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Streaming podcasts, vodcasts, 4:3, 16:9, oh my!

This article, authored by FX Group's CEO and creative director Mack McLaughlin, appeared in Promax/BDA's DNA Magazine.

In 2003 I answered the questions posed by the DNA staff for their feature “The Future By Design” and the nucleus of those answers is even more relevant to today’s conference theme — intersections.

The questions regarded design trends and the impact new technology would have on design. I discussed the trends in entertainment programming at the time and how local news programs would soon be following those trends and blurring the lines between entertainment and news.

Well, it’s now 2007, and boy have we intersected both in terms of content and technology. Almost any local broadcaster can now afford to have the same on-set technology as the networks and cable news outlets.

To compete for viewers, local news outlets have become more visually entertaining with the story selection, as well as their graphics and scenic elements. As the price of large format video projection gear continues to drop, the next step will be large seamless projected backgrounds using multiple projectors with blending software as anchor backgrounds. Although we are still waiting for prices to come down for the control hardware, I’m sure it will happen soon.

Now that you have a great “on air” look you’re done, right?

No. The next challenge is to not only look good delivering this information over traditional 4:3 broadcast channels but also to be ready to convert these images to an HD channel, and deliver streaming videos over the Web, as well as on PDAs and cell phones.

Moving forward, all broadcast design has to work in 4:3 for the foreseeable future, while being ready for that eventual 16:9 conversion. And what looks good in 16:9 HD on a 60-inch plasma will not easily translate to a 2-inch square Treo smart phone.

“Less is more” will be the mantra for HD and Web casting. With the higher contrast ratios, higher resolution and greater light sensitivity available in today’s HD equipment, a little will go a long way.

In the past, we’ve had to boost the contrast in scenic elements to create a sense of depth. Moving forward, we will have to tone down both the contrast and brightness in our backgrounds to keep them from overpowering the anchors.

And since we will be framing for 4:3 while shooting in 16:9, wide shots will be much looser. And this will also contribute to that sense that the anchors may be adrift in a sea of over-driven backgrounds.

HD is the way to go when watching a nature program or a documentary on the Great Wall of China. But when dealing with experienced anchors in a small studio you will need to have some tricks up your sleeve to create the depth of field that we are accustomed to seeing on HD programs.

Lighting is the number one way to create additional depth in an HD studio. If you want your anchors to pop off the screen in the future of HD, then gone are the days of lighting everything with only flat fluorescent fixtures. You will need strong backlight as well as separate lighting on the background elements to create the layering necessary to fight the flattening effect of the cameras.

“Less is More” works for makeup and cameras too. Experienced anchors should have no fear moving to HD if their engineering staffs look out for them by buying cameras that have a good “flesh detail” module and then use it to soften their features. When detailing is used correctly, coupled with less makeup done well, it should extend their “on air” life by a good ten years.

Younger anchors and macho sports guys will really love HD, since they will also be able to cut back on their makeup time, allowing the camera to do more of the work and fix the occasional blemish.

These changes will also help when broadcasting over the Web and to PDAs and cell phones. But you may still want a small, simple set that will allow the viewers to focus on the reporters and the story, not on the enormity of your studio set.

As of now it’s still a jungle out there and the winners will be those broadcasters that are able to drive viewers to their brand across all of these platforms and look good doing it.

For more information about FX Group, call Kathy Mosher-Boulé at 407-877-9600 or