tripod, etc.) and editing suite time.It is simply a more streamlined fax request that requires that you answer afew questions about your progress to date on the project under production.PRE-PRODUCTION PHASE: The pre-production phase is an importantand the foremost stage for any production as it's the foundation of theprogramme being produced, whether its news or entertainment programme.The director infuses in to the script, certain liveliness and life like qualitythrough the means of scenes. He is the final judge in the matter of conflict.Characterization, motivation and technique are the elements, which polish aproduction.The Director is called Producer in TV production as he handles the finan-cial matters along with all other issues regarding programme. For any indooror outdoor production the first thing is to prepare a budget.)There are certain things a Producer has to plan before any production, whichinclude:Talent: Talent means any person participating in the production directly orindirectly other than the technical staff of the organization. It can be re-searcher, scriptwriter, comparer, anchorperson, newsreader, newscasteror the actors and artists in case of drama production. Talent fee for all is to bementioned in Programme Budget Estimate.Electronic News Gathering (ENG): It's the term used for the technicalproduction facilities required for outdoor productions. It's the camera crew

Page 14: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

59

including a cameraman, an audio engineer and a light man. Gupta Adityasen explaining the importance of the new technologies and the ENG says ,‘The current technologies of news media make news gathereing and produc-tion more efficient, faster and cost effective.Electronic news gathering andthe sattelite age have pushed television news deadlines back to the last minuteof the programme.’26

Characters or performers: These may include the entire artists who haveto appear on screen in any capacity as compair, anchorperson, newsreader,newscaster or the actors.Storyboard: It is the outline of the production and in it the director decidesthe plan of action, how the shooting is to be done and design on what groundsthe recording will be carried on.For each Outdoor Production, reconnaissance is necessary as you are go-ing to a remote location from the studios. It includes:Reconnaissance: It's the survey for the location in case of outdoor produc-tions. The director along with the camera man goes to the particular locationfoe spot inspection and plans the placement of camera, shooting angles andother matters regarding recording. In case of outdoor productions the direc-tor has to mention the traveling expanses to be incurred on the programmeon the transportation, accommodation of the technical staff and the artists.The producer should also have the surplus budget for any unexpected ex-penditure, if it comes across during the course of production.Programme Budget Proposal (PBP): The Programme Budget proposalfor each episode is always sent before any recording, as it includes the pay-ments of the different talents in the programme so that the Accounts depart-ment prepares the cheques respectively, well in time.Programme Budget Estimate (PBE): Preparation of the Programme Bud-get Estimate is also the duty of a producer as other than the directorial func-tion the producer has to manage the finances of the production on behalf ofthe organization or the channel, he or she is working for. In this whole costof direct or indirect expenditures are mentioned for the approval from the

Page 15: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

60

finance department. PBE is made for a complete quarter that is of thirteenweeks and all expected expanses are catered in it.The requirements for indoor productions are different than that of outdoorproductions, it include:Set designing: The director has to sit together with the designer to discussthe set to be erected in the studio for the recording of any programme.The items to be used on a set are called properties or "props" ion short form,these include, furniture, decoration pieces, room accessories and other do-mestic items of daily utility.The director should aim at audience; To develop dislike for what is unfairand untrue To develop disgust for which is cheap and substandardTo develop indifference for which is trivial and meaninglessTo develop enthusiasm for what is fine true and importantA good director should coach his cast and train himself. The purpose of adirector in the final production is to create for the audience, the same emo-tional feeling, he or she had while reading the script. Every programme hasa mood and an emotional experience to present. The audience should beattracted by all those things, which build up mind, body and soul.Spoken words are the inflammatory things. Human voice is the most potentconveyer of emotions.Outdoor broadcast: For this purpose OB van is used which has the provi-sion of panel, switcher, camera control unit, audio console, Cassette record-ers, Cassette players. The OB van provides a director all the technical facili-ties of studios out side the studio.‘New technologies had broken down the existing barriers to regional andinternational reporting as it is now possible to broadcast ,ive from anydestination in teh world. Electronic news gathering crews satellite technol-ogy, mobile broadcasting vehicles and portable editing equipment meansnews reports can be broadcast live or put togather and replayed backrapidly with ease.’27

Electronic Field Production (EFP) As the Outdoor Broadcast van is used

Page 16: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

61

and the cameras are patched that is those are giving the output to paneldirectly, such kind of makeshift studio environment in outdoors is calledEFP.Talk shows: For the talk shows, we require microphones for each partici-pant and a cordless hand microphone is preferred if the programme has theaudience participation as well. The distribution of invitation cards is alsodone in advance to fill the talk so with life. If there is any report or packageto be shown so the set should have the provision of a plasma screen also.Live coverage: For the live coverage like some national event, some specialshow the arrangements are on broader scale. Sometime heavy lights, flood-lights, and colourful lights are used to create dramatic effects. Crane and jibare also frequently in use in these shows.Mega shows: For telethons, marathon transmissions, many shifts of staff aswell as participants are required so the director should plan it well.Award ceremonies : All the channels and media organizations hold theiraward ceremonies and a lot of in house staff and artist are invited whichinvolves a lot of boarding and lodging.Sports events :The events like marathon, horse races, cricket matches, foot-ball, hockey, basketball, tennis and other games are multiple camera produc-tion so the planning is to cater all the production.When a TV channel is organizing or holding a programme in a certain loca-tion, the approval of the relevant authority for the venue must be sought.As the installation of Television are expensive and sensitive as well so propersecurity measures are necessary. Many programme are of longer duration sothe arrangements for the food and beverages are also to be catered in coordi-nation with the administration department.The Assistant director (AD) is the second eyes and ears for the director.During the run through and rehearsals he is at the side of the director makingany notations re script changes and timing. It is important that the AD be-come familiar with the operation of the countdown clock and stopwatch.Floor Director:H e or she reports to the Producer/Director for instructions

Page 17: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

62

regarding the set and set dressing. With the help of floor assistants, set-upand dress the set as instructed. Make sure that talent is comfortable andunderstands what is going on. He willl be on PL (intercom) this whole time--be sure to listen for the voice of the director and respond quickly to his/herdirections.Floor director is the most important crew member in the studio and he mustunderstand the production nearly as well as the director. Be careful to del-egate set-up responsibilities to your assistants and make sure that the talentis as comfortable and relaxed as possible.Audio Engineer: He obtains the marked script from the producer/director.Notes the audio elements specified by the script and gather the necessarymicrophones and accessories. When laying microphone cables, camera move-ment and placement should be considered. Cables should be positioned sothat they are out of sight of the cameras.Ideally he is responsible for miking talent; however this may be delegated tothe FD if necessary. He had to make sure that microphones and cables arehidden. Next, move to the audio control room and test the microphones tomake absolutely sure that they are working properly. Mark the audio console'schannels for talent's name and the approximate level for each microphone.The FD can assisthim with this by having each talent speak in turn. He hadbe sure that they are speaking at a level representative of their real perfor-mance. Next, he had to check out the other audio sources that will be used.Audio carts must be checked for level and to ensure that they are cued. CDsshould be previewed for level and to become familiar with the cut to beused.Camera Operators: The cmera operator had to get his shot sheets (if theyare being used) from the director and attach them to the back of the camera.He has to make sure that he had sufficient cable to reach the furthermostposition that would be occupied. Lter, her Uncaps thelens and set filtersetting. For studio work it should be set to 3200 K to match the studio lights.He than adjusts the viewfinders (VF) brightness and contrast controls foroptimum picture on your monitor. Unlock the pan and tilt locks and adjust

Page 18: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

63

the pan and tilt friction (drag) adjustments to suit your preference.Videotape Operators: Once he had been given the playback videotape , hehad to cue it up and familiarize himself with the video to be played backinto the program. He had to note video levels and color accuracy and adjustthe video tracking if necessary for optimum playback and note the audio andwhether it is recorded on channels 1 and/or 2, normal or Hi-Fi.Regarding setting cue in/out points for videotape you have two options. Ei-ther make note of the TC (time code) numbers of the in and out points, or setthe readout to CT (control track) and zero the counter at the in cue point.Confirm the position of the record tape and cue it up for recording. Again,set the readout to control track and zero it at the proper record-in point.(This should be approximately 10 seconds past the last audio/video recordedon the tape.) Confirm the proper setting of switches and patches so that youare infact recording program video as output from the switcher and programaudio from the Howell audio.Technical Director: Before the first run through, one has to take time tofamiliarize self with the switcher and the transitions he will be expected toexecute. During the run through switch while taking direction over the PL(intercom). During rehearsals follow the director's requests while seated nextto him/her in the control room. In addition to knowing the switcher, it isimportant that one knows the monitor layout and preview shots and/or ef-fects before taking them on-line. If there is a technical or aesthetic problemwith a shot, video source or effect, it should be brought to the director'sattention before switching to it on-line.

PRODUCTION PHASE :The production phase starts with the setdesigning in the indoor programmes as the set is of the vital importance inany kind of production. Floor plan The floor plan allows to sketch the approximate locations ofsets, props, cameras, talent, etc. This overhead view makes it easy to con-sider distance, angles and other factors that may be crucial to setting up yourproduction. At a TV station some of the studio may be occupied by semi-permanent sets that remain in place for extended periods of time. There are

Page 19: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

64

different types of sets as per he demand of the producer and the nature of theprogrammes:Traditional set: The sets with traditional look having arches and buildingdesigns are the one mostly used in historical plays. These sets are also called"hard or real sets" as are made by hard material like wood and metal. Thesesets involve a lot of furniture and other decoration items to give the produc-tion a classical touch.Contemporary set: Now a days the sets used in television industry aremostly graphical with computer generated effects. These sets are also called"soft or virtual sets" as are made by computer graphics using chrome keyand animations. Chrome key is to place a synthetic background behind thekey talent that may be compare, or an anchor.Lighting set: The set in which different lighting patterns are used to give thesymbolic representation of the mood of the programmes are called lightingset, and different colours of lights are used in it.Black screen set: In this kind of set the horizon of the studio wall is utilizedwith out any light on it giving an impact of darkness all around but a spotlight on the characters.Single screen set: This set is used when only one object or character is to berecorded for some programme that may be linking of a show or a magazineshow with single background.Two-screen set: This set is used when two persons are talking to each other;mostly in talk shows such kind of sets is used.Three-screen set :The programmes having the participants or panelists onboth sides of anchor involve three-screen sets.Today with latest innovation in computer graphics technology to create highlyrealistic or fully imaginative environment, a virtual set is the replacement forthe real or physical set. They can be integrated into telecast production inreplacement of or in combination with a real set.

Page 20: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

65

2.4 Camera,Light and Audio for News BulletinsThe key equipment in the audio-visual production is the camera. It works onthe principal of human eye and it shows what all the human eye watchesthrough its lens. The eye retains the image for 1/16 second while the cameraworks at the speed of 25 frames per second and that's why the fractions offrames or pictures seem to be moving on the screen.Camera functions: The camera can be utilized as per the requirement of theshot, situation of he programmes and the mood of the scene. There are fol-lowing camera functions generally used in television productions.Movement of lens of camera: During this technique only lens of the camerais movedZoom in: Image coming close to viewerZoom out:Image going away from the viewerFocus:Image becoming sharpDefocus:Image getting blurMovement of camera itself: During this technique camera itself is movedPan right: Camera is moved towards right sidePan left: Camera is moved towards left sideTilt up:Camera is moved upwardsTilt down: Camera is moved downwardsMovement of camera with tripod:During this technique the camera is movedwith the pedestal or tripod leaving its place as well.Dolly in: Camera is moved close to the objectDolly out: Camera is moved away from the objectTrack right: Camera is moved to the right side of the objectTrack left: Camera is moved to the left side of the objectUse of crane This is an arrangement of making a cameraman sit on an equip-ment like crane to make free movementover a crowd especially used in mu-sic show, concerts awards ceremonies.Use of jib This is an arrangement of making a camera placed on equipment

Page 21: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

66

like triangular stay sail set to make free movement of the camera itself whilethe operator is on ground controlling the camera.Use of wide-angle lens It is used when there is a small space available forthe movement of camera. It gives the broader perspective of the shot.Use of fish-eye lens It is used to create dramatic effect of the situation andto show the panoramic view of the scene.Shot The frame being captured through the camera lens is called shot. It'sthe picture being photographed or scene being recorded.Types of shots:Extreme close up (ECU)Big close up (BCU)Close up (CU)Medium close up/bust shot (MCU)Medium shot (MS)Medium long shot (MLS)Long shot (LS)Very long shot (VLS)Top/High angle shot (looking downwards)Low angle shot (looking upwards)Two shot (can be CU/MCU/MS)Over the shoulder shot (OTS)Moving subject walking into spaceDifferential shotVideo EquipmentStudio CamerasThe studio television camera is the beginning of the video signal. It is herethat visible light is transformed or transduced into electrical energy. Thevideo signal remains in the form of electrical energy, either analog or digital,for most of the remaining process until a picture monitor (TV set) convertsthe electrical signal back into visible light. The principle parts of the studiocamera are; the camera head (including lens, imaging device, and viewfinder),

Page 22: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

67

the camera mount, and the studio pedestal.28

Paul M. J. Suchecki, an expert camera technician said, ‘As a studio cam-eraman, you are responsible for focus, framing and composition. Some di-rectors are open to having you show them a suggested shot. Others rule withan iron fist and only want what they expect. As you work with differentdirectors, you'll get to know what they want.’29

The Camera Lens: The external optics is designed to collect and focus thelight onto the face of the imaging device. The lens contains focusing, focallength, and aperture controls. The first two controls are made by the cameraoperator at the camera head, and the aperture control is typically made bythe video engineer at the CCU. Studio cameras at a TV station have servocontrols for zoom, and manual controls for focus.The servo zoom control, which provides smooth and variable speed zoomswith a little practice, is located on the right pan handle while the focus con-trol is located on the left pan handle. On a properly maintained camera andlens, focus should be set with the lens set to maximum focal length. Onceset, the lens will maintain accurate focus throughout the zoom range as longas the distance between subject and lens does not change.Imaging Devices: The internal optics, including the beam splitter, are housedin the camera body.View Finder: The monochrome (black and white) monitor on top of thecamera head is your windowon the world. And while it provides no infor-mation about the colors being reproduced, it is an accurate display for thepurpose of framing, focus and composition. The angle of the VF is adjust-able to provide optimum viewing regardless of the height of the camera orthe height of the operator. The VF has contrast and brightness controls andshould be adjusted for your particular situation. These controls do not in anyway affect the video output of the camera.The Camera Mount: The camera is attached to a head which is in turnattached to the camera support--in our case a tripod and dolly combination.Types of professional camera heads include cam heads and fluid heads. Both

Page 23: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

68

allow for smooth pans and tilts. However, the smoothness of these move-ments is determined in part by the operator's proficiency and muscular coor-dination. Hours of practice are necessary before one can be fully proficientwith camera moves worthy of "on-air" service. Please be aware of the loca-tion and use of the pan and tilt locks and tension adjustments. Never try tooperate the camera head with the locks engaged, or with the tension adjust-ments tightened. Whenever the operator is at the camera, both the pan andtilt adjustments should be unlocked and loose enough so that the cameramovements can be executed smoothly and quickly according to the director'swishes. Before the operator leaves the camera, even for a moment, the panand tilt should be locked securely.30

Portable Camcorders:There is the Ikegami HC-400W camera withPanasonic DVCPro50 VCR backend. The department owns three of theseunits and they are refered to as the Red, Blue and Green units. Each camcorderhas an accompanying Porta Brace grip bag with appropriately color-codedaudio and grip accessories. The Ikegami professional camcorders are ca-pable of shooting in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios, and can record in DVCPro25or DVCPro50 mode. The 25 and the 50 refer to Mbps (Megabits per sec-ond) of digital data and the 50 Mbps records at twice the tape speed of 25Mbps, thus halving the effective length of the field tapes that are used.‘Highly portable cameras are perfect for quick and easy snapshots. Theyfeature fixed lenses, automatic and sometimes manual shooting modes, andhave a built-in flash. This category includes 'ultra-compacts'.31

