Graphics
Graphics departments used to be concerned with static images, but that is no longer the case. However, one of the most common devices you will come across is a stills store.
Stacks
A programme that requires a lot of graphics will usually have them prepared beforehand and built into a stack – i.e. a list of the graphics in the order they need to appear on screen is programmed into the stills store.
Most stills stores give you two outputs (or ‘channels’), which function according to the type of stack you have prepared. Both channels usually appear on the vision mixer, although some small studios only use one.
Programme/preview
Here you use one of the output channels for cutting the pictures to air (i.e. the ‘programme’ channel) while the preview channel shows the next graphic in your stack. If you need to go straight from one graphic to the next, the operator can change down from the preview to the programme channel.
For a director this is nice and easy. You always know where the output channel is, and you can see the next graphic. The down side is that there are very few transitions that can be carried out by the graphics operators to go between two stills.
A/B stack
In this mode of operation, the graphics will appear alternately on channel A then channel B. Slightly harder for a director, you have to be thoroughly aware which channel your next graphic is lined up on, as you will have to call to the VM which channel you want cut to air.
It is bad practice to tell the VM to take graphics without specifying which channel, and usually shows that the director has lost track of his sources.
You can now perform any transition you like between the sources, as the transition is being done through your vision mixer.
Moving sources
Some graphics departments have the ability to play animations straight to air (e.g. Quantel’s ‘Harry’). As a director, be very specific what source you want the vision mixer to use next; ‘Coming to Harry 1 on a mix … and mix, animate Harry’.
All television graphics including captions used to be done with hard copies placed in front of cameras.
Animating graphics meant someone pushing bits of card around in front of a background.