What is involved in rolling out a new graphics package at a TV station?

[TVSaurus 0]

I'm not in the industry but I am just curious as to how much is involved in switching over to a new look?

 

I invision a finely dressed businessman selling a station or conglomeration a software/hardware package created by his/her company. Then a young engineer is dispatched to the station who buys and sets up the new hardware and trains the staff on how it works and create alot of the prepared slides.

 

Am I close? Just curious.

[Weeters 1811]

Software and hardware have little to do with it. Most of the time, design firms will create the graphics for whatever hardware the station has/will use. The only time it might work the way you have is if Vizrt (graphics hardware/software manufacturer) was offering the services of their in-house design company with the purchase of Viz equipment.

 

As for how it goes with design firms, the station contacts the firm and the firm sends them a pitch. I think nowdays most of the pitch/presentation stuff is done over the internet (I know a few years back the WBBM Hothaus pitch got leaked in PDF format). If the station likes it then the firm continues to work on the project and eventually when it's finished it gets shipped to the station using HDD's (or some other form of digital storage). Then the in-house graphics team loads it into the station's equipment (or they may contact Viz to do it for them, see KHOU on the Viz Creative site)

 

There's a lot of variables involved in the creation of a graphics package, and I can't really give you a solid "This happens, then this happens" because it's different depending on how much the station wants to pay. For example, a station may choose to compose their own opens, using elements designed by the firm, instead of having the firm compose each open.

 

Maybe one of the design firms that visit TVNT would like to take the time to explain more?

[hopdevil 1]

Things are done a little differently than they were a few years ago, but this is generally how it goes for many stations/station groups:

 

a) Creative Services Director (CSD) contacts design firm to discuss needs, scope of revamp, and budget.

 

B) Based on that discussion, firm designs some still frames/storyboards for example purposes and to get initial feedback regarding overall direction. A graphic theme begins to take shape.

 

c) Once those designs are tweaked and approved, the next step is to bring the key frames to life. Rough animation/compositing takes place and the package evolves.

 

d) Time for yet another signoff by the CSD on the animations and elements.

 

e) After getting approval for the rough animations, the designers are off to the races generating the various plates and versions as requested in (a)

 

f) Following completion of (e), the firm presents the package for final approval. Used to be via BetaSP or DVCPro tapes, now it's usually via low res Quicktime.

 

g) Once approved, firm ships out hard drive(s) containing final renders of elements, backgrounds, etc. and in many cases the actual project files used to to generate the graphics package. These are commonly After Effects and Cinema 4D project files that can be used to update or customize the graphics in the future.

 

h) Upon receipt, the CSD, News Director, and Producers meet to go over integration into newscasts. Any additional, alternate, or last minute elements that need to be generated are determined.

 

i) Based on this meeting, graphics are customized by Art Dept. and templates are made for various situations. These are then loaded in to the station's servers.