Stages of TV Production

Mass Communication
UNIT II: INTRODUCTION TO THE PRODUCTION PROCESS
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Types of TV programs
 Scripted: These formats rely on pre-written storylines with professional actors.
Sitcoms (comedy), dramas, and miniseries fall under this umbrella.
 Non-Scripted (Reality): Reality TV features unscripted situations involving real or
relatively unknown people. Game shows, talent shows, and docu-soaps are some
popular examples.
 News and Documentary: These formats focus on factual information and current
events. News broadcasts, investigative journalism, and historical documentaries are
included here.
 Children's Programming: Shows designed specifically for children, often
incorporating educational elements alongside entertainment. Animation, live-action
sitcoms, and educational shows are some variations.

TV Programme Production:
Television production is a collaborative effort involving various stages:

 Pre-Production: The foundation is laid here. Scriptwriting, budgeting, casting (for

scripted formats), location scouting, and set design occur in this phase.
 Production: This is where the magic happens! Filming takes place in studios or on
location, with actors delivering performances, directors calling the shots, and
technical crews ensuring everything runs smoothly.
 Post-Production: The raw footage is transformed into the final product. Editing,
sound mixing, visual effects, and color correction all contribute to the polished
program you see on screen.

Pre-production (technical)

Here ideas for the project are generated and decided upon during pre-production.
1. Forming a production team
2. Determining tasks
3. Establishing timelines
4. Writing a treatment and/or script
5. Storyboarding: using pictures to visualise the entire film, the shots are depicted in a
sequential order on the storyboards.
6. Scouting for talent for the show
7. Assembling equipment and props
8. Locating locations (recce or location hunt)
9. obtaining permits, scheduling(equipment,shooting,personnel)
 10. Preparing various logs
11. Establishing timelines
12. Determining post-production dates and studios
13. Determining budgets and finance
14. Planning production and post production logistics
15. Arrangements for transportation and lodging

The first step of pre-production is to figure out what your video’s goals and objectives are.
Identifying the target audience and thoroughly examined. This is crucial because everything
you do after that should be done with your target audience in mind. The tone, pace, actors,
style, language, music, length and other aspects of the production must all be tailored to
your intended audience’s temperament, attitudes and interests.
The programme concept is developed during the pre-production and the script is
commissioned and written. In addition, all of the production’s personnel including the entire
cast and crew, has been finalised and hired. Props, costumes and entire production
equipment are chosen, created purchased and rented, and a complete production schedule
is established.
During this time all final shooting rehearsals are also completed.

Following 12 -steps are basic steps that must be completed before an elaborate pre-
production can begin

1. Determine the production’s goal

What is the production’s purpose:

 To educate?
 To inform?
 To amuse?
 To instil pride
 To fulfil religious, social or political need

2. Examine the demographics of your intended audience

Be it India or the world, wherever your audience is, it is important to understand the
audience’s preferences for the programme content. The preferences varies
depending on their age, gender, socioeconomic status and educational level. It also
defer depending on where the audiences are.
Like North India will jhave different programme preferences than South India. The
preferences for rural population will differ from those of urban population .
 Demogtaphics are the characteristics of the audience.
Knowing your audience is crutial as it determines your programme’s success or
failure.

3. Look what competitors are doing. Take a look at what other productions are
producing that are similar to yours.

It is crucial to look at previous similar productions to avoid making the same

mistakes they did and to learn from their strong points.

4. Figure out what the product’s basic value is

The next step is to determine the production’s overall value and convincingly
communicate it to a sponsor or advertiser.
We must ensure that the production costs can be justified in terms of profit and
return to investment.
5. Come up with a treatment or production plan
After the fundamental factors are ditentified, its time to write down .
At this point , a script outlining the entire treatment is done.
As one starts writng the script, you will be aware of the areas where more research
is needed.
A script is followed by numerous revisions. Each new script is usually issued on a
different colour paper in a dramatic film production so that the cast and crew don’t
mix them up with the previous versions.
Storyboards are timeconsuming, however they make the work more organised and
clear. These days story boarding is used in advertisements and short films.

