The Newsroom

ITV Wales to get new news studio

(May 2014)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
GM
Gary McEwan
*

Woah...huh?! Who thought that looked good? There are some decent elements to this new set scheme ITV is using but there are somethings defo wrong with this version.
Firstly the major problem as most have point out are the black bars. I just dont get it. Sorry. I find it odd. I think it they were going to do a virtual window. they could have taken a few large format LCD's and turned them vertical and kept the "mullions" between the windows and it would have more window like. Here is an example of how NBC affiliates are achieving the virtual window feeling.
KNBC-4 - LA
http://assets.tvnewscheck.com/asset/image/file/KNBC_anchors.jpg/env/preview/aspect/original/align/full
Secondly, who did the lighting....yeeesh! Its lit up like a government benefit office. The light is cold and harsh. They likely using the cooler more efficient lights possibly. But it makes the presenter look like a talking cadaver. Needs some gels to warm up the set and create some depth. Everything looks flat. Then you get those "dead spots" in the corners, especially by the silvery-looking column. It actually could have turned out quite nice, but IMO opinion didnt quite make it. So sad.


Why does this need to be compared to a local US news set? They have nothing in common...
BR
Brekkie
If they couldn't have the view - whether on screens or real - then surely something like the reverse angle of Granada Reports would have been better. Also as they've got a green screen in the studio for the weather surely it wouldn't be too tricky to rig up a green screen behind them and have a CSO view.
MO
Mouseboy33

Why does this need to be compared to a local US news set? They have nothing in common...

Well the commonality is the virtual window.
BA
bilky asko
[S]urely it wouldn't be too tricky to rig up a green screen behind them and have a CSO view.


It would be if you wanted anything other than static shots. You'd also have a lot of green spill onto the floor, and you'd have to have a reflected view in the desk. They would have to use the (expensive) Ultimatte system used in London.

Personally, I think the black bars look worse in the stills than they do in motion, but they do still look odd.
MW
Mike W
If you've ever been in a JobCentre you'd know they're better lit than this mess!
JO
Jon

Why does this need to be compared to a local US news set? They have nothing in common...

To be fair, he was only showing us an example how most of think it should have looked and explaining how the large window effect was successfully achieved elsewhere.
Rijowhi and WW Update gave kudos
JE
Jez Founding member
Doubt it.

The black panels look as bad as I thought they would but what I liked about that was a snappy headline sequence - too often now on both the BBC and ITV the headline sequence seems to go on forever.

Also does the breakfast presenter usually do the lunchtime news for ITV Wales, as having one anchor means you can't have one do the Lunchtime News and the other the late bulletin.


the normal rota for ITV Wales is one of the main presenters presents the late news on a Monday and Tuesday night and then a reporter presents the late bulletin the rest of the week with the same person then doing the weekends.

The lunchtime bulletin apart from Friday was presented by the GMB presenter. On a Friday one of the 6pm presenters would present it.
AN
Andrew Founding member
A static picture of Cardiff, like what GMTV used to use would probably look better than this.
WW
WW Update

Why does this need to be compared to a local US news set? They have nothing in common...


Really? At least in the photos posted in this thread, the backgrounds of the two sets look similar. (LCD displays within rectangular panels.)

The "Americanophobia" and insularity of some members of this forum sometimes verges on the irrational.
Last edited by WW Update on 1 July 2014 7:29pm
DT
DTV

Why does this need to be compared to a local US news set? They have nothing in common...


Really? At least on the photos posted in this thread, the backgrounds of the two sets look similar. (LCD displays within rectangular panels.)

The "Americanophobia" and insularity of some members of this forum sometimes verges on the irrational.


Not really though, while the two sets do obviously have some features in common you can say that about most news sets - in total there are about 50 different News set features and most sets compose of several of them put together in any order. You could say the ITV News Desk is very similar in shape to the 2011 Newsnight Desk but that isn't necessary and that is what is tedious - some members need to compare everything to something else and some certain members seem to have a persistent necessity to compare everything in terms of US equivalents and some members find that tedious.
MO
Mouseboy33
Anyway....
That side LCD looks a little washed out. In any event this version wasnt thought through very well.
WW
WW Update
DTV posted:
some members need to compare everything to something else and some certain members seem to have a persistent necessity to compare everything in terms of US equivalents and some members find that tedious.


But, more than ever, television is a global industry. Design trends, presentational elements, marketing approaches, journalistic issues, etc., all transcend boundaries. One cannot fully understand what is happening is one country without taking the rest of the world into consideration. Therefore, cross-national comparisons are not just a valid but, I would argue, a necessary part of any discussion of TV presentation.

Sure, the user in question has gone off-topic on several occasions (as have I), but in this instance, his post was totally valid. He was pointing out a set with a similarly conceived background that he considered to be more effective. The post, while comparing two different sets, was on-topic and did not disrupt the flow of the thread.

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