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REFINING AN IDEA FOR PRODUCTION:Drama, Magazine Shows, Documentary

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TV News Reporting and Production ­ MCM 516
VU
LESSON 03
REFINING AN IDEA FOR PRODUCTION
The presentation of an idea is also an art. It is necessary that what ever a creative director or producer
visualize about a future programme should be presented in black and white for consideration of
authorities and the organization.
Following are the ingredients for the presentation of an idea before the execution of a
programme:-
Title:
Name of the programme
Type:
Form of programme
Language:
Mode of communication
Genre:
Kind of contents
Frequency:
Rate of telecast
Duration:
Length of time
Target audience:
Potential viewers
Format:
Arrangement of sequences
Theme:
Central idea
Title
The title should be representative, comprehensive and self-explanatory. It can be symbolic as well but
again it ought to be meaningful.
The title is the face of the programme so it must be descriptive and expressive.
Type
The type is the kind of appearance a programme has on the screen. It can be as many types as following.
Drama
·
Drama serial
·
Drama series
·
Soap serial
·
Mini-serial
·
Sit-com situational comedy
·
Long play
·
Tele-film
·
Short film
Magazine Shows
·
Talk show
·
Music show
·
Celebrity show
·
Health show
·
Commerce show
·
Road show
·
Game show
·
Cooking show
·
Beauty show
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TV News Reporting and Production ­ MCM 516
VU
Documentary
·
Historical
·
Informative
·
Investigative
·
Docu-drama
Specific audience programming
·
Religious programmes
·
Women programmes
·
Children programmes
·
Sports programme
·
News programmes
·
Current affairs programmes
·
Views and comments programmes
·
Analytical programmes
·
Opinion formation programmes
Language
International as English, Arabic, French etc
National as Urdu, Persian, Chinese
Provincial as Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, Balochi
Regional as Saraiki, Hindko, Barahvi, Gujrati
Genre
Comedy
Tragedy
Action
Thriller
Adventurous
Romantic
Fiction
Historical
Epic
Science fiction
Fantasy
Frequency
Daily
Weekly
Fortnightly
Monthly
Quarterly
Biannually
Annually
Duration
3 minutes
5 minutes
10-15 minutes
25 minutes
50 minutes
90 minutes
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TV News Reporting and Production ­ MCM 516
VU
Target audience
General public
Youth
Students
Kids/children
Women
Senior citizens
Formers/peasants
Businessmen
Industrialist
Traders
Educationist
Lawyers
Doctors
Workers
Researchers
Format
It is the arrangement of the programme and the order of the appearance of performers, artists or the
participants. The producer should have the sequence of all the talent in writing so that during the
recording same plan is followed.
Theme
It is the central idea of any programme, normally called the one-liner in the telecast industry. It's the
plan of action on which a producer has to work to carry on any type of production.
The Three Production Phases
The Preproduction Phase
In order for the program to be successful, you must keep in mind throughout each production phase the
needs, interests, and general background of the target audience (the audience your production is
designed to reach More on that later.
This assumes both knowledge of the prime directive and the target audience, and it ends up being a key
to your personal success.
The Production Phase and, Finally, the Postproduction Phase
The production process is commonly broken down into preproduction, production, and postproduction,
which some people roughly characterize as "before, during, and after."
There is a saying in TV production: "The most important phase of production is preproduction."
The importance of this is often more fully appreciated after things get pretty well messed up during a
production and the production people look back and wish they had adhered to this axiom from the start.
In preproduction the basic ideas and approaches of the production are developed and set in motion. It
is in this phase that the production can be set on a proper course or misdirected (messed up) to such an
extent that no amount of time, talent, or editing expertise can save it.
During preproduction, not only are key talent and production members selected, but all the major
elements are planned. Since things such as scenic design, lighting, and audio are interrelated, they must
be carefully coordinated in a series of production meetings.
Once all the basic elements are in place, rehearsals can start.
A simple on-location segment may involve only a quick check of talent positions so that camera moves,
audio, and lighting can be checked.
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TV News Reporting and Production ­ MCM 516
VU
A complex dramatic production may require many days of rehearsals. These generally start with a table
reading or dry rehearsal where the talent along with key production personnel sit around a table and
read through the script. Often, script changes take place at this point.
Finally, there's a dress rehearsal. Here, the talent dresses in the appropriate wardrobe, and all
production elements are in place. This is the final opportunity for production personnel to solve
whatever production problems remain.
The production phase is where everything comes together (we can hope) in a kind of final
performance.
Productions can be broadcast either live or recorded. With the exception of news shows, sports remotes,
and some special-event broadcasts, productions are typically recorded for later broadcast or distribution.
