r

~ = ; ....
Production People
Televisionproductionisteamwork- you'veheardthismanytimes.Bul whydoesit take
awholelearnwhenyoucandoareasonablygoodj obwithyourcamcorderallbyyour
self?Wouldn'ttotalcontroloftheproductionprocessandnooneinterferingwithyour
creativitybebetter?Aren'ttheotherteammembersmoreofaliability tha nanasset?
Asyou probablysuspected,theanswertothelasttwoquestionsis asimpleno.
Inprofessionaltelevi sion production,youmustrel yonagreatnumberofpeopl e, each
ofwhomperformsahighlyspecificfunction.Forexample,you maybeallbyyourself
whenchasinganewsstorywithanENGcamcorder,butwhenyoubringthevideotape
backtothestation,it is therestofthenewsdepartmentthatgetsyowstoryontheair.
Someonedecidesjustwhereinthenewscastyourstoryshouldbe placed:olhersedit
yourvideotape.writeasensible newsstoryfromyourcur sorynotes, putiton thevid-
eotaperecorderorvideoserverforplaybackataspecifictime,and ensurethatthetinal
videoandaudiosignal sreachthetransmitter.AmuiticameraEFPorstudioproduction
obviouslyrequiresmoreIhanonepersontoget theprojectdone.
366
9
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.----,.-.. .
16.1
WhatProduction
PeopleDo
ven t he most sophisti cated television producti onequip-
illen! andcompuIerinterfaceswill nOIreplacey OIt in the
tel evision system. You and those working with you still
reignSupreme in theproduction process.Theequipment
ca nnot make ethical and aesthetic for you; it
cannot lell you u 3ctly which PM! ofthe event 10 select
and how to present it for a pl i nl<1l communication. YOli
make such decisions within the cont ext of the general
communicationinlentandthroughinlerilct ionwitholher
membersoftheproductionleam- thepeoplein(rontof
thecamera(talenl)andthosebehindil (produceionst aff,
technical crews, r ngi neer.s, dnd otherst ati on p"'rsonnel ).
Ynu may soon discover Ihal l he major ' ask of
product ion is worki ng not SO much with e<.lui pment as
wi thpeople.
... NONTECHNI(AL PRODUCTION PERSONNEL
,onc.trntdprimarily wl(h rheprcxJuaion, ftOm ideo 10
imm;e
... TE(HNI(AL PERSONNEL AND CREW
Thou wil h fhe of producllon
tquipmenl
.... NEWS PRODUCTION PERSONNEL
Tllos.e fpf!Cifiwl/y wllh Ihe produClion of news
and $pitll eve. ,rs
368
-
... TELEVISION TALENT
Televis ion ptrfolmer5 and X/orf
... PERfORMAHC[ nCHNJOtlfS
(amera, audia. r.mmg, posrproductioo conrmuiry,Ihe floor
manager's llJej, and promprmg deVICes
... ACTING TECHNIQUES
Audif!ncf'. blo(king, memorlling line5, I.ming. POSIf}fOOlKlioIl.
and Ihedirt'Clor/ oC lor felaliotl!hiv
... AUDITIONS
Preporcrion. appeo"''''e. and uOOrivily
NONTECHNICAL PRODUCTION PERSONNEL
The 1I onfech"icn/ pr odllClion person/l ei arC' generally
Involved i n translating a script Or an event into effecti ve
television SEE 16.1 TheyaTe alsocaJl edabove- ril e-
line pe"$onnel beca use theyfa Ji under adifferent budget
ca tegory from the technicalcre\.\', who Me c.. 1J1ed below-
Illc- /i ne persolltl e.f. The nOnl ec.hnical produ<: tion people
normall yindudetheext'(: ulive producer,theprodu<:er,tht'
director,andt heandir lorandassistants,as as the
writersandthe talent.
As withallsuchclassitications,theabove- andbelow-
the-li nt'division is butabsolut eorevcn uniform.
For example, in some productions the PA (produclioll
a$$islam) orthefloormanagerarcdassifled inthebelow.
the-linecategory:inotherstheybelongamongtheabove-
the-linepersonne-1. SEE 16.1
Although the DP (di rector of photography) is techni-
cdll ya belowthe-line production person, the position is
frequentl y regarded and budgeted asan abon' -the line
item.TheterOl,uorrowedfrom film production,hasfound
iTS way into television producti on. In standard thea tri cal
fi lm production,the DPismainl yresponsi bleforliglHi nS
and the eX'posure ofthefiJm ralherthan for ru n-
/ling the camera. In sma lle r film product io n:; and FP,
however, the DP actuall y operates the camera aswell as
duesthc.> lighting. Sowhenyouhearanindependenttdevi
sian produ<:er/direclorlooking fora reliable andueativ(
DIl,heor511(" is prima ril yrefe rringtoall experienced EFP
cameraoperato r.Wh atyou need toreali zeandremember
is that all members ofIhe production team oue equall y
important, regardless ofwhe ther they are dassified as
abovethe-lineorbelowthe-line,orwhetherthe)'si tinthe
director's chai rorhell'c..1rrysomelightstoafieldlocat ion.
People-+ nonte<hnical
Section /6.1 Whol Pfoducl/on People 00 369
16. 1 NONTECHNICAL PROOUCTIONPERSONNEL
PERSONNEL FUNCTION
ItOltrECHlflCAL ""ucr'ON "'UIf NEL
prodacer InchargeofoneOf !.f!V1!railargeproductionsorprogram series.Managesbudgetandcoordinateswithciient.
ma!l.lgement,advertisingagencil'!., finandal suppmtel'l,andtalent and writers'agents.
Produc:er Inchargeofanindividual production.Is responsiblefor al! personnelworkingon theproductionandforCOOl
dioatingle<hnicalandnonte<hnkalproductionelements.Oftenservesaswriterandoccasionallyasdirector.
Asso<iateptodlKer(AP) Assistsproducerinall production Oftendoestheactual coordinatingjobs, suchastelf'phoning
talentandconfirmings<hedules.
lineprodu(fI Supervisesdailyproductionactivitieson theset.
Field producer produ(erbytaking ofremote (awayfrom thestudio).At smal15tationsmdybe
part01 producer'sresponsibNitie'i.
Productionmanager X/leduleseqUipmentandpeoonnelforallstudioandfield productions.
Produ(lionassiUant(PA) MsislS produceranddire<tOfduringactualproduction.During rehearSdI takes notes ofproducer'sandlor
director'ssuggeslionsforshowimprovement.
Director Inchargeofdirectingtalentand te<hnicatoperations.is ultimatelyle'iponsib!efortransforming a into
effe<tiYf>videoandaudiome'isages.At small51ationsmayoftenbetheproduceras well.
Associatedire<tor(AD) Assistsdifector during tOea(\lJaI prodU<tion.lnstudioproduct ionsdoestimingfordj fe{tor.lncomplicated
productiOnshelps"readyvariousoperations(suchas presettingspecificcamerashotsorcalli ngforaVTR to
start).Alsocalledassistant difWOI.
Talent Refers10all andactorswhoreqularlyappearontelevision.
Acto< Someonewhoportrayssomeoot'ebeoncamera.
Performer Someonewhoappt'alSon-{clmerain nondramati<activities. Performersportraythemselves.
Announcer Reads narration butdoesnot appearon-calm!ra.If oncamera,theannouncerITlO't'eS upintothl'
lalf'ntc.uegory.
floormanager Inchargeofal) a(tivitie'iOIl thestudiofloor.(ooroinatestak!nt,relaysdirector'scues10talent,andsuper
visesf100l personnel. EKCeptforlargeoperations,responsiblf'forsellingupsceneryand theset.