Importance of sound in TV: Although TV is a visual medium still the thereis no video suitable for telecast without good audio.There are dialogues,music, original or wild sound; all make a package for a complete telecast.Use of microphon e:Perhaps the best way to emphasize the importance ofmicrophone is to say that without it audio in media would not exist so everything for a broadcast or telecast starts with a microphone.The microphone is a transducer that's converts acoustic or sound energy into electric energy. This is the basic function of a microphone. There are

Page 24: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

69

different types of microphones having special capabilities according to var-ied aesthetic demands of recordings and productions.For example, in television if a microphone is in the shot, it should be present-able but should not call attention to itself. For outdoor productions a micro-phone must be resistant to the wind sound. When distance is a factor, amicrophone must isolate the sound source and still provide acceptable qual-ity of audio.The special requirements make microphone selection a critical and everpresent creative challenge.MicrophonesDynamic Microphones: The dynamic mic (also called a moving-coil mi-crophone) is considered the most rugged professional microphone.This type of mic is a good choice for electronic newsgathering (ENG) work,where a wide variety of difficult conditions are regularly encountered (suchas this ENG report on a fire). In a dynamic microphone sound waves hit adiaphragm attached to a coil of fine wire. The coil is suspended in the mag-netic field of a permanent magnet. When sound waves hit the diaphragmthey move the coil of wire within the magnetic field. As a result, a smallelectrical current is generated that corresponds to the original sound waves.This signal must be amplified thousands of times. When small size, optimumsensitivity, and the best quality are all prime considerations, another type ofmic, the condenser mic, is often preferred.Condenser microphones (also called capacitor or electret condenser mics)are capable of top-notch audio quality. They can be made so small that theyare almost invisible. Condenser mics aren't as rugged as dynamic mics, andproblems can result when they are used in adverse weather conditions.Condenser mics work on the principle that governs an electric condenser orcapacitor. An ultra-thin metal diaphragm is stretched tightly above a piece offlat metal or ceramic. In most condenser mics a power source maintains anelectrical charge between the elements. Sound waves hitting the diaphragm,cause fluctuations in an electrical charge, which then must be greatly ampli-

Page 25: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

70

fied by a preamplifier (pre-amp). The pre-amp can be located within themicrophone housing or in an outboard electronic pack. Although most pre-amps output an analog signal, some of the newer models immediately con-vert the output to digital. Because they require a pre-amp, this means that,unlike the dynamic mics discussed earlier, most condenser mics require asource of power, either from an AC (standard Alternating Current) electricalpower supply or from batteries. An AC power supply for a condenser mic issometimes built into an audio mixer or audio board.Contact Mics: As the name suggests, contact mics pick up sound by beingin direct physical contact with the sound source. These mics are generallymounted on musical instruments, such as the surface of an acoustic bass, thesounding board of a piano, or near the bridge of a violin.Contact mics have the advantage of being able to eliminate interfering exter-nal sounds and not being influenced by sound reflections from nearby ob-jects. Their flat sides distinguish them in appearance from small personalmics.Microphones have a similar attribute: their directional characteristics,or, you might say, the angle of view that they "hear."Omni directional mics (also called non-directional mics) are (more or less)equally sensitive to sounds coming from all directions. Although this attributewould have advantages in radio where several people could stand or be seatedaround a single microphone, in video production it's almost always moredesirable to use some form of directional mic. For one thing, this will reduceor eliminate unwanted sounds while maximizing sound coming from talent.Bi-directional Mics:In a bi-directional sensitivity pattern (bipolar pattern)the mic is primarily responsive to sounds from two directions. Note drawingabove. Although commonly used in radio interviews for people sitting acrossfrom each other at a table, until the advent of stereo, bi-directional (alsocalled figure eight) sensitivity patterns had limited use in television. We'll getinto stereo and the need for this type of directional pattern in a later module.Unidirectional Mics: The term unidirectional simply refers to a general clas-sification of mics that are sensitive to sounds coming primarily from one

Page 26: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

71

direction. There are four subdivisions in this category -- each being a bitmore directional:Cardioids :The cardioid (pronounced car-dee-oid) pattern is named after asensitivity pattern that vaguely resembles a heart shape. The drawing here isa highly simplified depiction of three directional patterns. Mics using a car-dioid pattern are sensitive to sounds over a wide range in front of the mic,but relatively insensitive to sounds coming from behind the mic. Althoughthis pattern might be useful for picking up a choir in a studio, the width of acardioid pattern is too great for most TV applications. When placed two ormore meters (7 or more feet) from a speaker, it tends to pick up unwanted,surrounding sound, including reverberation from walls.Super-cardioids :The super-cardioid is even more directional than the car-dioid sensitivity pattern. Whereas the cardioid has about a 180-degree angleof acceptance, the super-cardioid has about 160-degrees of coverage. Whenthis type of mic is pointed toward a sound source, interfering (off-axis) soundstend to be rejected. This polar pattern is similar to that of our ears as we turnour head toward a sound we want to hear and try to ignore interfering sounds.Hyper-cardioid and Lobar: Even more directional are the hyper-cardioidand lobar patterns with 140-degrees of coverage. Because off-axis soundswill be largely rejected, they have to be accurately pointed toward soundsources. Some highly directional shotgun mics (below) are included in thehyper-cardioid category.Shotgun Mics: So called shotgun mics with their hyper-cardioid or nar-rower angles of acceptance are one of the most widely used types of mics foron-location video work. Since they are quite directional, they providegood pickup when used at a distance of 2 to 4 meters (7-13 feet) from thetalent. Like other types of directional microphones, they tend to reject soundthat would interfere with the on-camera talent.Hanging Microphones: Sometimes you can get by without a boom mic,especially if the talent is confined to a limited area. For example a mic can besuspended over a performance area by tying it to a grid pipe or fixture just

Page 27: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

72

above the top of the widest camera shot. The disadvantage of this approach,of course, is that the mic can't be moved during the production.Both boom mics and suspended microphones should be checked with thestudio lights turned on to make sure they do not create shadows on back-grounds or sets.Hidden Microphones :It's sometimes possible to hide microphones closeto where the on-camera talent will be seated or standing. This will eliminateboth the need for personal or handheld mics and the problems that mic cordscan introduce. Microphones are sometimes taped to the back of a prop oreven hidden in a table decoration, such as the vase of flowers .When placing mics, keep in mind the proximity effect discussed in an earliermodule. You may find during an editing session that the audio from differentmics used at different distances will not "cut together" (edit together) with-out annoying changes in quality.Sometimes several mics must be used on a set at the same time. In this caseeach mic not being used at a particular moment should be turned down orswitched off. This also reduces total ambient sound.

Page 28: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

73

2.5 Selection, Writing and Editing of NewsAll the stuff that comes to the news room of the Televsion News Chan-

nels does not go on air. Many a times the footage and the script is required tobe edited in such a way that it can become fit for broadcasting on the Televi-sion News. McQuail Dennis says, ‘ Television news bulletins are generallyconstructed with a view to arousing initial interest, by highlighting someevent, maintaining interest through diversity and human interest and hlodingback some vital information to the end (sports result and weather forecast)then sending the viewer away at the close with light touch.’ 32

The process of shaping a final News Bulletin on the News Channel in facthad to go through various processes like Selection of the Stories out of theflow in the newsroom, Writing and than Electronically editing them.News is in fact a communication between human beings from the earliestperiod of human civilization. News is information about an event, some de-velopment plan, and movement of important persons. Inorder to select NewsStories out of the raw material at hand there are various factors that helpselect the content of the bulletin. This is evident from the statement of re-searcher Syed SH , ‘The element of immediacy is one of the biggest assestsof the televsion medium in reporting news. Every effort should be made toinclude up-to-date reports and to write copy in manner that sounds fresh andtiemly.’33

Business interests and many such other factors that changes from Newschannels to news channels. There are two main types of news ‘hard news’dealing with immediate events and ‘soft news’ mainly background or time-free news. In addition there are three other categories: spot( every new,immediate,just breaking) news, ‘developing’ news and ‘continuing’ news.here is also a time dimension, according to which news can be classified as‘pre-scheduled’ ‘unsheculed’ or ‘non- scheduled’.

