Stages of Television Production

Television production is the process of making programs using video production devices inside or outside a studio. It consist of three stages; namely pre-production, production and post-production. The first stage comprises of concept creation, treatment, planning, budgeting, scripting, story boarding, casting, location hunt, etc. Second stage is production, where the program is actually made. 

Production is of two types; studio production and outdoor production. Camera and light units, artists, set, properties, etc., are the essential elements in production stage. Activities like editing, dubbing, color correction, special effects, etc., are done in the third stage or post production. Marketing is the final step before the program is set for the launch.

The production process refers to the stages required to complete a media production, from the concept to the final copy. The production process is almost the same for all type of broadcast media. A television production process involves three stages. They are:

Pre-Production

Production

Post-production

These three stages are prime elements of producing meaningful and effective programs. Production process is leaded by executive producer who guides the production team. The production team selects the crew, artists, location and equipment. They make final decisions on script and content.

Pre-production

It is the first stage of production. It involves everything that happens before shooting. Pre-production tasks include scripting, storyboarding, planning, budgeting, casting, construction of sets, props, and costumes, acquiring equipment like lights, camera, etc.

Production

The production process begins with shooting. Director, actors and crew gather at a television studio or on location for filming the scene. Every scene will be shot according to the shooting schedule. The basic equipment used for production is cameras, lighting devices, audio recording devices, Jibs, trolleys and various rigs.

Post production

Post production is referred to as post and it is the final stage of production process. It comprises of tasks like editing, mixing, dubbing, special effects, etc.

Later the final product is previewed by the producer and other responsible authorities to ensure that there are no errors, and the content of the programme does not violate any policies of the studio or the concerned organisation.

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Organisational Structure of a Television Studio

A television broadcast station is the place where all the production and transmission process takes place. It requires an army of managers, producers and other technicians to keep the station running. The television stations are organized into five basic departments under the guidance of a company president and a general manager. These departments are news, programming, engineering, sales and advertising, and business administration.

• News Department

The news department is the busiest division of any television station. News department consists of a news desk and news bureau. Bureau chief leads the news bureau. News readers, reporters and editors are the people involved in news production. There are also several other people who facilitate news coverage, including the news director, makeup artists and a variety of producers and content writers. The news bulletins and interviews are conducted in a news studio. It is also called a news floor.

• Programming Department

Programming department consist of program studios, production control room and editing rooms. Programming department is headed by program manager who control many other staffs like program producers, video editors, camera persons, artists and production managers. The final preparation and finalisation of a program is conducted here.

• Engineering Department

This department handles the technical aspects of broadcasting and on-air time. It is headed by a chief engineer. There are a team of managers, engineers and studio crew members, including audio board operators, teleprompter operators, tape room editors and engineering technicians. They monitor transmitter readings, align satellite receiver equipment and make sure video airs in proper sequence.

• Sales and Advertising

This is the department of the television station that generates revenue. The director of sales heads the department; Sales managers and representative functions under him. The sales executives focus on the local market, making contacts with businesses and other organisations in the community to sell advertising.

• Business Administration

The business administration department handles the day-to-day business of a TV station. Office managers or station managers work under the general manager and oversee clerks, receptionists and other help staff. Controllers are responsible overseeing the station’s financial transactions, reports and budgets. The human resources or personnel manager hires employees and ensures a safe workplace in all departments. Business administration might also house building maintenance workers who take care of the facility, from the studio to the restrooms.

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Production people or Studio personnel

There are a number of technicians and other creative people involved in a television production.

1. Producer

The head of the production is called a producer. A producer is in charge of the whole production process. The producer is responsible for coordinating technical and creative aspects of a production.

2. Production assistant

A production assistant facilitates all the requirements of a television program.

3. Script writer

A script writer prepares the script for the production. He is in charge of the entire script.

4. Anchor

An anchor is a person who presents program formally on a television. There are news anchors or news presenters and anchors who present entertainment programs.

5. Camera person

Camera person operates the camera for the production. The chief camera person is called the director of photography.

6. Sound Recording artist

A sound recording artist records the sound streams of the entire program.

7. Art director

Art director is in charge of the set and other graphical presentations in a production.