Also<ailedfloordilator orstage manager.
Floorpersons Setupanddresssets.OperatewecardsorotOerpromptingdevices,easelcards, andon-<ameragraphks.
Sometimeshelpsetupandwork portablefield lighlill9 booms.Assist(amefa
operatorsin movingcameradolliesand pullingcameracables.AIsmallstationsalsoactaswardrobeand
makeuppeople. Alsocalledijlips,5toqehonds, oruti/iries persomtel.
370 Chap te l 16 PRODUCTION PEOPLE
16.1 NONTECHNICAL PROOUCTION PERSONNEL (Ontinu,d)
PERSONNEl FUNCTION
ADDIFIOUI PRODUCrlO N 'USOIINEL
In small opemri0l/5 rhtse prodiKlion prop/t tm! not always port ofthi' permonent naif, Of file;, fUfl(fions art fu/filltd by ofher ptfSoollfl.
Writer Atsmallerstalionsor in wrporate thescriptsate oftenwrittenby thedirectorOJ producer. hired
onafreelan(fbasis.
Art dirt<tor Inchargeofcreatived(lsign aspectsofshow(setdesign.location,and/or graphics).
Graphi(artist Prep.llescompotergraphks,titles.charts.andelt'{t roni< backgrounds.
Makeupartist Doesthemakeupforall talent. Usually hi redon afreelal'l(e basis.
Costumedesigner DesignsandwmetimeseVf'n construClsvarious(ostumt'Sfordramas,dance numbers. andchildren'sshows.
Uwallyhiredonafreelanceb.uis.
Wardrobeperson Handles allwardrobemdttmduringproduction.
Propertymarwge' Maintainsand manages setandhandproperties. Found inlargeoperationsonly.
OtherWise. propsare managedby thenoormanagE'f.
Sounddesigner (onstrumthecompletesoundtrack(dialogueandsoundeffects)inpmlprodu(tioo.Usuallyhiredonaflef'ldn(e
basisforIdrge produ<tictns.
TECHNICAL PERSONNEl AND CREW
The technical production personnel consistofpeoplewho
nre prilllaril rconcernedwilhoperatingequipment.Tht'y
areusuaUypartofIheCTew. Thetechnicalpersonnd include
cama a operalors, audio and li ghting people, videotape
operators, video editors, and e.G. operators . The term
ftdlll;Ctl IdocsnOIrefer to elect ronic experti se but rather
to operating Ihe equi pment wit h skill and confidence.
Thetrueengineers,Ivhounderstandelectroni csandknow
whereto lookwhensomethinggoeswrongwilhapieceof
equipment ,usuallydonotoperateequipment;rather.they
ensurethatthewholesystemope ratessmoothl y,supervise
ilsinstaJlalion.andmaintainit.Youmayfindthatin larger
professionaloperations,hO'\'ever,thetechnicalproduction
people arc still called engineers, mainl yto satisfythc tra-
ditionaljobclassificationestablishedbythelahorunions.
sn1U te<hni(al
Keepill mind rha tmanyofthe functionsoftechnical
and noot('chn; (; al producti on peopl e ove rlap and even
change,dependingonthesize,localion.and rcl ativecom-
plcxityofthc production. Forexampl e, you may initiall y
haveacted as J producerwhensettingup thevideotaping
ofthesemiannualaddressofa..;arporationpresident ;then,
on the d<l }' oftheproduction,you mayfind yourselfbusy
With such techni cal production matt ers as li ghting and
running theC<lmeril . In larger productions. such as soap
operas,yom jobresponsibil iryismuchmorelimited."'hen
actingasaproducer, youhave nothing\0dowithlighting
orcameraoperation. And,whenworkingthecamera,you
mayhave towail palientl yfor thelightingcrewto finish,
eve n if the production is behind scheduk' and yOli have
nothingelse todoaltheti me.
NEWS PRODUCTION PERSONNEL
Alm[)M .. ][ televi sion broadcast stations produce at least
one daily newscast; in fa.:t. the newscasls are often the
majorproduction activityat these stati ons.Because news
mustbe abl e10 respondquickl y10 a
5ection 16.1
Who t Produclion People Do
16.2 ABOVE-THE-liNE ANO BElOW-THE-liNE PERSONNEL
The division between above-the-line and below-the-line personnel is not always clear-cut.
Generally, above-the-line personnel include Ihe nontechnical personnel. and betow-the--line
personneJ include the te<hnical (production crew and engi neering) per'>Orlnel.
-A' 0 VE: rHE :- ' -'"E
Exewl ivl.' prodll(er
Producer
Associale producer (AP)
Ptoduction (PAl
'EttJrrrHElIMl
Studio supervisor
Te<hni(al director (TO)
Camera operators
Ughling director (1O)
Floor managel
Produ<tion manag!'r
Dire(tor
Associal('director (AD)
Art director
Floor pel)ons
Videooperalor (VOl
Audio technician
(.G. operator
Videotape opefalQt
Sound designer
Talent
Writer
Videotape editOf
Makeup artiSI
Wardrobe people
xenery and property perwnnel
Maintenance engineer
of production lasks, SUdl as covering 11 dO\\' nlOwn fire or happening around the world, or ",.hat the weather is goi ng
a pro lest ill city hall , Ihere is little time 10 pre - 10 be like-you may (eel that Ihe job is not tOO diffi cult nnd
pare for such events. News departments therefore have that you could easily do if Aft er all , mOst of lhem
their o\'ln news prodllctioll persOIl1Iel. These people are are simply reading copy that appears on a teieprQmprer.
dedicated exclusively to the produ(!ion of news, docu- But when you aCluall y in front of the camera, you
mcntarit's, and special and perlorln highl y specific quickl y learn that Ibe job is not as easy as it looks. App<!ar-
functio ns. SEE 16A jng relaxed Oil -camera, <lnd prett'nding that the camera
Of course, as in any other orga ni zation, tel evi sion lens or the teleprompter is a real person to whom you arc
corporate video involve man)' more people than what talking, takes hard work and:l good amount of tal ent and
you see list ed in the fi gures in thi s section, such as clerical stull. This is why we call all people appeari ng regul arl y
personnel ;md the people who answer phones, schedul e on television talent. Although television talent may h,lIle
various events, sell commerdal time, negotiate COntracts, varied communicalion objeCl"ives-some see-k to enlertain,
actuall y build and paint sets, and clean the building. educate, or inform; Ol hers seek to persuade, convince, or
Because these support personnel operale outside the sell-aU strive lo comnmnicate with the television audience
production theif rUJ1Ctions aren' t discussed here . as effectively as possible.
You ca n divide television talent illlo 1\\'0 categories:
performers and ,tet o rs. Thc difference between Ihem is
TELEVISION TALENT
fairl y d ear-CUI. Television performers are engaged basi -
\-""en you look at the peopl e appearing regularly on televi- call y il) no ndramati c acti vities: they play themsel ves and
sion and \,\\\Ung to you- Ielli ng you , ... hat to buy, whal is do not assume roles of ot her cha racters; they sell their
371
372 Chapter 16 PRODUCTION PEOPLE
16.3 TECHNICAl PERSONNEl AND (REW
Theseprop/eOfFaClua!engintfflwhoareresponSibleforthe purcilasl;.insrof/arion.properfU(!(lkming.
andmaintenoft(eofalltechnicalequipment.
Oliffengineer
Assistantchiefenginefl'
Studioorremote
engineerin-c:harge
Maintenanceengineer
In (hargeofaU t{'{hokalpersonnel.budgE'l!>.andequipment.Oesigns includingtransmis-
sionl'l(ilil ies, and illStallalionsandday-Io-dayoperations.
Assistschiefengineerinall!{'{hnkal mattelsaodoperations. Also supervisor:
OveISf'eSall technicaloperations. Usuall y(ailedfIe.
Maintainsall!{'chnicalequipmentand troubleshootsdUli"9productions.
IiDIHlffilllElllllfi rrrH'''CAL HlStHlNll
Afrhoughskilledin/erhnkof ospem,liltfollowinglechnkol peoonneldonofhollt tobe tngineen
bulusually{(}{ISiSlofredmical/ytrainedprodlKfionpropIe.
TedlOical direc:tor(TO)
cameraoperators
Directorofphotography(OP)
liqhtingdirector(lO)
Videooperator(VO)
Audiotechnician
Videotapeoperator
Charactergenerator
(LG.)operator
Vtdtotapeedilor
Oicjitalgraphkartist
Does theswitchingandusuallyacts as technical( rewchief.
Operatethecameras;oftendothelighting:forsimpleshows.When working primarilyinfield
product ions(ENG/EfP), they are sometimes orshooters.
Infilm productions,in chargeoflighting. In EFP. operatesEFPcamera.
Inchargeoflighting;normallyfound mostlyinI.lrge productions.
Adjustscamera foroptimalcamerapictures(shading).Sometimes takesonaddi tional
technicaldUlies.especiallyduringfi eld and remotes.Also(dlledshoder.
Inchatl}t' ofallaudiooperations. Worksaudioconsoleduringtheshow.
Ahocalledaudiotmjinm.
Runstheyideotapemachineandlordisk-basedrecordiR9devices.
Typesand/orIe<allsfrom thecomputerthenamesandothergraphi<materialto be
inteqratedwiththevideo
Operates postproduct ionedilingequipment.Ohenmakl's01 mist1increativl'
editingde<isions.
Rl'ndersdigitalgraphksforon-airuse.Can be nontl'chnical pl'fSonnel.
SeClion 16.I Whor Producrion People Do
16.4 NEWSPROOUmON PERSONNEL
PERSONNEl
Newsdirector
Producer
Assignmtnteditor
Reporter
Videographer
WrlteJ
Videotapeeditor
Anchor
Weathercaster
Trafficreportei'
SportSCi!lster
own personalities to
fUNCTION
In(har91'01 aJl newsoperat ions.
Bearsultimateresponsibilityforall
newS(asts.
Dire<tlyrespon)iblefortheselection
andpia[ememoflhe ina
newscastso Ihalthey forma llnined,
balancedwhole.
Assigns repoHer;and to
spe<ific evemsto be[overed.
G.l1tM-rsIhe,tories.Oftenreportson-
GlmelCl from thefield.
Camcorderoperator.In theabsence
ofareporter, ot'<idesonwhatparI of
tileMnttoCOV('f.Alsocalled
phorogropherorshoo(tr.
Writeson- the-aircopyfor theanellors.
Thecopyis on thereporler's
notes and theavailablevideotape.
fdi15videotapeaccordingto reporter's
notes,writer'sscript,orproducer's
instructions.
Prindpalpresenterofntwmst,
from astudioset.
On-camrratalent, the
wNlher.
On-camera talent,reponingImaltrat-
ncconditions.
On-amelatalent.givingsportsnews
andcommentary.
the audience. Television nerors, on
theotha hand,alwaysportraysomeoneelse:th.- yproject
acharacter'spersonali tyratherthan theirown,even ifthe
ch.Hacler is model ed aft er their own experience. Their
arealways fictional.
Althoughtherearedistinctdifferencesbetweentd ev;
sion. performersand televisionactors, thegroupsdo$hare
severalfunctions.All talenlcommunicatewith theI'iewers
throughthetdevisioncameraandmustkeep in mindthe
nuances of audio, movement, and timing. And all talent
interactwithothertelevisionpersonnel-theproducer,the
director,Ihe floor manager,thecamera operator,and the-
audio technician.
PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUES
The tel evision perfo rme- r speaks direct lyto the camera,
plays host to variousguestS, or communi cateswith or her
performersorIhe srudioaudience; heor she is also full y
awareofthe' presenceo[thetelevisi onaudi enceat home.
This lalleraudience,however, is notthelarge,anonymous,
and heterogeneoustelevis ionaudience thatmodernsoci-
ologi stsstudy.For(hetelevisionperformer,theaudience is
anindividualorasmall,intimategroupwho hasgathered
in front ofa televisionset.
{f youare a performer,tr y imagining youraudience
asafamilyo[ lhree,sealedintheirfa vorite' room,about 10
feet awayfrom you. Wit hthis pict urein mind,you have
noreasonto s.cream at tht' ' mill ionsofviewersOUI there
in videoland";amoresuccessfulapproachistotalkqui etl y
and intimatel yto thefa milywho wcre kindenoughto lei
youinto t heirhome.
\\'henyouassumethe roleofa performer,
thecamerabccomt's youraudi ence. You musradaptyour
performance techniquesto ilscharacteristi cs aod toother
pwduclionaspectssuch asaudioandliming. InIhissec-
tion ( 1) theperfor merand camera,( 2) the
performerandaudio,(3)theperformerandtiming,(4)the
performt'[ and postproduct ion, (5) the fl oor manager's
cues,and (6) prompti ngd"vices.
PE.RFORMER AND CAMERA
Thecarnera isnotsi mplyaninanimat.- pieceofmachinery;
itseeseverythingyoucl oordon'tdo. It seesho' vyoulook,
move,sit,andstand-inshon,ho'''youbehave inavariety
ofsituations.At times il looksatyou much mOTeclosely
andwilhgreaterscrutinythan,\poli tepersonwouldever
dare to do. It reveals the nervous "...itch of your mouth
whenyou are ill at and the ex.pressionofmild panic
\vhen you have forgotlen a name. The camera docs not
lookawaywhen youscratchyournoseorear. It faithfuUy
reflect syourbehaviorinallpleasantandunpleasantdetails.
AsaIdevisionperformer,youmust.::arefuUycontrolyo ur
act ionswithout lett ing the audience know thai you are
consciousofdoing
Cameralens Hec3usethecamerarepresentsrouraudi-
ence,youmustlookdirectlyintolhelens(ortheprompting
373
374 Chapter 16
device in front of it) whenewr you iJ1lend to establish eye
cont;!cl wjlll th e viewer. As a matter of fact, you should
t ry to look rhrough the kn,.;, ralh('r than at i\, and k\' l'P
e)'e oonuct much more than you wo uld with aClLlaJ
person. If you merel y look J. t (he lem imtt'ad of looking
through it , or i f you prelend that the camnil operator is
your audience :lnd therefore glance away from t he ]cnsever
so slightly, you brea k Ihe cOll tinuil}, and intensity of the
communication bell,'eeo you and the viewer; you break,
howeve r temporarily, telel' ision's Illogic,
Camera swit<hing If 11'.'0 or more cameras are used,
you must kno ....' which one is on the air so lhal you ca n
remain in direct contact wi lh lhe ,..udience. When
tor switches cameras, you must foltow the floor managt r'S
CUe (or the change of tally lights) quickJy but smoothl),.
Do /l or jerk your head from one Camera to the other. If
)'ou sudd('nly discover that you haw been talking to the
wrong one, look dOI"11 as if to coll ect your thoughts and
then casually look up and glance into the "hot" camera.
Continue talking in lhal dire<:lion until you areagain cued
to the other carner.!. This method works especiall y l.,r{' n
i f yo u work from notes or a scri pt, in a newscast or an
intervi ew. You can always pretend to be looking at your
notes when, in reality, you are changing your view (rOIll
the wrong to the fight 0111.'.
