Producers have to find new ways to win audiences, and at the same time, control production costs to be able to deliver more within their existing budgets. Pierre Mestrez looks at whats in store as broadcasters enter a new era in TV production Todays crowded television market is forcing changes to the way programmes are […]
Producers have to find new ways to win audiences, and at the same time, control production costs to be able to deliver more within their existing budgets. Pierre Mestrez looks at whats in store as broadcasters enter a new era in TV production
Todays crowded television market is forcing changes to the way programmes are made. More channels means more choice, which in turn leads to a diluted audience. Greater choice of content is leading to higher expectations in content and in production values.
Competition for audience attention comes not only from other television channels but from online services and social media. One approach is to develop programming that harnesses social media and can use second screens constructively.
Live event shows like The X Factor and Dancing with the Stars are inherently compelling, and have great audience retention because they are live: viewers want to know what happens next. They also have great potential for second screen and smart television apps, giving you behind-the-scenes information, alternative commentaries and more.
These competitive live shows are also great drivers of social media. Consumers naturally want to share their views with their friends and with the wider community.
In turn, this changes the architecture of the broadcast technology. No longer does a live programme mean a line from the control room to the transmission area, with a single VTR recording the show to repeat it later. Today, a production control room uses a server network, either directly attached to the studio or as part of a shared resource. Multiple cameras are recorded in isolation, as well as cutting output from the switcher. Replay operators, familiar with sports broadcasting, monitor the action and tag key moments, ready to replay, as and when necessary.
Edit workstations are connected directly into the server network. Reminder sequences and highlights are put together during the programme and played out directly from the server.
Similarly, pre-prepared packages and video stings are also stored on the same server, ready to be called up and played instantly. The result is a programme with very high production values, compelling from beginning to end.
The production teams are free to be as creative as they wish. Most importantly, the underlying technology is proven and widely understood. Production servers, controllers and storage networks are in extensive use in outside broadcasts, and are readily adaptable for relatively more comfortable environment of the studio.
If this new recording and replay infrastructure was only suitable for event television, there would be questions about return on investment. The same infrastructure, though, can bring huge benefits to all studio production genres, raising on-screen quality and reducing costs.
Simple game shows and quizzes can be improved by recording the master shot and a number of ISO cameras. It means, for instance, that you always have the right reaction shot, making the programme more engaging.
Such shows usually need editing to tighten up their flow and to get them on time. Cutting in reaction shots from one of the ISO cameras is simple, particularly as they are already synchronised and ready on the production server.
Having a production and post-production server network means that no time is lost in transferring, transcoding or preparing material. Editing can start as soon as the first recording rolls. The result is that overall production times from camera to programme delivery are compressed. Reducing the time from recording to air is another boost to productivity and profitability.
To suggest another example, studio dramas like daily dramas or soaps or situation comedies are often shot on two or three cameras, simultaneously. Traditionally, they were recorded individually, then in the edit suite, the editor referred to production notes and reassembled each scene.
Today, it makes sense to record each camera independently on a server, but also have the director make a live cut through a production switcher. The live cut is recorded, but so too are the triggers from the production switcher.
When the scene gets to the edit suite, the live cut is reconstructed from the individual camera recordings and the metadata from the switcher. This can be done automatically, so as soon as the editor opens the scene there is a good first pass at a complete cut on the timeline. All the editor need do then is adjust timings as necessary, and the edit is complete.
This slashes post-production time for this sort of drama project and also ensures that the editor and other finishing operators are concentrating on the creative part of the job, making the story-telling as good as it can be. There is no time lost on dull or repetitive jobs. So costs are reduced, staff is better motivated and the audience sees a better quality result.
The key to success in this new approach to studio programme-making is to build the architecture around a scalable, flexible technology platform. The server network has to be able to support a broad range of creative requirements.
Shows that use behind-the-scenes footage, for example, are likely to receive this in a variety of formats from a variety of cameras and devices. The server network has to be able to ingest these quickly and seamlessly, transcoding them to the internal format and making them instantly available.
For fast turnaround applications, the server must support editing in place, so that packages can be cut without the need for material to be transferred to and from the edit workstation. The finished package is compiled on the server, often in real time at the moment when it is played into the programme.
Where there is time, it makes sense for the production server to exchange content with a separate network supporting the post-production devices. This takes pressure off the production server, allowing it to provide uninterrupted, high availability support for future recordings.
A drama or quiz production, for example, would see the production server delivering multiple files, with associated metadata, to the post server at high speed. This allows post-production to be planned around priorities and staff availability.
The investment in server infrastructure is more than repaid through improved productivity. Directors and producers see greater creative opportunities open up. Audiences appreciate the high production values of every show.
Broadcast executives see cost reductions through a faster studio to air time. Those creating the added value online content have access to more material and faster production.
Pierre Mestrez is Market Solution Manager at EVS.