8. Floor manager

Floor manager is responsible for the entire activities on the studio floor, and supervises the floor personnel. A floor manager is also called a stage manager.

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Production equipment in a Television Studio

The basic equipment used in a television production is of five types.

1. Lights

Lights are used in a studio to provide illumination for the camera. Camera can’t capture visual without light. Different types of lights are used in a studio production. Key light, fill light and back light are the basic types of lights used in a production.

2. Camera

It is the key equipment used in a television production. Professional cameras are commonly used in a production. It is the quality of the camera that determines the picture quality.

3. Microphones

Microphones are used to capture audio. Microphones used in a production studio vary in size and quality according to the requirements of the production.

4. Live editing suit

It is used to live edit the recorded video footage of the production.

5. Jib, track and trolley, and rigs

These equipment are used to mound the camera and move it in necessary directions.

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Structure of a Television Studio

Television studio is the place where video production activities take place. A television production studio is similar to any other video production studio. A professional television studio has three main rooms connected via intercom.

The physical structure of a television studio comprises of one or two studio floors, production control room and master control room. There are also some other divisions like library, green room and storage attached to it.

Television Studio or Studio Floor

A studio floor is the place where the television program is recorded. It is a huge closed room which can be altered according to the requirement of the program. The decoration or alteration made in a studio is called a set. Television production may include a number of Jibs, track and trolleys, large number of studio lights and lighting rigs. A studio should be large in size to meet the space requirements for all these devices. It is installed with several monitors for live preview of the recorded content. The floor manager controls the area management for all the equipment and the set used in a production, and the program producer controls all the technicians and artists through a public address system which will be installed in the studio. All the professional video cameras will be connected to the production control room via cables.

Production Control Room (PCR)

Production control room is a place where the composition of outgoing programme takes place. It is also called a studio control room or SCR. It is situated near to the studio floor, with a glass window placed between them for direct visual contact. The entire production happening in a studio floor is queued and recorded from the production control room. The cameras from the studio floor will be connected to the vision mixer in a production control room through coax cables. A vision mixer or video switcher is a device used to select between several different video sources. It is a large control panel commonly used in multiple camera production. In some cases it is used for compositing video sources together to create special effects. In newer versions of vision mixer a DVE or digital video effects is integrated to manipulate the video sources. In some productions the camera actions in the studio floor will be controlled by the operators in production control room. A PCR will be installed with a video monitor wall. It is a set of monitors which is used for program, preview, camera out, graphics and other video sources. The PCR also includes an audio mixing console for recording and mixing audio from the production, and a character generator or CG to generate on screen graphics and titles. The final out from the production control room will be transferred to the transmission control room.

Master Control Room

A master control room is different from the production control room. It controls the on air signals from a studio. Master control room is the final point before a signal is transmitted over-the-air for terrestrial television or satellite provider for broadcast, or sent on to a cable television operator. Television master control rooms include video monitors, satellite receivers, video servers and transmission equipment.

Other than these three divisions there are also other facilities like green room, library, etc.

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What are the common types of Television Programs?

Common television formats are news programs, interviews, serials, sitcoms, commercials, etc. Television program formats have undergone several changes during the past years. Many new formats and genres are experimented every day.

1.       News

Television news covers a wide range of audio and video information. Basically news is in the form of newscasts, news breaks and headlines. News programs in television include sportscasts, weather reports, film news, etc. News more than an hour or two old may be considered stale. The maximum length for almost any television news story is two minutes, normal length is 30 seconds. A television script is written in present tense. Slang and colorful phrases are avoided in television news writing. In a television news script the titles usually come before names. Abbreviations and direct quotations are avoided. Attribution should come before a quotation. Usage of punctuation is comparatively less in a television news script.

2.      Interviews

Television interviews are mainly two types; news interviews and entertainment interviews. A television interview creates more impact on the audience as the emotions and gestures of the persons convey more message than what they speak.

3.      Discussions

Discussions are common television programs these days. Every news channel conducts discussions on topics of current relevance. The discussion will be on a particular topic and the panelists participate live in the broadcasting. Usually these are live broadcasts. This can be done through teleconferencing, online communication, etc.

4.      TV features

These are non-news or news related programs on a specific subject, which is presented in a way that attracts the audience.

