CBBC’s Horrible Histories was the subject of RTS London’s latest production focus in early November – with a team of creatives from producers Lion Television explaining how they put together the award-winning show.
Supported by the BBC Academy and Women in Film and Television UK, “Update TV skills” explained to people who have taken a career break how television has changed and what they need to know to make a successful return.
The day began with a presentation from Rowan de Pomerai, head of flexible delivery at Ooyala, which helps broadcasters and media companies manage the end-to-end digital workflow that is becoming the standard way of organising the production and distribution of TV programmes.
A panel of experts discussed the use of visual effects in TV – both real and CGI – and argued that, used responsibly, they aid creativity.
Visual effects have moved on apace over the past two decades. Graeme Harper first directed Doctor Who in 1984, although as a floor assistant at the BBC in the 1960s he worked on the series when Patrick Troughton was the Time Lord.
“The Doctor Who [series] of the 1980s were great because the stories were great – we all forgave them that the sets creaked,” said Harper.
In a digital age, how we consume content is constantly changing and it has become increasingly difficult to predict the future of content consumption.
At the recent IABM Conference in early December the topic of how under 30s consume content was discussed on a small panel chaired by John Ive, IABM’s Director of Technology & Strategic Insight.
This was the key message from the London Centre’s review of this September’s IBC, which was held jointly with the Institution of Engineering and Technology at the latter’s sumptuously refurbished HQ on the banks of the Thames.
Amsterdam’s annual media technology event welcomed more than 1,600 exhibitors and 55,000 visitors to its exhibition halls and conference sessions. The RTS and IET are two of the six partners behind IBC.
At the RTS London Conference, the discussion over regulations in the public service broadcasting sector got heated as the panel debated government intervention, licence fees, and staying true to their remit.
Pat Younge chaired as Channel 4 chief creative officer Jay Hunt, BBC's director of strategy and education James Purnell, Italian journalist Monica Maggioni, and head of planning and scheduling for Denmark's broadcasting corporation Peter Rosberg offer their take on how to best serve the public.
KEVIN MACLELLAN: Thank you very much, Baz, and thank you for all the help you gave me this year putting the conference together. Baz gave me a great deal of advice during the course of the year, being an American and the first time doing this. He also gave me a bit of advice that made me quite nervous. At one point he said "Kevin, in England you have to make speeches funny", and I don't really know how to do conference funny. I do after a bottle of wine funny or best man's speech funny, maybe, basically anything inappropriate funny. So just lower your expectations on if you would on t
KEVIN MACLELLAN:
Before we bring up our first keynote speaker, Steve Burke, CEO of NBCUniversal, I thought it might make sense to give you all a little history of NBCUniversal, and that is because many, many people in the UK know what Universal Pictures is but it has become my experience that when I say NBCUniversal they are left a little baffled. So have a look at this tape which will tell you a little bit about our company.
KEVIN MACLELLAN:
