Studio Equipment, its functions and operation.

In a standard television studio their is alot of equipment that is all extremely vital to the running of the studio so that good quality programs can be shot in.
in this case it is a live TV production so their would be alot of cameras and other equipment for a show like a quiz show or a game show.

the equipment you would find in a TV studio would be:

starting with the studio floor-

the lighting grid:- this is a metal grid which we hang lights of it also powers each of the lights individually, on the grid each of the bars have power sockets which are each numbered and are then connected to the dimmer pack so when the lights are plugged in to the sockets they can be powered.the lighting grid should be suspended at least 1 meter from the celling so that when changing the lights you the person changing them can be above the lighting grid so you are not lifting them in a way that it would injure you. so the grid really should come to some where between your chest and hip.

dimmer pack- the dimmer pack is a massive panel of switches that can control each of the light individually as it is connected the the lighting grid so each socket is connected to each switch and the number on the socket is the number of the dimmer switch which is connected to the lighting desk and all the numbers match up to each other.

the lights -in the studio use two kinds of lamps and are called two different names depending on the lamp inside of the light, the first is cool lights they are flood lights that will light the whole area that is being filmed, the lamps inside are florescent tubes so they don't get as hot but are also better for the environment as they are in some sort of way energy saving bulbs. the second are small lights these lights are like spot lights and are tunestan lights and get hotter than the cool lights and can be more sore on the eyes the are often used for back lighting a studio so lighting from behind the actor or talent.
another type of light in the studio are the house lights but they are not for production purposes they are for when you are not recording and not using the main stage lights but they are every day light that you would find in the common room or house so that is why it is called house lights as they are the external lights in a studio and are put on for when doing maintenance on any equipment or while people are entering into the studio.

curtain track -this is a track that goes around the edge of the studio and is used to hand black curtains on or blacks on, this is to make sure that the set stand out on the camera and also to hide things that are not needed to be seen.

S.T.O.B-this means studio terminal outlet box, it is used to plug in all the different electrical equipment that needs to go to the control rooms. the equipment that is plugged into the S.T.O.B are mic`s,camera outlets and can`s this is so that their aren`t lots of terminals on the walls for sound and cameras and other things but one small area also so that the health and safety of crew is not at risk from lots of wires and the S.T.O.B. also helps to bring it all together.

the studio floor is a cemented floor but has carpet tiles on it, this is good as you can take up the tiles if you are painting on the floor or really need a smooth surface to move the cameras easily but alot of professional studio would have smooth services so the cameras can really move easily.

the floor monitor- this is a television screen that shows what is going out or being shown on the television, it is also used in the case of quiz shows to show video or VT`s. their can be more than one monitor if the audience needs to see what is going out.

on air light- this is often a red light that sometimes says AIR, it is put on when recording is in progress as it means that you should not enter the studio floor. we don't have this in our studio we have a bike light that flashes.

mics- these are suspended from the grid by a cable, the are condenser mics so they pick up every thing around them, so what ever is said in the studio it can be herd if they are on.we also have radio mics these clip onto the talents clothes and have a battery pack that also sends out a signal of sound that is being produced through the mic, it is then picked up by a receiver that is plugged into the sound mixer/desk.

Camera-

the cameras- the cameras we use are Sony z5 camera`s they can be both used in the studio and out on another location, they a fairly professional cameras and have and aperture on them if their is to much light you can change the aperture like an SLR photographic camera it also has a zoom that is both manual and auto the focus is just like this it an be used in both of these functions.

the studio pedistol/ped- this is like a tripod but it also has a dolly that is permanently attached, it has a collum in the middle that can be raised and lowered depending on the shot you want, it is on one long pole instead of three legs. on the top it has a tilt and pan head, the enable you to pan and tilt the camera in whatever way you need to.

talk back box- this enable the director to talk to you and tell you the shot they want with out going back and forth, it also enables communications to the vision mixer, sound technician and the floor manager and the other cameras you your self can also talk to the director if you really have to at the time.

cables- these connect the every thing to the S.T.O.B but that is sort of obvious the only thing you need to remember about the is that they are very fragile so you shouldn't but pressure on them, their is also alto of them so you have to keep them gathered up so they can move easily with the camera, we keep them gathered with a sleeve that is made with a black wire material that is woven together.

the main area is the studio it is where alto happens and goes on but also where most people are.