6. Make a schedule for production:

The next step is to create a rough schedule. A written timetable is created detailing
the amount of time allotted for each production step.
The production schedule is usually dictated by broadcast or distribution deadlines.

7. Identify key members of the production team.

The important members of the crew, especially the key creative team members, are
chosen in this step.
The director, production assistant, music director and others are all part of this
team. The technical staff is chosen later.
8. Pick a location
The next step is to finalise the shooting locations. Location scouts or
managers are hired for productions to find and co-ordinate the use of the
script based suggested locations. Recce is another term for this.
9. Choose your cast, wardrobe and sets.
After that, talent, wardrobe and sets are chosen. Typically, auditions are held
to determine casting and to find the best actors for each role.
Payments are negotiated and contracts are signed once the people have
been chosen, after the talents are chosen, the outfits are chosen according to the
script’s requirements and the theme.
A costume designer is hired for larger productions and in cases where the
budget allows.
Next step is to create a set. A set designer is initially hired, he or she reads
the script and a set is designed based on it which is approved by the director and put
into action.
10. Choose the remaining members of the production team
At this stage the remaining staff and production requirements are chosen. The
selection and arrangement of the key technical personnel, equipment and facilities
are made. Facilities like overnight stays, transportation, catering and on-location
accommodations are made.

11. Acquire all necessary permits, insurance and clearances

All the arrangement of permits, licenses, security bonds and insurance policies with
the exception of spot news and short documentary segments.
If this planning is not done ahead of time, serious constraints may arise during the
shoot.
Filming permits are required in places like shopping malls.
The controlling agency may restrict outdoor production to specific areas and hours in
some locations. You’ll need to hire special police for a street scene where traffic will
be disrupted.
12. Video inserts, still photos and graphics to choose from
Arrange for videotapes and film inserts, still photos, and graphics to be shot or
acquired.
Check existing stock film footage and tape libraries across the country to cut
production costs.
 At this point one also thinks about music, copyright clearances and royalties for
music and visual inserts.
So the goal of pre-production is to assemble and efficiently organise the elements
required for a successful production.

Pre-production (content)

Pre-production for TV programmes.

Pre-production covers all the activities conducted before the actual production.
From conceptualization to all other preparations for actual production fall in this
stage only. Even though some people consider Conceptualization or Formulation
as a separate stage, it is generally considered to be a part of pre-production only.
The process of pre-production actually starts with Conceptualization.

Conceptualization: As the name suggests, conceptualization involves most of the

thinking work and is done on paper. In this stage, you start with generating ideas
for your desired content. When you have certain ideas ready, you and your
teammates discuss about the feasibility, effectiveness and workability of those
ideas. The length of this process will depend on the format as well as nature of
the show. If you are working on a daily news bulletin, you just think about the
selection of the news pieces according to their importance and their treatment in
your bulletin. But if you are working on a talk show, you may require thinking
about the relevant issues to be discussed, availability of the experts on the issue,
the audience to be present in the studio, etc.

If needed, you need to seek some additional information through internet research, old
interviews or talking to some domain experts. Once your idea is finalized, you start working
on it.
During this phase only, you can also decide whether your content will be telecast ‘live’ or
recorded. You can then proceed to the next step of content creation.

Pre-production also includes arrangement of the desired support staff who will be
required during the content creation. These staff may include script writers, editors,
studio directors, production assistants, camerapersons, audio operators, lighting
directors, graphics designers, etc. It is clear from the above description that the
number of persons involved in pre-production stage of a programme will vary
according to the nature of the content.