If the directOr has onecamet a 0 11 you in a medium sllol
(MS) and the oLher ca mera in a c1o,;c-up (CU) of the object
you are demoJlSt.rat ing, as the guest's book during an
i nterviel.,r, it is best to keep looking il t t he medium-shot
camerJ during t he whole demonstration, evl.'O when the
director slvit ches 10 the close-up camerJ . Vou wi ll not be
caught looking t he wrong way because onl y the medium-
shot camera is foc used on you. SU u .s You will also li nd
lhat it is easier to read t he copy off a single teleprompter,
rat her tlun swit ch frOIll one 10 another in lIIidsenlence.
Close-up techniques The tighter the shot, the harder
it is fo r the camcra to follow movement . If a camera is on a
close- up, you must restrict your motions severely and move
with grea! cart'. During a song, for example, the dire<lOr
may '''flllt to shoot very d osely to int ensify an e:. p iall y
emotional passage. Try to Sland as st ill as possible; do not
wiggle your head. The close-up itself is intensificati on
enough. All you have to do is si ng l.,rel!.
When demonstrating small ohjeus on a cl ose- up,
hold them steady. If Ihe)' are arranged on a table, do nor
pick them up. You Cil Il either poin t 10 them or ti lt them
a lillie to givt' the camera a bell er vie,,,. There is nOlhing
mOTe frustrali ng to the camera operat or and the di reCl or
PRODUCT/ON PEOPLE

Medlumshot of Imt
(pPfiormPf c(llTItfaj
Owup
of"""
16.5 PERFORMER CAMERA
When one Cdmer,l :C(lme'(I 1) is on a dose-up or the pwduct
fthe book), ,md 11- <' other (cilm('fil 2) i s on d medium shot of the
host. the host (onlinue looking into cameril 2 duri ng

than J performer who sna tches tJl e product off the table
just when the a good close- up of it. A qui ck
look at Ihe studio monit or usuaJl y tell s roo how to hold the
object for maxi mum visibilit y onscreell. If 1>\'0 camera)
art' used. "chea t" (orient ) t he object somewhat toward th(>
close-up ..:amtra, but do nor turn it so mil ch that it looks
unnaturall y distorted on the C.1TltC't.l.
Warning cues In most shows-lectures,
demoll strations, inl<?n ' iews. and the like- there is gen-
c:rally nOI enough t ime to wor k out a detail ed blocking
scheme. The director usuall y just l.,ra lks the
rhrougll some of the most imporlant crOSSover) from one
pe rformance area to the other and through a few major
ac tio ns, such 3$ complicated demonstrations. During the
Oil-the-air performa nce, you as <l performer must theretore
give the director and the studio crew visual and audible
warnings of your UJlrehearsoo act ions. Before you stand
up, lo r instance, hrst shift your weight and posilion you r
JTms and legs; thi s signals the camera ope r410r as well as
thl' microphone boom ope rator to prepare for your move.
If you pop up une.xpectedly, the camera may stay in one
posit ion, focusing on mi ddle part o(your body, whi ch
won't make for thl:: most interesting shot to say the least.
I( )'OU int end to move from olle sct area to anot her,
you rna)' lise ,mdio cues. For inslance, you can warn Ihe
Section /6 . 1 What Pr oduct i on People Do
product ion crew by saying: "Let's go over to the childrt:1l
and ask them ... " or "If you wi ll follow mc o,'cr to lhe
lab area, you can sec .. " Such sound natllral to thc
vi ewer. who isg('nerally unaware of the fast reacti ons tllt'se
.'K'e!llingly innocuous remarks act,l<ll!y tri gger. You must
be specific when you cue unrehearsed vhual material. For
example, you can aJerl the director to the upcoming visuals
by saying: first piCture shows . .. " This cueing devi ce
should not be used too often . however. If you can ale nthe
director more subtly yet equall y directly. do so.
Do not try to convey the obvious. The director, not
the talent. runs Ihe s/1o'". Don' t tell the director 10 bring
the camer<l S a little dose r to get a belter view of a small
object, especiaUy if the director has already oblair'led a good
d ose-up through a zoom-in. Also, avoid walking toward
lhe camera to an objec!. You may walk so
close to the camera tllat it has to till up into the lights to
keep your face in thC' shot or w dose thaI the lOom lens
cao 110 focus. TIl(:" zoom lens allows the cam<2ra to
ge t to yOll much faster than you can get 10 the camera,
PERFORMER AND AUDIO
As a television performer, besides looking nalural and
relaxed, }'ou must speak dearl y and effectively; it rardy
comes natu rally. Don' t be misled inlo believing that a reso
nanl voke and affected prommciation are the two prime
req uisites for a good announcer or other performer. On
Ihe cOlH rary: firs!. yO ll need 10 have somet hing important
to saYi second, you need 10 say it wi th conviction and
si nceri ty; t hird, you must speak dearly so thai everyone
can understand you. Thorough training in tel evision an
nounci ng is an important prerequisite for any performer.
Most novices speak much loa fast, as though Ihey wanted
to through the oncamera torture as quickly as possible.
Don' t speed lip when yo u come to the end of a sentence or
paragraph. Take a deep breat h and :; Iow down. You wiJl be
amazed how much more relaxed you will be.
Microphone technique The follm"ing summari zes rhe
main poi1l1s about handling microphones and assistinglhe
audio technician. ( Set chapter 9 for an in-deplh disCllssion
o( the basic microphone lechniqut: s.)
Mos! often you will work with a lavaliere mi crophone.
Once it is properl y fastened, you do not have to worr y
about it, especiall y if you afe relati vel y stationar y during
lhe performance. If you have lD move from one sel area
to anol her on-camera, watch that the mic cord does not
get tangled up With the St"1or props. Gently puU the cable
behi nd you to keep [he off the mic itself. A wireless
lav.lli ere will enabl e you 10 rno"e wit hin the- performance
area withoutllaving to worry about a C<lble.
When using a hand mic, check that you have e-uough
cabl e for your planned Spuk ..cross it , not into i l.
If you are interviewing wmeone in noisy surroundings,
such as a downtown street , hold Ihe microphone dose to
your mOuth when you are !alki ng, then poi nt it towa rd the
person as he or she responds to your questi ons.
When working with a boom mic (induding a hand
held shotgun or one that i:t. mounted on a fi shpole), be
aware of the boom movemenls witllOullell ing the audi ence
know. Give the boom operator enough warning so that he
or she cal] il ntidpate your movements. Move slo\"I)' so that
the boom can foUow. In pan icular, do not make fast turns
beUl use they involve a great amount of boom movement.
H you have to turn fas!, tr y nOt to speak until rhe boom
has repositioned.
0 0 not move a desk mic Ollce it has been placed by
the audio technician. Even if the microphone is palmi ng
a\"ay from you toward another performer, it Wil S probabl y
done purposely to achi eve beller aud io balance.
til all caseS, treat microphones gently. Mics ilre nflt
intended 10 be hand props, to be tossed about or twirli
by thei r cords like;\ even if you SItch mi suse oc-
casionall), in an especially energetic rock performa nce.
Audio level A good audio technician ..... i\J ask you lo r an
.. udio level before you go on Ihe air. Ma ny performcrs h;tve
the bad habit of rapidly counting [0 ten or Olllmbllngand
speaKing softl y while the level is being !abm, rhen, when
they g.o on the air, blasting their opening remarks. If a
level is taken, speak as loudly as )'Ou will in yo ur opening
remarks and as long as required for thl' audi o technician
to adj ust the volume to an opt imal level.
