Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Video Production; Cast and Crew

Harhar....after Atfest'07 here I am again posting another blog.... Obviously this blog will be discussing about the different cast and crew of a video production team as what the the title of this blog shows...I know many of you really likes to watch movies, it may be horror, comedy, suspense, or action...sci-fi or animated movies, local or international...We don't care what the movie is all about as long as we enjoyed the movie...add to that enjoyment when we are with someone special...ooooiiiiii....ahm...ahm....special popcorn..hahahhaha..
But we don't know who are the people behind the production aside from the the actors/actress, directors, and the producers, other than that we can hardly identify other important people who contributed also their time, effort and talent to make the movie a successful one....Much of the blahh, blahh, blahh...if you want to know them and dreamed to be one of them, give a shot to this blog and add this to your memory.....harhar


Producers- are in charge of the overall organization of a production, be it a network comedy, a local station newscast, a cable TV sportscast, a syndicated soap opera, a public broadcasting music concert, an interactive video game, or a corporate training tape. As a producer, you are responsible for seeing that all the elements of a program are in the right place at the right time. Have the actors been cast? Has the fog machine been ordered? Where will the cast and crew eat? Producers often initiate a project and see that it is finished on-time and on-budget. That’s why sometimes a producer is called the budget officer in a Video Production team, for he is the one budgeting the money and time for the production.

Director- a director has been linked to a symphony conductor. The various crew members are each playing their own “instruments” (camera, audio board, video recorder, etc.), and it is the director who coordinates them and sets the overall pace of the program.

Associate Directors- (sometimes referred to as the assistant director or AD) helps the director with various tasks. For this reason, some of the duties the AD is assigned differ from program to program, depending on the philosophy and work style of the director. One director may want you to set up all the on-air camera shots so he or she can concentrate on last minute details, aesthetic decisions, and the actual takes on air. Other directors want you just to sit nearby to remind them of what is coming up next.

Stage Managers- (also called floor manager or the floor director) is the director’s key assistant in charge of what is happening in the studio. When you assume this role, your main job is to communicate with the talent. The director is in the control room during the actual production and cannot give instruction directly to the performers who, generally, are not wearing head sets. Therefore, such instructions are relayed by the stage manager, mainly through hand signals, but sometimes with flip cards.

Camera Operators- are the people who, based on instructions from the director, frame the shots for the program. To do this job, you must understand the operation of the camera thoroughly so that you can physically move the camera while keeping the image steady and in focus. You must pay particular attention to how the camera interacts with the lighting so that the picture is not overexposed or underexposed. In addition, you must an aesthetic sense so that the pictures are properly composed. The camera operator frames, from a broad panorama, what the viewer will see.

Teleprompter Operators- are mirrors that fit over the front of a camera lens and show the talents the script. Usually all the cameras are equipped with a teleprompter so that the talent turns from one camera to another and see the same script. The viewers do not see this script, but the talent can read it while looking directly at the camera lens. Someone has to control the rate that the script crawls up the teleprompter so that it does not get either ahead of or behind the talent. That someone is the teleprompter operator.

Lighting Director- the Lighting director (LD) is in charge of seeing that the lights are properly set for the telecast and that any lighting effects needed during the telecast can be executed. Usually this person has a crew that actually places and adjusts the lights while the LD makes sure the overall effect is accomplished.

Audio Operators- some of the work that is done in connection with audio is undertaken in the audio is undertaken in the studio and some is in the control room.

Technical Directors- the technical director (TD) operates the switcher, the piece of equipment that selects which video signal (camera 1, a videotape segment, camera 2 with graphics over it, etc). will go out over the airwaves or onto videotape. This piece of equipment can be used simply to cut from one picture to another, but most modern switchers are capable of executing a large number of special effects- wipes, swirls, squeezes, etc. like the audio console, the switcher has a large number of buttons, knobs and levers, and you must become adept at operating them quickly.

Graphics Operators- the graphics operator is in charge of the computer system that is used to create words, drawings and various visual effects. These includes such things as opening and closing credits, temperatures used for the weathercasts, short animated sequences used in commercials, statistics for sportscast, and bar graphs used for corporate productions.

Video Operators- at the present time, the person who plays back and/or records video signals is usually referred to the VCR operator and operates a videocassette recorder (VCR). However, devices other than VCRs, such as video disc recorders and computer drives, are now being used to record video and audio, so the term video operator is starting to be used.

Editors- the editor’s job is to piece together different shots or scenes taped in the studio or the field to create unified piece of work. Sometimes all the editor’s work occurs afterwards. With some of the newer editing systems, editors can even edit while a program is in progress, but this is rare. Of course, some shows, such as live telecast of a telethon, do not require an editor at all.

Other Positions- a raft of people are needed for TV production. Sometimes people called Production Assistants undertake all the little jobs that need to be done- distributing scripts to cast and crew, moving flower pots, getting coffee for everyone, etc. for a large unionized production, specialist undertake specific jobs- a propmaster places and handles all props, painters and carpenters are available to touch up sets, makeup artist apply makeup to talents, grips carry cable and other things. All of these people are usually around before, during and after production to handle setup, production miscellany, and cleanup on a n as-needed basis.

Cast- these are the people viewers see in their TV screens, the ones who acts or report. They are the main “star” of the show or often called as “talents”. A distinction often made between two groups of talent: (1) those who serve essentially as communicators, portraying no role except as a host or reporter; and (2) those in dramatic roles who are portraying some theatrical character. The first category is referred as performers, while the second group is to as actors/actress. Although two groups share many characteristics and concerns, it may be helpful to look at them separately in terms of what you need to do when you are in one of these roles.

Jaraaaaannnn, the end of the not so long blog of mine and now you are ready to enter hollywood as a cast or crew of a video produciton team...See you t dreamworks studio, or pixar animation studio, or walt disney production.... As if I'm there...harhar....hahahahha

so long,goodbye and Godbless..!!!
Merry Christmas..!!

p.s... The information above was base on the book of Donald N. and Thomas D. about Video Production; Discipline and Techniques (seventh edition)....

No comments: