Chapter 8 Overview
Graphics and sets are the two major pictorial elements that are a part of television
production. Graphics include lettering and artwork, normally displayed on-screen to supplement the
images captured on-camera. A news anchor's name, for example, can be shown on a graphic with simple
lettering. More-advanced graphics might include the map of a war zone, a chart showing how tax
money is spent, or even a moving graphic of a working piston engine or blood flowing through arteries.
A wide variety of set designs are also possible, from the simplicity of a single folding chair and a
curtain for background to an entire re-creation of a classroom, corporate office, or apartment. The disciplines of using pictorial elements include understanding and applying appropriate design
principles. It is also important to have a clear understanding of what you want to convey to the viewer
and how you will do it. The techniques of graphics include understanding your particular graphics system
as well as a more general knowledge of the types of equipment and graphics effects available. Some
of the techniques needed for sets require the skill of a carpenter or painter, but others are simple tasks
that anyone can master with a little practice. This chapter covers graphics and sets by emphasizing the
following topics: - The informational and emotional aspects of pictorial elements (8.1)
- Different types of graphics equipment and the functions they perform (8.2)
- Aesthetic considerations in using television graphics (8.3)
One of the major reasons for using graphics and sets is
to convey a wide range of information to the viewer
without disrupting the overall flow of a program. During
a baseball game, for example, a graphic in the
upper-left corner constantly shows the current status
of the game (score, team batting, number of balls,
strikes, and outs, and runners on base), while supplemental
graphics show information about particular
players. The lower-screen crawl showing news headlines
has become a fixture on cable news channels like
MSNBC and CNN. (See Figure 8.1.) Sets, too, convey information to the viewer, although
in a less direct way. A well-designed set made
to represent the inside of a church tells the viewer that
the scene is happening inside a church yet does not call
attention to itself. In the same way, the set for a news
program should provide an inviting, pleasant, and
functional background without distracting from the
message provided by the news anchors.
Beyond informational functions, graphics and sets
also play emotional or psychological functions. Many subtle
messages can be conveyed by the total production
design, and the pictorial elements—graphics, sets,
props, and furniture—combine to give an "image" or
"feel" to the program. In a news program, do you want
the image of an advanced technological communications
center or of a working newsroom? In a religious
program, do you want the image of a traditional church
service or of an avant-garde contemporary movement? The emotional function of design also includes
creating and maintaining a style or continuity for the
program. This style should carry through to all the pictorial
elements used in the production; each pictorial
element should look like it belongs with every other element.
In some cases, for instance, a station has a news
bureau in another city, and thus part of the newscast
originates from the set located there. These "satellite"
sets should match the main set, exhibiting similar style
cues such as color and decoration. Maintaining this
type of consistency is especially important in designing
graphic elements; watch an evening newscast and
notice how the various graphic elements seem to fit. - Techniques for using non-computer-generated graphics (8.4)
- The purpose of sets (8.5)
- The possibilities for virtual sets (8.6)
- How physical sets are designed, constructed, assembled, and stored (8.7)
- Differences among permanent sets, removable sets, and cycs and drapes (8.7)
- Elements to consider concerning furniture, set dressing, and props (8.8)
- How sets relate to other aspects of production (8.9)
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