May 26, 2006 5:15 pm US/Central
Behind The Scenes: Creating New CBS 2 News Opens
Ginger Malcolm, cbs2chicago.com
(CBS)
They are called news re-enforcers or re-opens – they air right before the first commercial break to introduce the news team to the viewers.
When the CBS 2 designers set out to create a new look for the news teams, they decided to take some artistic license with an elaborate behind-the-scenes peek into what it takes to make a newscast.
"We wanted to make a dramatic statement about the fast pace and energy that we put into our newscasts," said News Director Carol Fowler.
"People are always fascinated with the behind the scenes of TV," said Art Director Neal Weisenberg.
But there was an immediate problem.
"We couldn't interfere with the day to day news operation because we are on 24/7," said broadcast designer Josh Nard.
So they did the next best thing. From the cameras and lighting on the set, to an imitation of a newsroom and control room where the newscast is run, a miniature version was created in the studio two days before the shoot.
The next step was to find a way to tie this energetic newsroom to Chicago, after all this is CBS 2 Chicago. The answer was to showcase some of the prominent places in in the city behind the news set.
"No matter where you live, Gurnee or Naperville, everyone can relate to the strong iconic architecture of Chicago," Weisenberg said.
Using a chroma wall or green screen, the same technology that the meteorologists use during the newscast to show weather maps in CBS 2 Weather Control, they were able to shoot video of Diann Burns, Antonio Mora , Steve Baskerville and the other news personalities, and then add the city backdrops in post-production.
But it's not always as easy as it looks.
"We have to keep the shadows, so it doesn't look like they are floating," Nard said. "With the wide shot of Antonio, we recreate that and replace the green area, but we have to match the lighting and shadows, his reflection on the floor."
While the shoot itself took only two days to complete, post-production has taken weeks as Nard tries to match the coloring and movement of the shot to the movement of the city scenes.
The end result? A fast-paced, energetic open that shows our viewers the creative team that helps put together CBS 2 News every night.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
SLIDESHOW: CBS 2 Shoot For The New Opens
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