The following set of guidelines on television production is derived from the instructions given to students passing through production courses at the Centre for Communication Studies, University of Liverpool. A typical course (e.g. members of the postgraduate Certificate of Education year) takes place over a period of two terms, the first being devoted to theoretical and practical sessions and the second mainly to practical exercises alone. Both sides deal with aspects of television production, camerawork, script layout, and graphics. It is intended that at the end of the course students will have a greater awareness of the medium of television, and that, in effect, they will be able to continue their studies when subsequently viewing broadcast programmes at home. When devising the course it was realised that the books available on the subject were mainly aimed at broadcasting personnel. Such books prove useful as reference material but tend to deal with the subject in too great a depth for a course of this duration. It was therefore necessary to design background material with the course specifically in mind. The guidelines that follow attempt to relate the techniques of television production to the students' own everyday experience. The first section. Production I, deals with such conventions as the cut, mix and fade, and the viewers' understanding of them. It stresses the need for motivation (the justification) behind every cut and action in television. The aim is for the viewer to look through the medium at the content and not at the medium itself. The second section, Camerawork, deals with the art of the cameraman in more detail. It explains his role and the importance of good camerawork in a production. It then deals with composition, balance and framing of a shot. Shot definitions are explained together with general hints on camerawork. The third section, Production II, relates the camera to direction techniques. It represents a list of do's and don'ts for the director to heed. Carl Neads has worked for five years as a cameraman with the BBC and for a further six years as Production Assistant in the University of Bath TV Service. He is currently TV Producer at the Centre for Communication Studies, University of Liverpool.
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