5.      Special events

This is the coverage of events in which audiences are interested. For example, special coverage of election results, cultural events, sports events, etc.

6.      Reality shows

These types of programs normally document actual events and ordinary people instead of professional artists. Such programs are presented without a script and with dramatic and humorous situations.

7.      Musical programmes

These are programs that consist of music videos and in some cases including a host and other programming elements.

8.     Sponsored programmes

Programs produced by individuals and broadcast through television after purchasing time slots.

9.      Soap operas

Soap operas are also called soaps or serials. These are fictional drama about people’s daily life and other issues.

10.  Cookery shows

Programs which are hosted by famous cooks, who teach people about new recipes, are called cookery shows.

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Structure of Television Script

Every television script is written with an emphasis on visual elements. Structure of a television script comprises of three parts. They are the climax, cause and effect. 

Climax is similar to the lead in a news story. 

It tells the viewer the main point of the story. Cause tells the circumstances in which the story happened. Effect is the interpretation of the story. A television script should fit in the allocated time frame and attract the audience.

Important terms in a script are:

A. FADE IN: - All caps and underlined

B. SCENES - numbered using CAPS. Ample space above and below and underlined.

C. SLUG LINES - indicate location, time of day, and underlined.

D. Character List - should appear directly below the slug line and indicate which characters are needed for the scene. Also enclosed in parentheses.

E. ACTIONS/DESCRIPTIONS - listed in a capital letters

F. V O - Voice over.

G. SOUND EFFECTS/SPECIAL EFFECTS/CAMERA INSTRUCTIONS - Capitalized and underlined.

H. CHARACTER NAMES/DIALOGUE - Capitalized and double spaced.

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Characteristics of Television Script

Television script is a simple and disciplined structure that helps in the production of a program. There are certain features that make it different from other media:

1.       Clarity

Format and story structure are precise and clear when it comes to television script writing. A half an hour story runs about 22 minutes; an hour show, about 45 minutes with commercials dispersed for the remaining time. The breaks must be in the right spot for the advertisers to put up their ads. They also need to be compel-ling enough to bring back the viewer to the program.

2.      Diverse

Television is like a factory. It survives on an endless stream of product. It is hard to create variety in the types of programs aired on television. Diversity in the shows is essential to keep the interest of the audience consistent.

3.      Disciplined

Every television format has got certain rules for writing script. A script is only good when it is organized and well structured. This makes it easier to understand and visualize a television script.

4.      Informative

A script that provides required information about the topic is more effective during the course of production.

5.      Correctness

The information and facts in a television news script should be accurate.

6.      Element of Drama

Drama is conflict. Without drama a television program will lose its charm. A television script writer should introduce some dramatic element in his script. There are three types of dramatic conflicts: person v/s inner self, person v/s person, person v/s nature.

7.      Conversational

Television script is for the purpose of reading. So it should be conversational in nature.

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Writing for Television

Writing for radio and television is called broadcast writing. Writing style of both these mediums is similar to a great extent. But television is an audio visual media and a television script should give equal importance for sound and visual. The visual element in television script is the major difference from a radio script. Communication scholar Laurie Lattimore said that, the broadcast copy is written to be read out loud by a news reader rather than to be silently by a newspaper reader. 

Television writing requires special set of skills like accuracy, clarity and visual sense in writing. Every element in a television script should complement the video and audio that accompanies the story. Broadcasting script, whether it is television or radio, differs from a news report for print. Television script should be read loud before finalising. This will help to find whether the story is good for broadcasting. Basic ingredients of a television script are fact and context. It should be readable, understandable and conversational.

Television writing should be precise and structured. The content written for print is only for the purpose of reading. But a television script is written for the eyes and ears, and it also has a live nature. So it is conversational in nature. Television news stories give importance for live and up to date information. It is a medium of immediacy. It should fit in a certain time period and cannot vary more than a few seconds. Television script writers are responsible for researching the story, developing the narrative and writing the screenplay to present it in the required format. Television writers have great influence over the creative and technical impact of the program.

