AV News Magazine | Page 39

AV News 197 - August 2014 I hope that you will forgive my reminiscences of twelve very happy years at the BBC but just hearing the name brought all the memories flooding back. Having got that out of my system, I think I had better return to my outing report! Our first port of call was a fully automated studio where all the control, faders and music input are controlled by computers. To present your programme all you had to do was press a button and the whole desk rose up to your level - all extremely clever ..... and not an engineer anywhere in sight. On to the 'Question of Sport' studio where, apart from the front set piece, all the screens were covered with drapes. After a quick peek into the 'Green Room' which had an abundent supply of tea and coffee standing by, it was on to the Drama studio. The first thing you see when you enter the studio is a door with lots of different knobs, handles and locks with which you can produce various sound effects as required. At the side of the studio was a room where the walls were completely covered with foam that deadens all sounds - this is called an 'Anechoic Chamber'. The actors are not allowed to be in there for longer than ten minutes due to them starting to hear their heart beating and the blood rushing up to their brain - this I know from experience having once spent ten minutes filming in one at Salford University. After