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STUDIO:Drama Studio, Studios for Talk Shows/ Discussions, Music Studios,

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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
VU
LESSON 13
STUDIO
As we mention of a radio station what comes to the mind immediately is a studio from where
all transmissions are made and programs are recorded in a very orderly manner. It is true to
some extent but with the advancements made in the field of broadcasting, things have
drastically changed in the overall environment of the broadcasting world and also in the
setting up of studios for various purposes. What basically makes a studio appear different
from an ordinary room needs some details which must be understood by those interested in
broadcasting.
A studio is a primary requirement of a broadcasting house. It is a room-like structure from
outside but from inside it is different. The first thing which makes it diverse is the special
treatment given to its walls which are covered with a variety of substances to ensure that no
sound passes through them. That is why they are called sound-proof. To make sure that no
sound is produced even if some one is walking on the floor of the studio, special leather
covering, or a carpet is put on it. The doors are so tightly closed that any sound produced
outside is not heard inside.
Studios are fitted with proper microphones, recoding system, lights and booths for producers
to control recordings or transmissions.
Here below are details of different forms of frequently used studios:
News Studio
Perhaps the simplest of all studios at a radio station is the one meant for broadcasting news. It
is small in size, with a table fitted with a microphone along with a chair, a table lamp if lights
otherwise are not enough. Since radio news are read by one person, contrary to TV news
which are some time read by more than two people in a single bulletin, there is little room for
more people to stay there. Since no background effects are required at a news studio, no
other equipment is placed there.
Studios for Talk Shows/ Discussions
Since long it has been a practice by different broadcasting houses to invite people from
different walks of life, their representatives, city mayors, ministers and others to participate in
talks and discussions, there are studios which can facilitate such programs. In this case a
studio is not very large in size, its interior also look different. There is a rather long table,
which could help about half a dozen people to sit around. The arrangement of microphones is
also in a manner that all of them could easily get their voice recorded without creeping up to
the mike. Since a number of people are likely to talk at the same time during the course of
discussion, especially if it is a heated debate, special arrangements are made to beat the
extra noise with the help of different soundproofing systems. There is always a different
position given to the anchor-person so that he/she could easily address others and indeed,
control them if one of them does not come to terms.
Drama Studio
Very different from two categories mentioned above. At a radio station studios meant to record
dramas usually have a standing arrangement for the performers, so there is no question of
placing chairs there. The performers keep standing as they deliver dialogues by holding
scripts in their hands, and keep moving away a step or two and then coming back, to create
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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
VU
an impression that they are coming in or going out of the scene. Mike is usually placed in the
center of half circle. More when we will come in the chapter of dramas... But table and chair
are placed within the studio at some distance for people who have to give background effects,
by playing on the table itself or putting their equipment for playing musical notes for sound
effects. It is a fun watching a drama being recorded under such an arrangement. You can
watch it from the booth which is a separation within a studio with a glass sheet where director
and recording panel take their position. You may find more lights here as compared to other
studios so that performers could easily read their script and receive cues from the director.
Music Studios
Again, these facilities are tailor-made. These days no broadcasting house can afford to do
without these studios. Size of the studio can vary according to the need, but other facilities are
almost the same. Here, too, little arrangement for table and chairs is made available. Usually
the singers and composers sit on the carpets, rehearse and get their items recorded. It is
rather difficult for the directors to handle a music studio for you need proper cabling and
recording panels to record separately the singer and the musical instruments or the orchestra.
At times every thing is OK but the violinist is little away from the mike. When mike is moved
close to him, the drummer is not getting its effects recorded properly. And if it is duet to be
recorded, the mike problem may occur the same way. Since handling the performers, if one is
high in ranking, it becomes a very delicate job for the director and assistant directors to
manage matters in a smooth way. That is why most radio stations employ directors who have
a cut for such a job.
These are but few very well known forms of studios. In practice different broadcasting houses
may have purpose built studio which serve a more specific job like running commentaries, for
VIPs when they have to talk to people from a radio station and for recording children programs
where children are usually invited to participate.
