Mediacorp + PA = Improvements

I guess some of you guys out there might have received a frantic sms earlier today which goes along the line of: "OMG!! There is some freaking big event at JEC!!!! COME COME COME !!!!!"
Ok, I exaggerated the contents of the SMS, but it did go along something like that. Their system is quite well prepared and yup, this is for the record ^^

Basically, what happened is that I ran into the filming session of the current affairs show in Singapore "有话就说". Other then the fact that some times their comments are seriously shallow and their topics do not usually go into the really important issues in daily life that we talk about daily, their show is pretty much ok!

Anyway, I had learnt previously that this show do their filming at different shopping malls every week, and they are hoping that one day, some members of the public might just come up and start a conversation with them. (in fact, that was the original aim of the series and was also the very reason why it stood out from the rest) This is the second time I ran into them and lets just say that I couldn't resist myself from stopping and taking a very close inspection of their system...

Basically from preliminary examination of the system, they basically comprise of three distinct system, which you can see in the photographs below:










These three photos are basically placed in the order in which they were arranged there. My technical skills are not up to the standards of mediacorp yet, but based on observations, I can deduce what each section does...

I shall now move into each of the sections, based on which one I perceive receives the first input.
The first section to receive the input is the second section, the one where you can see the tv screen in front of the two person sitting at the mixer. Their main job is most likely to control the amount of output for each of the cordless mics that were used. They had used a total of 11 cordless mics.



If you can count the number of receivers on the rack, there are also 11 receivers.
The output that they have obtained is sent out to the first section.



The first section consists of one mixer and a bunch of amplifiers. Basically what I think it does is this:
It takes in the output from the second section and then its main job is to
1) Record the signal to tape for post-filming editing and what not
2) To be broadcast to the public
This is especially true since there is a large amount of public audience there listening to the talk, and they have already set up two speakers there to broadcast what is going on to the public.

Section three consists basically of the visual component of the recording process and also the place where the director does her work. The third section can be split into two distinct groups...


The first section correlates to basically the rest of the video taping crew, whose main job, I believe, is to capture the footages that were being used during the actual process. This is more complicated then how it sounds. Just look at the whole length of the set up there that is used for capturing the videos...

The second section is basically where the director does her work. If you can see the small little black gooseneck on her table, this gooseneck mic sends signals from the director directly to the host of the show so that the director can instruct the host what to do should the director feel that something should be done. Also, notice the large amount of screens that are in front of the director? This screens are used by the director to determine which camera should be used at a particular time for the final show...


Oh yea, there is also the cameras section...
For this particular shoot, 4 cameras were used. One was trained on the overall view of the layout of the show, one was on the host, one was on the group on the right, and the last one was on the group on the left usually. In this way, the director can quickly adjust his camera angles by switching cameras to obtain the view that she wants her viewers to see...

Anyway, now on to the technical aspects that we have learned today:
1) The reason why cordless mics are used.
-Corded mics are not used because it would be a great hassle. Just imagine if you have approximately 11 cables running up and down the stage connecting the participants of the show to the mix. It would not only add complication to the event at hand, and will also drastically increase problems with troubleshooting should such a need arises

-Condensers are also not used because it would have picked up too much background noise and this will have a seriously negative impact on post-filming. Also, the condenser would have been located at a large distance away from the source and this could result in cancellation due to sound waves not being in phase. This is especially true when the venue isn't built for acoustics.

-Cordless mics are used because they do not create a huge mess on the stage and also at the same time, can be very close to the original source of the sound. Through that, chances of feedback, cancellation caused by reflective surfaces and capturing of unwanted noises are very largely reduced. Thus, cordless mics are best in this situation, although interference caused by near-frequency wave are not unheard of.

2) Each cordless mics had its own receivers
-This is because when two mics share the same receiver, the receiver will not be able to receive both signals at the same time. If one mic sends out a signal, it will cancel out the signal from the other mic because the receiver cannot handle this. This will thus allow the event to run smoothly because there will not be cut-off resulting from mics use and it might also be easier to troubleshoot should a mic be faulty during the shooting process

3)Stage monitors
-A single stage monitor was used in the recording process. The stage monitor was placed right at the front where most of the participants of the show will not approach. This reduces the possibility of feedback occurring and in fact, should totally negate feedback because the stage has been built in such a way that no one will reach there. A very good learning point...


4)Backstage crews
-For this filming session, there wasn't a very physical backstage crew. But it is still somewhat present to some extent. Instead of running out to solve problems, they had (most likely) foreseen most problems and thus do not have to worry about them at all. Should there be any problems, they address it during the commercial break when the cameras stop rolling, thus allowing the event to be very smooth when you see it on TV.

-Also, the backstage crew have very good communication with the director running the show (remember her gooseneck?).Other then that, each member of the control crew also have a headphone. This must most likely act as either a control monitor, a director instruction receiver, or both. By using the headphone, they reduce the possibility of feedback caused by control monitors (This is VERY rare by the way)

Time for us to improve and apply what we have learnt!!
I'll upload the rest of the photos that I have taken when I have the time haha ^^

Discmon