Subject Name: Television Programming & Production

Department of Media & Communication Studies

Created By: Ms. Sanyogita Phogat

Jagannath International Management School

Vasant Kunj, New Delhi - 110070
(Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi)
Recognized u/s 2(f) by UGC & Accredited with ‘A’ Grade by NAAC
Participant of UNGC & UNPRME, New York
ISO 9001:2015 Quality Certified
Programme : BA(JMC)
Semester : IV
Subject Code : BA(JMC)-206
Subject : Television Programming & Production
Topic : Steps involved in production and utilization of a
TV programme
Lecture No.
: 12
Faculty
: Ms. Sanyogita Phogat
Steps involved in production and utilization of a TV
programme
Have you ever thought what goes behind any television program production or,
have you ever noticed the names of the people involved in production process that
appear on television after the program ends?
While watching television, as viewers, we are largely unaware of the production
complexities.
But professional television production, regardless of whether it is done in a
television studio or in the field is a complex creative process in which many people
and machines interact to bring a variety of messages and information to a large
audience.
 It is the techniques used to create a television program. The entire process of creating a
program may involve developing a script, creating a budget, hiring creative talent,
designing a set, and rehearsing lines before filming takes place.
After filming, the post-production process may include video editing and the addition of
sound, music, and optical effects.
The creation of a television show begins with an idea for a program and the
development of a script. A television network may also require a commitment from one
or more well-known actors before financially committing to film a show.
 The Production Process
The production process refers to the stages (phases) required to complete a media
product, from the idea to the final master copy. The process can apply to any type of
media production including film, video, television and audio recording.
The stages in each medium vary; for example, there is obviously no storyboard in an
audio recording. However the same general concepts work for any medium.
The three main stages of production are:
•Pre-production: Planning, scripting & storyboarding, etc.
•Production: The actual shooting/recording.
•Post-production: Everything between production and creating the final master copy.
Other stages include:
•Financing: This happens before pre-production, and involves budget forecasting,
finding investors, etc.
•Screenplay: This can be considered a separate stage before pre-production.
•Distribution: After post-production, delivering the content to the audience (e.g. film
prints, CD/DVD, etc).
 Pre-production stage
This stage includes everything you do before entering the studio or reaching the
shooting location.
It involves idea generation, research, scripting, discussions with all the crew members
and talents (actors), arranging equipment, video / audio tapes, properties, costumes,
sets designing or location hunting and booking of editing shifts.
Pre-production activities involve the planning, budgeting, and preparation needed
before shooting begins. In all it involves planning everything in advance. This is very
essential to get desired results.
The pre-production period can last as long as a month or more for a movie, or just a
week for a single episode of a situation comedy.
Productions of great complexity, such as a telethon or a live-awards ceremony, may
take months of pre-production.
Three key people involved in pre-production are the production manager, director,
and casting director. The production manager's first tasks are to produce a
preliminary budget, hire the location manager, and locate key crew department
leaders.
The first essential production decisions are the location of shooting and a start-of-
production date.
The director's first activities are to review the script for creative changes, begin the
casting process, and select assistant directors and camera operators.
Subsequently, every decision involving cast, creative crew, location, schedule, or
visual components will require the director's consultation or approval.
The culminating activity of the pre-production process is the final production
meeting, attended by all crew members, producers, director, and often, the writer.
Led by the director, the pre-production team reviews the script in detail scene by
scene.
Each element of production is reviewed and any questions answered. This meeting
can last from two hours to a full day depending on the complexity of the shoot. If
you have worked well in this stage of programme production, the other two stages
become easy and workable.
Production stage
This is the stage when you are on the studio floor or on location and are ready to
shoot or are actually shooting. It includes managing all the facilities, handling of
talent and crew members, controlling the crowd, shooting without hurdles and
solving any problem related on the spot at that time.
In film and video, production refers to the part of the process in which footage is
recorded. This is what most people imagine when they think of a film being made
— actors on sets, cameras rolling, etc. The production phase is also known as
principal photography.
In large feature films the beginning of the production phase marks the "point of no
return", i.e. the point at which it is no longer financially viable to cancel the project.