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Table of Contents:
  1. BROADCASTING:Historical Facts about Radio, Wireless and Radio
  2. CLASSIFICATION OF PROGRAMS:NEWS, Language, Sensationalizing
  3. CURRENT AFFAIRS:Talk Shows, Discussions, Seminars, Live Shows
  4. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING I:VIP Movement, Suddenly Assigned Events
  5. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING II:Pakistan Day March Past, General Elections
  6. CURTAIN RAISER:Political, Financial, Sports, Academics
  7. RADIO FEATURE:Personality Features, Features on Events
  8. MUSICAL PROGRAMS:Classical Music, Light and Film Music, Folk Music
  9. RADIO DOCUMENTARY:Narrative, Dramatized, Imagination, Close to places
  10. DISC JOCKEY:Women in Focus, Daily/ Weekly Division, Making Titles
  11. VOICE IN BROADCASTING:Speech, Accent, Loudness, Stress
  12. NOISE:Physical, Medium itself, Problem at sender’s end, Semantics
  13. STUDIO:Drama Studio, Studios for Talk Shows/ Discussions, Music Studios,
  14. RADIO DRAMA I:Stage Dramas, Early Radio Dramas, Ethics, Classification
  15. RADIO DRAMA II:Selection of director, The Playwrights, Script, Voices
  16. ADVERTISEMENT – INCOME GENERATION:Similarities, More Analysis
  17. ADVERTISERS’ APPROACH:Dramatized, Dialogue based, News
  18. FM – A NEW GENERATION IN BROADCASTING:Low Cost, The Difference
  19. MICROPHONE TO TRANSMITTER:Amplifiers, Modulator, Transmitter
  20. WRITING SCRIPT FOR RADIO BROADCAST:NEWS Script, Interviews
  21. INTERACTIVE BROADCASTING:On-line, E-mails, Interview, Views in News
  22. REVISION:CURRENT AFFAIRS, RADIO FEATURE, MUSICAL PROGRAMS
  23. HISTORY OF TELEVISION:Early History, The Black & White Images, Color Television
  24. PAKISTAN TELEVISION (PTV):The Excitement, Timing, Live Broadcast
  25. BROADCASTING LAWS:Laws in the 19th century, Press Council of Pakistan
  26. REPLICAS OF RADIO BROADCAST:The Staff, News Reading, Programming
  27. NEW SCRIPT WRITING AND DIRECTION TECHNIQUES:TV Script
  28. SETS:Permanent Sets, Hot & Cover Sets, Special Sets, Economical
  29. CAMERA SHOTS – THE VISUAL LANGUAGE:Angle Shots, Movement shots
  30. LIGHTS IN VISUAL BROADCASTING:Light Temperature, Light and Distance
  31. INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR:NEWS and Interviews, Dramas and Music
  32. BROADCASTING AND MEDIA IMPERIALISM:The truth in the debate
  33. ENVIRONMENT OF TV BROADCAST:Optical Illusions, POV, Depth of Field
  34. BUDGET:First Part, Second Part, Third Part, The Sponsors
  35. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF DIFFERENT RADIO AND TV FORMATS:TV NEWS
  36. CURRENT AFFAIRS – FROM RADIO TO TV:Seminars, Interviews
  37. PRE-PRODUCTION:Brain Storming, Scripting a new program, Approval
  38. PRODUCTION & POST-PRODUCTION:Booking Shifts, Rehearsals
  39. TV ADVERTISEMENTS – MONEY WITH ENTERTAINMENT:Early Phase, Getting Spots
  40. ENIGMA OF MORE CHANNELS:The Investment, Fresh Ideas, Closure of channels
  41. ANCHORPERSON:Appearance and Confidence, Job Opportunities
  42. COMPARISON BETWEEN RADIO AND TV BROADCAST:The Difference, Script
  43. TERRESTRIAL TO SATELLITE TO CABLE TV:Cable Network, CD Channels
  44. CAREER IN BROADCASTING:Production, Direction, Lighting Director, Script Writer
  45. REVISION (LESSON 23 TO 44):Broadcasting Laws, PEMRA, Budget