DOCSLIB.ORG

The Key Lessons Learnt from Producing the ABC Programme Talking

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Key Lessons Learnt from Producing the ABC Programme Talking The key lessons learnt from producing the ABC programme Talkin g Heads a talk show/documentary hybrid in a fast turnaround environment Jack King HND: Business Studies (Aston Birmingham) This exegesis is submitted as the written component for the degree of Master of Arts (Research) Film and Television Production: Creative Industries Queensland University of Technology 2009 Supervisors: Associate Professor Geoff Portmann and Associate Professor Alan McKee Abstract The following exegesis will detail the key advantages and disadvantages of combining a traditional talk show genre with a linear documentary format using a small production team and a limited budget in a fast turnaround weekly environment. It will deal with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation series Talking Heads, broadcast weekly in the early evening schedule for the network at 18.30 with the presenter Peter Thompson. As Executive Producer for the programme at its inception I was responsible for setting it up for the ABC in Brisbane, a role that included selecting most of the team to work on the series and commissioning the music, titles and all other aspects required to bring the show to the screen. What emerged when producing this generic hybrid will be examined at length, including: The talk show/documentary hybrid format needs longer than 26’30” to be entirely successful. The type of presenter ideally suited to the talk show/documentary format requires someone who is genuinely interested in their guests and flexible enough to maintain the format against tangential odds. The use of illustrative footage shot in a documentary style narrative improves the talk show format. iii The fast turnaround of the talk show/documentary hybrid puts tremendous pressure on the time frames for archive research and copyright clearance and therefore needs to be well-resourced. In a fast turnaround talk show/documentary format the field components are advantageous but require very low shooting ratios to be sustainable. An intimate set works best for a talk show hybrid like this. Also submitted are two DVDs of recordings of programmes I produced and directed from the first and third series. These are for consideration in the practical component of this project and reflect the changes that I made to the series. iv Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ...................................................................... v Statement of Original Authorship ................................................. vii Acknowledgements ................................................................... ix Chapter 1: Introduction .............................................................1 Chapter 2: The Literature Review ................................................5 2.1 Changes in documentary ....................................................... 5 2.2 The emergence of the talk show ............................................. 7 2.3 Practice led research ......................................................... 11 Chapter 3: Why attempt to hybridise two formats? ......................... 15 3.1 The commissioning of the series ............................................ 15 3.2 The structure of the series .................................................. 16 Chapter 4: The key areas that emerged ....................................... 19 4.1 The talk show/documentary hybrid format needs longer than 26’30” to be entirely successful ............................................ 19 4.2 The type of presenter ideally suited to the talk show/documentary format needs to be someone who is genuinely interested in their guests and flexible enough to maintain the format against tangential odds ............................................. 21 4.3 The use of illustrative footage shot in a documentary style narrative improves talk show formats like this one ..................... 24 4.4 The fast turnaround talk show/documentary hybrid puts tremendous pressure on the time frames for archive research and copyright clearance. The budget in this area therefore needs to be very well-resourced ................................................................. 26 4.5 In a fast turnaround talk show/documentary format the field components are advantageous but require very low shooting ratios to be sustainable ................................................................... 31 4.6 An intimate set works best for a talk show hybrid like this ............ 33 Chapter 5: Conclusion ............................................................. 35 Bibliography .......................................................................... 39 Appendices ........................................................................... 43 Appendix 1: Talking Heads – Guest List and Audience Ratings 2007 ......... 43 Appendix 2: Producer’s Bible ...................................................... 