NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS IN TV LAND

posted by Michael Chihak

The typical three-segment Arizona Week is never shot in one sitting, yet tonight's program is a marvel of technical planning and execution and the art of TV direction.

Typical is that the lead interview is shot on location and edited for the program. We did that for this week's program on Arizona water and the drought.

Then, a second segment is shot, either on location or in what is called "live-to-tape" in our studio.

Live-to-tape means that while it is taped, the shoot is captured as is from beginning to end, as if it were live. In other words, no "Take 2" or beyond.

Finally, the journalists' panel segment is shot in the studio, again "live-to-tape."

For this week's program, the second segment was shot after the third, because the interviewee couldn't make it at the usual time. So the journalists went before the interview, and then in post-production editing, the order of presentation was reversed.

It all worked seamlessly, and viewers will see the seamlessness when it airs at 8:30 p.m. MST on PBS-HD 6.

Only you blog readers will know how the stitches were sewn to create the seamless appearance.