At this point it is almost always cheaper to continue until the project is finished than
to deal with the financial fall-out of canceling.
The goal of principal photography is obviously to record all required shots, however
it is fairly common to shoot "pick-up" shots in post-production. Pick-up shots may
be required when a mistake is noticed, a script change is made (this is unusual), or
even if a performance is deemed to be unsatisfactory.
In music, production usually refers to the creative direction of a project. Unlike a
film producer who is more of a manager, a music producer has a very hands-on role
in the creative development.
 Post - Production stage
This is the third stage of program production. It is the stage when you get the final
shape of the program. It includes cutting the recorded visuals into appropriate length,
arranging the visuals in a proper sequence, use of desired effects for the visuals or text /
captions, commentary recording, music/song recording, and final assembly of the entire
program.
It begins with the completion of filming and continues until the project is delivered to
the network for airing. The two main activities of post-production are the editing, or
assembling, of video footage and the creation of a complete sound track.
Editing may begin during production. In single-camera shoots, the film from each day
is reviewed at a later time by the director, producer, and network in the order in which
it was shot.
These films, called dailies, are then broken down and assembled into scenes by the
editors. The first full assemblage is shown to the director, who makes further editing
changes and creates the director's cut.
Thereafter, the producer and the network make changes until a final cut is created.
The final stage of post-production is the addition of optical effects, such as scene
fade-outs or dissolves, insertion of titles and credits; creation of special visual
effects, such as animations; and color correction.
The post-production process can take as long as eight weeks for a movie to three
days for a situation comedy.
Commonly, all optical effects, titles, and music are rolled in during the production
of soap operas, game shows, or talk shows–greatly reducing post-production.
Financing
The spiraling cost of TV production may not appear to trouble the global streaming
giants, which seem to have bottomless pools of cash to spend on fully financing
original content.
But for pretty much everybody else in the international TV business, raising
production finance has become a complicated business that demands almost as
much creativity and ingenuity as writing, directing or show running.
Financing is one of the largest roadblocks in production proces. Everyone has ideas,
and a lot of them could make money, but they never go anywhere because the
creators don’t have access to cash.
There are two basic paths for TV and Film projects: Studio/distributor financing and
private equity financing.
Screenplay
A screenplay is a script for a film or television show. It includes dialogue as well as
stage direction and character actions and movement.
“A screenplay, or script, is a written work by screenwriters for a film, television
program, or video game. These screenplays can be original works or adaptations
from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression and
dialogues of the characters are also narrated.”
The screenplay acts as the blueprint for all involved in a production. It’s the
building plan, the key layout of how everything will come together.
A Screenplay includes: the dialogue of all characters, their movements, place setting
descriptions, and acting style indications. Crucially, a screenplay might often also
include certain filmmaking instructions for camera operators to follow. A TV
screenplay is often termed a ‘tele play‘, whilst a screenplay for radio performance
purposes is likewise termed, ‘radio play’.
Distribution
Television distribution is a growing industry. On the back of the Communications
Act developments, more distributors are setting up to take advantage of the
expected growth in available product.
Distributors range from broadcaster-owned companies through larger independent
companies to smaller niche players.
Securing a distribution deal prior to production of a feature film in advance is a
major plus point when raising finance: it demonstrates that there is a route to market
for the film.
Feature film distribution differs from television in that often the best route to
distributors is by appointing a sales agent, who then handles the distribution of the
film in territories and liaises with the distributors in those territories.
The sales agent will attend festivals and markets and sell the film in return for a
commission based on a percentage of the money earned from the deal with
distributors.
Choosing the correct distributor for your product is about weighing up the financial
deal that is on the table with the likelihood that the distributor can deliver on
making product available to meet demand, has good industry contacts (including, if
appropriate international contacts) and generally has expertise.
It is always worth asking to see the distributor's catalogue of programmes and
"dropping in" on them at film and television markets to get a feel for the type of
work that they deal with and how much of a presence they are.
Remember that a smaller niche player may have just the contacts that you need for
your particular programme, even if they do not have the general brand name.
Thank You !!