45 DVD Examples .............................................................. Back Cover v Statement of Original Authorship This exegesis contains no material which has been accepted for any other award for a degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief it contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text. Name: Jack King Signature: Date: vii Acknowledgements As a practising radio and television producer for the last thirty-nine years I have entered the world of academia as an almost complete novice. Like all professional environments the landscape was often difficult to understand but, with the patience and guidance of an incredibly supportive staff I have, I hope, learnt to adapt sufficiently to be worthy of an academic award. It has been a fascinating journey, rewarding and frustrating in equal parts but it has given me a much deeper understanding of the rigours of intellectual scholarship and, in doing so, a much greater respect for the discipline, learning and integrity of the university as an institution and a place of learning. For the opportunity to have been allowed to be part of this experience I am profoundly grateful. I have been surprised at how hard the study has been for me at times but, ironically, I feel I now have a much deeper understanding of the media world that I have been committed to for most of my working life. I would like to specifically thank Associate Professor Geoff Portmann for offering me the chance to become involved with the Creative Industries Faculty and for his advice and guidance. Helen Yeates too has been a great support especially during my first year of lectures. I would also like to pay tribute to the QUT library staff for their unfailing helpfulness at all stages of my study. That also goes for Leanne Blazely, who has since left, and her replacement Kate Symonds. Their constant cheerfulness and understanding of the administrative system has been invaluable to me. Finally, I would like to thank Associate Professor Alan ix McKee for his constant enthusiasm and belief in me even when my own insecurities and lack of academic understanding must have driven him mad. I will miss our discussions and his unwavering confidence. For the time, guidance and invaluable advice he has given me throughout this project, I am incredibly grateful. To you all my heartfelt thanks. x Chapter 1: Introduction This exegesis will explain the key lessons learnt when producing and directing a generic hybrid that took an early evening talk show format and combined it with field inserts shot in the traditional linear documentary style. It was used in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s series Talking Heads from its inception in 2005 until I left the show as Executive Producer at the end of the third series in 2007. The intention was to profile significant Australians from a variety of social and professional backgrounds through three distinct phases of their lives: Early Life, Career Highlights, and Current Situation. (See 2007 series guest list in Appendix 1.) This study will examine in some detail this type of hybrid in the context of a fast weekly turnaround of forty-two programmes per year in an environment restricted by a limited budget and a very small production team. The research is designed to give guidance to future production teams that may be considering further experimentation in this programming area and will examine some of the successes and pitfalls discovered along the way. In the modern television environment budgets are increasingly stretched and network schedulers seem ever more reliant on the fast turnaround talk and game show formats to provide weekly material over long runs at minimum cost (Schattuc 1997, 66). The proliferation of channels coupled with the worldwide economic downturn is likely to increase the pressure on many practitioners to supply more for less (Dovey 2000, 72). This was certainly the case in the scenario being examined with this project. 1 The intention here is to examine this alternative approach to the evening talk show formula. This should subsequently prove useful to those producers contemplating ways of developing interesting variations on this form. In particular this research examines the practicalities involved in producing a fast turnaround output with limited resources. It should also help future productions to assess more accurately whether these forms of hybrid are worth pursuing at all. Such decisions are rarely easy. Many producers with a documentary
Load more

Recommended publications
  • By Roger Inman Greg Smith Television Production Handbook
    Television Production Handbook By Roger Inman Greg Smith Television Production Handbook By Roger Inman Greg Smith ©1981-2006 Roger Inman & Greg Smith. All rights reserved. Television Production Manual ii Television Production Manual INTRODUCTION There are essentially two ways of doing television. Programs are shot either in a specially designed television studio using several cameras which are fed into a control room and assembled in "real time," or they are shot using a single camera on location and assembled later in an editing room or on a computer. Obviously, almost all non-professional video is shot using a single camera. That makes it what the pros call "electronic field production," or EFP. In electronic field production, the director is like a composer of music, creating and assembling images and impressions, fitting them together carefully, weighing the quality and importance of each as he goes. He works much as a film director would, in a linear fashion from one shot to the next, one scene to the next. He is dealing with only one picture and one situation at a time. Since the program will be edited later, he can shoot out of sequence, repeat shots, and record extra shots to be included later. Electronic field production allows for a richness of scene and artistic creativity born sometimes out of necessity and sometimes out of opportunities suggested by the location itself. Professionals spend most of their time planning, scripting, and organizing their productions. The amount of time spent actually recording the program is surprisingly short compared to the time spent preparing for it.