If you have decided to telecast your programme ‘live’, you need to check the
technical aspects well in advance. If you are going to create content which can
be recorded and broadcast later, things will be in better control as you can make
changes if things do not go as expected.
 PRODUCING NEWS PROGRAMMES

You must remember that production of news programmes is quite different from
the other television genres. For TV news programmes, usually the team is fixed
and that team remains available to gather and compile the required content. In
most of the cases, the production schedule of a news program is not more than
a single day. Therefore, the environment of TV news production is quite hurried
and intense. ‘Live’ programmes need more care and quick action. Without careful
planning and execution, it can go horribly wrong. Now we are going to understand
the exact nature and ways of work in a TV news organisation for production of
the content.

Producing a News Package

In previous units, you must have read about the news packages or news stories
many times. A news package is a special way to present news to the audience.
Normally a news package has a story, some characters and some facts.
News reporters spend considerable time in researching stories, collecting visuals,
interviewing characters, and then writing the scripts according to the gathered
information.
All news packages follow a basic structure which makes them easy
to understand. These packages may be of various durations but usually packages
run from 90 seconds to two minutes in length. In special cases, the duration may
be longer as well.
In fact, news packages are considered to be the backbone of any news show.
That is why making news package is one of the most important tasks of the
reporters and other employees.

When the assignment desk of the news channel assigns a particular news story to the
reporter, the process of making a news package begins.

The reporter needs to follow the news, collect the latest

information, visuals (video or stills) and bytes (or interviews) of the concerned
parties and then write a script describing the event or issue.

No doubt, TV reporting needs much more than its print counterpart. In order to
file a story or report, a TV reporter has to go through a long process. While going
for reporting, s/he accompanies a cameraperson. The cameraperson shoots the
visuals and reactions of the concerned persons. The responsibility of the reporter
is to help him/her in capturing the best visuals and ask the relevant questions to
the concerned persons for the news story.
But the responsibility of the TV reporter does not end here. After going back to
the office, s/he has to file the report according to the visuals and bytes collected
by him/her.

Many a times, the reporter may take the help of graphics department,
if any information is required to be shown in the form of graphics. When the news
report is completed, the producer checks the script filed by the reporter.

When it is cleared by the producer, the reporter has to sit with video editors to edit the
final story. Here the script has to be voice-overed by the reporter or voice-over
artist. And then visuals, graphics and bytes are laid over the VO (voice-over) to
give it a shape of edited package.

The edited news stories or packages are then used by the producer for his or her bulletin or
show.
The most important thing to note here is that a television reporter has to follow
the visuals of the event. This is not required for a print reporter. Moreover, a TV
reporter has to be quick as s/he has to deliver the news as soon as possible. The
print reporters, however, enjoy the greater time and flexibility. As the newspaper
will be printed at night and delivered to the doorstep of the consumer only the
next morning, newspaper reporter can file his/her story with comparative ease.

But the TV reporter has to be quick and on the rub as his/her organization needs
to play that news story the same day itself. So, for being a successful TV reporter,
pace and accuracy both are the prerequisites.

Producing a News Bulletin

In a typical TV news channel, the person who owns the responsibility of producing
a programme is called the producer. The producer of a news bulletin has to
produce his/her bulletin before its deadline. If the bulletin has to go ‘live’, s/he will
have to prepare all the contents required for the news bulletin beforehand.

First of all, the producer decides the news stories which are to be included in the
bulletin. After that, s/he decides the order of the news stories in the bulletin and
prepares a run-order or rundown. In the rundown, it is mentioned before every
news story that what will be its treatment and how much time is to be given.

In fact, mere seeing a well-prepared run-order, you can visualise the look of the
bulletin to be aired. That is why rundown is also called bulletin on paper.

