Electronic News Gathering and Electronic Field Production

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses electronic news gathering and electronic field production. The introduction of television was the next step in the development of the medium. The availability of a picture affected the domain of newscasting. While for radio news the voice of the reporter was, more or less, sufficient, in the case of television news, it was certainly not: The mandatory requirement for any television newscast is the picture of the event. The use of film limits the timing of usable events. An OB van requires even more time to be rigged and set to work and then, its presence on the spot may sometimes be more important than the event it was supposed to cover. The recording concept is certainly the most common way of covering news events by ENG crews. As it consists of recording an event on a portable recorder, the equipment required for such an operation is extremely reduced. The basic requirement is a portable camera and a portable recorder, a microphone, batteries and perhaps a lighting source. Large international sporting or political occasions attract crowds of journalists and film and ENG crews who permeate the event, shooting the highlights, taping interviews, recording stand-ups, in short covering the event. Afterwards they all rush to the premises of the local broadcast organization asking for processing, dubbing, editing, and broadcasting facilities.