Production Meetings

Preproduction or production meetings are an integral part of the production process. Usually run by the producer, these meetings should include representatives from each area, including:

• director;
• talent;
• art director;
• production assistant; and
• engineering supervisor.

These meetings are designed to provide an overall vision of the production, receive feedback from the participants, determine how they may be impacted by production decisions, and discuss deadlines and budgets.

Production meeting frequency depends on the event. For the Olympic Games, production meetings may actually begin four years before the actual production. A local station covering a regularly scheduled event may meet the week or day before the event. Networks sometimes have two meetings each day the week before a large event in order to allow the producer to keep up with the various components of the production.

The Show Format

Scripted pregame shows allow a producer and director to create a detailed format that gives a shot-by-shot and second-by-second description of the entire show. These formats seem to have a life of their own, evolving through a number of versions. The formats generally specify:

• image source (videotape, graphic, or on-camera);
• audio source (sound on tape, live ambience, or live talent);
• description of image (talent who will be on camera, image content, and location);

Figure 11.1 Production format for CBS coverage of women’s soccer.
Source: Courtesy of Gary Milkis, Producer.

• segment time; and
• total elapsed time.

The program format lets each crew member know their responsibilities throughout the pregame show, allowing them to anticipate the action, and reduces the number of instructions the producer and director need to give over the intercom. The format also helps RF camera operators and talent, who may need to move from one location to another (see Figure 11.1).

Equipment Setup

The equipment setup (ESU) time varies from under a day for a small event to more than a week for a larger, more complicated event. Other factors that determine the ESU are the complexity of the terrain (alpine event), whether the venue is pre-cabled, and the size of the setup crew. The ESU includes running all audio and video cables and the transport and setup of cameras, monitors, and all audio equipment.

During setup, the crew should always keep the strike (teardown) in mind. Equipment and cables should be removed from the truck and placed such that it will be easy to put them away after the shoot.

Cabling

There are also a variety of cables and cable connectors used in remote television production (see Figures 11.2 and 11.3).

The following is a list of things to keep in mind when cabling:

1. Run cables neatly and, if possible, parallel. Try to group them together so the cable run is obvious and well defined. Lay cables as close to the production truck as possible so that the production crew will not trip or continuously walk on them (see Figure 11.4).
2. When running camera cable, make sure that the correct end is toward the camera. While that may seem obvious, you would be surprised how often the connectors end up in the wrong location.
3. Cable connectors must be protected from the elements to ensure signal quality. If a cable connector must be exposed to the elements, try to support the connector so it is hanging downward or, preferably, wrap it with plastic and tape it. However, only tape the plastic on the top end, allowing air to come in underneath to prevent condensation in and on the connector. Do not allow the ends of cables to lie where water may puddle in the event of rain or melting snow.
4. Label all cables; for example, “Cam 1.”
5. Report damaged cable to the supervisor. It is far easier to solve problems in the cabling phase than try to troubleshoot the problem during a competition.
6. Excess cable should be placed on the ground in a figure-eight pattern or the over- and-under method so that the cable will not kink or tangle. A knotted cable can cause significant stress and subsequently irreparable damage to the cable.
7. Do not run a cable around any object that requires a tight bending radius. An extremely tight bend could damage the cable.
8. Avoid running video and audio cables close, and parallel, to power cables since these cables may be subject to a buzz. Video and audio cables that must cross over power cables should do so at a 90-degree angle to minimize the impact of the power on the video and audio signals.
9. Do not suspend tightly stretched cables between two points for much of a distance. Cables must be supported to ensure the cable is not damaged due to tension. Cables should be pulled and supported by the cable, not the connectors.

Camera Meetings

Figure 11.2 Most common audio connectors.
Source: Photos courtesy of Clark, Whirlwind, and Switchcraft.

The camera meeting gives the director a chance to convey the nuances of his or her show.

Brian Douglas, Director

It’s important at pregame meetings to give a thought process as to what is important, what are our goals. It’s always been important for me to allow the camera operators to have as much freedom as possible and let them express what it is that’s coming from within them. From my perspective, we try to take a level of emotion and dedication to what our common goal is and bring it out every single week.

Craig Janoff, Director

Figure 11.3 Most common video connectors.
Source: Photos courtesy of Timbercon, Neutrik, Clark, Switchcraft, King, Canare, Molex, FiberFab, and Shke.

Figure 11.4 Organizing camera cables, known as dressing cables, is an important part of a technician’s job. Tangled cables can be easily snagged by other cables or someone passing by. This can cause a safety issue, crimped cable, or disconnected cable or connector. When cables are neatly organized into groups, tracing problems is much easier. Also note that to reduce electrical interference, power and audio/video cables need to be separated.

Camera meetings are run by the director and are attended primarily by the camera operators. Other attendees include the camera assistants and maybe the associate director. These meetings, which last from 10 minutes to an hour, serve a variety of purposes. Primarily, the meeting allows the director to communicate his or her vision and also discuss with the camera operators how their shots fit into the overall production. The director describes the types of shots expected from each camera, including framing details, cutting patterns, and specifically what the camera operators are to shoot. Often, directors create detailed shot sheets that describe the camera’s anticipated shots. Some directors use video prints and/or photocopy the media guide so that camera operators can

Figure 11.5 Visual shot sheet shows the camera operator the types of shots wanted from camera #6.