The first refers to ‘diary’ events that are known about in advanceand for which coverage can be planned. The second is news of events that

Page 29: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

74

happen unexpectedly and need to be immediately disseminated- the mostdifficult for routine handling, but not the largest category of news; the thirdrelates to news(usually soft) that is nto tied to any prticular time and canbe stored and release at the convenience of the news organization..34

Various Factors in Television news selection: ‘Television view-ers pferer the newscasts because they are taken to the scenes of action andshown what is happening or what has happened recently. Well presentedstories on television should therefore b e able to move the viewers moredeeply than radio or newspaper.’35

Writing news for television is considerably different than creating fictionon the screen. For one thing, newswriting and reporting are about factualinformation. A reporter who cant be counted on to report factual informa-tion accurately typically doesn’t last very long. Television newswritingshares many goals with newspaper writing but differs in important ways.36

Those involved in broadcast news must understand 12 factors that consti-tute news value.1. Timeliness: News is what's new. An afternoon raid on a rock cocainehouse may warrant a live ENG report during the 6 p.m. news. However,tomorrow, unless there are major new developments, the same story willprobably not be important enough to mention.2. Proximity: If 15 people are killed in your hometown, your local TV stationwill undoubtedly consider it news. But if 15 people are killed in Manzanillo,Montserrat, Moyobambaor, or some other distant place you've never heardof, it will probably pass without notice. But there are exceptions.3. Exceptional quality: One exception centers on how the people died. If fewpeople are killed in Australia because of a bus or car accident, this would notbe nearly as newsworthy. Exceptional quality refers to how uncommon anevent is. A man getting a job as a music conductor is not news--unless thatman is blind.4. Possible future impact: The killer bee example illustrates another newselement: possible future impact. The fact that the killer bees are now in the

Page 30: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

75

United States and may eventually be a threat to people watching the newsmakes the story much more newsworthy. A mundane burglary of an office inthe Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC, was hardly news until two report-ers named Woodward and Bernstein saw the implications and the possiblefuture impact. Eventually, the story behind this seemingly common burglarybrought down a U.S. President.5. Prominence: The 15 deaths in Manzanillo might also go by unnoticed bythe local media unless someone prominent was on the bus--possibly a moviestar or a well-known politician. If a U.S. Supreme Court Justice gets mar-ried, it's news; if John Smith, your next-door neighbor, gets married, it prob-ably isn't.6. Conflict: Conflict in its many forms has long held the interest of observ-ers. The conflict may be physical or emotional. It can be open, overt conflict,such as a civil uprising against police authority, or it may be ideologicalconflict between political candidates. The conflict could be as simple as aperson standing on his principles and spending a year fighting city hall overa parking citation. In addition to "people against people" conflict, there canbe conflict with wild animals, nature, the environment, or even the frontierof space.7. The number of people involved or affected: The more people involved ina news event, be it a demonstration or a tragic accident, the more newswor-thy the story is. Likewise, the number of people affected by the event, whetherit's a new health threat or a new tax ruling, the more newsworthy the story is.8. Consequence: The fact that a car hit a utility pole isn't news, unless, as aconsequence, power is lost throughout a city for several hours. The fact thata computer virus found its way into a computer system might not be newsuntil it bankrupts a business, shuts down a telephone system, or endangerslives by destroying crucial medical data at a hospital.9. Human interest: Human-interest stories are generally soft news. Exampleswould be a baby beauty contest, a person whose pet happens to be a nine-foot boa constrictor, or a man who makes a cart so that his two-legged dogcan move around again. Human-interest angles can be found in most hard

Page 31: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

76

news stories. a boy who lost his dog, or families returning to their mud-filledhomes.10. Pathos: The fact that people like to hear about the misfortunes of otherscan't be denied. Seeing or hearing about such things commonly elicits feel-ings of pity, sorrow, sympathy, and compassion. Some call these stories "tearjerkers."Examples are the child who is now all alone after his parents were killed ina car accident, the elderly woman who just lost her life savings to a conartist, or the blind man whose seeing-eye dog was poisoned. This categoryisn't just limited to people. How about horses that were found neglected andstarving, or the dog that sits at the curb expectantly waiting for its master toreturn from work each day, even though the man was killed in an accidentweeks ago.11. Shock value: An explosion in a factory has less shock value if it wascaused by gas leak than if it was caused by a terrorist. The story of a sixyear-old boy who shot his mother with a revolver found in a bedside drawerhas more shock (and therefore news) value than if same woman died of aheart attack. Both shock value and the titillation factor (below) are wellknown to the tabloid press. The lure of these two factors is also related tosome stories getting inordinate attention, such as the sordid details of apolitician's or evangelist's affair which brings us to the final point.12. Titillation component: This factor primarily involves gender and is com-monly featured some would say exploited during rating periods.Writing the Televison News: In the era of competition today where dozensand dozens of the competitor News Channels are always ready for the cut-throat competition, style of writing the news stories to attract the viewersmatters a lot for the News Channel editor. The policy of news medium mayincrease or diminish the importance of the story. ‘Just as radio news writing evolved from newspaper writing, so televisionnews writing evolved from radio news. If a television news item has nopictures, the story is ‘dry’ and the news reader is’invision’ or ‘on camera’.

Page 32: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

77

Such stories are not different from radio news items but with the visualsthings change.’ 37

The speciality of the Television news had been explained as, ‘Televisionviewers pferer the newscasts because they are taken to the scenes ofaction and shown what is happening or what has happened recently. Wellpresented stories on television should therefore b e able to move the view-ers more deeply than radio or newspaper.The class of viewers and listen-ers that dominates the audience of a channel determines largely what isnews for that medium.’38

‘Television news carries the sights and sounds of the event. This can bean advantage if the reporter or videographer is able to capture compellingvideo and sound. It can be a real disadvantage if no intersting visuals canbe found.The absence of good video might persuade the producer to movea story lower in the newcast or to drop it altogether.’39

‘In television, the story must be understood clearly teh first time through.There is no chance to reread or relisten.There can be lapse, no problem inunderstandibility if there is, if you lose the viewer even rest of the story,meaning you’ve failed as a television writer. You may even lose the viewerfrom that newscast-its way to easy to change a channel with the remotecontrol.’40

‘As a television news writer, you are an impartial storyteller. News scriptshave no room for your opinions. Keep editorial bias out of your stories.Do not slant your stories, be fair, be impartial, be objective.’41

The content of the Televison news are also similar to that of theNewspapaer of Radio news. Gromely explains it as, ‘ In a television newsstory, there is a begining, a middle and and end. That’s how we tell storiesto each other and that’s how you will tell stories to a television audi-ence.’42

The story in all other cases opens gradually and major information is givenin middle of a story while in news it opens with a bang all concrete things arementioned at start and then the relevant detail is described. ‘ A television

Page 33: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

78

news writer starts strong with a lead that grabs or hooks viewers. It is the‘sell’. Then the writer delivers the goods, following the lead with the ‘tell’.43

David Brinkley highlights the editing function as, ‘The one func-tion that TV news performs very well is that when there is no news wegive it to you with the same emphasis as if there were.’44 Although thesub-editor cannot determine the nature or the quality of the material gath-ered of the day but one can control the use of news. S/he has to chooseenough for filing the time of different news bulletins.

Television has a tremendous potential as an efffective visual mediumof mass communication to motivate people to participate in the developmen-tal plans of India. The secret of extraordinary power of television as a newsmedium is that it is for its public the closest and the most approxiamte thingto actually witnessing a nwws-event rather than receiving a verbal or writtenaccount of it, as through radio or the press.46

Seeing, for most people, is believing and television with its unique mannerof bringing the news day after day, carries an impact much deeper andmore durable than that of any othe known medium of newscommunication.Every news producer and sub-editor should remember thechannel's reputation for fairness and reliability rests upon an accuratepresentation of facts.47

Process of editing a news :The process of editing is intended t make iteasier for the newscaster to read the copy. Corrections must be indicatedclearly and matter inserted written legibly. All letters should be written care-fully. The sub-editor first go through the story to get the general sense. Hemay mark a mistake here and there in first reading but he reserves his effortsmostly for the second reading. He should read it again for the third time toeliminate the possibility of over sight and to see that he story reads coherent.Then he gives the headline.