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What are the characteristics of Television

The main character of television is its audiovisual nature. It is one of the important mass media devices. The characteristics of television are:

1.       Audiovisual medium

Television is a medium of moving images and sound. So it is called an audio visual medium. It is for both eye and ear. The audio and visual presentation creates more impact on the audience.

2.      Convergent media

Television combines the qualities of various media like radio and newspaper, i.e., audio, picture and information. It has the ability to converge the qualities of other media in a single platform. So it is a convergent medium.

3.      Universal medium

The television is a universal medium. Any person with a television set can watch programs on television. The ethnicity, race or color of the audience is not a factor here.

4.      Popular Medium

Literacy is not a barrier in watching television while newspaper reading requires literacy. Any illiterate can get information and entertainment from television. It is a popular medium that any type of people can use.

5.      Medium of Credibility

The television gives information in a visual form. The visuals can be more credible than the audio or print.

6.      Glamour medium

A person who gets coverage by television gets more popularity than in any other media. There is a prominent factor of glamour in television.

7.      Medium of close up

Television screen is smaller than a cinema screen. So landscape or long shots won’t look so attractive in a television screen. Medium or close up shots are more preferable for a television screen.

8.     Domestic medium / Living room medium

No one goes out to watch television. Most of the audience watches television at home. Television is a medium for domestic environment.

9.      Inspiring medium

Visuals can motivate or inspire a human being than sound or print. Television can create a new trend or style in the society.

10.  Medium of immediacy / Live medium

Television enables the audience to view the events anywhere in the world live while sitting in our drawing rooms. The video reports of a terrorist attack or natural disaster can reach the audience in seconds, through a television.

11.   Advertisers medium

Visual advertisements are more pleasing to the eyes. So advertisers give more preference for the television to broadcast their ads.

12.  Mass medium

The message delivered by television reaches a large number of homogenous audiences. Television is a major mass medium.

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Types of Television Broadcasting systems

Television broadcasting systems have changed during the course of time due to several technological advancements. The prominent ways of television broadcasting are:

Terrestrial transmission

It is the transmission of audio visual signals through transmission towers owned by television stations. The transmission is done through frequencies for transmission allotted by the Ministry of Communication. The audience can receive the signals on their television sets by using an antenna or receiver.

Cable Television transmission

It is the process of sending audio visual signals to subscribers through an optic cable or wire. Usage of optical fibre cable makes it easy to transmit signal in a speedy way without losing picture quality. Cable systems can deliver large number of channels to millions of television sets. Nowadays, cable systems can provide high speed internet and telephone calls through the same platform.

Satellite transmission

It is the transmission of audio video signals over communication satellites. This is also called Direct to Home (DTH) Satellite Services. It enables the households to receive signals directly from the satellites using dish antennas. A set box is used to convert digital signals received by the antennas into audio visual format.

Internet transmission

Internet transmission is the digital transmission of audio-visual content via internet. The delivery of television content via internet is called video streaming. Internet television is different from IPTV.

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Television Broadcasting

Television broadcasting is the practice of creating audio and video programme content and distributing it to the mass audiences. To broadcast is to send entertainment and information via one-way electronic media to the general public. The television signal is carried by wire to an antenna, which is often on a high platform or building. Broadcasts usually are intended for recreation, enlightenment, education, experimentation or emergency messaging.

In the television broadcasting process the audio and video messages are packaged as programs, which are transmitted through the air as electromagnetic waves from a transmitter to an antenna or a receiver. These waves can travel through the air at the speed of light but not over very long distances. A good signal can be received up to about a hundred km. They also can be transmitted through computer networks locally and internationally. Broadcast stations can be linked in networks to broadcast common programming.

Television stations are given certain frequencies on which they transmit their broadcasts. These frequencies are very high and should not interfere with other signals that travel in the air. In the last few years digital signals have replaced analog broadcasting. They have many advantages. Picture quality is better and they can carry more data. Television images can be transmitted in a new quality called high definition or HD.

Internet TV

Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet. Internet television is a general term that covers the delivery of television shows and other video content over the Internet by video streaming technology.

