‘Going live’: establishing the creative attributes of the live multi-camera television professional Jeanette Anne Bellany BA (TV&Sound Prod) C.Sturt Film, Screen and Animation School, Media Entertainment and Creative Industries Faculty of Creative Industries Queensland University of Technology Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Research) - Creative Industries 2012 Keywords: Creativity, individual creativity, collaborative creativity, intellectual creativity, reasoned strategising, time-future, film and television, television production teaching practices, live television pedagogies, film and television degrees, Australian universities, television industry, live television, multi-camera, television crew, television curriculum, immersion, immersive learning, film school fine arts. Abstract In my capacity as a television professional and teacher specialising in multi-camera live television production for over 40 years, I was drawn to the conclusion that opaque or inadequately formed understandings of how creativity applies to the field of live television, have impeded the development of pedagogies suitable to the teaching of live television in universities. In the pursuit of this hypothesis, the thesis shows that television degrees were born out of film studies degrees, where intellectual creativity was aligned to single camera production, and the ‘creative roles’ of producers, directors and scriptwriters. At the same time, multi-camera live television production was subsumed under the ‘mass communication’ banner, leading to an understanding that roles other than producer and director are simply technical, and bereft of creative intent or acumen. The thesis goes on to show that this attitude to other television production personnel, for example, the vision mixer, videotape operator and camera operator, relegates their roles to that of ‘button pusher’. This has resulted in university teaching models with inappropriate resources and unsuitable teaching practices. As a result, the industry is struggling to find people with the skills to fill the demands of the multi-camera live television sector. In specific terms the central hypothesis is pursued through the following sequenced approach. Firstly, the thesis sets out to outline the problems, and traces the origins of the misconceptions that hold with the notion that intellectual creativity does not exist in live multi-camera television. Secondly, this more adequately conceptualised rendition, of the origins particular to the misconceptions of live television and creativity, is then anchored to the field of examination by presentation of the foundations of the roles involved in making live television programs, using multi- camera production techniques. Thirdly, this more nuanced rendition of the field sets ii the stage for a thorough analysis of education and training in the industry, and teaching models at Australian universities. The findings clearly establish that the pedagogical models are aimed at single camera production, a position that de- emphasises the creative aspects of multi-camera live television production. Informed by an examination of theories of learning, qualitative interviews, professional reflective practice and observations, the roles of four multi-camera live production crewmembers (camera operator, vision mixer, EVS/videotape operator and director’s assistant), demonstrate the existence of intellectual creativity during live production. Finally, supported by the theories of learning, and the development and explication of a successful teaching model, a new approach to teaching students how to work in live television is proposed and substantiated. iii Table of contents Page Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Introduction 1 Theoretical framing 5 Developing a research plan in line with the theories 7 Research strategies and methods 11 Creativity 19 Intellectual creativity 21 Background to the problem 25 An introduction to ’live’ television 30 Understanding multi-camera television 32 Who works in live television? 33 Making Live Television 39 Development: 40 Preproduction: 41 Preproduction: Sub Stage 1. 41 Preproduction: Sub Stage 2. 42 Preproduction: Sub Stage 3. 