Page 34: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

79

2.6 Compilation and Presentation of BulletinsIn last one decade, there had been tremendous change in the media

scenario in India due to launching of dozens of News Channels in English,Hindi, urdu and various other vernacular languages.More news is available today than at any other time in the history. Obviouslynews is an important commodity for all kind of public. Before anything be-comes news, however, it must be reported, a rise in gasoline prices, a citycouncil meeting, a road accident, a political gathering, a protest rally, allmust be filtered through the eyes and ears of the a journalist.Many organizations, conscious of scheduling of TV news programmes, plantheir meetings and demonstrations during the newscast to enhance their chanceof receiving TV coverage. Pati Malay Ranjan says about the initial periodwhen the changes started in the Television news presentation ‘In the year1994 some remarkable changes were introduced in the field of Televisionnews. A new format was introduced for the main news bulleitns with in-creased duration and with seperate segmentson business, culture, sports,weather and other matters.’49

Compiling a News Bulletin :While compiling a news bulletin, generallynews can been broken into three broad categories:Hard newsSoft newsInvestigative reportHard news stories make up the bulk of news reporting. They typically em-body the traditional news values. Hard news consists of basic fact. It is thenews of important public events, such as government actions, internationalhappenings, social conditions, the economy, crime, environment and sci-ence. Hard news has significance for the large number of people. The frontsections of a newspaper, or magazine and the lead stories of a radio or tele-vision newscast usually are filled with hard news.In the broadcast media, with the added considerations of limited time, sound

Page 35: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

80

and video, telecast reporting follows a square format. The information levelstays about the same throughout the story. ‘The recent trends in the field ofTelevision journalism are going to play a very crucial role in all the branchesof journalistic activity.’50

The lead then supported by the body of the story, which introduces newinformation and it amplifies the lead. The summations, the final few sen-tences in the report can be used to personalize the main point, introduceanother fact, or discuss future developments. The broadcast or news telecastis totally different from that of print news: it is more informal, conversa-tional, and simple. In addition it is designed to complement sound bites thatare the voice of newsmaker or videotape segment.Eric K Gromly, a senior writer on journalism says about the nature oftelevision news - ‘In a television news story, there is a begining, a middleand and end. That’s how we tell stories to each other and that’s how youwill tell stories to a television audience.51

He further says- ‘ A television news writer starts strong with a lead thatgrabs or hooks viewers. It is the ‘sell’. Then the writer delivers the goods,following the lead with the ‘tell’.’52

Soft news: Soft news or feature covers a wide territory. The one thing allsoft news has in common Is that it interest the audience. Features typicallyrely on human interest for the news value. They appeal to people's curiosity,sympathy, skepticism, disbelief, or amazement. They can be about places,people, animals, topics, events, or products. Features are entertaining andthe audience likes them. Many television and print vehicles are based prima-rily on the soft content. TV features are more common than radio features. Insome large TV markets one or more reporter cover nothing but features.Almost all stations have feature file where story ideas are catalogued. Dave Barry says- ‘I do not mean to be the slightest bit critical of TVnewspeople, who do a superb job, considering that they operate under se-vere time constraints and have the intellectual depth of hamsters. But TVnews can only present the "bare bones" of a story; it takes a newspaper, with

Page 36: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

81

its capability to present vast amounts of information, to render the story trulyboring.’ 53

Peter Price quotes “Consumers have the capability of seeing televi-sion anywhere, anytime. And as the technology continues to develop, it willbe content - news, sports and entertainment programming - that drives con-sumer demand.”54

Franklin Graham says- “Increasingly, viewers are looking to local televi-sion news as they used to look at radio, as the most immediate of the media.If the firefighter story broke in the morning, it has lost some immediacy,unless there are significant new developments.”55

Investigative report :These reports unearth significant about matters of thepublic importance through the use of non-routine information gathering meth-ods. Since the Watergate affair was uncovered by a pair of Washington news-paper reporters investigative reporting has also been looked upon as prima-rily concerned with exposing corruption in high places.Investigative reports require a good deal of time and money. Because ofthese heavy investments, they\ are generally longer than the typical telecastnews item. Telecast investigative reports are usually packaged in documen-taries or in a 10-15 minutes segment of a news magazine programme.In television and radio, the investigative reporters have less time to o explorebackground issues. Documents and records are hard to portray on televi-sion, so less emphasis is placed on tem, instead the TV reporter must comeup with the interviews and other visual aspects that will illustrate the story.Eric K Gromly quotes- ‘Some large market newsrooms hire speciality health,business and science reporters and producers who work exclusively on re-ports in their fields of expertise. Many major-market newsrooms also havean investigative unit of reporters a nd producers who spend time developingdepth stories.’56

Speed is more important for news telecast than it is for the press. TV isalmost always first with the news as a newspaper has to wait for the nextmorning to give the latest news while a television channel has several news

Page 37: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

82

bulletins in 24 hours. Therefore TV deadlines are more frequent than that ofnewspaper dead lines. The modern TV reporter also uses camera for newsitem. Television was introduced to the world about thirty-five years after theradio in 1945. At most of the places the television developed as sister orga-nization to the radio; therefore it has grown up as a sister operation toradiomen. Television outclassed all other media of communication in effec-tiveness as it illustrated and is very close to face-to-face communication,which is considered most suit able and effective mode of communication.Presentation of News Bulletin: There are many types of news telecast andeach one is presented in different manners and prepared in different style.Probably the most elementary type of news telecast is one in which the tele-vision reporters find it necessary to process news items, making them wor-thy watching and hearable than readable. Everyone experienced in the fieldof electronic media knows that there are newscasters and newsreaders, whomerely read a news bulletin, and the news anchors or the news commenta-tor, who take the news of the day, relate it to happening of the past and tothose of probable future, and analyze its significance.During the course of programme the news commentator includes some hu-man-interest stories. It is good practice to insert short, bright, and fast mov-ing items between long news features. As the news reporter or producer, thenews anchor must have the sense of what will appeal the greatest number ofviewers. Robert MacNeil quotes- “Given the dozens of channels now thatare doing something called news, from the serious to the comic, this is theone that has stayed absolutely gimmick-free and, therefore, its uniqueness ismore apparent now, I think, than it was when we started 30 years ago.”57

The great problem of the news broadcaster is that his program is a dailyfeature and in many instances may run as many as three or more times a day,rather on hourly basis as is being done presently. To be able to find materialand methods of presenting material is a problem.Here in our electronic media mostly news producer, reporters and even an-chors are formerly newspaper or radio newsmen who have developed a good

Page 38: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

83

sense of news values. Many of the news anchors have travelled extensivelyor acted as field reporters so that they have a background that is helpful inpresenting a news bulletin in impressive and interesting manner.The televi-sion news editor considers whether the item will have mass appeal or whetherit is unusual. If the item is not of national, international or state interest thetelecaster is concerned whether it deals with the locale within the primaryrange of the television station. If the persons who are involved are of par-ticular importance, the item has news value.Making Special Bulletins: It is observed today that we have news bulletinsfor almost all kinds of viewers. There are general news bulletins, whichinclude all kind of news items for wide-ranging public. Then we have specialnews bulletins on specified news channels as well.Trade/industry:Such kind of channels telecast news related to trade, busi-ness, buying and selling, stock exchange matters, rise and fall of shares ofdifferent companies. The information is presented by scrolling on screen allthe time.Commerce/business:These channels update the specified audiences havinginterest in commerce, import and export issues.Agriculture :In our country that has a larger agricultural economy base,different channels prepare programmes and news bulletins about farmersand peasants regarding seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, agro-medicines and livestock.Sports:Sports is a topic of interest of all age groups of viewers and to caterthis need all the news channels televise the special programmes, have spe-cial news bulletins, live transmissions about the different tournaments andcompetitions being held nationally and internationally.Show biz :The matters regarding the activities of film, radio, theatre andtelevision artists, singers, actors, performers, directors, is of prime interestto general public and they want to know about even their personal profilesso the news channels also have portion for them in their news bulletins.Fashion :Due to the advancement in media people are more aware of fash-

Page 39: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

84

ions in and out, life styles in vogue, make up techniques and methods ofmake over, so the news channels also address this type of community.Music :We do have television channels locally and globally dedicated tomusic only and the whole daylong transmissions on such channels have mu-sic charts, albums and numbers as well as gossips of singers.Drama :There are channels specified only to drama, sit-com, tragedy, com-edy, Series, serial, soaps and these air the relevant information.Weather:Weather is the topic of concern for every body to plan the dayactivities like traveling out station or doing laundry at home so all the newschannels have weather reports in their news bulletins but there is no speci-fied weather channel so far in our country.Educational :These channels are education oriented and they aim at distanteducation for the people living in remote areas or those not able to attendfull-time courses. There are lectures on different subjects through distancelearning.Religious:We do have couple of channels which target only a specified au-dience interested to know the religious matters, answers to their queries andfor the clarification of their doubts.Health:The programmes regarding health, personal hygiene, the diseasesand the treatments of different ailments are of great public concern and chan-nels keep the audience enlightened about these issues.Scientific: These news bulletins on news channels or even on entertainmentchannels are about latest discoveries, inventions, scientific research and tech-nological advancements.Youth :Youth, although very important segment of the society is vital innational progress and prosperity but there are only few programmes for theircareer counseling on channels.Women :These programmes on channels focus home decoration, cooking,gardening guidelines, beauty tips and kids upbringing.

