Pasos requeridos por la metodología para su implementación

Eventually it would become time for a FACS (some- times spelled FAX) rehearsal. This is a rehearsal in which the program uses the full facilities (FACS, for short). During that rehearsal, a number of things will have to happen:

G The guests will need to be briefed by both the

producers and the host.

G Makeup will need to have time to work on the

guests.

G The director will want to see what the guests

look like and what clothes they’ve brought to the studio.

G Whenever possible, it’s a good idea to run

through all the parts of the program that are scripted, with either the actual guests or with stand-ins sitting on the set.

There is an agenda for the rehearsal. Each mem- ber of the crew will be making sure that his or her contribution is ready. While the producer is con- cerned with the program content and with interact- ing with the guests, the director has a different, more technical, agenda. Here are the director’s concerns during the rehearsal by item number in the routine.

Item #1

The director will learn that the host’s microphone has, in fact, been laid out and is working. The direc- tor wants to check on all the elements that are to be inserted into the program. Does the technical direc- tor have control of the right server or playback source? Is the timing accurate, or has that been checked earlier? Is there a “pad” at the end, or does it fade out or pop out? Is the OUT-Q as indicated? Does the copy fit well? Should the host be cued to read immediately after the fade-up, or should some of the package play out first? (A “fade-up” is an illusion in which a picture appears from black. Almost all programs and commercials “fade up” from black and then dissolve to black when they are finished.) Is there audio on the package? Is there a music bed? (A “music bed” is a piece of music that plays throughout a segment. It may be given more or less presence under narration or a soundtrack, but it is always there.) Might one be appropriate, and, if so, is one available?

Item #2

If this is a regularly presented program, the director is probably quite familiar with the opening. It prob- ably originates as a digital file, either from a server or an assigned playback device. Where that’s the case a button is pressed and the file plays. While film is no longer apt to be used as a regular part of a broadcast, guests still bring in old film clips, and student film festivals regularly appear on air, so directors need to be aware of the problems that go along with the airing of such materials. The first choice would be to transfer the film to a server and call it up from the server.

Where actual film of any kind is used, the direc- tor needs to be sure that the technical director has control of the film chain (a device for showing 16 mm or 35 mm film or slides on the air), that the right film has been loaded onto the right film chain, and that the film is heads-out, with the leader show- ing in the preview monitor. “Heads out” refers to the way film is wound on a core or reel. When it’s heads-out, it’s wound so the beginning of the film is at the beginning of the core or reel, ready for air. If it is tails-out, the back end or tail of the film is the first thing that would pass through a projector. After a film has been projected, it’s tails-out until it’s rewound. If film is to be aired, the director would need to be sure that the projection gate was clean, and that there were no “hairs in the gate,” which refers to film emulsion or dust inadvertently deposited at the film projection gate as a film is being shown. It often looks as if there were a hair wriggling across the screen when it’s projected. Last, one would want to make sure that the sound from the film chain was okay.

Item #3

Running the introductions to the piece with either the actual guests or with stand-ins can catch a num- ber of problems before they happen. By now we know that the mic for the host works. This is the time to test the rest of them. The camera operators will have a chance to see who gets what chair and when, particularly in the introductions. If there are a lot of moves for the camera operators, this is the time for them to learn how much time they have for each move. As you look at the seated stand-ins, take a moment to consider the lighting. Make sure that there are no unusual shadows (as from booms) or hot spots.

We know the host is in chair 5 on camera 1, and the first person introduced is Tom Jones, in chair 1. The easiest way to do the introductions is to cut to camera 3 on chair 1 and then pan right to each of the guests as they are introduced. After the last guest is introduced, the director cuts to camera 2 for an establishing shot so the audience can see the relationships of the panelists.

The following alternative plan has a somewhat brisker pace. It requires the camera operators to know how much time they have to “set” a shot. In this scenario, after the host (in chair 5, on camera 1) introduces the first guest, the director cuts to camera 3 on chair 1. The director then cuts to cam- era 2 for chair 2’s introduction. Meanwhile, camera 3 can set up on chair 3. At the appropriate time, camera 3 is put on the air, and camera 2 goes to chair 4. Finally, camera 2 can pull to a wide shot, or camera 3 can be taken with a wide establishing shot. One purpose of the rehearsal is to give the camera operators a chance to learn the system that will be used for the introduction. It also affords the director and the lighting director the opportunity to make sure the lights are in the right place. If you don’t check light placement, it’s all too easy to find yourself with a problem that could have been solved. I experienced a minor disaster once while directing a panel program when I didn’t get to see one woman on camera prior to shooting. Her hair was styled high on her head. The first time I saw her on camera was when we were on the air. Her hair threw a shadow directly across the host’s face, and there was nothing I could do about it at that point!

It would be most unusual to rehearse the ques- tions. Usually, questions can be discussed in broad terms among the host, the producer, and the guests, but the actual wording of the questions is typically saved for the taping to preserve spontaneity.

The last thing to do at rehearsal is to find out if the OUT-Q is as written or will be ad-libbed. It seems like a small thing, but there is a problem with a host whose tags are not definitive: “We’ll be right back . . . So don’t go away . . . There’s plenty more . . . So stay tuned.” Any one or a few of those phrases could have been the last line. The danger is that if the host says “We’ll be right back” and then pauses, the director may command a fade to black, only to discover that the fade is happening as the host starts to say “So don’t go away . . . There’s plenty more . . . ,” and so on. The director needs a very specific phrase for the OUT-Q.

Item #4

During the commercial break of item #4, guests will be brought to the set. They will be seated and miced. This need not be rehearsed, but it would be wise to make sure that everyone agrees on how each new guest will be brought onto the set. Is the stage manager ready? Is a stagehand with a chair standing by? Is there an audio assist to put on a lavaliere microphone if needed? (A lavaliere is a small micro- phone that is meant to go unnoticed. It is usually slipped onto the edge of a jacket or dress and serves as the microphone for seated guests.)

Item #5

At this point the director will want to make sure that there’s a chair for the new guest and that the microphone is working. Since the material is scripted, the director will want to “walk it through” with the cameras. Coming out of the “break” of item #4, the first shot will probably be on the host, in chair 5 on camera 1, as the introduction of Jane Murray begins. As Ms. Murray is introduced, the director cuts to camera 3 on the last chair over. Then, to reestablish the seating arrangement, a cut to a wide shot on camera 2 would be appropriate. Once again the director checks the OUT-Q at the end of the segment.

Item #6

During commercial break #2, the director reassigns the cameras to positions in the production area, making sure that the cameras can reach the right spot in the two-minute break allowed.

Item #7

This segment is handled in the same way as the other interviews, with checks for lighting and audio, and with confirmation of the OUT-Q.

Item #8

Another commercial break is taken.

Item #9

This segment is read through, since its timing is crit- ical to getting the program off the air at precisely 28 minutes and 30 seconds after it started.

Item #10

This segment is for the program credits. One minute of credits is really quite long but may be acceptable in some productions. The last item in a production is often designed to be flexible so the credits can go by quickly or slowly. Sometimes a standby “short credits” is kept ready to accommo- date a production that ran too long. The total time of credits designed to run 1 full minute ought to have a comfortable 5-second swing either way—they can run either 55 seconds or for 1 minute and 5 seconds. The director runs the credits to make sure that they are all there, in the right order, and spelled correctly.