    [Show full text]
  • Contents What’S New
    July / August, No. 4/2011 CONTENTS WHAT’S NEW Quandamooka Native Title Determination ............................... 2 Win a free registration to the Joint Management Workshop at the 2011 National Native 2012 Native Title Conference! Title Conference: ‘What helps? What harms?’ ........................ 4 Just take 5 minutes to complete our An extract from Mabo in the Courts: Islander Tradition to publications survey and you will go into the Native Title: A Memoir ............................................................... 5 draw to win a free registration to the 2012 QLD Regional PBC Meeting ...................................................... 6 Native Title Conference. Those who have What’s New ................................................................................. 6 already completed the survey will be automatically included. Recent Cases ............................................................................. 6 Legislation and Policy ............................................................. 12 Complete the survey at: Native Title Publications ......................................................... 13 http://www.tfaforms.com/208207 Native Title in the News ........................................................... 14 If you have any questions or concerns, please Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) ........................... 20 contact Matt O’Rourke at the Native Title Research Unit on (02) 6246 1158 or Determinations ......................................................................... 21 [email protected]
    [Show full text]
  • July/August 2003 No.4/2003
    July/August 2003 No.4/2003 The Native Title Newsletter is published Contents every second month. The newsletter includes a summary of native title as reported in the News from the Native Title press. Although the summary canvasses media Research Unit from around Australia, it is not intended to be Indigenous Rights Discussion Paper 2 an exhaustive review of developments. Indigenous Researchers Forum 2 The Native Title Newsletter also includes Takin’ it out and Takin’ it through 3 contributions from people involved in native title research and processes. Views ex- Feature pressed in the contributions are those of the David Ross - ‘Future Directions’ 4 authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Regular items and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Native title in the news 5 Applications lodged with NNTT 11 Stop Press Registration test decisions 11 The 2003 Indigenous Researchers Forum is being held from the 1-3 October at ‘Univer- Notifications 13 sity House’ at the Australian National Uni- Treaty, lets get it right: New Publication versity in Canberra. To register, or for more Recent additions to AIATSIS Library 15 information go to the AIATSIS website at: http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/ rsrch/ confer- Native title research unit publications 17 ences/irf2003/index.htm The Newsletter is also available in ELECTRONIC format. This will provide a FASTER service for you, and will make possible much greater distribution. If you would like to SUBSCRIBE to the Native Title Newsletter electronically, please send an email to [email protected], and you will be helping us provide a better service.
    [Show full text]
  • Limitations on Copyright Protection for Format Ideas in Reality Television Programming
    For exclusive use of MLRC members and other parties specifically authorized by MLRC. © Media Law Resource Center, Inc. LIMITATIONS ON COPYRIGHT PROTECTION FOR FORMAT IDEAS IN REALITY TELEVISION PROGRAMMING By Kent R. Raygor and Edwin Komen* * Kent R. Raygor and Edwin Komen are partners in the Entertainment, Media, and Technology Group in the Century City, California and Washington, D.C. offices, respectively, of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP. The authors thank Ben Aigboboh, an associate in the Century City office, for his assistance with this article. 97 For exclusive use of MLRC members and other parties specifically authorized by MLRC. © Media Law Resource Center, Inc. LIMITATIONS ON COPYRIGHT PROTECTION FOR FORMAT IDEAS IN REALITY TELEVISION PROGRAMMING I. INTRODUCTION Television networks constantly compete to find and produce the next big hit. The shifting economic landscape forged by increasing competition between and among ever-proliferating media platforms, however, places extreme pressure on network profit margins. Fully scripted hour-long dramas and half-hour comedies have become increasingly costly, while delivering diminishing ratings in the key demographics most valued by advertisers. It therefore is not surprising that the reality television genre has become a staple of network schedules. New reality shows are churned out each season.1 The main appeal, of course, is that they are cheap to make and addictive to watch. Networks are able to take ordinary people and create a show without having to pay “A-list” actor salaries and hire teams of writers.2 Many of the most popular programs are unscripted, meaning lower cost for higher ratings. Even where the ratings are flat, such shows are capable of generating higher profit margins through advertising directed to large groups of more readily targeted viewers.