Page 40: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

85

2.7 EFP, Live transmission and Special reportThe Electronic field production (EFP) is a television industry term

referring to television production which takes place outside of a formal stu-dio in a practical location or special venue. Some typical applications ofElectronic Field Production include awards shows, concerts, majornewsmaker interviews, political conventions and sporting events. Electronicfield production (EFP) places the emphasis on high-quality, multi-cameraphotography, advanced graphics and sound. Sports broadcasts make up themajority of EFPs.‘The EFP often involves multiple cameras conn ected to a video switcherand associated production equipment to produce studio- style productionoutside the studio. The terms remote and OB are often used when referringto such productions.Major broadcast networks once owned their own pro-duction trailers for covering major events, but since then, with the explosionin networks on cable and over-the-air, they and broadcast rental companiesrent production trucks by the day or week for more routine or remote pro-ductions.’58

A typical sports production truck includes: A large video switcher, with anexternal digital video effects unit and several mix/effect equipment allowsthe director, flexibility in calling for certain visual effects in the broadcast.Several tripod-mounted and hand-held cameras. A variety of zoom lensesfor the tripod-mounted "hard" cameras, typically at least 50x to 100x magni-fication, and a maximum focal length of at least 600 mm. The extreme amountof magnification is necessary because the cameras can be located quite adistance from the action. Aditya Sen Gupta quotes about the advanced tech-nology- Improvement and advancements in satellite technology have enabledjournalists to procduce and transmit images and footage live to various newsmediums. The development of this technology had proved invaluable forjournalists reporting from remote areas.’59

Mentioning about one more modern equipment use for the News Gathering

Page 41: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

86

Sen says- ‘ Videophone device is made up of a camera, transmitter terminaland dome-shaped antenna provides live over-the -shoulder views from thebattlefield. These images are captured by the vidophone are instantaneouslytransmitted through the use of satellite to news outlets and televisions.’60

In its early days, the term ENG was used by newsroom staff to differentiatebetween the NG (newsgathering) crews that collected TV news with tradi-tional film cameras and the new ENG crews who collected TV news withnew electronic analogue tape formats like low band U-matic. The require-ment for the differentiation stems from the radically different methods ofpost-production involved in video versus film. Film needed to be processedbefore editing, unlike tape where footage could be edited fairly quickly, thusdramatically reducing the turn-around time for a story. The use of film innewsgathering virtually disappeared by the early 1980s. ENG originally re-ferred to the use of point-to-point terrestrial microwave signals to backhaulthe remote signal to the studio. In modern news operations, however, it alsoincludes SNG (Satellite News Gathering) and DSNG (digital satellite newsgathering).Ralph Donald underlines the significance of the studio camera and theENG camera - ‘Studio cameras produce the finest, sharpest pictures avail-able using existing technology. While ENG cameras are designed to oper-ate in stand-alone configuration,s tudio cameras are designed for usecooperatively by more than one individual. During a typical studio produc-tion, teh camers operator focuses exclusively on aesthetic concerns whilea video technician at the CCU closely monitors and adjusts the camera’stecnhical performance.’61

Television studio :A television studio is an installation in which televisionor video productions take place, either for live television, for recording liveto tape, or for the acquisition of raw footage for postproduction. The designof a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amend-ments for the special requirements of television production. A professionaltelevision studio generally has several rooms, which are kept separate for

Page 42: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

87

noise and practicality reasons. These rooms are connected via intercom, andpersonnel will be divided among these workplaces. 62

With the Internet becoming the television transmitter for all of us, now ATEMTelevision Studio lets you do live production and simultaneously generateH.264 files for the web, all in real time. The moment your event is finished,your encoded file is ready for distribution. 63

"Scoops" of this sort can rapidly advance a career. First, this means havinga checklist of essential equipment drawn up so that you won't forget any-thing in the rush to get out the door. Things happen very fast in a breakingstory, so when you arrive on the scene, you should be able to start recordingwithin a few seconds.

Tony Burman, editor-in-chief of CBC News. says , “The prose ofsuch reporting tends to be more polished and longer than in newspaper ar-ticles. Investigative journalism is when reporters deeply investigate a topicof interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or some other scan-dal. There is no more important contribution that we can make to societythan strong, publicly-spirited investigative journalism.”Veteran journalist De Burgh states that: "An investigative journalist is aman or woman whose profession it is to discover the truth and to identifylapses from it in any available media . The act of doing this generally iscalled investigative journalism and is distinct from apparently similar workdone by police, lawyers, auditors and regulatory bodies in that it is not lim-ited as to target, not legally founded and closely connected to publicity".

Page 43: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

88

2.8 Voice Over and Background VoiceThe sound termed as raw sound is recorded sound that is not of a newsmakerspeaking, such as the sound of an airplane landing or a marching band play-ing or a crowd cheering; sometimes known as "Natural Sound" or "OriginalSound", as well as "Wild sound" especially when the source of the sound isfrom nature. The especially recorded sounds to establish a particular atmo-sphere are called sound effects. For instance, Birds' chirping, typewriter'srattling, jackal's howling, Lion's roaring, chairs' dragging, water pouring intoglass, thunder of clouds followed by rain sound etcThe audio mixing is to add music and sound effects to a television programmeduring post production. In music the process of mixing track and the singer'svoice is called mixing. While mixing the producer must be careful that in-strumental level must not exceed vocalist.The term voice-over refers to a production technique where "a disembodiedvoice is broadcast live or pre-recorded in radio, television, film, theater and/or presentation". The voice-over may be spoken by someone who also ap-pears on-screen in other segments or it may be performed by a specialistvoice actor.67

Voice-over is also commonly referred to as "off camera" commentary. Theterm voice-over can also refer to the actual voice actor who performed therecording. The terms voice actor, narrator, voice artist, announcer are allsimilarly used.Types and uses of voice-overAs a character deviceAs a creative device\As an educational or descriptive deviceAs a commercial deviceAs a character deviceDirectors may add a voice-over late in the production because the plot or acharacter's motivation is not immediately clear; for instance Francis FordCoppola added voice-overs of Captain Willard's character in Apocalypse

Page 44: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

89

Now to clarify Willard's thoughts and intentions. In the 1956 film version ofHerman Melville's Moby Dick, Richard Basehart, as Ishmael, narrates thestory and sometimes comments on the action in voice-over, as does WilliamHolden in the films Sunset Boulevard and The Counterfeit Traitor.Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a produc-tion technique where a voice that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic) isused in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presen-tations. The voice-over may be spoken by someone who appears elsewherein the production or by a specialist voice actor. The voice-over has manyapplications in non-fiction as well. Television news is often presented as aseries of video clips of newsworthy events, with voice-over by the reportersdescribing the significance of the scenes being presented; these are inter-spersed with straight video of the news anchors describing stories for whichvideo is not shown.68

Voice-over technique is likewise used to give voices and personalities toanimated characters. The most noteworthy and versatile of whom includeMel Blanc, Don Messick and Daws Butler.