Opening cu. At the beginni ng of a show, all micro-
phones are dead ulltil the director gives the cue for audio.
You must therefore wait until you receive the opening cue
from the fl oor manager or th rough the I. f .B. (intermptlble
fi,ktlfflck, or feedback) system. If you spe<IK beforehand, you
will nOt be heard. Do not take your op(> nill g cue from the
red tally li ghts on the ca meras unless rou MeSO instructed.
When waiting for the opening cue, look into the camera
that is coming up on you and not at the floor manager.
PERFORMER AND TIMING
Li ve and li ve-ontape tel evision operate on split-second
timing. Although it is ultimately the director's responsibil
375
376 Chaprer 16
it)' 10 gel lht, show on and off Ihe dir on time, you as the
pe rformer have a great deal to do with successful liming.
Aside from careful pacing throughout the show. you
mus' learn how much program material you C3n cowr after
you have received a 3-min utl::, a 2-rninute, a I- minute, a
30-second, and a IS-second cue. You mUSt, for example,
st ll! look comfortable and relaxed although YO ll may have
locrallia 101of program material in10 Ihe las\ ,"inule while
althe same time listen 10 the director'sorproducer's I. EB.
On the other hand. you must be prepared to fill an extra
thirt y seconds without appearing to grasp for words and
things to do. This presence of mind, of course, is achieved
through practical experience and cannOI be learned solely
from 3 tex tbook.
PERFORMER AND POSTPRODUCTION
"'(hen you work on a brief commercial or announcement
that present s a continuous event but that is shot fi lm-style
over a period of severa] days or eve n weeks for postproduc-
tion, you must look the sa me in al l the videott1l'ill gsessions.
Obviously, you must wea r the same clothes. You must
al.so wea r the same jt!:wel ry, scarf, and tie from 011t' taping
session to next. You c,",nnot have your coat buttoned
one and unbultoned the next. Makeup and hairstyle
too must be identical for all sessions. Have di git al photos
taken of yourself from the (rant, sides, and back imnll'di -
3tely after the fi rst taping for an easy and readil y
dvaibble rderena'.
Most impol1ant, you UlI,st mai ntain the s;une level of
energy throughout the taping sess ions. For example, you
cannot end one session full of energy and then be low-
key the next day when the videotaping resumes, especiall y
whtn the edi ted version does not suggest any passage of
timeberwecn On repeat taker., tr y to maintain ident i
cal energy levels.
FLOOR MANAGER'S CUES
UJ1\ess you art wnnecled with the producer and t he direc-
tor via 1.F.B., it is the fl oor manager who provides the link
between the director and )' OU, the performer. The floor
manager ca n teU you whether your del ivery is tOO slow or
too how much time you have left , and whether you
are speak.ing loudly enough or holding an object correctly
fo r a close- up shot.
Al though various stati ons and producti on houses
use slightly different cueing signab and procedures, they
normally consist of time cues, directi onal cues, and audio
cues . If you 3re working with an unfamili ar production
PRODUCTION PEOPLE
crew, ask the floor manager to revi('I,' the cll es before you
go on the ai r. SEE 16.6
React to each clle immediately, even jf )'Ou think it is
not appropriate at that particular time, The director \vould
nOl give 1he cut' if it were not rH'c(>sS<l ry. ;\ truly professional
performer is not one \.,.ho ncver needs cues but rather one
who can react to all sign<115quickly and smoothl y.
Do not look nervously for the floor manager if you
thl-Ilk you should han' received 3. cue; hI.' or she will fi nd you
and draw your att enti on to Ihe signal. \""he n you receive a
cuc, do not acknowl edge it in any way; Ihe floor manager
will know whether you noticed it.
Yo u wi ll find (hat receiving and reac ting to I.EB.
illformati on during a performance is no ea.sy task. We
all knOl" how difficult it can be to continue a Icll"J'hone
conv('rsation when someone dose b}' is trying to tell us
what else to communica te to the other paTty. But \'I"h o:- n
repo rting news in the studio or in the fi eld, such sim ul -
taneous communica tion is common. You must learn 10
li stt'n ca re full y to the I. Ell. inSlruct ions of the direct or or
producer withoutlwing the audi ence kno\" that you art'
listening 10 someone else while talki ng to them. Do not
int errupt your communication with thl' audience when
gelli ng LF.B. even if the t ransmission is less
t han pe rfect. Jf duri ng a Jive remote you can' t understand
what is being s;lid on the [.EB. chilnncl, however, you may
have to Stop you r narration to lell the audience that you 3re
gelling some illl pOrl3nt inform3ti on (mm }'om director.
Li sten carefull y to the l. F. B. inst ruct ions, then go on IVith
what }'Oll I\'ere s;'yi ng. TTl' not to adjust your earpiece while
on the air. If at all possible, wait untilt hl' ca mera cuts away
from yo u to do an adjustment.
PROMPTING DEVICES
I)rompting devices have become an e:;sential production
1001, especially for news or speeches. The iludience has
come to expect the newscaster to t;:tlk di rectly to them
(Jlhef than read the news from a 5cript, <lhhough we all
knol" Ihal the newscaster ca nnot possi bl y remember the
ent ire neW5 COP)'. We speakers to ddiver copious and
compli cated inform;'1tion without having to think about
what to say next. Prompting devices are also helpful to
performers who fear they may suddenly for get their li ne,<;
or who have no time to memorize a scri pt.
Prompting devices must be totally reliable, and the
pedormer mllst be able to read the copy without appearing
10 lost> eye COlllact willt the viewer. Two devices havt: proved
successful: cue cards and the te]t>prompter.
,j
Section 16.1 What Production People Do 377
, 6.6 FlOOR MANAGER'S CUES
TheOoor managerusesasetofst<lndard hand signal5torelay thedirectOl"'Scommandstotheon-the-airtalent.
CUE SI(jNAL MEANING DESCRIPTIOtl
TIME CUES
Standby Showaoout10start. Extendshandabove head.
,I 1:-
", . ,
'-
t ,. '
" t.:L; _
"
Show on theail. Pointstoperformerorlive(amt'ra. Cue
Go as planned nose withforefingt'r.
(onthenow).
Ontiml!
Speed up Acceleratl!whatyouaredoing. Rotateshanddockwise with
You all!going100slowly. forefinger.Urgencyofspeed-upis
indi<atedbyfastOfslowrotation.
Slrl!ttll Slow down.Too muchtimeleft.. imaginaryrubberband
Fill until isover. betweenhands.
ri

JI . i,f/I>""i"
378 16 PRODUCTION PEOPLE
16.6 FLOOR MANAGER'S CUES ({ontinued)
Windup
('I
5(', J, 2, II
minlltt{sl
HaH,,"nUfe
15 sttonds
RMI! up what you are doing.

SlOP spee<h or action
immediately.
5 (4, 3. 2. 1) minule(s)left until
end of show.
30 seconds left in show.
15 seconds Il'ft
Similell motion to but usually
willi arm nlffidedabo! llead.
Somelimes expressed wilh r.liSt(! fi st,
good-bye wave, or hands roiling over
each other as if wrapping apackage.
Pulls index finger in knifl'like motion
across throat.
HokIsup Ii(! (roof,thln, two,one)
finger(s) or small {aId with numbtrOfl il.
Forms a(rosswilh two index lingers or
arms. Or holds(ard with numbel.
Shows fist (which (an also mean
wind up). Or holds card with number.
