Meet the cast...

I keep referring to our technicians here at W*USA. I thought it might be nice to put some pictures with the names and briefly mention what kind of work they do to keep our newscast on the air.

First up, is our technical director, James Williams. Working with the director, the technical director, or TD, is responsible for coordinating the technical aspects of a news broadcast and the operation of the video switcher.

James is seated in front of the Sony MVS8000 production switcher. Operating the Sony switcher, James will manually switch sources from cameras to video to remotes and overlay lower third graphics as needed by the director.

All this doesn’t happen without preparation. Before every broadcast, James will examine the news rundown and make note of everything he will need to call up during a broadcast. At this time, he may also build special effects that a particular newscast will use.

A good example of this would be something we would call a “map fly.” In this scenario, we will put a map on the air and then James will build an effect where the video will fly out of the specific location that the anchor is talking about.

A good technical director is bright, adaptable and a quick learner. He or she must be able to quickly assess a situation and generate new insights and usable ideas before and during a broadcast. James fits that bill perfectly.

To Be Continued...