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History of Television in India

The first television transmission in India started with the experimental telecast on 15th September 1959 in Delhi. A single transmitter and a makeshift studio were the only equipment used for this purpose. The regular daily transmission started in 1965 as a part of All India Radio. The television service was extended to Bombay and Amritsar in 1972. It was later extended to seven more Indian cities in 1975. Television services were separated from radio in 1976. National telecasts were started in 1982. Color television sets and small screen programs were launched in the Indian market in the same year. At that time there was only one national channel Doordarshan which was owned and run by the central government.

The Ramayana and Mahabharata were the first major television series produced. Due to overwhelming interest of the people the government opened up another channel DD 2 which was later renamed DD Metro. Both channels were broadcast terrestrially. During the mid-eighties Doordarshan introduced a number entertainment programs which included music, arts and soap operas. The first Indian television serial was Hum Log in 1984. Waglekiduniya(1988), Buniyad(1986) were some of the popular serials of that time. Mythological serials like Ramayan, Mahabharat, Chandrakantha and Sword of Tipu sultan gained more audience for Doordharshan. Doordharshan also telecasted Hindi film songs programmes like Chithrahaar, Super hit Muqabla and Rangoli. VikramBetal, Malgudi days, Tenali Rama were some of the shows for children. Doordarshan includes regional language satellite channels, state networks, international channel and all India channels like DD National, DD News, DD Sports, DD Gyandarshan, DD Bharati, Loksabha Channel and DD Urdu.

PrasarBharathi

PrasarBharati is a self-governing body formed by an act of parliament. It comprises of Doordharshan television network and All India radio and is the largest public broadcaster of India. The act which grants autonomy for PrasarBharathi was passed in 1990, and it was enacted on 15th September 1997.

Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE)

SITE is a landmark experiment in the Indian television history which was a community television programme. Community television is a type of system which transmits television programmes exclusively for a selected community of people. It was conducted between August 1975 and July 1976. Under this programme villages were given educational programmes through television sets using ATS-6 satellite. Six Indian states were given this privilege in the beginning. The telecasts happened twice a day, in the morning and evening. Other than agricultural information, health and family planning were the other important topics dealt with in these programmes. Entertainment was also included in these telecasts in the form of dance, music, drama, folk and rural art forms.

Gyan Darshan is a satellite based TV channel devoted to educational and developmental needs of the society. It offers distance education through Virtual Class Room mode and interactive learning.

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History of Television Broadcasting

The first experiments with television broadcasting were conducted in the 1920's and 1930's in Great Britain and the United States. The British Broadcasting Corporation or BBC started the world’s first television broadcast in 1936. A number of television stations were launched after the First World War in the United States. They were ABC, NBC and CBS. By the early 1950's television programs could be received throughout the United States. By 1960 television became widespread all over the world.

The first television sets were black and white. Black and white televisions functioned on a monochrome color platform, where the images were displayed in grey scale. This technology was upgraded by broadcasting three monochrome images, one of each in three colors of red, green and blue i.e., R G B. When displayed together they produced a full color image on the screen. These types of televisions were later called color television. It was introduced in the early 1950's. During the 50's and 60's the demand for TV sets increased all over the world. The big commercial stations held the monopoly of television broadcasting during that time. This monopoly was broken in the 80's with the rise of cable TV and satellite television. By the mid-1980's there were a variety of satellite and cable services throughout the world. In the 1980’s CNN or the Cable News Network started a new age in the history of television broadcasting. It was the first all-news TV channel in the world. CNN reached the height of its popularity during the Gulf War as the only TV station that was in Iraq covering the Gulf War.

Television stations started giving more emphasis on entertainment programs during the end of 1990's. The reality shows like ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire’, ‘Survivor’, ‘Big Brother’, etc., became an immediate success during this time. Versions of these shows are being shown in many countries all over the world.

Reality shows based on dancing and singing also gained popularity over the public during this period.

In the beginning of 21st century new innovations flooded in television manufacturing. One of them is the digital television. In Digital television or D T V the transmission of audio and video is by digitally processed and multiplexed signal, which is entirely different from signals used by analog television sets. The advent of digital television allowed innovations like smart television. Smart television sets are the product of hybrid or convergent technology. It is a combination of television broadcasting and internet. Smart television requires integrated set-top boxes for internet and other facilities. The advent of technology also improved many inventions like 3 D television and made it easily accessible for the public.

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