VTR is lolling. Tape is Holds extended left hand in front of
counrdownJ

(omil19 up. fare,l'I'I<l'R5 right haod in cr.wing
molion. Extends two. one finger(s);
den<hes fist or gim cut
2. 1. tab VTR
Secrion 16.1
16.6 FLOOR MANAGER' S CUES ((ontinued)
CUE SIGNAL
DllrCTIONAI CUES
Closer
Back
Walk
Stop
OK
What Production People Do
MEANING SIGNAL DESCRIPTION
J>e rformer must (omecloser or Moves both hands toward stll,
bring object doser tocamela. p;tlms in.
Performer must step backor UstS both hands in pushing motion,
ITJOVf! ob;(!(t away from<amt'fa. pill ms out
PerfOfmt'f must move to next Makes awalking motion with index ilnd
performance area. mi ddl efingersin di recti Ofl of movement.
Stop rigllt here.00 not Extends both hands in front of body,
move any more. palms out.
Very well done. Stay right there.
Forms an Owilh thumb and fl}refin qer,
00 what you ale doing.
olherfingel} extended, ml}lioninq
toward talent.
I
379
380 Chop ter 16
PRODUCTION PEOPLE
16.6 FLOOR MANAGER'S CUES (continued)
Speak up
Performer is talkifl9100 !.Oftly for
preSl'nl conditions.
( ups both hands be hind ea rs or meves
hand upward, palm up.
Tone down
!>fIfo/mer is 100 loud or too Moves both hands toward studio f1oo/,
enthusiastic for the occasion. pal ms down. or putsextendf.'d forefi nger
aver mouth in shhh-like mOlion.
ClOS(!r to mic
is too far awayfrom Moves hand towardfact'.
mi( for good audio pickup.
Keep ta1kil19 Keep on talking until further cues. Exlends thumb and forefinger I\oriZOfl-
ta liy, moving them like a bird's beak.
Cue cards Used for rel3tivdy short pieces of copy,
there are many Iypt's of cue (a rds, dud (he choke depends
large!yon whar the performer is used to and what he or
she prefers. Usuall y, they are fairly large posterboards on
which the copy hand -Ietlerl!d \V' ith a fel t-ti pped marker.
The size of the cards and thl! ieHer ilig depends on how
well the performer can see :lnd how fa r away [he Cilmera
is. h (m t he handli ng of cu('ca rds is easier said than done.
A good fl oo r person ho lds Ihe cards as dose to the lens as
possible, the ha llds do not cover any of the copy, and he or
she foll(lws the performer's lines so t hat the changes frOIll
one card to t he nexl are smooth. SEE 16.7
a peri"ormer you must learn to read by peripheral
vision SO that you will not l'ye contact with t he lens.
Get together with Ihe fl oor person handl ing the cards to
do uble-check their corn' (! order. If the floo r person forgets
to change the card at the appropr)"t!.' 11l0ment , snap ),OUT
fingers to at tract his or her attention; in an emergtnc), you
Sec / ion 16. 1 Whal Produc tion People Do
16.7 HANDLING CUE CARDS
AThis is Ihl:' wrong 10 hold cue card: the card is 100 far
away from the lens.. and the nands COYer pan of the copy. The
noor pl:'rSOfl cannOi see Ihl:' copy and does not know when to
the card_
may have to ad -li b until the system is functioning again.
You should study the to pi c long before the show beg.ins,
enabling you to ad-li b s.ensibl y at least fOT a short lime.
1 your performance is shot for postproduction, ask the
dire<.lor w stOp the tape so that the ca rds can be put in the
correc t order.
Studio teleprompter The most effe-..: tivt: prompting
device is the teleprompter, or (llitO Crre, .."hich uses a small
monitor or Aat-panel vi deo display upon which the copy
scrolls. The moni lOr screen is {hen rt'fl.ectt'd onto a
angled over the camera len:>. You can fead the copy, whi ch
now appears in rront of the lens but which remains invis-
ible 10 the camerd. This way yoo do not have to gl ance lO
the side but can ma inta in eye contact wi th the viewer at
all times. SEE 1U
Mos! often !hecopy is !wed into a compoter that acts
as a combinilcion word processor and character generalOr.
Itcan prod uce the text in several ront sizes and scroll (often
referred 10 as crawl) the copy up and dO\"n the screen at
various The copy is then sell ! to the teleprompter
monitor moui1t('d on the ca mera. AJI cameras used in the
prod\lCti on display the same copy.
[n newscasts the anchorpe rson sho ul d have the It xC
as it appears on the tel eprompt er also pr inted out as hard
copy. This script serves as backup in case !h(' prompting
device fails. Such copy also gi .. the anchor a reason
to gl ance down to indicate a transition, to change
BThis is the correct way to hold a cue card: Ihe fl oor person
does not covet the copy. holds the (,nd close to the and
reads with the tal ent.
Glm (rommooitor
\
f\<wlIlrmonilOfdisplayill9 (Cp)'
I
16.8 TElEPROMPTER DISPLAY OF COpy
The moni to! or full panel refleCll, the copy 0010 (I
pia Ie directly over the lens. The letl ering rema ins invisible to
the camera. but the talent cao read the copy while keeping eye
contact wilh the audience.
381
LCD monilOr
1m
382 Ch apter 16
PRODUCTION PEOPLE
"
16.9 FIELD PROMPTER
A lightweight prompter wl1h
a video display Can
Prompter hood and
be mounted on any type of
mirror
field C3mera. Like a
prompter, it proiKu the IeX'!
directly over the lens.
cameras, or It) )el? during a commercial break wh<lt is com-
ing up next.
When using a teleprompter, the distance be"veen you
and the camera is no longer arbitrary. The camera must be
close enough (or you to read t he copy without squinti ng
but not so dose that the home viewer can see you r eyes
moving bilck and forth. If the minimum camera distance
is too far to see thc teleprompter copy comfortabl y, have
the font size made bigger.
Etnh.. Field prompter Have you ever wondered how
Ef.JJ"'" some corrcs!'ondent s can stand on a busy city street
and report a well-written story without ever stumbling or
searching for "'ords? Although some certainl y have thai
skill, others use some kind of prompting device. If the
copy is brief, handheld cue cards or c\'Cn some notes will
do. Longer copy calls for a field prompter.
There are several models of field prompters, incl ud-
ing a miniarure \lersion of the studio teleprompter. The
flat-panel video displays are so lightweight that they can
be attached to a tripod. Most high-end fi dd prompters
can be hooked up to a laptop computer with prompti ng
software. SEE 1IU You can adjust the size of the font ;lOci
scroll the copy at speeds. Low-end prompters use
a paper roll mount ed immt'diateiy below or to one side o f
urn,,,
Pfompttl
moontingp\.!te
Prompter
born,"
the lens. A small electric mOlor roUs the hand-lettered copy
from the bottom to the top. In more-elaborate model s, the
copy is back-lighted and projeCl ed onW J. piece of d ear
plastic mounted in (rant of the lens, similar 10 a studio
teleprompter.
Similar unit s .:::a n be used independent of the ca mera
and held by a floor person or mounted on a tripod directl y
above or below the camera lens. Regardless of the <1uality
of the teleprompter, you should always be fa mil iar enough
with the subject matter to be able to talk about it intel -
li gently if the promptmg device f." ils.
ACTING TECHNIQUES
In to the television performer, the television actor
assumes someone else's character and personalit y. (In this
disclIs"ion the terlll I1C/Qr refers to both male and female
talell1 .) To become a good television actor, r ilU obviously
mus t first master the art o( acling, a SUbjl'Ct beyond the
scope of Ihis chapter. This di scussion focuses on how to
adapt your act ing to the peculiarities of thl: television me-
dium. Many excelle nt actors collside r television the most
difficult medium in whi ch to work. They must function
effecti vely within an envi ronment crowded with confus-
ing and impersonal technical gear, and they often get
Section 16.1
What Production People Do
atlenrion from the director than do the camera opentor
.md t he sound lechnician.
