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BBC Three

(January 2009)

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DE
denton
noggin posted:

It is a two person operation - the presenter loads and rolls their own autocue, sets their camera shot, chroma key backing and masking, and lighting. The producer vision mixes, sound mixes, runs the astons and runs the VT - as well as writing and producing the bulletin...


Nothing personal against the producers or presenters... I'm sure, like a lot of people, they are doing the best they can with the equipment provided... but the output from that studio leaves a lot to be desired.

The sound is awful, the levels are frequently too high or too low. The presenters' mic is generally open when the titles are rolled and you can hear them clearing their throat before coming in to vision. There's a lot of aircon or PC fan background noise. The lighting and CSO keying really requires attention too... the CSO usually fizzling away in the top right of the screen while the presenters look washed out.
JO
Jonny
Going OT but I quite like the new 'Mouse' sting seen in that video, possibly because the music reminds me of the old BBC Two animations!
JE
Jeffmister
Here's what the BBC said to the Daily Mail about the 60 Seconds incident:
Quote:
Despite her strange intonation, the BBC insisted Tamsin's breathlessness had been caused by her late arrival in the studio.

'One of the 60 Seconds bulletins on BBC Three was scheduled at the earlier time of 10:45pm,' a spokesman said.

'A misunderstanding about the schedule led to the presenter being late into the studio. There was also a technical issue which meant that a decision was made to abandon the bulletin shortly after it started.'


SOURCE: Daily Mail
NE
newsmonkey
noggin posted:
The interactive newsroom is now the same newsroom as the rest of the TV and Radio operation I believe (the Multimedia Newsroom) - so that's a red herring.


The Interactive Newsroom as a camera location is a bit of a misnomer. The News Channel use that locator when doing emails etc, but the camera is in the *old* interactive newsroom on the seventh floor (Siobhan Courtney does stuff from there despite her department, UGC, being in the Multimedia Newsroom with everyone else). At the back of the shot is a wall of tv screens which is where the multiscreen service (but not newsloop) used to be produced, but that's now in the main newsroom with everyone else.
NG
noggin Founding member
newsmonkey posted:
noggin posted:
The interactive newsroom is now the same newsroom as the rest of the TV and Radio operation I believe (the Multimedia Newsroom) - so that's a red herring.


The Interactive Newsroom as a camera location is a bit of a misnomer. The News Channel use that locator when doing emails etc, but the camera is in the *old* interactive newsroom on the seventh floor (Siobhan Courtney does stuff from there despite her department, UGC, being in the Multimedia Newsroom with everyone else). At the back of the shot is a wall of tv screens which is where the multiscreen service (but not newsloop) used to be produced, but that's now in the main newsroom with everyone else.


Yep - that's what I was trying to say! The actual newsroom is the same as radio and TV these days - though the old 7th floor position is still used in-vision (as some of the techy kit for streaming video etc. is still there AIUI)
NG
noggin Founding member
denton posted:
noggin posted:

It is a two person operation - the presenter loads and rolls their own autocue, sets their camera shot, chroma key backing and masking, and lighting. The producer vision mixes, sound mixes, runs the astons and runs the VT - as well as writing and producing the bulletin...


Nothing personal against the producers or presenters... I'm sure, like a lot of people, they are doing the best they can with the equipment provided... but the output from that studio leaves a lot to be desired.

The sound is awful, the levels are frequently too high or too low. The presenters' mic is generally open when the titles are rolled and you can hear them clearing their throat before coming in to vision. There's a lot of aircon or PC fan background noise. The lighting and CSO keying really requires attention too... the CSO usually fizzling away in the top right of the screen while the presenters look washed out.


Yep - all a result of switching production from a fully crewed studio (Director/Vision Mixer, Camera Operator, Sound Supervisor, VT Editor/Playout and Journalist) to a minimally manned operation (Journalist) However when they axed the 30 minute news bulletin on BBC Three, but retained the short bulletins, they had to massively reduce their production costs... I'm not suggesting for a moment that you could justify the old levels of staffing for 6 one minute bulletins - just that when you only have one person doing things AND run with low quality kit - you don't get the best results.

The presenter mic is open before TX because the director (a journalist) doesn't have any hands free to fade it up whilst starting the VT, the ticker, the programme timer and mixing to the presenter+ticker in vision. If they could find journalists with three arms (or drive some of the gear with foot pedals/switches) I'm sure they would...
DE
denton
noggin posted:
denton posted:
noggin posted:

It is a two person operation - the presenter loads and rolls their own autocue, sets their camera shot, chroma key backing and masking, and lighting. The producer vision mixes, sound mixes, runs the astons and runs the VT - as well as writing and producing the bulletin...


Nothing personal against the producers or presenters... I'm sure, like a lot of people, they are doing the best they can with the equipment provided... but the output from that studio leaves a lot to be desired.

The sound is awful, the levels are frequently too high or too low. The presenters' mic is generally open when the titles are rolled and you can hear them clearing their throat before coming in to vision. There's a lot of aircon or PC fan background noise. The lighting and CSO keying really requires attention too... the CSO usually fizzling away in the top right of the screen while the presenters look washed out.


Yep - all a result of switching production from a fully crewed studio (Director/Vision Mixer, Camera Operator, Sound Supervisor, VT Editor/Playout and Journalist) to a minimally manned operation (Journalist) However when they axed the 30 minute news bulletin on BBC Three, but retained the short bulletins, they had to massively reduce their production costs... I'm not suggesting for a moment that you could justify the old levels of staffing for 6 one minute bulletins - just that when you only have one person doing things AND run with low quality kit - you don't get the best results.

The presenter mic is open before TX because the director (a journalist) doesn't have any hands free to fade it up whilst starting the VT, the ticker, the programme timer and mixing to the presenter+ticker in vision. If they could find journalists with three arms (or drive some of the gear with foot pedals/switches) I'm sure they would...


Well, for the responsibility that is put upon the guys producing those short summaries on BBC 1 and BBC 3, they are doing a very good job in far from ideal circumstances.

By the sounds of it if management could find a way of genetically engineering directors with 3 arms for a small fee, they would instead tell the directors that they should grow the arms themselves unaided... and consider it privilege.
SA
salfordjohn
BBC3 have been re-running series 1 of Gavin & Stacey. Double headed episodes at 9pm on Monday nights for the last 2 weeks.

So last night I was expecting episode 5 & 6. This week the schedule changed toonly allow one episode, so i was expecting ep.5 - and it was billed on Virgin EPG as episode 5.

But they repeated episode 4?? A mistake or deliberate?

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