Vote 2013

Vote 2013 isn't much of a story...remember we had London Mayoral and the Referendum on Electoral Change recently which boosted the profile of the local elections in recent years, as well as Scotland and Wales voting in their devolved institutions. Editorially, the biggest story to come out of local elections this year will be a drubbing for the government and a boost for Labour. If UKIP do well, then that's a story, but it's hardly dramatic stuff in terms of television. The BBC will focus on the reaction from the main party leaders and commentators, not local councillors.

That said, if we are in a triple dip recession (to be confirmed) then who knows what may happen in the political scene?! A local election landslide and a Chancellor falling on his sword may have interesting consequences.

ITN's studio will be in use, as will Studio A, but I think the bulk of the output will be from Millbank.

(Plus also a production hub in a building which people keep on telling me is closed...)

Complete with washed out pictures.

I see Jezza Vine's virtual election set seems to be based on ITN's atrium, painted in BBC News colours !

Anyone know how the virtual set might deal with Jeremy's distance from the camera? He's walking around behind his graphs and just now his hand seemed to jump out from behind a bit of the graph to in front of it at what looked like a visually correct moment. Is it something clever, or is someone just clicking a "in front/behind" button when required?

I believe it's the latter but it's done on a computer, not a button.

Well - it's a button on a touch-screen...

The director presses it (when Jeremy is not directly in front or behind the foreground graphic) when he's to the left or right of the foreground element - to change its priority without you seeing.

When Jeremy is "in front", then he is chromakeyed over everything (so he's always entirely visible). When Jeremy is behind, he's chromakeyed over everything still, but a key from the graphics source for just the foreground elements is used and this then just keys the foreground elements over the top of the chromakey composite of Jeremy and the graphic.

[url] http://twitter.com/chrisckmedia/status/329282970995269632/photo/1 [/url]

The director "simply" switches a foreground key in and out (which keys just the foreground graphics elements over Jeremy's chromakey composite) when Jeremy is moving from one position to the other. No clever depth detection required - just a clever director.

(There was a system called Z-Cam developed years ago - which used an extra depth-sensor on a camera, added a bit like an Autocue hood on the front - that used infrared or lasers to produce a "depth map" which you could then key from. It was very clever, but registering the two cameras must have been tricky - and it couldn't really cope with feet - which are very close to the same depth as the floor they are stood on usually... Did allow for some amazing appearing and disappearing as you walked towards and away from camera, or would have allowed the BBC graphics to happen automatically IF you never saw Jeremy's feet...)

Vine's virtual studio should definitely be the default set for Studio A. it just works! It's basically the old Barco backdrop, exploded into 3D.

No no no. It's a nice recreation of the NBH atrium from the upper floors surely.

Actually, although the graphics are being done at ITN again (last local elections the graphics were in TC5 I think at TVC) the 3D model is definitely based on NBH. A bit.

The old Barco backdrop was based on visualisations of NBH. It really does look like its been exploded and 3D elements put in, of course it's a great backdrop!

Any caps?