Production Roles

In a TV studio there are loads of different studio roles, such as:

      Producer

      Director

      Floor manager

      Vision Mixer

      Camera Operators

      Sound Technician

      Lighting technician

Director

The director is responsible for supervising the positions of the camera's, lighting equipment, microphones and props. This is so that the director knows where his cameras are and are where the director wants them to be. The microphone's get set up in a certain location so that they aren't in the shot of the cameras and that they are close enough to the act(s) so that the mic's can pick up what they are saying. The director also has to supervise the lighting so that the scene and shots don't seem too bright or too dark to get the best possible shot.

The director also has to do a program proposal which consists of a Program outline, program duration, program broadcaster/time it will be aired, program broadcast video format, target audience, content, vt subject, guest questions, production style, title sequence, end credits and set design. The director also has to produce a running order along with the vision mixer, camera scripts for however many cameras the director decides to use and a title sequence.

The director once he has supervised the studio, cameras etc how he wants them, he then is responsible for telling the vision mixer what shots he wants in what order whilst its live and when he wants GV's etc. to cut in, for example, cut to camera 1,3,2,3,1,2,1,3,2,3, fade to black. At the same time of telling the vision mixer to cut between cameras, he also has to communicate with the camera operators to tell them to vary up their shots, for example, change to a mid shot, camera 2 get a close up, camera 1, I want a tilt, etc. The director has a harder job when it comes to a live sports game, for example, if the director is directing a live football match, he has between 20-30 cameras and has to be clear to each camera operator what to focus on.

The director must have a confident personality, as they must be confident in what they want to shoot and how they want it shot. They must also have very good communication skills. This is because if a director can't direct how he wants a certain camera to be, they won't have the best possible shot as the camera operator won't be able to understand what he wants etc. A director must also have a creative side, to tell the camera operators or a lighting technician how they want the scene set out and shot. If the director just keeps on using the same shots, and not creating a new look on the broadcast, then the program will look plain and boring, where as if he uses different types of shots, it intrigues the viewer and keeps them watching.

The director should be able to keep control of the set, gallery and everywhere else near the set, either by commanding the floor manager or doing it themselves, whether there’s trouble with cameras, acts etc.

A director needs to have some sort of problem solving skills and handling mass amounts of pressure. On set, a camera, light, or even mic can simply become faulty and can possibly sabotage the production if it isn’t solved with a quick, professional manor. A director must also be able to handle a lot of pressure so they don’t fade away but handle the pressure well to get a great final production.

Another skill is the ability to lead and motivate others, especially as your going to be working in a team. The director needs to lead and motivate the other group members such as the camera operators etc. The director mainly needs to lead the production as they’re in charge of most things that go on, on the set.

Awareness of health and safety issues is another skill that is essential when being a director. The director has to be aware of any hazardous issues too.

“TV Directors must have strong time management and listening skills. Working as a Director requires individuals to be able to make solid judgments and decisions in a timely manner. TV Directors have to develop excellent reading comprehension skills and the ability to motivate the people around them. Having the ability to be original and creative allows Directors to jump start and sustain a career in this business.” This is a quote for the skills needed to be a director from http://education-portal.com/articles/TV_Director_Employment_Info_and_Requirements_for_a_Career_in_TV_Directing.html

One of the main skills a director needs, is communication skills, this is essential for this job role. If the director can’t get across what camera is live at what time or can’t get the cameras to get what shots he wants, the production isn’t going to work. The vision mixer, camera operator, floor manager and the producer can’t operate if the director isn’t being clear on what he/she wants for their production. In a way, you can’t be shy; you have to be able to get to the point and fast.

“Directing television requires experience coupled with a degree in Television Arts, Communication or Broadcasting from a college, university or an acting conservatory.” This is a quote from http://diplomaguide.com/articles/Television_Director_Career_Overview.html

This quote states that you need experience as well as a degree of some sort to be a successful director.

At this moment in time, I believe the skills I have that are needed to be a successful director are; communication skills, creative skills, handling mass amounts of pressure and awareness of health and safety issues.

I believe I have good communication skills, due to previous jobs and just my natural personality. I have had a lot of previous jobs that focus on the skills of communication skills, although they don’t tie in with directing, they still give me the edge and experience needed for communication skills. I have previously worked as a canvasser for a window company that took lots of outbound calls. In this job I was working constantly with customers on the phone. I have previously worked at a big shopping store that is known for being busy on the weekend. Primark in Manchester Piccadilly is one of Primark’s busiest outlets and I worked a seasonal contract there on the tills. Once again, these duties I had were constantly with the customers, which again improved my communication skills. I have previously worked for The Metropolitan pub in west Didsbury, which is one of the busiest pub/restaurants in Manchester on the weekends. I worked as a bar tender, which again was constantly in contact with customers, which again helped improve my communication skills.

My creative skills could slightly be improved. As I’ve done a creative subject since year 9 in high school, I do have a creative side to me. Since year 9, I had been in an E-media course instead of ICT, which used software such as Adobe Flash and Adobe Dreamweaver. These were animation and website creating software, as I created a few animations for things such as the Olympics and I created a football animation of a footballer taking a free kick that got put onto the school website. In year 10 and 11 in high school, I applied to do Media studies, which I got a B in it, then carried it on in my further education, which was at college. This gives me a fair amount of creative skills and imagination.

I believe I can handle being under pressure, as stated before I have worked for busy companies such as Primark and The Metropolitan pub. Both of these jobs were worked in high-pressure conditions, for example, high amounts of customers on weekends, especially in the pub.

I also have the skills to notice health and safety risks, for example, wires that haven’t been covered up, which are at risk of tripping someone up which can also damage a camera if it knocks over the tripod as well as injuring the person who trips over it. Keeping all types of liquids away from any technical equipment such as cameras, tricaster, monitors etc.

Whilst I’m on this Broadcast Television course, the skills and attributes that I will gain and learn will be confidence, leadership and motivation skills, problem solving skills and finally controlling skills, let alone gathering experience as being a director and other roles. There are different types of directing, for example, there is a difference between a director who directs live broadcast to a director who directs a recorded program. Whilst on the course and once I finish the course I’m going to be looking to find a placement in a TV studio. Most broadcast channels such as BBC, ITV have recently moved to Media City, which is in Salford. I intend to find a placement there, which will give me a totally new and different outlook on how things are run compared to our studio and a professional studio. During this placement, I will gain a whole lot more experience, which will be very beneficial as I’ll gain and adapt to the skills I have previously learnt, such as, a better communication skill, confidence skill, which will increase dramatically and also a bigger health and safety awareness knowledge. Studios in Media City will all have different methods of health and safety regulations but all in all, this will help get into the industry of my desired job role when I come to apply for a job after my placement. The main benefit of getting a placement is that if I do a good job and work effectively and professionally, they could offer to keep me on full time as I would have already worked there and had the experience. If I come to apply to a different company than the placement, the amount of experience and skills I will have by this time should help get into the required industry. By this time, I would have improved and gained all the skills I need to be a successful and professional director in either a live or recorded broadcast.