AUD.lENCE
The biggest diHe- rence betwet' n stage aCI ing and screen act-
ing iSlhat you are not playing for a slati ona ry live audience
but for a com-Iantl y moving .::a mera Ihat never bli nks or
fttdback on }'Our performance. Worst:, your perfor-
manet" is chopped up into short takes that rarely, if ev('f,
aI/ow you 10 \vork up 10 a memorable ped orman..:e pitch.
Each o f the hu1e performance segments II1 mL be on the
tn:lrk. In most the Camera moves around you, looking
at you al close fange and from a di stance as \,,(' 11 as [rom
above and below. It may look at your eyes, yOUT feet, your
hands, your back- whatever the director se lects for lhe
audience 10 see. A.nd at a" times yOu InllM look completel y
convincing and natuTa]i the character you afe I'Ortraying
must appear on-sc reen as a believable hu man bei ng. Keep
in mind that you playin g La .I vin uaJ audi ence that is
almost always righl next to you, looking at you
from \ ... ry close up and from all angles. You need nOI (and
should not ) project your mOlillns and emotiom you
would when acting on-stage. The televisioll camera does
the projecting- Ihc communicating- for you. Be a\""dTe'
of the camera or cameras, but don' t evtT
thei r pre5(' oce.
Of }'OUf role, asoppo)Cd to exlernali z3-
ti on, is a key faCl or in your performance. You must attempt
to become;)s much as possible the ve rson you are portray-
ing, rather [han aCl out Ihe chataCfer. Beca use of the dose
scr utiny of the' ca mera and the intimacy of the close-up,
your reacti ons become as im port ant .I S your act iOns. You
ca n often communicat e redi ngs morc T!!adiJy by reacting
10 a situati on t hdll by cOIHribulins 10 il through action.
BLOCKING
You must be meti cul ous in foll owi ng rehearsed block+
iog-where you should muve and \"l1at you should do
In relation to the 5(' t, the olnu actors, and Ill e television
t>quipmenl. Somcl'imt's inches are signifi can t, especiall y if
t he show is shot primarily in close-ups. Precise television
l ighting and the limi ted microphone radius when booms
arc used also force to adhere sirict ly 10 the established
bl ocking.
Once the show is on the dir. you have ;In Obligation 10
follow the rehearsed action. This is not tht' time to innovatC'
just because you have a sudd('11 inspinll ion. If the di rector
hdS not bet n warned of you r change. t he ne\>.' blocki ng will
al ways be \"orse than {he previously rehearsed one. The
camera has a limiled fi eld of viny; if you wa nt to be sten,
you mUSI Slay '>'>' ilhin it.
So medireCl ors have the floor manager mark the e.,X3C1
spots for you to stand or the pat hs of movement. This is
called jpikillg you r posil ion. Look for thest" tape or chal k
marks and follow them without being too obvious. 1f such
sVike' marks are not used, :I blocking mnp by re-
membering where you sland for spc<:incshols in relation to
the set and the props. For examplc, for you r scene wi th IIl e
office ma nage r )'011 stand to the Idl o( the fil e cabinet; (or
the scene in the doctor's office. )'OU walk counterclockwise
the desk and SlOp at the ca maa-rignt (Orne r of
the desk.
In 0\'i' r-{he-shou1der and cross-shots, ),ollllccd to see
the camera lens if you are 10 be Seen by the camera. If you
ca nnot SE"t' the lens, the camera cannot SCE' you. Even the
lightillg instrument s can help you with blocking. For ex-
ample, 10 be sure you' re in the liglu wheu coming lhrough a
door, move forward unci! )'ou feel the w:lrmlh of the lights
(In your forehead.
Somelimes the direclOf will posit ion you in a way
llliI t seems entirely wrong to you, espedall )' in relat ion to
the other acto rs. Don', try to corren thi s on YOUT own by
arbitraril y movi ng ,I\"ay from the designaled spot. Acertain
c.lInera angl e and WOOl -lens position rna)' very well war-
rant unusual blocking to achieve a certain effect. Do not
second-guess the dire<: to(.
..Vhen you are handling props, ( amt Ta is often on
a dose-up. This means that you mUSt remember alllht
rehearsed act ions and execut' lhem in e:o:act ly the same \"ay
and wi th the Sdmc speed as they were initi all y rehearsed.
Don'l appear nervous wh( n using props (unless Ihe di rec-
tor c<l ll s (or it ), but handle them rout inel y as extensions of
yo ur gestures. The way you handle props, such as t,lking
orr your glasses, d eaning them, pUlling them on again,
can often sharpen your chara({er.
MEMORIZING LINES
As a tel evision actor, you mUSl be abl e to learn your lines
quiill y and ac.curalel y. If, as is the ca!'.e hI soap operas,
you have onl y one ("vening 10 learn a great amounl o(lines
for th( ne.xt day, you must indeed be a quick 5tudy. Yo u
cannot ad-lib during sll ch performall ces si mpl y beca use
you have playe-d the role for so long. Mosl of your lilies
:'Ire important oot only (rom a dramati.:: point of view
but al so because the)' serve video and audio cues fOf
the whole production Your lasl line of 3 is
often a trigge r (or several key actions in the control room:
to switch 10 3110lher camera. 10 roll a videotape inserl,
or to call up a special effecl.
383
384 Chapter /6
For a singl e-camera EFP or fi lm-st yle stud io produc-
tion, each shot is set up and recorded separatdy. Such
a prod uction approach often gi ves you a chance to read
m"er yOUT lines (or each lake. Although this approach m:l y
make it easier to remember Jines, it is harder to majntain
conl inuiry of action and emotion. Good television actors
do not rely on prompt ing devices; after aU, you shoul d live,
not read, your role' . Nevenheless, rna.ny good aCla rs like
to have all their lines backed up by cue cards, just in case.
Most of the time, they never look at them. But even if the
cue cards function onl y JS a safety net, their contribution
to a good performance more than justi nes their use.
TIMING
(ike the te!evisioll per(ormu. as an aClor you mlls t have an
acut e sense of timing. Ti ming matt ers for pacing your per-
formanC{', for building 10 a cli max, for delivering a punch
line, and (or staying wi thin a tightl y prescribed d ock lime.
Even if a play is videotaped scene-by-scene, you still need 10
obserw' carefull y the sti pulat ed running times for each take.
You may have to stretch a scene withoui making it appE'3. r to
drag, or you may need to gain ten seconds by speeding up
a scene without destroyi ng its solemn charao er. You must
he fl('xible without stepping out of charac ter.
Ahva)"s respond immediatel y to the fl oor manager's
cues. Do not stop in the middle of <I scene simply bl'cause
you disagree 'I' it h a specifi c cue; you' re not pri ,'Y to all the
goings-on in the control roo m. PI.!y the scene to the md
and t hen speak up. Minor timing errors can often be cor-
rected in postproduction.
ACTOR AND PO.STPRODUCTlON
As you know, mos t tel evision plays are videot aped piece-
meal. which means that you are nOl able 10 perform a play
from begi nning to end as in a theater production. You
('anna t be upbeal during the fi rst pari of the vi deotaping
and theil, a week la ter when the scene is continued, proj ect
a IOI\' -energy mood. Oneil scenes are shot out of sequence
for product ion effici ency and, ulti ma tel y, to 5ave money,
so it is not possible to have a cont inuous and logi ca! de-
velopment of emotions, as is the case i..n a cont inuous li ve
or live-on-fape picku p. Scenes are inevitably repeated to
make them better or 10 achieve Vdri OUS fields o( view and
camcra angles. This means that, as an aCl or, you CannOI
PRODUCTION PEOPLE
psych yoursel f up (or a single show-stopping performa nce.