    [Show full text]
  • Roy Williams Has Been Quoted in the Guardian Saying: "We Only Ever Get
    Comedy, drama and black Britain – An interview with Paulette Randall Eva Ulrike Pirker British theatre director Paulette Randall once said about herself and her work, "I'm not a politician, and I never set out to be one. What I do believe is that if we are in the business of theatre, of art, of creating, then that has to be at the forefront. The product, the play, has to be paramount."1 A look at her creative output, however, shows her political engagement in place – not so much in the sense of taking a proffered side, but certainly in the sense of insisting on participation in the public debate. To name just a few of her recent projects: Her 2003 production of Urban Afro Saxons at the Theatre Royal Stratford East was a timely intervention in the public debate about Britishness. The staging of James Baldwin's Blues for Mr Charlie (2004) at the Tricycle Theatre provided a thought-provoking viewing experience for a British audience in the wake of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. For the Trycicle and Talawa Theatre Company, Randall has staged four of August Wilson's plays. Her most recent theatre project was a production of Mustapha Matura's adaptation of Chekhov's Three Sisters at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 2006.2 However, Paulette Randall also has a professional life outside the theatre, where she makes her impact on the landscape of British sitcoms as a television producer. The following interview focuses not so much on specific productions, but more generally on her views on television, Britain's theatre culture, and the representations of Britain's diverse society.
    [Show full text]
  • Independent Television Producers in England
    Negotiating Dependence: Independent Television Producers in England Karl Rawstrone A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of the West of England, Bristol for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries, University of the West of England, Bristol November 2020 77,900 words. Abstract The thesis analyses the independent television production sector focusing on the role of the producer. At its centre are four in-depth case studies which investigate the practices and contexts of the independent television producer in four different production cultures. The sample consists of a small self-owned company, a medium- sized family-owned company, a broadcaster-owned company and an independent- corporate partnership. The thesis contextualises these case studies through a history of four critical conjunctures in which the concept of ‘independence’ was debated and shifted in meaning, allowing the term to be operationalised to different ends. It gives particular attention to the birth of Channel 4 in 1982 and the subsequent rapid growth of an independent ‘sector’. Throughout, the thesis explores the tensions between the political, economic and social aims of independent television production and how these impact on the role of the producer. The thesis employs an empirical methodology to investigate the independent television producer’s role. It uses qualitative data, principally original interviews with both employers and employees in the four companies, to provide a nuanced and detailed analysis of the complexities of the producer’s role. Rather than independence, the thesis uses network analysis to argue that a television producer’s role is characterised by sets of negotiated dependencies, through which professional agency is exercised and professional identity constructed and performed.
    [Show full text]
  • Educational Television Producer
    Classification Title: Educational Television Producer Department: Educational Television EEO6 Code: 3 Employee Group: Classified Salary Grade: 31 Supervision Received From: Manager, Educational Television and Date of Origin: 9/2016 KKSM Radio Operations Supervision Given: Direction and Guidance Last Revision: 9/2016 Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class. Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed by individual positions. JOB SUMMARY. Organizes, directs and participates in the production of all instructional and promotional videos for Palomar College’s Educational Television department; serves as executive producer, director and writer for Educational Television programs and contract productions; oversees and schedules the television studio and editing facilities; directs the work of production personnel. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS. The Educational Television Producer is distinguished from Broadcast Media Specialist by its responsibility for producing and directing all instructional and promotional videos for Educational Television, while the latter position is responsible for all media distribution. ESSENTIAL AND MARGINAL FUNCTION STATEMENTS. Essential Functions: Essential responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Produces, directs and/or supervises the productions of college television programming including documentaries, instructional and promotional videos and contract productions; directs the work of television crews, instructors or actors in the studio or on location; participates in hiring, and directs the work of professional freelance personnel, hourly staff and interns. 2. Oversees the day-to-day operations of the production facility; provides work direction and guidance to Educational Television staff; sets project priorities, deadlines and individual goals for production staff; ensures deadlines are met and provides quality control for department projects.