44 Production in the multi-camera outside broadcast environment: 45 Post Production: 49 Transmission: 50 Distribution 50 In conclusion 51 Chapter 2: Situating the teaching of television production in the 53 Australian cultural environment Introduction 53 A brief history of the university 54 Australian universities 58 Training models and the bifurcation of theory and practice 61 In summation 63 Analysis of universities teaching television production: an introduction 65 iv Types of units 68 Types of screen degrees 71 Unit content: an overview 72 Drama and documentary 72 Television production 73 Charles Sturt University, Bond University and Curtin University 75 Teaching models at Australian universities 78 The impact of resources on course outcomes 79 Graduate outcomes 83 In conclusion 87 Chapter 3: Situating the research and establishing the theories 92 Introduction 92 Establishing the theories in support of the hypothesis 94 Knowledge 94 Episteme, techne and phronesis 95 Knowing 97 Tacit Knowing 97 Collaboration and immersive phronesis 98 In summation 99 Habitus 101 Habitus and language 105 In summation 107 Memory 108 In summation 110 Metis 110 In conclusion 112 Chapter 4: Examining the Data: Qualitative interviews, dispositions and Professional Reflective Practice 115 Introduction 115 Qualitative interviews 119 Professional Reflective Practice (PRP) of the multi-camera operator 121 (Harness races) v Creative orientations, skills and attributes of a multi-camera operator 123 Inherent attributes or dispositions and learnt skills of a camera 133 operator: a detailed analysis In summation: Professional Reflective Practice of the 141 multi-camera operator Professional Reflective Practice and the role of the vision mixer 145 The vision mixer and creativity 148 In conclusion 152 Chapter 5: Examining the Data: direct observation and evaluations 154 Introduction 154 Direct Observation 155 Participatory Action Research 155 Direct Observation: live cricket broadcast 155 Observation of EVS 159 Creative orientations, skills and attributes of the EVS operator 160 EVS and qualitative interviews 166 Creative orientations, skills and attributes of the director’s assistant 170 Qualitative interviews, PRP & role of the DA 172 Creative orientations, skills and attributes of the vision mixer 176 Direct observation of the cricket OB: preproduction 178 Observation of director’s assistant and vision mixer - ON-AIR 182 In summation: direct observation of EVS, DA and Vision Mixer 186 Key skills and attributes of all the roles analysed 192 Participatory Action Research and Evaluations 196 N. Z. Broadcasting School: Digital Film and Television Degree 196 Teacher/student evaluations 199 Teacher/student evaluation; Australian university - Case 1 201 Teacher/student evaluation; NZBS - Case 2 202 Communication 202 Attitude to students 203 Teaching methods 203 Additional comments 203 In summation of the evaluations 204 vi In conclusion 205 Chapter 6: Findings 207 Introduction 207 The collective field of live television, metis and a sighting of creativity 209 An explanation of intellectual creativity 214 The dispositions of people who are orientated toward the field of 216 live television Evidence of a sighting of dispositions 221 Understanding consummate masteries 225 The theory of live masteries: introduction 228 The equation 229 1. Recitation through repetition or knowing the systems 229 2. Memory in two parts 229 3. Withdrawing ourselves from the action of the moment 230 4. Knowing how grounded in actions 230 5. Ability to work in a multimodal environment 231 6. Individuals gaining knowledge through collaboration 232 7. Collective knowing 234 Aesthetics masteries 235 In conclusion 239 Chapter 7: Conclusion 242 vii Figures, Tables and Diagrams Figure 1 Pan right to left 130 Figure 2 Tilt down and zoom out 131 Figure 3 Pan right and zoom out 131 Figure 4 Years of sport by student 222 Figure 5 Percentage of students who took part in a team sport 222 Figure 6 Percentage of students who have studied music 223 Figure 7 Percentage of students who participated in both sport or music 223 Table 1 Details of the research 16 Table 2 Qualitative interviews 18 Table 3 BA Television Production CSU: breakdown of units 76 Table 4 Response from industry 188 Table 5 Response from education 190 Table 6 Consummate masteries: multi-camera operator 192 Table 7 Consummate masteries: EVS operator 193 Table 8 Consummate masteries: Director’s Assistant 193 Table 9 Consummate masteries: Vision Mixer 193 Table 10 The skills and attributes of the 'real time' team 224 Table 11 Consummate Masteries of the Television Professional 239 Diagram 1 My camera moves 127 Diagram 2 Graphic representation of horse and camera movement 129 Diagram 3 The cricket pitch 137 Diagram 4 Aesthetic Masteries 237 Appendix 1 247 Figure 8 Screen Australia: Value and share of production activity by production type 248 Figure 9 Random survey of programs that were broadcast 6/7/07-12/7/07 249 Figure 10 (2007-2009 top 20 programs): comparison of ratings 250-254 viii Appendix 2: Questions 256 Appendix 3: Skill sets 257 Appendix 4: Course analysis sheet 266 References 268 Websites 274 ix Statement of Original Authorship The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet requirements for an award at this or any other education