Rather. you need to maintain your energr and mot ivation
for each tlt ke . Tel evision unfaili ngly detects subtl e nuances
and levels of ent'rgy and t he accompanying acting continu-
il y---or lack thereof.
One of the mOSt importanl qualities \0 \ ...ateh for when
continuing a scene that was started some days befo re is
Ihe tempo of your performance. II you moved slowly in
the first pa rt o( the scene, do not [ace through the second
pa rt unless the director Ivant s such It change. It usuall y
hel ps to watch a videotape of yo ur previous perfo rmance
so t hat you can continue the scene with the same enCfgy
level and tempo.
DIRECTOR/ ACTOR RELATIONSHIP
As a tel evision 3c tor, you cannot afford to be tcmperamen-
lal; too many people have to be coordinated by the direc-
tor. Although you as an actor are an ext remely si gnifica nt
elemenl in Ihe rroduC[ ion, ot her production people are
too-the camera operators, the TO, the audi o technici an,
and the LD. to name but a few.
Even jf you have no intenti on of becoming a television
aCtor, }'Ou should m k ~ an effort to learn as much about
acting as possible. An able actor is generall )' an effecti ve
tel evision performer; a tel evision dirf{lor ''li th trai ning in
acting ~ generall y better equipped to deal wit h talent tha n
one who has no knol\' ledge of the art.
AUDITIONS
All auditions are equally import ant, whNhcr )'OU 3re cry-
ing out for a one-line off-camera utterance or a principa l
rol e in a dramatic seri es. 'vVhenevt: r you audit ion give your
besf. You can prep:l re l'o ursdf even if you don', know
beforehal1d wha t you will be reading. Wear somethi ng
appropriate IhM looks good on-camera and be properly
groomed. Keep your energy up even i( you have to wait half
a d:ly before yOll are called to deliver your line.
When you get lhe script beforehand, st udy it carefully.
For example, if you are doing d commercial for a soft dri nk,
become as fa mili.n as possi ble with the product, the com-
pany that makes it, .Iud the advertising agencr producill8
the commercial. Knowing about t he product gives you a
c('nil in confidence IhM inevitabl y shows up in your del iv-
Section 16. 1 What Praducr ion Peopl e 00
ery.Listen totheimtru..: t40nsgiventoyoubefore
and during the audition. Remembe r t hat television an
intimatl': mc' dium.
\vhen instructed to demonstratea product, pract ice
lkforeyouareo n-cameratomakesure)'oU knowhow,for
example,10 Open easy-to-openpackage.Askthefloor
crewtohel p}'OU prepareaproductfo reasyhl'lndli ng.Also
findo uthowdoS<.' themajori tyofshol swillbeso thatyou
a m keepyo urdctionswithincamera range.
As an actor be sure to understand thoroughly th e
characteryouareto port ray. Ir thescriptdoesnottell you
much aboutthecharacter,ask thedirecto rorproducer\0
howheorsheperceives il. You shouldbedbl e \0
sense the spedficsoft he chilTaCl er('veil wh('n given o nl y
minimalcu('s. Decideo n abehaviorpatternand(0110\'1 it,
evenif yourint erpretationmayIx> sonte\,11atoffbase. [f the
directorsperceptions runcounterto yourinterpretation.
donotargue. Mostimportant.donotaskthecastingdirec-
tortoprovideyouI ... iththe"propermo t)vation"asyoumay
havelearnedinacti ngschool. At thispoint it isassumed
char you c:ln analyze the scriptand mo ti vate yourselffo r
thereading. Reali zethatyou are- audit ioned primaril yon
howweU andhowquicklyyouper..:t:ive thescript 's image
andhowcloseyoucat1 cometoitill speech
andsometl mes,I[SOinactions.
Rea eative withoutoverdoingil .\,\' henaudilionswere
held for t he male lead In a Ielevisio n pl"yabout a lonely
woman and a rather crudeand unscrupulo us man who
wantedtotakeadvantageofher,oneoft heactorsdddeda
littleofhis o\\'n illlcrpretationofthech;uacterthateven-
tuallygot him t he part. Wllile readi ng an intimate scell e
in whichhewassupposedto persuadethell'adingladyto
makelovetohim,hemanicuredhisflllgcrnaiiswithsligh tl y
rust yfingernail cl ippers. Infaa,thisaggravatingfi ngernail
dippingwaslaterwrirren intothescene.
Finall y, wht o :l lldilio ning- 3) \"hen partici pati ng
in athleti cs or ...ny competitive activity- be aware, bllt
notafraid, ofthecompetition. Innat e ,\cting taknt is not
always tht decidi ng factor in casting a part. SOlll etimes
thedi rector may havea particular image in mind ofth"
physicalappearanccandIhebehavi o ro ftheactor-heavy
and awkward,lig.htandagile,o rlea nandmuscular- that
o\'crridesactingskill. a actorwho
ca n guaranteea large audi ence maywi n out. As an act or
youneedto bE' preparedto take it repeatedlyonthe chin.
M.; _
Nont e<:hnical production personnelareconcernedprimar-
ilywith thenontechnicalproductiont'lements,suchas
scrlptwritingand dire<:ting.Theyare normally as
above-the-line personnel.
Te<hmcalprOductIonpersonnelareprimarllyconceroed
wit htheoperationandthemaintenanceoftheequipment.
Theyare normallyamongthebelow-the-lint' personnel.
Newsproductionpersonnelareassignedexclusi...elytothe
prodllctiono(news, documentaries, ilndspecialevents.
RegardlessofthespedficJob(unctionsofthetechnicalMId
IlOntechnicalpersonnel,theyall have tointeractasate3m.
Televislootalent toanpersonswhoperformregulMly
infrontofthecamera.Theyar l:' claSSified intotwolarge
groups:performersandactors.
Television performers are basicallyengagedIn nondra-
matic shows.such as newscasts,interviews,andg<lme
shows.Theyportray themselves. actorsportf3y
someoneelse.
ThetelevisionperformermustddaplhisOf
to thechdract ell SllCS ofthecameraandtheotherproduc
tion element>.inctudlngaudio,timi ng. postproduction,the
floor manager"Scues.andpromptingdevices.
Becausethecameralensrepresentstheaudience,perform
ers lookt/1f0l.J9hthelenstoestablishandmaintain
eyecontactwithIheviewer.Ifcamerasareswitched.
performersmust theirgazetoIhehotcamera
smoothlyandnah,)rall\,.
Ti mingisan import dnt performance requi rement.Agood
performermustrespondqUICklyyet smoothlytothefloor
manager'stime, directional, <lnd audiocues.
Promptingdevi(eshavebecomeessentialintele'lision
product ion.TheIWO mostfrequentty usedclevicesarecue
cardsandtheteleprompier.
Television actingreqllire.thattheactorovercome thelack
ofan act ual audienceandInternali ze1herole,restrictges-
turesandmovementsbec<luseofclose-ups. follol'l exactly
the rehearsedblocking.memorizeIlIl esquickly, h<lve
900dsenseoflimi ng. ffiOlint<l1n cont inuityin physicalolp-
peilf,lI"ICeandenergyleveloveraSE'l"iesoflakes,andkeepa
positive3t1itudedespiteocL}siooalnegle<-tby thedirector.
Performersandaclorsshouldprepareasmuchas po,ble
fOI auditi ons, dress properlyfor theoccasion(role). and
sharpenthecharacterthroughsomepropormannerism.
385