Recording the show or program segment provides an opportunity to fix problems by either making
changes during the editing phase or stopping the recording and redoing the segment.
Tasks, such as striking (taking down) sets, dismantling and packing equipment, handling final financial
obligations, and evaluating the effect of the program, are part of the postproduction phase.
Even though postproduction includes all of these after-the-production jobs, most people associate
postproduction with editing.
As computer-controlled editing techniques and postproduction special effects have become more
sophisticated, editing has gone far beyond the original concept of joining segments in a desired order.
Editing is now a major focus of production creativity.
Armed with the latest digital effects, the editing phase can add much in the way of improving a
production. In fact, it's pretty easy to become enthralled with the special effect capabilities of your
equipment.
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Table of Contents:
  1. CREATIVITY AND IDEA GENERATION FOR TELEVISION:Video Procedures
  2. PRE-REQUISITES OF A CREATIVE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR:SET-UP RESPONSIBILITIES
  3. REFINING AN IDEA FOR PRODUCTION:Drama, Magazine Shows, Documentary
  4. CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT:Variable. Pure and applied research
  5. RESEARCH AND REVIEWS:Research Procedure, Review of available literature
  6. SCRIPT WRITING:Elements of a successful story, Characters, Effects
  7. PRE-PRODUCTION PHASE:Indoor production, Outdoor production, Essentials of PBE
  8. SELECTION OF REQUIRED CONTENT AND TALENT:Camera rehearsal
  9. PROGRAMME PLANNING:Checklist, Electronic Field Production (EFP)
  10. PRODUCTION PHASE:Floor plan, Traditional set, Representational set, Design elements
  11. CAMERA WORK:Movement of lens of camera, Types of shots
  12. LIGHT AND AUDIO:Importance of sound in TV, Use of microphone, Loudness
  13. DAY OF RECORDING/PRODUCTION:Rehearsals,Point to ponder
  14. LINEAR EDITING AND NLE:Episode, Scene, Editing, Production Switcher
  15. MIXING AND USES OF EFFECTS:Live Sound Effects, ARROW STRIKING
  16. SELECTION OF THE NEWS:Elements of news, Timeliness, proximity
  17. WRITING OF THE NEWS:The inverted pyramid, Lead, Credit line
  18. EDITING OF THE NEWS:Characteristics of good news:Process of editing a news
  19. COMPILATION OF NEWS BULLETIN:Hard news, Soft news, Investigative report
  20. PRESENTATION OF NEWS BULLETIN
  21. MAKING SPECIAL BULLETINS:Agriculture, Show biz, Fashion, Drama
  22. TECHNICAL CODES, TERMINOLOGY, AND PRODUCTION GRAMMAR
  23. TYPES OF TV PRODUCTION:Magazine Shows, Specific audience programming
  24. DRAMA AND DOCUMENTARY:Documentary film, Defining documentary
  25. SOURCES OF TV NEWS:Reporters, Correspondents, Monitoring, News Agency
  26. FUNCTIONS OF A REPORTER
  27. BEATS OF REPORTING:City reporter, Social reporters, Show-biz reporter
  28. STRUCTURE OF NEWS DEPARTMENT:Beat Reporters, Online media
  29. ELECTRONIC FIELD PRODUCTION:Sports, Electronic news gathering
  30. LIVE TRANSMISSIONS:Studio floor, Switcher, Master control room, Camera control units
  31. QUALITIES OF A NEWS PRODUCER:Determination, Awareness, Sharp an active
  32. DUTIES OF A NEWS PRODUCER
  33. ASSIGNMENT/NEWS EDITOR:Accuracy, Fairness and Reliability, Conflict
  34. SHOOTING A NEWS FILM:The Influence of telecast News
  35. PREPARATION OF SPECIAL REPORTS:Uncovering Truth, Reportage
  36. INTERVIEWS, VOX POPS AND PUBLIC OPINIONS:INTERVIEW, Information
  37. BACK GROUND VOICE AND VOICE OVER:Natural or Raw Sound, Sound Effects
  38. SPOKEN WORDS AND RELEVANT VISUALS:Digital Audio, Quantizing Error
  39. TALK SHOWS, FORUMS AND DISCUSSION PROGRAMMES
  40. FUNCTIONS OF VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF A TV SET UP
  41. PROGRAMMES DEPARTMENT:Program content, Television series by genre
  42. NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS THE PROGRAMMING & SCHEDULING
  43. COORDINATION AMONG DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF TELEVISION
  44. COORDINATION AMONG DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF TELEVISION - 2 SUB-DEPARTMENTS AND SMALL SECTIONS
  45. COORDINATION AMONG DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF TELEVISION 3