    [Show full text]
  • From the Workshop of JJ Abrams
    CHAPTER SIX From the Workshop of J. J. Abrams: Bad Robot, Networked Collaboration, and Promotional Authorship Leora Hadas University of Nottingham Whether ‘New golden age’ (Leopold, 2013) or ‘Peak TV’ (Paskin, 2015) – whatever glowing accolades cultural commentators now choose to use, all describe television in the United States as going from strength to strength. For a sustained number of years now, critics and popular opinion alike has celebrated a qualitative transformation in the output of an industry that has struggled for years to shed the image of a ‘vast wasteland’ (Minow, 1961). In critical and academic circles alike, credit for these exciting developments and the transformation of US television has tended to focus on a specific feature of the contemporary industry: the figure of the showrunner, television’s new auteur (Martin, 2013). The emergence of the showrunner-as-auteur has provided US television with a crucial source of cultural legitimacy, one traceable back to Bourdieu’s concept of the ‘“charisma” ideology’ (1980, p. 262) at work in judgements of artistic value. Shyon Baumann (2007) has analysed how film found legitimation as How to cite this book chapter: Hadas, L. 2017. From the Workshop of J. J. Abrams: Bad Robot, Networked Collaboration, and Promotional Authorship. In: Graham, J. and Gandini, A. (eds.). Collaborative Production in the Creative Industries. Pp. 87–103. London: University of Westminster Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book4.f. License: CC-BY- NC-ND 4.0 88 Collaborative Production in the Creative Industries an art form in the 1960s through the celebration of autonomous film artists.
    [Show full text]
  • Biographical Description for the Historymakers® Video Oral History with Hamilton Cloud, II
    Biographical Description for The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History with Hamilton Cloud, II PERSON Cloud, Hamilton S., 1952- Alternative Names: Hamilton Cloud, II; Life Dates: November 30, 1952- Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, USA Residence: Los Angeles, CA Work: Los Angeles, CA Occupations: Talent Agent; Television Producer Biographical Note Television producer and talent agent Hamilton Cloud, II, was born on November 30, 1952, in Los Angeles, California. His father, Hamilton Cloud, Sr. was one of a few African Americans trained at the Northwestern University Dental School at the time of his graduation. Cloud grew up in Los Angeles but pursued his education at Yale University, where he earned his B.A. degree for his studies in “Communications: Mass Media and Black America,” a concentration that he Media and Black America,” a concentration that he originated. Working with radio programs in Los Angeles for fifteen years, Cloud established himself within the media industry. His interests then turned to television programming, producing children’s and public affairs programs. In 1978, Cloud joined the network programming department at the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and he became the vice president of Current Comedy Programs in 1982. In this role, he supervised the weekly production of a number of well- known comedy series, including Cheers and Family Ties. Cloud began his work in producing the NAACP Image Awards in 1987. The 19th Annual NAACP Image Awards, when broadcasted on NBC, marked the first time the show was aired on a national television network. Cloud served as the producer of the annual show for fourteen more years.
    [Show full text]
  • Writing for Instructional Television. P INSTITUTION Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Washington, D.C
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 221 158 IR 010 181 AUTHOR O'Bry,an, Kenneth G. no. TITLE Writing for Instructional Television. P INSTITUTION Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Washington, D.C. REPORT NO ISBN-0-89776-0521-2 PUB DATE' 81 NOTE 157p. AVAILABLE FROM-Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 1111 16th St.," N.W., Washington, DC 20036 ($5.0,0, prepaid). EDRS PRICE MF01 Plds Postage. PC Not Available from' EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Educational Television; Group Dynamics; *Instructional Design; *Production Techniques; *Programing (Broadcast); Public Television; *Scripts; Telexiision Studios ABSTRACT Writing Considerations specific to instructional television (ITV) situations are discussed in this handbook written for the beginner, but designed to be of use to anyone creating an ITV script. Advice included in the handbook is based on information obtained from ITV wirters, literature reviews, and the author's ' personal,experience. The ITV writer's relationship to other members of a project team is discussed, as well as the role of each team member, including the project leader, instructional designer, academic consultant, researcher, producer/director, utilization - person, and writer. Specific suggestions are then made for writing and working with the project team and additional production crew members. A chapter is devoted to such specific ITV writing conventions as script format, production grammar, camera terminology, and transitions between shots. Understanding production technology is the focus of a chapter which discusses lighting, sound, set design, and special effects. An in-depth look at choice of form--narrative, dramatic, documentary, magazine, ortdrama--is provided, followed by advice and guidelines for dealing with such factors as the target audience, budget and caktitig, treatment, visualization, and revisions.
