Monitoreo del Programa Piloto

Daytime dramas rehearse and shoot in two basic ways.

G _{Programs in which the program is shot through}

there is usually a morning rehearsal in a rehearsal hall while the set is being dressed. Then the cast and production staff rehearse with cameras, going through each scene. This is followed by a dress rehearsal, which may be taped, followed by the actual scheduled taping. In some programs, pickups, or re-dos, of scenes are done on the spot. In others, the pickups are all done at the end of the day.

G _{Programs that are shot out of order to}

accommodate sets or scheduling problems. An altered sequence might mean shooting all the living room scenes first, then all the hospital scenes, and so on. In some cases, programs are shot out of order to accommodate members of the cast. In this style of shooting, the actors are called in and rehearse in the order in which the production will be taped. Each scene is then blocked and taped in place in the studio. The entire production is then put together in the editing room. If two studios are used, as is the case with The Young and the Restless, sets that are finished in the first part of the day can be reset for the next day, while the second round of sets is being used. Additionally, all the actors appearing in one location are finished after their scenes are completed.

Sitcoms

The production techniques used in the multiple camera production that are common to live perfor- mances, daytime dramas, and some sitcoms come from our live theater heritage. In the traditional tele- vision model, a scene or an entire play is performed with few stops, and the production is recorded using a number of cameras whose output is edited through a switcher as the event is happening. The director calls for whatever camera he or she feels is most appropriate, and the technical director switches to that camera’s output. It then goes directly to air or to a recording with all the edits in place. That cut is called a “line cut.” However, over the years a num- ber of new ways of working have evolved, fueled by technical advances.

Another style of working in sitcoms is the “quad-split.” The first wave of television sitcoms in the early 1950s were 15-minute programs shot live with a line cut in the same way that all live dramas were shot. The first big switch in shooting dramas for television occurred with the I Love Lucy show, which used multiple cameras and shot the entire program as a whole. However, it was shot entirely

on film. To do so, it invented techniques that would be particularly suited to the needs of a film produc- tion. It used three (later four) Mitchell BNC 35 mm cameras mounted on four-wheel McCallister crab dollies, with three crew members per camera to pro- duce the program. A camera operator viewed the material through the viewfinder and adjusted the framing, a focus puller pulled focus at each new spot that had been marked on the floor, and a dolly grip moved the dolly from mark to mark. A camera director, usually an associate director or technical coordinator, cued camera changes based on line or action cues. Filmed sitcoms, both multiple-camera and single-camera, and “live” sitcoms filled the air- waves. The live programs were often kinescoped and were bicycled or mailed around the country. (Kinescope was a kind of filming that was done by shooting a live performance off a television monitor.)

Once tape was available, many of the major sit- coms continued to be shot on film, but a great num- ber also were shot on tape as if they were live. In 1975 the Barney Miller Show, which was recorded on tape, went on the air produced by Danny Arnold and directed, for the most part, by Noam Pitlik. One of the technical hallmarks of the production was that although it was shot on tape rather than film, the output of all the cameras was recorded. The viewfinder images were sent to a quad-split screen that showed the output of all the recordings, and the final production was entirely postproduced. Today, quad-split shooting is the preferred way of working for most sitcoms. The traditional McCallister dollies have been replaced with studio peds, and the BNC cameras are now the latest stu- dio high-definition digital cameras.

The format for shooting scripts in a production using the quad-split technique is different from that used for a line-cut production. Shooting scripts for quad-split productions must indicate each camera’s assignment. Presumably, those assignments will ensure coverage of all the action. Figure 6.19 is an example of a shooting script for a pencil exercise shot with multiple cameras using the quad-split technique.Figure 6.20shows the viewing system for cameras in a quad-split production.

While there may be some differences in the working style of each show, the process is essen- tially the same. For three days the director works with the cast in a rehearsal hall or on the actual set. The blocking and business that will be part of the production are worked out, as are various issues having to do with the inner life of the production.

Then on the fourth day the crew meets with the actors, and individual scenes are worked out. In the quad-split method a camera coordinator or assistant director maps out the camera’s assignments in con- junction with the director. The actors rehearse the scene, and their positions and the cameras’ are both marked. The four cameras, named A, B, C, and X, go through their assignments, and the output of their cameras is seen in a quad-split screen. (Letters are used instead of numbers, and because “D” sounds too much like “B,” the “X” is used. Then, too, the story goes that in the early days of filmed sitcoms, it was unusual to have an EX-tra camera, hence the name “X.”) Usually, the outside cameras “A” and “X” get close-ups, and the inside cameras “B” and “C” get cross two-shots or simply wider shots. The director and producers watch the quad- split and make sure that all the action is covered. Where a second setup is needed for extreme close- ups or special props or business, the scene is shot again with a second set of marks for the cameras.

One of the new models in production techniques comes from working with partially scripted material. This style of work has become popular in produc- ing sitcoms, such as Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. The director sets up angles and works with the cast and crew but doesn’t work from a shot-by-shot script. Instead, each camera’s output is recorded and the entire program is edited in postproduction.