Chapter 8 Editorial Management

 How to judge a program proposal?

For example. The television is really good at: the concrete, the illustrative, the
particular.

And it is less good at:

The theoretical, the discursive, the general.

So, you judge the programme proposal by the good characteristic for each
medium; whether the program idea is intrinsically suited to the medium.

 Managing production

We should go through these steps:

1. Conduct a Research

2. Reconnaissance: it's important to recce like checking dates and time,

permissions, schedules, the right equipment... Following its guidelines will
cost you less time and money.

3. Editing. Producers should listen to the picture editor: editors are the
audience's eye, they are their first viewers since they haven’t usually been
involved in the planning and shooting of the material. So they(editors)
know the best shot to match the scene.

4. Do-and-don’t suggestions about writing for (television programmes). Like

taking notes, use short sentences, write for the ear… the important thing in
writing is to put yourself in the position of the viewer or listener.

 Programme review.

Production team themselves need to be involved in a productive peer-review

process. How to know how well -or otherwise- a programme has worked:
A monthly meeting of production and non-production departments should attend
this meeting because they are the true representatives of the audience at home.

 From idea to screen.

The checklist summarizes the production process for fairly complex studio and
location programme, 14 checkpoints should be seen to make sure that the
programme is ready to be shown on TV or any medium.

 Production guidelines.

It is essential that every member of staff involved in production should have a

ready-reference document to guide them in the exercise of editorial judgment.

The guide should include clear indications of first principles of the production
house, to go back to it if needed.

The guidelines should both enable and empower practitioners to make

autonomous decisions at the appropriate level, while allowing them access to
advice and support when they need either.