Figure 11.6 Director’s shot list for handheld cameras from a basketball game.
Source: Courtesy Joseph Maar, Director/Producer.

Figure 11.7 Storyboards are often used to pre-visualize segments of a show.

familiarize themselves with the key individuals they need to cover. Camera operators can then clip the sheets to their camera for easy visual access. In addition, the video prints show the type of shots and framing (see Figures 11.5 and 11.6).

Shot sheets can be created from a production storyboard. Occasionally, a director will have a storyboard created for the pre-show, post-show, or other related event (see Figure 11.7). It is rare to storyboard sport-related programming, but it is sometimes done for a pre-show or when the show is extremely complex.

The camera meeting is also an effective tool for building teamwork. Mark Wolfson, Executive Producer/Director of KRON-TV in charge of Oakland As baseball, says in Strangers in the Night that the purpose of the meeting is to establish a relationship and an attitude with the crew. You need personal contact. The crew has to see that you are serious about what you are doing—without trying to imply that what you are doing is brain surgery.

(Note: Additional production storyboards can be found in Appendix IV)

Facilities Check

The facilities check or FAX is a check to see that all equipment is working correctly. Every facet of the production equipment should be tested, from intercoms to monitors. It is critical that the communication system, intercoms, and two-way radios are working properly so the crew can hear who they need to hear and are able to respond. Other items that need to be checked during the FAX include:

1. Producer verifies camera feeds appear on the correct monitors on the monitor wall in truck.
2. Camera operators verify that they can see the return (the program feed).
3. The video operator verifies that the cameras have the correct color match.
4. The technical director ensures that each VTR operator receives the correct feed.
5. The A-1 and A-2 verify all audio and communication channels.
6. The engineer-in-charge verifies with the transmission facilities that they are receiving the feed.

Schedule

Production schedules vary depending on how familiar the crew is with the venue, how much equipment is already in place, whether the venue is already cabled, and the level of difficulty of the production. The level of difficulty is determined by the number of cameras and specialty cameras, the venue (cabling the side of a mountain or a small basketball court), and the complexity of the actual production format. Cabling crews usually arrive one or two days before the mobile unit, especially if the cabling is difficult—for example, skiing venue.

Figure 11.8 A setup and production schedule for an outdoor remote production for a network.

Productions take teamwork. Each member of the production crew is assigned a specific task. In many cases, one person may not be able to begin their task until another member of the crew has completed their portion of the setup. At times, this means that some of the crew have to wait for hours until they can do their part. The production schedule helps the crew better plan, knowing exactly when each part of the production must be complete. See Figure 11.8 for a sample production schedule for a network figure skating competition.

Figure 11.9 Staff lined up as “athletes” in order to provide athletes for a camera rehearsal at the Olympics.
(Photo by Chris Jensen)

Rehearsals

You can’t “rehearse” a ball game, so you have to pre-plan. People used to tell me my camera rehearsals were too short. I told them that once the camera crew knew the shots I wanted, we’d rehearsed. I could do in seconds what some people needed minutes for—and the difference was knowing what I wanted and communicating it thoroughly.

Tony Verna, Director, five Super Bowls, 12 Kentucky Derbies, Live TV: An Inside Look at Directing and Producing

Television rehearsals take many different forms. If the crew is shooting a scripted event, then, theoretically, the order of events is known and the crew can practice the details of the production. Live events present a unique challenge in that anything can happen. The crew must rehearse for the unexpected. Generally, the pre-game and post-game shows are fairly scripted, allowing for some rehearsal. Rehearsals provide an opportunity for the director to make sure the camera operators are providing the required shots. It also gives RF talent a chance to determine if they have enough time to move from location to location. Also, during rehearsal, it is important to check the RF camera paths, verifying their transmissions stay intact throughout the entire area in which they will be shooting.

At the Olympics in London, runners and production assistants served as “athletes” for a camera rehearsal before the actual broadcast (see Figure 11.9).

Interview: Andrew Wingert, Broadcast Engineer

Andrew works for a company that uses small flypacks to produce and stream equestrian competitions. They primarily use four to nine cameras plus three graphic sources, depending on the size of the event. At times, they have as many as four discrete shows going on at the same time in a venue.

What are you responsible for?

Since this is a fairly small company, we don’t rent much, we own our equipment. I’m responsible for unpacking the truck, working with venue management for final equipment placement, running the cables to the flypacks, and setting up the streaming gear. Everything is scaled to 1080i/60p, streamed to YouTube and recorded onto solid state drives.

What do you like best about the job?

I really enjoy the travel and flexibility. I also enjoy dealing with the different challenges of each venue. While the camera setup plan is the same from place to place, each new venue has its own personality. .. with different issues. Events are very different from place to place.

What are your biggest challenges?

Internet at venues is very inconsistent. We often have to bring in our Internet.