This option module will acquaint students with the core skills to work inside a broadcast TV studio: gallery directing, vision-mixing, camera operation and production assisting, among others. It will also acquaint students with some of the key forms of studio television from a combined storytelling, aesthetic and technical point-of-view. In this students will encounter panel shows, games shows, and magazine programmes which together cover a number of the narrative strategies that drive studio production. The module's aim is to give students insight into - and experience of - what remains one of the dominant forms of television production, not least because of its capacity to capture and mediate exciting and important live events. At the same time, the discipline of working alongside colleagues in the team environment of the TV studio will equip students for group-working elsewhere, both on this degree, and in the film and TV professions more widely.
Module will run
Occurrence
Teaching period
A
Semester 1 2024-25
Module aims
This module aims to
Give you confident confidence with some of the key technical skills in studio operations, including vision-mixing, directing, camera operation and production assisting..
Acquaint you some of the storytelling principles that relate to the key studio-based genres, including demos, game-shows, discussion shows and studio magazines
Acquaint you with the core production procedures - from paperwork through to scheduling - by which studio production is organised.
Encourage a disciplined team-working environment,
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module students will be expected to:
Demonstrate an understanding of preproduction planning for multi-camera shooting, and an ability to prepare scripts for distribution to all studio departments.
Demonstrate an understanding of the discipline of studio directing during rehearsals and recording.
Demonstrate an ability to fulfil a range technical roles in multi-camera studio productions.
Demonstrate an understanding of the underlying aesthetic principles and the technical requirements of gallery directing, camera operation, and vision-mixing
Demonstrate a thorough understanding of health and safety issues during production.
Demonstrate an understanding of the different technical requirements of producing various genres of recorded, live and as live programming. These will include demonstrations, game shows, and magazines.
Demonstrate an understanding of the post-production of studio inserts and complete programmes.
Indicative assessment
Task
% of module mark
Essay/coursework
60
Practical
40
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
Formative exercises are embedded into each week's practical teaching session.
Indicative reassessment
Task
% of module mark
Essay/coursework
40
Essay/coursework
60
Module feedback
Written feedback within four weeks as per university regulations.
Indicative reading
MODULE READING LIST
Millerson, G. (1999). Television Production. London: Focal Press
Utterback, A. (2007). Studio Television Production and Directing. London: Focal Press
Fairweather, R. (1998). Basic Studio Direction. London: Focal Press
Thompson, R. and Bowen, C. (2009) Grammar of the Shot. London: Focal Press
Ward, P, Bermingham, A. and Wherry, C. (2000) Multiskilling for Television Production. London: Focal Press
Ward, P. (2001) Studio and Outside Broadcast Camerawork. London: Focal Press
Nisbett, A. (2003) The Sound Studio. Amsterdam: Elsevier
Singleton-Turner, Roger (2011), Cue & Cut, Manchester University Press