BBC World News America

Given that the BBC's Asian Hub is about to get a new studio to match NBH, I thought I'd have a go at giving the BBC's Washington Studio an NBH style set. If they are going to update the set in the next few years, next year's Presidential Elections would suggest now is the time to do it. I tried a bit of research for Studio Size and ended up with a minimum and a maximum size studio so created a set to fit both ends of the spectrum.

This is Concept 'A' - the small one.

A few test renders (one is in Newsday livery - on occassion Newsday has come from Washington.)



On the large set, the size I would have guessed the studio to be, I have taken a similar concept and expanded it - adding a larger catwalk area. One of the screens here would be a touchscreen (with the Election Coverage in mind).





Here are some test renders of this set in both Standard and Election Night forms



The Backdrop of both studios is the current US Landmarks Montage, ideally these studios would be backdropped with the same backdrop without the frosting and plasma panels but for now it is just a placeholder.

Looks excellent. Personally I prefer the smaller set as there's more room for the cameras - I like the set up with two monitors but it looks like there might not be room for the cameras to get too close to the monitors and that might some of the shots a little awkward, but that's just my opinion from what I can see.

On the smaller set, is the screen placed in a position where it could be used for graphics behind the presenter at the desk? That's something that looks a bit naff on the current Washington set, the shot has to be perpendicular to the desk which always looks a bit odd to me especially because it hides the Washington backdrop.

As always very nicely done! From what I have previously worked out when looking at this studio space the problem with fitting a nice set into it is that it whilst it's long enough it isn't wide enough, so the depth of a circular set cannot be accommodated. There used to be a video where Katty Kay toured the studio and it showed that the shot from the US 2012 programme where they had a fake atrium above the set must have had the camera squeezed into the corner as it made it look quite big when I'm not sure that's the reality! As nice as Concept B is I think the reality would be something more like Concept A, which is obviously a shame.

As an aside, I didn't think they used the US monuments backdrop anymore? Some time after Matt Frei left I'm sure they got much more creative with the use of the screens and used them to display graphics rather than just be a backdrop, and in turn they started using a globe backdrop for generic bits. I could well be wrong though!

Either way, a very nice mock!

DrewF - Yes, on the small set the screen is positioned so it can fit behind the presenter in desk shots and next to the presenter in standing shots.


Critique - I was looking for that video and all I could find was the Gallery Behind the Scenes one, what do you make the dimensions because Set B has quite a lot of give and I could definetely move the circular centre about half a metre towards the videowall.

It used to be on some sort of poorly used social networking type site from what I recall, but it doesn't appear anymore so either the site or the video has gone. Basically Katty Kay explained the set and then walked out into the gallery, and I seem to remember that the camera was in a position to try and give a wide view of the set, and as a result was really quite close to the corner, as when Katty walked out of the studio (doors to the left of the set) the camera turned and you saw the corner of the wall behind the camera and the side wall with the doors on, so it was quite compact. I've always been quite conservative when figuring out the size, so I only made it around 7x5m - it may be much bigger though!

Execution is good as usual. The smaller set would most definitely fit in the space they have. It looks to be similar in size to the previous set from 2007 which had rear projection screens and was at a weird angle within the space.

But i'm having doubts about the credibility of the larger set. Where are the doors to the studio? Could your curved videowall block them?

Also, i'm pretty certain that the two large square pillars in the corners of the existing set are structural to the building.
(There are similar shaped pillars seen in the main office space of the bureau.)

Here is the plan of the optimistically large set.


I think that the smaller set is probably a more realistic size.