TV Studio Control Room: Equipment and Crew Roles
The Control Room
Equipment and Crew Positions
The control room “controls” the studio. While a wide array of audio and video processing gear will be installed in the control room, and all control rooms will differ to some extent, most will include the following: a monitor wall, an audio console, a video switcher, a teleprompting computer, a graphics computer, an engineering space, and a section for VTR (video tape recorder) control.
Monitor Wall
The monitor wall is centered around two larger video monitors that display preview video and program video. The program video monitor displays the video source that is active, live, online, or the video signal that is being recorded or viewed at home. The preview monitor shows the video source that is next or “on deck” for a program.
Surrounding these two large monitors are smaller video monitors that display the video sources available for use by the production crew. These smaller monitors will show studio cameras, microwave feeds, satellite feeds, graphics, and other video sources that can be activated or routed to “preview” and “program.”
The Video Switcher and Technical Director
A prominent feature of the control room is the video switcher (or vision mixer), which is a video selection device. The switcher controls the video sources that are activated to preview and program and is operated by the Technical Director (TD) (or Vision Mixer, VM). The final video feed from the video switcher is called Video Program. The video switcher is discussed in detail in the following chapter as is another prominent feature of the control room: the audio board.
The Audio Board and Audio Operator
The audio board may be located in the control room proper (with everything else) or it is not uncommon to find it in a smaller adjacent room (audio booth). The audio board is an audio selection device that is operated by a crew member called the Audio Operator, or just “Audio.” The audio feed from the audio board (the final mix) is called Audio Program. Audio monitors—heavy-duty speakers — will be located near the monitor wall to permit the control room crew to listen to the program.
Production Crew
The Graphics Computer and “Graphics”
The graphics computer is operated by a crew member who is commonly called “Graphics.” The graphics computer can create, store, and recall two kinds of graphics: character generation (CG) (or caption generator) and electronic still-store (ESS). CG is the creation of alphanumeric text as a video signal. A good example of CG is when the anchor’s name is keyed (or layered) over a camera shot or at the end of the program when the credits are “rolled.”
The ESS function centers around still-image processing. The graphics computer can store high-resolution images, capture images from other video sources, and combine these images with CG to create entirely new graphics. A good example of ESS is when a still image of a reporter is displayed during a phoned-in report or a report without video. It is important to note that many control rooms will divide the CG and ESS functions into two separate computers, workspaces, and crew positions.
The Prompting Computer and the “Prompter”
Another computer in the control room is the prompting computer. The prompting computer transforms the script for the show into a scrollable video signal that is transmitted to a viewing system on the front of the studio cameras.
The Prompter position controls the word processing and organization of the final script for the program. The collation of all of the stories occurs in the prompting computer, and all final changes to the script are made by the producing staff through this computer system. The person who operates the prompting computer is called the “Prompter.”
Video Tape Recorders and “Tape”
The television program is recorded and any pre-recorded material needed for the show is controlled from the “Tape” position. Tape is responsible for operating numerous video tape recorders (VTRs) or other video playback devices (computer-based). Pre-recorded material is then “rolled” from tape (or a video server), as needed and in order. A good example of this is when a sports anchor is discussing a basketball game from earlier in the day and the viewer is watching the taped or pre-recorded footage of that game.
It is important to note that in many control rooms, the VTR racks (and therefore the Tape Operator) are located in an adjacent room (as is common with audio). The number of VTRs available will vary by facility. For a typical newscast, at least four VTRs will be utilized (one to record, three for playback) for greatest efficiency. Be aware that a common tactic is to “letter” VTRs (VTR A, VTR B, etc.), in order to avoid confusion with the “numbered” cameras (Camera One, Camera Two, etc.).
The Broadcast Engineer
The task of the Broadcast Engineer during a live production is twofold. First, all audio and video signal routing is this person’s responsibility. Live feeds, for example, will need to be routed as sources to the control room on an as-needed basis. Another example is the appropriate routing of video and audio signals both to and from the VTRs.
Second, the Broadcast Engineer performs any equipment troubleshooting during routing procedures. Prior to and during the show, the Engineer is responsible for the camera control units (CCUs), remote controls for the studio cameras. Before the show, the Engineer must white-balance and register the cameras. By using the waveform monitor and vectorscope, the Engineer can adjust how each camera “sees” individual colors (like red, green, blue, black, and white) so that the cameras are “balanced” or matched. During the program, the Engineer can use the CCUs to make adjustments to the iris settings on the camera lens or to “ride gain” — adjust the strength of the video signal level as needed.
Assistant Director (AD)
Live television programs have to begin and end on time. The responsibility of timing a show (both forward and backward) belongs to the Assistant Director (AD) (or Production Assistant). The AD will use a master clock in order to accomplish show timing. The clock will either be set to count up from zero or count down from a preset show length (like 28:30). In this manner, the AD can announce information such as “we are 10 minutes into the show and we have 18 minutes 30 seconds left.”
Another very important job for the AD is the timing of any pre-recorded material used for the show. The AD will need to know the precise length of each video clip to be used in the program. This way, the AD knows exactly when the clip will end (so a smooth transition can be made back to the studio) and when graphics can be used in conjunction with the tape. In order to accomplish clip timing, an AD will use a stopwatch. Often, the stopwatch of choice for Assistant Directors is an old-fashioned analog watch (like the 60 Minutes watch) rather than the more common digital stopwatch (more on this in the Assistant Directing and Directing chapter). It is important to remember that the Assistant Director’s job is to handle timing, not merely, to “assist” the Director as a gopher.
If a station does not use an AD, it is common for the Producer of the newscast to handle timing the show and for the Director to take charge of clip and graphics timing.