DE
The old backdrop was mounted on lightboxes lit with standard flourescent tubes (so not quite directly to the walls). The new backdrop is mounted on flats which actually stand slightly proud of the bare walls (you can actually get behind the set now, just about) and is backlit with RGB LED strips (so the overall colour and brightness can be adjusted). The flickering monitors idea was not implemented because the studio is pretty small, so the flickering would be larger in frame and therefore rather distracting.
Yes, BBC News in general dropped the swirls as part of the most recent graphics relaunch (when Helvetica Neue replaced Gill Sans) although they survive in titles sequences. I'm not sure whether the swirls are a part of the printed backdrop in Southampton or if they're something that can be easily 'peeled off'. The images in the backdrop have been borrowed from another region, so kudos to anyone who's spotted which one
No HD cameras I'm afraid, but there will be a third camera soon, and I think Jerome was referring in the main to the new screens. The plasma screen that was behind the presenter in the old set was actually from the original 2005 set and was getting rather unreliable (it occasionally needed some TLC before it could be persuaded to power up at all!)
Given that the CGI faux-newsroom "wallpaper" is applied directly to the actual walls of the studio, it is impossible to achieve the trick of making the "monitors" flicker with lightboxes behind. All of which was also the case with the previous backdrop.
The old backdrop was mounted on lightboxes lit with standard flourescent tubes (so not quite directly to the walls). The new backdrop is mounted on flats which actually stand slightly proud of the bare walls (you can actually get behind the set now, just about) and is backlit with RGB LED strips (so the overall colour and brightness can be adjusted). The flickering monitors idea was not implemented because the studio is pretty small, so the flickering would be larger in frame and therefore rather distracting.
It really does resemble a mini version of the Southampton set now. Thankfully. Apart from the lack of frosted swirls on the backdrop. Maybe Southampton ought to peel theirs off of their "windows", now that they are no seemingly longer part of the prescribed BBC News look.
Yes, BBC News in general dropped the swirls as part of the most recent graphics relaunch (when Helvetica Neue replaced Gill Sans) although they survive in titles sequences. I'm not sure whether the swirls are a part of the printed backdrop in Southampton or if they're something that can be easily 'peeled off'. The images in the backdrop have been borrowed from another region, so kudos to anyone who's spotted which one
Presenter Jerome Sale mentioned the revamp just before the 18:40 handover to Sally Taylor, accompanied by timelapse of the old set being stripped out and the new one being built. He said it was "the first significant investment... [at the Oxford studio] for many years". You don't say...
Mention was made of it being more than just a cosmetic change (i.e. new technology/kit/equipment in the studio). I think he used some phrase similar to "better picture quality" (or something along those lines), so maybe the studio/cameras is/are now HD-capable or something?
Mention was made of it being more than just a cosmetic change (i.e. new technology/kit/equipment in the studio). I think he used some phrase similar to "better picture quality" (or something along those lines), so maybe the studio/cameras is/are now HD-capable or something?
No HD cameras I'm afraid, but there will be a third camera soon, and I think Jerome was referring in the main to the new screens. The plasma screen that was behind the presenter in the old set was actually from the original 2005 set and was getting rather unreliable (it occasionally needed some TLC before it could be persuaded to power up at all!)