The importance of sound is explained as ‘Sound and music - or theabsence of it has a profound impact on film and TV. It is used to enhancedrama and to help illustrate the emotional content in the story. It is also usedto manipulate the feelings and sentiments of viewers. This is universal.Whether you watch domestic or foreign content, music is used to this effect.Rarely do you see a film or TV program that doesn't employ music andsound.’ 70

However, sound cannot propagate through vacuum. The matter that sup-ports the sound is called the medium. Sound is transmitted through gases,plasma, and liquids as longitudinal waves, also called compression waves.Through solids, however, it can be transmitted as both longitudinal and trans-verse waves. Highliting the importance of proper sound in a production of audio videoprogramme Andy Taplin says- ‘Audio is often seen as a poor relation com-pared to the images during the production of everything from big budget

Page 45: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

90

feature films to the humblest corporate video. This is a mistake. Imagine youare about to embark on a long-haul flight and you have the option of twoseats: one has a TV with poor picture quality but great sound; the other hasa perfect picture but poor audio. Which are you going to choose? My advicewould be to choose the better sound – you can fill in the poor picture withyour imagination if needs be but there‘s nothing worse than trying to listen togarbled audio.71

“ Digital audio is sound reproduction using pulse-code modulationand digital signals. Digital audio systems include analog-to-digital conver-sion (ADC), digital-to-analog conversion (DAC), digital storage, processingand transmission components. A primary benefit of digital audio is in itsconvenience of storage, transmission and retrieval”. 72

Technically speaking, the background noise of a digital signal can be as badas 20dB (which is a lot) and the digital signal will still survive. In the case ofan analog signal, this would translate into intolerable noise. “Digital record-ing has a lot of benefits over analog recording. Digital files can be copied asmany times as you want, with no loss in quality, and they can be burned to anaudio CD or shared via the Internet. Digital audio files can also be editedmuch more easily than analog tapes.”73

The main device used in digital recording is a Analog-to-Digital Converter(ADC). The ADC captures a snapshot of the electric voltage on an audio lineand represents it as a digital number that can be sent to a computer. Bycapturing the voltage thousands of times per second, you can get a very goodapproximation to the original audio signal. With digital signals, however, a digital meter or a peak program meter (PPM),is used. In the case of the digital meter on the right, when the signal touchesthe red area, we're entered the headroom area. If a digital signal were to goto the very top of the scale, clipping would occur. Unlike analog audio, whereexceeding the maximum level will result in signal distortion, in digital audioyou might not notice the elimination of audio peaks”74.

Using Multiple Mics in the Field :If only one mic is needed in the

Page 46: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

91

field, it can simply be plugged into one of the audio inputs of the camera.(The use of the internal camera mic is not recommended except for captur-ing background sound.) When several microphones are needed and theirlevels must be individually controlled and mixed, a small portable audiomixer will be needed.Audio Recording, Editing and Playback: DATs (Digital Audio Tapes)Both digital audio and video are routinely compressed by extracting datafrom the original signal that will not be missed by most listeners or viewers.This makes it possible to record the data in much less space, and, thus, fasterand more economically. Data can be compressed to various degrees usingdifferent compression schemes. Although hard drives are extremely reliabletoday, they do occasionally "crash," especially after thousands of hours ofuse or a major jolt ends up damaging the delicate drive and head mechanism.IC and PC Card Recorders :Some audio production is now being donewith PC card and IC recorders. Both use solid-state memory cards, such asCompact Flash and ATA Cards. These memory cards contain no movingparts and are impervious to shock and temperature changes. The data inthese memory modules can be transferred directly to a computer forediting.These units typically give you the choice of two basic recording for-mats: MPEG-2, a compressed data format, and PCM (pulse code modula-tion) which is an uncompressed digital format. The latter is used with CDplayers, DAT recorders, and on computer editing programs that use wave(wav) files.RAM Audio Recorders :The new generation of recorders can be a fractionof the size of other types of recorders. However, unlike recorders with re-movable media, the stored audio must generally be played back from theunit, itself.When I-pod-type devices and computers that could "rip" (copy)musical selections from CDs and Internet sources arrived on the scene, con-sumer audio recording and playback changed in a major way. Unlike other media files hosted on the Internet which are initially down-loaded into the local system prior to beginning the playback process, the

Page 47: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

92

RealAudio file sends the first part of the media contents and once it is re-ceived by the machine, the playback is initiated simultaneous to the down-loading of the remaining parts of the file making it an ideal format for livebroadcasts” 75.Audio Editing Systems :Audio editing used to require physically cuttingand splicing audiotape an arduous process. Today, there are numerous com-puter-based audio editing programs available. Many are shareware thatcan be downloaded from the Internet. Shareware can be downloaded andtested, generally for about a month, before the program quits working andyou need to pay for it. Once you pay, you may be given an unlock code thatwill enable you to use the program for an unlimited time.Video Switchers and Special Effects :Although video switchers look im-possibly complex, once you understand some basics, they don't seem asintimidating. Each button is a video source even "black," which includes thetechnical parts of the video signal necessary to produce stable black.Chroma Key :The type of key is referred to as luminance key because thekeying effect is based on the brightness or luminance of the video that youare keying in. But, as we saw when we discussed virtual reality sets, it's alsopossible to base keying on color (chroma). In chroma key a particular coloris selected for removal and another video source is substituted in its place.Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a special effects / post-pro-duction technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streamstogether based on color hues (chroma range). The technique has been usedheavily in many fields to remove a background from the subject of a photo orvideo - particularly the newscasting, motion picture and videogame indus-tries. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing anotherimage behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video pro-duction and post-production. things as 3-D illustrations and animated ef-fects.

Page 48: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

93

2.9 Planning & executing Current Affairs programsThe programmes of Current Affarisfor the Television News Channels is likethat of the News Features in the News papers. It is also an endevour toprovide a stage to various facets of a particular topic. The participants ex-press their varied views and the viewers after watching them keenly maketheir view on the particular topic. Getting TV programme on the air: At the local level, the biggest effort ata TV station goes into the newscast. Almost every station has a studio thatcontains a set for one or two anchor-people, a weather forecaster and a sports-caster. The stations news director assigns stories to reporters and cameracrews, who travel to the scene of a story to videotape a report. Back at thestation, the newscast producer and the news director are planning what sto-ries to air and allotting time to each. In the meantime, the camera crews andreporters return; the reporters write copy and editors prepare videotapessegments. When the final script is finished (this may be only a few minutesbefore airtime), it is given to director, who is responsible for pulling every-thing together and putting the newscast on the air.“All TV channels agree to the notion that their viewers have a peculiar in-volvement in theircurrent affairs programs mainly featuring heated discus-sions on social, political and financial matters with red-hot faces of the par-takers simply adding to the significance of the issue.”77

Because they are responsible for filling the hours when the biggest audienceis watching (called prime time, 8-11 pm generally), the network must payspecial attention to cultivate news shows. For the moment, let's concentrateon how a prime time series is produced. Everything starts with an idea. Net-work executives receive hundreds of ideas every year; some come from in-dependent producers, some from TV departments of motion pictures com-panies, some from network employees and a good many from the amateurshoping for a break through. From this mass of ideas the networks selectperhaps 50-75, usually submitted by the established producers or companies

Page 49: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

94

for further attention. As far as the selection of the topics for the currentaffairs programmes are concerned it varies from one news channel to other.Dominick Joseph R says - “Some critics have taken to looking down onbroadcast journalism, labelling it ‘showbiz’ and commenting on its shallow-ness.”78

After examining plot outlines and the background sketches of the leadingcharacters for these ideas that survive, the networks request a sample scriptand a list of possible stories that could be turned into scripts. “It is easyforTelevision news to needlessly cater to the visula and run items that havelittle news value other than their potential for dramatic pictures. There havebeen many instances of a small, relatively insignificant incident leading anewscast simply because good pictures are available”.79

