BR
Considering the nature of the beast there is no reason for it not to finish on time - it's basically a collection of music pieces of known length with very little that can delay preceedings.
I suspect it is a case of the BBC deliberately short scheduling it so that it doesn't appear they're pushing MOTD too late.
I suspect it is a case of the BBC deliberately short scheduling it so that it doesn't appear they're pushing MOTD too late.
LL
London Lite
Founding member
I'm pretty sure the audience for the Last Night of the Proms won't be too bothered if the news and MOTD is bumped.
DA
It's over three hours, altogether, of live TV - that's reason enough to expect it not to run to time, surely.
It's not "basically a collection of music pieces of known length" - it's a series of live performances of music by a large orchestra with several different conductors with all the inherent delays and problems that come with these things. The orchestra plays when they're ready, not when the broadcaster wants them to.
If the audience is in a generous mood and spends an extra 15 seconds clapping to each of (say) 40 pieces, that's ten minutes gone right there.
Eurovision never ends on time (does it?), and most of that is a lot more tightly controlled by the broadcaster than the Proms.
Quote:
Considering the nature of the beast there is no reason for it not to finish on time - it's basically a collection of music pieces of known length with very little that can delay preceedings.
It's over three hours, altogether, of live TV - that's reason enough to expect it not to run to time, surely.
It's not "basically a collection of music pieces of known length" - it's a series of live performances of music by a large orchestra with several different conductors with all the inherent delays and problems that come with these things. The orchestra plays when they're ready, not when the broadcaster wants them to.
If the audience is in a generous mood and spends an extra 15 seconds clapping to each of (say) 40 pieces, that's ten minutes gone right there.
Eurovision never ends on time (does it?), and most of that is a lot more tightly controlled by the broadcaster than the Proms.
BR
I'd say at least two of those are planned to overrun - they always aim for a huge peak for SPOTY by having it announced after the scheduled end of the show, whilst the leaked Eurovision timings almost always have a later schedule than the BBC billed for. Historically they've done the same with the Olympic ceremonies too - scheduling for 3 hours even though they always run over 4, but this year they did schedule a four hour slot.
NG
With a conductor playing them at the tempo they wish (not to a backing track...), with an audience who will decide when they want to applaud and for how long etc., and with no full rehearsal of the event.
Proceedings don't have to be delayed to run long, some things just take longer than you estimate.
However when scheduling you would usually take the shortest estimate as your run time, rather than a longer estimate, as over-running is always a lot easier to accommodate than under-running. The last thing you want to have to do on a network is run short filler content to keep the network on-time after a show finishes early. You wouldn't want to go to the next show early (particularly if it is live) and run the network early as people won't miss the start of programmes if they start late, but they would if they started early.
noggin
Founding member
Considering the nature of the beast there is no reason for it not to finish on time - it's basically a collection of music pieces of known length with very little that can delay preceedings.
With a conductor playing them at the tempo they wish (not to a backing track...), with an audience who will decide when they want to applaud and for how long etc., and with no full rehearsal of the event.
Proceedings don't have to be delayed to run long, some things just take longer than you estimate.
However when scheduling you would usually take the shortest estimate as your run time, rather than a longer estimate, as over-running is always a lot easier to accommodate than under-running. The last thing you want to have to do on a network is run short filler content to keep the network on-time after a show finishes early. You wouldn't want to go to the next show early (particularly if it is live) and run the network early as people won't miss the start of programmes if they start late, but they would if they started early.
SP
Actually, with the various outside broadcasts that needed to be in sync, wouldn't they be using Hotlips (I think that's the name of the system) which pretty much determines the tempo? The live orchestra work to a click track, and the OBs receive a backing track with the timing adjusted for the round trip delay (and try to send as little of that back as possible).
I know not everything had that CiN style regional bounce, but quite a bit of what I saw had performers in sync at the OBs.
I know not everything had that CiN style regional bounce, but quite a bit of what I saw had performers in sync at the OBs.
NG
Don't think they use any synchronisation for Last Night.
I have a feeling that the continuous performances from the OBs that we saw towards the end where the RAH continued to play - were pre-recorded (though can't be sure) - and the RAH orchestra were certainly not in sync at the end (as they were still playing when the OB bounce had finished)
The overlaid shots from the Proms in the Park were all so wide as to be non-sync (and if they didn't take the sound from teh OB you were seeing you'd be none the wiser). (The 5.1 balance was pretty consistent throughout too)
noggin
Founding member
Actually, with the various outside broadcasts that needed to be in sync, wouldn't they be using Hotlips (I think that's the name of the system) which pretty much determines the tempo? The live orchestra work to a click track, and the OBs receive a backing track with the timing adjusted for the round trip delay (and try to send as little of that back as possible).
I know not everything had that CiN style regional bounce, but quite a bit of what I saw had performers in sync at the OBs.
I know not everything had that CiN style regional bounce, but quite a bit of what I saw had performers in sync at the OBs.
Don't think they use any synchronisation for Last Night.
I have a feeling that the continuous performances from the OBs that we saw towards the end where the RAH continued to play - were pre-recorded (though can't be sure) - and the RAH orchestra were certainly not in sync at the end (as they were still playing when the OB bounce had finished)
The overlaid shots from the Proms in the Park were all so wide as to be non-sync (and if they didn't take the sound from teh OB you were seeing you'd be none the wiser). (The 5.1 balance was pretty consistent throughout too)
TJ
I seems that there didn't need to be that much synch between the RAH and the venues, after all the singers in each place were singing with/to a local orchestra. Each venue then output on its own, with with a straight cut from one to another.
If there was a call for synchronization, then would the venues need any more than live audio and vision of the conductor from the RAH? Presumably all the venues connectivity were fibre or fibre/microwave, without serious compression?
Actually, with the various outside broadcasts that needed to be in sync, wouldn't they be using Hotlips ....? .........
I seems that there didn't need to be that much synch between the RAH and the venues, after all the singers in each place were singing with/to a local orchestra. Each venue then output on its own, with with a straight cut from one to another.
If there was a call for synchronization, then would the venues need any more than live audio and vision of the conductor from the RAH? Presumably all the venues connectivity were fibre or fibre/microwave, without serious compression?
TC
Having been there, I can attest that the contribution from Glasgow was well and truly live!