    [Show full text]
  • PRODUCER Curriculum Guide for Academic Year 2017-2018
    RADIO/TELEVISION PRODUCER Curriculum Guide for Academic Year 2017-2018 Table of Contents Associate in Arts Degree, p. 1 Certificate of Achievement in Radio/Televsion Producer, p. 2 Suggested Sequence of Classes, p. 3 : Certificate of Achievement in Multimedia Production, p. 3 Career Opportunities, p. 4 Program Mission and Outcomes, p. 4 Legend, p. 4 Students planning to transfer to a four-year college or university should refer to the ASSIST web site at www.assist.org and consult a counselor before beginning a program of study. Please call 562-938-4561 for the LAC, or 562-938-3920 for PCC to schedule a meeting with a counselor. Students may also wish to visit the Transfer Center on either campus. Program of study leading to: Associate in Arts (A.A.) Degree In Completed REQUIRED COURSES UNITS Progress Grade R_TV 1 Introduction to Broadcasting 3 R_TV 3 Using MAC Computer Entertainment Industry 2.5 R_TV 8 Intro to Media Production 2.5 R_TV 13 Television Production 2.5 R_TV 70 Fieldwork in Radio/Television 3 Subtotal Units 13.5 REQUIRED COURSES FOR SPECIALITY: UNITS R_TV 4 Writing and Production Planning 3 R_TV 14 Electronic Field Production 2.5 R_TV 25 OR Radio Activity OR 2.5 OR R_TV 35 Television Activity 2.5 R_TV 34 Music Video Production 2.5 R_TV 36 Broadcast News Production 2.5 Subtotal Units 13 IN ADDITION, COMPLETE 7.5 units from the following: UNITS R_TV 2 Intro. to Careers in Radio & Television 2 R_TV 12 Television Lighting 2.5 R_TV 13 Television Production 2.5 R_TV 15 Advanced Television Production 2.5 R_TV 21 Radio Production
    [Show full text]
  • Television Production Managing the Technology
    Television Production Managing the Technology Bachelor’s thesis Media Technology Riihimäki 3.5.2012 Evgenia Molchina Evgenia Molchina ABSTRACT Riihimäki Media Technology Television Production Author Evgenia Molchina Year 2012 Subject of Bachelor’s thesis Television Production ABSTRACT The idea to write the thesis about television production came into my mind a long time ago. I knew that this area of media technology was the most interesting for me. I had an internship in Aito Media Oy television produc- tion company in 2009, and I studied TV Production at Ferris State Univer- sity, USA for one academic year 2010-2011. The main objective for my thesis is to research, compare and describe all steps in production of a television show from the developing an idea through planning, budgeting, shooting and editing to the final release of the TV show on the screen. Also I would like to observe the technologies used nowadays and determine the role of a producer in the TV production. To reach my objective, I read several books and electronical materials on different topics about phases of the production, equipment and techniques, communication and documentation. Furthermore, I use knowledge from my own experience, which I got while studying and making practical tasks at Television and Digital Media Production program at Ferris State Uni- versity. I learned the professional skills required in all aspects of different phases of television production, including studio workflow, camera operation, field equipment, multicamera directing and the responsibilities and organ- izational expertise of the producer. At the same time, I explored the latest production techniques and technology, such as audio and lighting work- stations, non-linear editing, high-definition television and 3D television.
    [Show full text]