Newsnight

I tried to add to the existing Newsnight thread - but it's been closed.

I have noticed a few times now that at the beginning of Newsnight, the opening titles play then cut to a 'sweeping' shot of the studio as the camera approaches the desk.

Then the 'good evening' shot with Jeremy/Gavin looking at the camera.

However, the approach shot seems to be pre-recorded because jeremy/Gavin have been looking down at their script, then when it cuts to their front-on shot they are already looking at the camera. You don't see their head move to look up.

I have seen this a few times now, why would they pre-record that opening shot?

I don't know the answer but if it is pre-recorded possibly it is due to camera positioning. Another possibility is to help Newsnight Scotland as they opt out for part of the opening sequence (in the same way the nations and regions do for the BBC news headlines during the One, Six and Ten)

As I say though I don't know for sure.

It's not unusual for opening sequences to be pre-recorded in television news, though admittedly it is rather unusual for BBC News. ITN pre-record their openings and have done for many years. I think some of the BBC regions pre-record their opening sequences. I know North West Tonight did do as a few years ago it rewound live on air!

The BBC only tend to pre-record sequences when they are particularly complicated and thus the chances of error are greater. In this case, though, I don't know the reason.

How embarassing How did they explain that away in the programme, or did they just ignore it?

Indeed, Spotlight CI's intro is recorded (unless Justin & Victoria can do two intros at once - but that's just *too* clever even for the BBC )
I'm assuming there that the Plymouth edition is live.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/programming/a87352/bbc-news-and-drama-unite-for-iraq-series.html


Newsnight is going to be screening a series of short dramas as part of a season marking 5 years since the Iraq invasion.

The opeing headlines are usually pre recorded as they are usually quite complicated and often take a couple of times to get right.
It also helps Scotland as they have to opt out of the final two headlines and do their own, so it's useful if they know how long they have.
It's usually done about 1015, which of course won't be possible from this week, so i guess they will either do it live or record it at 9.30.

So it's this week then all the studio switching begins?

Yep...Breakfast in TC7 from tomorrow.

God, I bet ITV will be hoping for a big story this week then where they can extend News at Ten - but the BBC will be unable too!

If it was a major enough story though they could just delay the start of Newsnight by 5 or 10 minutes.

That screws everything up though - and if a big story breaks Newsnight viewers will expect Newsnight to be there at 10.33pm on the dot!


Presumably the Ten o'clock News headline recap has to be dumped too then, unless Huw relocates to the newsroom.


Baffles me though why all this upgrading wasn't thought about when the put these studios in a couple of years ago - and also why it's set to take so long. After all it only took them a weekend or so to put the studios in in the first place.


And considering BBC News is supposed to be off to Broadcasting House in the near future, is it really worth booting News 24 out of their studio in the meantime?

It took a lot longer than that. Newsnight, Working Lunch and Newsround were in a temporary studio - with modified versions of their old sets (no rostra for example) - for about six weeks ISTR.

Nationals moved their existing set to the studio that Newsnight/Newsround/Working Lunch vacated, allowing the BBC One studio to be rebuilt, then the Newsnight/Working Lunch/Newsround studio to be rebuilt.

Then again - by having very similar sets and technology in the two main studios for the first time (i.e. two sets of Barco Walls with the same backing servers and screen processors) they've made it relatively straightforward to move programmes between studios without having to alter the look unless they want to.

The changes being made this time to both the current BBC One studio/gallery and the current News 24 newsroom set and gallery are non-trivial and involve quite a lot of kit replacement (as it is past the end of its life) as well as re-engineering to allow News 24 to come from the BBC One studio permanently (things like network routing extra graphics to produce the various feeds etc.)



I wouldn't call 2012 or 2013 "near future"... Particularly when the next round of savings - which closing a studio and merging newsrooms contributes to - have to be made now.