Seminars :The visual importance of the TV broadcast is more realized incurrent affairs programs like seminars in which panelists have to address agroup of people usually arranged inside a big studio.The type of people is visible to viewers and the verbal and non verbal behav-ior of the people addressing the gathering also communicates far more thanpossible on a radio seminar. TV broadcast has already taken a leap from theconventional interviewing for electronic media by using its visual mediumadvantages where an interviewee has no escape from cameras tohide his/ her facial expressions.Live Telecast from Parliament House : A revolutionary development hasbeen brought by the TV broadcast in its current affairs part by showingproceedings of the parliament live. Since discussion in the parliament is apublic property, most countries and governments have allowed the media totake parliamentary proceedings to common people. Nothing has helped peoplewatch legislators doing an all important job more than the TV broadcast ofthese proceedings.TV broadcast programming :Broadcast programming, or scheduling, isthe practice of organizing television programs in a daily, weekly, or season-long schedule. Modern TV broadcasters regularly change the scheduling of

Page 50: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

95

their programs to build an audience for a new show, retain that audience, orcompete with other broadcasters' programs. Television scheduling strategiesare employed to give programs the best possible chance of attracting andretaining an audience. They are used to deliver programs to audiences whenthey are most likely to want to watch them and deliver audiences to advertis-ers in the composition that makes their advertising most likely to be effec-tive. “We need the angry buzz of current affairs programmes” says ProfessorSylvia Harvey “In a public system, television producers acquire money tomake programmes. In a commercial system they make programmes to ac-quire money” (Tracey, 1998, p.18).Television current affairs programmes clearly met the public broadcasters'brief to 'inform and educate' and contribute to the notional 'public sphere'.Over the past two decades policies of deregulation and the impact of newmedia technologies have arguably diminished the role of public broadcast-ing and profoundly affected the resources available for current or publicaffairs television with subsequent impacts on its forms and importance.80

There is some crossover between some talk shows and variety shows,because leading talk shows feature performances by bands, singers, comedi-ans, and other performers in between the interview segments. Reality TVshows show "regular" people (i.e., not actors) who are facing unusual chal-lenges or experiences, ranging from ar rest by police officers to weight loss.A variant version of reality shows depicts celebrities doing mundane activi-ties such as going about their everyday life or doing manual labour jobs.Vanessa Evans and Jason Sternberg quotes about the current affairsprogrammes as ‘In a world where current affairs television appears to ac-tively encourage political cynicism and apathy, the responses of the youngpeople can be read as enabling a political identity to be forged ‘when there isno centre to measure it against’.81

Page 51: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

96

REFERENCES1) Balkrishna Aiyer: Digital Television Journalism, Authorspress Delhi,2005, page 072) Ibid page-073) Ibid page -114) http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/marketing/marketing_article.jsp? articleId=16075) http://careerplanning.about.com/od/exploringoccupations/tp/tv-news- careers.htm6) Eric K Gromly: Writing and Producing Television News 2nd edition Blackwell UK/Surjeet New Delhi, Page-037) Ibid -Page048)Ibid -Page059) Syed MH: Electronic Media, Anmol Pub. New Delhi , Page -7110) Ibid- Page -9711) Ibid -Page -9712) Eric K Gromly: Writing and Producing Television News 2nd editionBlackwell UK/Surjeet New Delhi., Page-0513) Ibid 32314) Aditya Sen Gupta: Electronic Journalism-principles and practices 1st edition, Authorpress New Delhi 2006, Page0215) Ibid,0316) Pati Malay Ranjan: Some aspects of broadcast journalism in India,Kalyani publishers Ludhiyana, Page 137.17) Eric K Gromly: Writing and Producing Television News 2nd edition Blackwell UK/ Surjeet New Delhi. 29518) Ibid - 32219) Ibid 32320) http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/marketing/marketing_article.jsp?articleId=160721) http://careerplanning.about.com/od/exploringoccupations/tp/tv-news-

Page 52: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

97

careers.htm22) Berger Arthur Asa- Scripts, writing for radio and television, Sagepublication, New Delhi 1990, page 12623) Syed MH: Electronic Media, Anmol Pub. New Delhi, PAGE 7124) Pati Malay Ranjan: Some aspects of broadcast journalism in India,Kalyani publishers Ludhiyana ,Page 16325) Ibid, Page, 17026) Gupta Aditya sen: Computer Assisted broadcast reporting(CAR)Authorspress Delhi, Page, 2927) Ibid, Page, 3028) http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/marketing/marketing_article.jsp? articleId=160729) http://www.ehow.com/how_4415712_shoot-studio-television- camera.html30) http://careerplanning.about.com/od/exploringoccupations/tp/tv-news- careers.htm31) http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/?int=off&CMP=KNC-Google&Offer=Camera%20Mounts&gclid=CLTr7sDP57ECFVEi6wodJicAqQ32) McQuail Dennis: Mass Communication Theory, sage pub, Lon don,1994 ,PAGE 27233) Syed MH: Electronic Media, Anmol Pub. New Delhi, PAGE 9834) Mc Quail Dennis, op. cit. Page-21835) D’Souza Y K: Electronic Media and the Internet, Dominant publish-ers, Delhi,2001,Page19136) Ralph Donald: and Spam Thomas: Fundamentals of Televisionproduction,Surjeet pub, Delhi, Page, 24437) D’Souza Y K: Electronic Media and the Internet, op. cit., Page, 18938) Ibid- Page19139) Eric K Gromly: Writing and Producing Television News 2nd editionBlackwell UK/Surjeet New Delhi., Page-1140) Ibid, Page-14.

Page 53: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

98

41) Ibid, Page, 43.42) Ibid, Page -6943) Ibid, Page8544) http://www.quotegarden.com/media.html45) Pati Malay Ranjan: Some aspects of broadcast journalism in India, Kalyani publishers , Ludhiyana,Page 137.46) Zachariah Aruna : Communication Media and Electronic revolution,2nd edition, kanishkapub, 2005, Page-23,47) Ibid Page-14048) http://thinkexist.com/quotation/-televisionhas_created_a_nation_of_ news_junkies/223110.html49) Some aspects of broadcast journalism in India, Kalyani publishers Ludhiyana ,Page1450 Ibid- Page-14351) : Writing and Producing Television News 2nd edition BlackwellUK/ Surjeet New Delhi, Page 6952) ibid, 8553) http://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/journalism_quotes.html54) http://thinkexist.com/quotation/-television has_created_a_ nation_ of_news _ junkies/223110.html55) Ibid56) Eric K Gromly: Writing and Producing Television News 2nd edition Blackwell UK/Surjeet New Delhi., Page- 32557) thinkexist.com/quotation/-television has_created_a_ nation_ of_news58) Ralph Donald: and Spam Thomas: Fundamentals of Televisionproduction,Surjeet pub, Delhi, Page- 2959) Gupta Aditya Sen : Electronic Journalism-principles and pratices 1stedition, Authorpress New Delhi 2006- Page-0560) Ibid, Page, 0661) Ralph Donald: and Spam Thomas: Fundamentals of Television

Page 54: 2.1 Newsroom and the Production Teamshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/74214/9/11-chapter-2.pdf · says, ‘The Television news story is presented for both eye and ear. The

99

production,Surjeet pub, Delhi, Page-2662) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_studio63) http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/atemtelevisionstudio64) http://www.zeepedia.com/read.php?shooting_a_new _film_the _influence_of_telecast_news_tv_news_reporting_and_ production65) Ibid zeepedia66) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/bbc-chief-investiga tive-journalism-must-not-die-2360907.html67) http://www.zeepedia.com read.php?back_ground_ voice_and_voice_over_ natural_or_voiceover68) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice-over69) zeepedia.com70) http://www.helium.com/items/783888-the-role-of-sound-music-and- sound-effect-in-the-film-industry71) Andy Taplin- http://www.andytaplin.co.uk/2011/03/31/ don%E2%80%99t-forget-the-importance-of-audio72) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio73) http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/tutorial_basics_1.html74) http://www.zeepedia.com read.back_ground_ voice_and_ voice_over75) http://www.liutilities.com/how-to/record-a-ram-streaming-audio/76) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroma_key77) http://www.zeepedia.com/read.php?current_affairs_from_r adio_to_tv_seminars_interviews_introduction_to_ broadcasting78) Dominick Joseph R: The dyn amics of Mass Communication- 4th edition Mc Graw Hill, NY 1993, Page 34979) Ibid, 35080) http://aut.researchgateway.ac.nz/handle/10292/432381) http://www.api-network.com/main/pdf/scholars/jas63_evans- sternberg