BBC News Rebrand - This Monday

Simon Jago also did the BBC Arabic look I believe.

Noggin, you might be able to answer this for me then - I always wondered if it's a redundant track-cam that curves around the edge of the ceiling of the 2nd floor of the newsroom. It stretches from the coat rack end of N8 all the way to the staircase by sport (essentially looking down over what was the hub of newsgathering desks). What was it ever used for? I can't recall seeing such shots on screen...?

Funny thing is, having seen the virtual reality version of the main BBC Arabic studio (34D) I am sceptical as to how much of any newsroom I see anywhere now is real.

That really does sound intriguing Bvsh Hovse, I have to say I love the BBC Arabic set, I can see BBC World having something similar. Its interesting that the newswall is actually oppisite the desk, and not behind the desk. From watching the online stream tonight, I noticed that there are two entrances to the set, one which is to the right of the newswall, and one which is behind the desk but over to the right. I also noticed quite a large plasma screen near the desk.

During the Newshour, Rania (I think that is the presenters name) presented from a smaller, circular desk. She conducted an interview from there, and from that shot, the newsroom looked much bigger.

The set reminds me a lot of AlJazeera English's in London, which has the same structure of the BBC Arabic studio, glass looking onto the newsroom, a newswall, and then a interview area.

It's worth a mention that the virtual reality version of the BBC Arabic set may not have gone out on air yet. I've had a quick flick through the newshour 'watch again' and I couldn't find the shot of the desk though. I know which circular desk you mean, it is located stage right of the main desk.

Sadly the newshour listen again crashes in to the beginning. I'll mention it to future media, since I'm guessing it is missing a good few seconds off of the front.

Yes it was a tracking camera installed for News 24. It never worked sufficiently well to be used on-air AIUI - and the company that installed it would have probably gone bust if they'd been forced to make it work.

AIUI the super wideshot used by BBC Arabic isn't virtual reality per se - it is simply a key effect to matte in extra bits of set that aren't really there. This is not VR - it is a simple key effect. (VR implies that the backgrounds are rendered live and track camera movements)

ITV used to do something similar on one of their previous sets - matte-ing in a walk way, and of course the BBC "Virtual Blue" set did something similar - and although described as "Virtual" it didn't use VR techniques (just some clever pre-rendered moves and clever keying and charisma moves timeline locked together)

It was introduced to me as a virtual studio shot, but it is just an overlay effect rather than anything more fancy - as I have seen the results when the camera gets nudged.

A proper virtual studio system would be something like the MATRIS system I saw at an R&D open day recently. Infohere for those that are interested.

Is it nearly spring yet!!!???

Don't bring that one up Daniel. 'Spring' is not a definative event or period. You'll set the Trolls off again quoting astronomical data from the 'ever-reliable' Wiki!

sorry to be thick . . . what does AIUI mean

As I Understand It