Once the producer makes the rundown of a bulletin, s/he distributes the
responsibility of producing the content among his/her associates and other
teammates.
S/he has to see whether any script is to be written, which news stories
are already made in the system and which are to arrive later, what graphics
elements are required, etc. In a ‘live’ news bulletin, the producer has to make
provisions for ‘breaking news’ scenario also, therefore, s/he needs to make rundown
in such a way that the important and must have elements get enough time to be
aired. This decision needs dynamism and quick thinking. A good producer always
remains alert about the flow of news.
Once elements of the rundown are completed, the producer is ready to go live
with the show. As the timing of any news bulletin is fixed, the producer needs to
ensure that enough news materials are ready with him/her so that the duration of
the bulletin does not fall short. When the bulletin is being rolled, the producer
needs to prompt the anchor of the show regularly about the elements being added
or dropped from the news show.

Usually, the news anchor reads an introduction (or anchor link) ‘live’, then the pre-recorded
story is shown. As the show is ‘live’, there is no scope for post-production, unless there is
repeat telecast of the bulletin. If there are some errors which need to be fixed, it should be
done before the repeat telecast of the same show.

Structure of a news bulletin:

Generally news bulletins start with headlines. Most important story of the day is given
priority and is given more time than the other news items.

It depends on the discretion of the producer that how much time s/

he wants to give to a particular news story. If s/he wants to present a news item
in big way, s/he demands from the assignment team to arrange for some domain
experts who can elaborate the importance and various aspects of the news.

For example, an item of national or international interest is considered most important.

Normally soft stories find place at the end of the bulletin.

Producing a News Feature or News Documentary

Features and news documentaries are longer formats. They need more visuals,
more interviews, more information, more creativity and also more research. You
must have watched documentaries on television news channels. These
documentaries may be based on the political, social, cultural and other relevant
issues.

Documentaries need attractive presentation and fine scripting. Obviously,

such programmes cannot be effective unless there is strong research back up
before scripting. Such shows or programmes also need a lot of brainstorming,
efforts and hard work to be executed in a perfect manner.

But in this era of fierce competition amongst various news channels, many a times
such programmes lack serious and extensive research and hence they appear
hollow and do not leave any impact on the viewers.
 As sound research is required in the cases of TV features and documentaries, usually there
is a section dedicated to research in TV news channels. The staff of this section are primarily
entrusted with the task of providing backgrounders on important issues, events or
personalities. The staff of this section are also responsible for monitoring of various
news channels. They also provide important news elements from newspapers,
websites and other sources to the input and output teams.

Usually the research section provides backgrounders and other information to the
producer and script writer. On the basis of this information, the producer and
script writer give shape to the programme and prepare the script. During this
process, many persons are interviewed who understand the relevant issue and
possess the deep knowledge of the same.

These persons are interviewed by reporters who form the input team. If you want to
understand the production part of any programme in a simple manner, see the following:

Conceptualisation of the show (Producer)

Research (Research Section)
Other important information or interviews (Reporters)
Script writing (Script Writer) Editing (Video Editor)

It is a normal practice for programmes based on any specific issue to be made

within tight timelines in television news channels. For this, the required information
is provided by the research section to the producers and script writers.

Quite often it happens that the producers and script writers do not know much about
the topic/issue and therefore, they prepare the content based on the provided
research only. As a result, the prepared content may lack focus and sometimes
contains factual mistakes as well.

Ideally, the producer should identify the domain experts and interview them
according to the need of the programme. If it is not possible, then the reporters
should be included in the programming team so that s/he is completely aware of
the requirements of the feature or documentary to be produced.

You must remember that for producing a good news feature or documentary
extensive research is necessary. Additionally, if the producer and script writer
are themselves involved in the research, it is even better as it will enable them to
produce a quality programme.

But in the process of programme development, especially in Indian TV news channels, the
deadlines are so stiff that generally the producer and script writer do not have enough time
to get involved in research.

Another issue that may crop up while producing television news features or
documentaries is that the production team may lack subject expert producer or
script writer.

In TV news channels, producers and script writers are supposed to

be the proverbial ‘jack of all trades, master of none’. Such a label is, however,
not considered a bad thing in today’s news world. In fact, if you are also one of
them, it will help you to evolve as a good producer and script writer in TV news
channels.