Irish General Election

Lol, context is a wonderful thing!

RTÉ's graphics are quite nice. The music they're using is understated compared to the usual triumphant trumpets usually used for election themes.

Meanwhile over on TV3, they're just using the News at 5:30 version of the regular TV3 News graphics, with the logo replaced by "Vote 2011" and a "predicted seats" bar.

TG4 have a giant rotating cube in the corner which rotates between seats and a Vota 2011 logo. Lower thirds rotate and slide in and out of the cube.

.... and that's your lot on BBC Parliament. No SixOne it would seem. Been a good day, can't see the need for any preemptions later or tomorrow. The result is effectively known already.

Although you can still watch it at http://www.rte.ie/news/ if you so wish

.... as I linked to earlier, and am indeed doing so, and have just seen Her Majesty's Steward of the Manor of Northstead being elected on the first ballot to Dáil Éireann as Teachta Dála for the Louth Constituency.

Did Parliament put their lower thirds on for the entire RTE coverage? Quite self explanatory to see that it was Live RTE coverage of the Irish election.

At first they were on-screen, but they did remove them during the coverage when I was watching, they were put back during the commercial break parts, along with the BBC Parliament music.

Ah, that's good news. At the beginning of coverage when I was watching, they had a name aston from RTE obscured by Parliament's lower thirds. Was it not viable for Parliament to show news headlines or something during the adverts?

Really wasn't necessary, would have spoilt it if some filler material was used.

The use of the RTE Internet Feed - RTE Commercial Break caption showed the viewer clearly what was happening and the issue that programming would restart within a reasonable length of time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY1j-1Pt-II

The OB feeds are via wireless IP, so agreed with earlier comments that they are surprisingly poor quality.

The studio desks are great. RTÉ Election desks are always superb. Crisp, sophisticated and coolly elegant. Which makes it all the more baffling that the set is so hideously cheap! What on earth is going on?! RTÉ Election sets are usually sophisticated affairs - vertical panels of walnut veneer, perspex inserts, front-illuminated textured panels, backlit units... This year's is ghastly ! A plain ring of front-lit mesh panels fronted by remarkably cheap, hideously doctored, nastily shaped flown images of Leinster House and Government Buildings. It is the stuff of student production, and that's an understatement. Even if the images were better stylised, entirely in sepia or greyscale, it would work better than this monstrous affair.

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/5695/election3.jpg

An unfortunate effect of these flown PBUs is they keep swaying after the knocks of arriving and departing guests and floor staff, which coupled with distinctly figdety pedestal camera operation, is creating a nauseating effect on tight shots. Woeful.

One would have expected this year's production to pull all the stops out with an exhilarating modern set of crisp illuminated modules. Such a shame, as the desks and rostra are half way there

One final point is that, given the sculptural design of the desks and their relationship to each other, wide crane shots should have been geared at capturing a striking abstract theme across the studio, not the random and faintly chaotic scene being presented to us at every break. The silly ELECTION 2011 flown glass unit just doesn't work on its own, yet they insist on using this device year after year, with makey-uppy shot results every time.

The television team.

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/6550/election1.jpg


The television and radio team.

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/5913/election2.jpg

All photographed a few weeks ago in the news studio with the Election graphic up on the Barco.

Some utterly AMAZING stage management there a few minutes ago worthy of TV Forum plaudits (had anyone here been able to see it), the new dear leader (Enda K) was filmed walking all the way from the entrance to RTE to the election studio emerging perfectly on time onto the empty set to take pride of place for the first official interview as Taoiseach in waiting. All that was missing was a shot of his helicopter landing outside. FABULOUS!!

Otherwise RTE's setup has been quite nice, love the slightly austere studio setup, the muted music and efficient graphics. Good job.

Bryan Dobson and Pat Kenny have been on air for going on 12 hours now.