Mon 13th February, 2012
The pressure and excitement of producing ‘live’ television was brought vividly to life for a day for University of Bedfordshire students.
The six-hour marathon event was a joint assignment between TV Production, Broadcast Journalism and Multiplatform Journalism level one and Media Performance level two students at the Luton campus.
And the Dean of the Creative Arts, Technologies and Science (CATS) Faculty, Professor James Crabbe, was one of the guests being interviewed for ‘live’ television. He said: “It was a great experience both for me and all the students. They conducted themselves really professionally in a highly pressured environment.”
It was the fourth year that Maria Wiener, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader Media Performance, and Kathryn Wolfe, Senior Lecturer in Media Performance and Senior Lecturer and Course Leader TV Production, had run this assignment.
Maria said: “The students were determined to face the challenges on the day as they appeared ready to perform their interviews despite some last minute changes. Overall the day progressed without any critical problems. They learned just how much preparation is required to run a live event to a professional standard and enjoyed the experience.”
Kathryn said: “It’s very successful as an example of realistic learning. The students recorded nine 10-minute interviews in a multi-camera studio, using three cameras, as a live event.
“There is only one chance, no retakes, it is ‘live’ and as a result the production values are high, the pressure is on, and the students feel that they are making ‘real television’.”
The Media Performance students were responsible for finding their guests, inviting them and conducting the live interviews. The TV Production, Broadcast Journalism and Multiplatform Journalism students were divided into groups and were responsible for filming, directing and vision mixing the interviews. Other key roles included director, vision mixer, sound recordist, camera operator, set designer, floor manager, video tape recordist, autocue operator, production assistant and assistant floor manager.
Kathryn said: “In only 11 weeks, the TV Production, Broadcast Journalism and Multiplatform Journalism students have learned the technical skills required, taken on different roles, formed production teams and are able to work together to produce 90 minutes of good quality TV. It is the sort of practical experience that will really help them when they start looking for jobs.”
Photos by Anastasija Mysko, Level 3 Photography student
Latest news» 2012» February» Lights, camera, live action!
