jghenderson
Well-known member
I guess I was worried about stepping on his toes or going over his head. I definitely know more about it than him so perhaps instead I will ask him if he wants me to contact them.
PBS rules about DSLR's
- Thread starter Lenilenapi
- Start date
I guess I was worried about stepping on his toes or going over his head. I definitely know more about it than him so perhaps instead I will ask him if he wants me to contact them.
ChuckS
Veteran
I understand your concern, I wasn't suggesting that you contact PBS on his behalf, just contact them to get a more definitive explanation about what they require technically. If you have a PBS station local to you I'd suggest you go there to talk to them directly.
I did a couple of projects that aired on the Pacific Mountain Region and had to microwave the project from Redding to KQED in San Francisco and they were very helpful and supportive. Its been a couple of decades since then, but I'd hope the same is true today.
It also depends on who is responsible for this sort of thing on your production staff. Your right to be concerned about stepping on toes, but I can tell you from direct experience, there is nothing worse than putting forth the effort to produce something your really proud of only to hear someone in standards and practices or an engineer say, "we love it, we just can't broadcast it."
If the hope is that you would produce something that is just so good that they will accept it no matter what, well, that's a bit of a pipe dream. When it comes to ownership (rights) and technical specs, it is not subjective. If you have all the required clearances and it passes QC it "Might" get picked up. If it fails on either of these two issues its dead on arrival. Most distributors send your project out to a third party like IVC, Technicolor (VidFilm), or Ascent for QC then simply read the QC report and it either passes or fails, they don't even know what the program is about.
So managing the relationship with the distributor is very important, and if they didn't commission you to produce it then its even more important. Also, remember that they don't make money if you fail, so ultimately its in their best interest to help you produce something that passes all the test and that people want to watch.
The point of my diatribe is if at all possible go to a PBS station and see if you can talk to someone there that can help you through the process. Chances are you won't be able to meet with anyone on your first attempt, but they will give you a piece of paper or access to a web page that spells out what their requirements are. If that happens, see if you can at least get an email address of someone you can contact if you have any questions and then build a rapport with that person. It will be helpful to them latter on as your project makes its way through the pipe line and helpful for you to have an advocate who knows something about your project.
But it really improves your odds of getting them to seriously consider distributing your project. I hope this is at all helpful.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
I did a couple of projects that aired on the Pacific Mountain Region and had to microwave the project from Redding to KQED in San Francisco and they were very helpful and supportive. Its been a couple of decades since then, but I'd hope the same is true today.
It also depends on who is responsible for this sort of thing on your production staff. Your right to be concerned about stepping on toes, but I can tell you from direct experience, there is nothing worse than putting forth the effort to produce something your really proud of only to hear someone in standards and practices or an engineer say, "we love it, we just can't broadcast it."
If the hope is that you would produce something that is just so good that they will accept it no matter what, well, that's a bit of a pipe dream. When it comes to ownership (rights) and technical specs, it is not subjective. If you have all the required clearances and it passes QC it "Might" get picked up. If it fails on either of these two issues its dead on arrival. Most distributors send your project out to a third party like IVC, Technicolor (VidFilm), or Ascent for QC then simply read the QC report and it either passes or fails, they don't even know what the program is about.
So managing the relationship with the distributor is very important, and if they didn't commission you to produce it then its even more important. Also, remember that they don't make money if you fail, so ultimately its in their best interest to help you produce something that passes all the test and that people want to watch.
The point of my diatribe is if at all possible go to a PBS station and see if you can talk to someone there that can help you through the process. Chances are you won't be able to meet with anyone on your first attempt, but they will give you a piece of paper or access to a web page that spells out what their requirements are. If that happens, see if you can at least get an email address of someone you can contact if you have any questions and then build a rapport with that person. It will be helpful to them latter on as your project makes its way through the pipe line and helpful for you to have an advocate who knows something about your project.
But it really improves your odds of getting them to seriously consider distributing your project. I hope this is at all helpful.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Barry_Green
Moderator
Thank you very much, ChuckS. Everyone planning a project for broadcast release should read this post because it's spot-on. If it helps anyone to avoid the disappointment of having their program rejected on technical grounds, it's well worth it.
NewYorkLion
Well-known member
Just talked to one of my buddies who in currently in production on 2 PBS series, both being shot on the 5d. One is already set for the "hard feed" (nationwide distribution). So, i guess if they want your project, Dslr is fine.
I have a good friend who works at a Tv Station and it does not really matter how you record your material, you just need to deliver it in a certain format + correct settings that they require. Your best bet is to contact them.
I had a certain project rejected just because of some text I creating in one of my projects, so you need to be very careful because they have some serious guide lines
I had a certain project rejected just because of some text I creating in one of my projects, so you need to be very careful because they have some serious guide lines
sublimesnfu
Well-known member
Just my 2 cents, I've spent the last 10 months editing a PBS documentary, and we used a mix of formats HDCAM SR, HDV, and old film transfers in the final edit. 90% of the talking heads were shot on HDCAM and everything else was acquired in another format.
We edited offline in DV and then it was mastered in HDCAM for delivery to PBS. While it would be nice to shoot everything in the recommended formats, PBS does know it isn't always possible to do that and they understand.
All that said if you deliver something to them that isn't broadcast safe they will kick it right back to you.
We edited offline in DV and then it was mastered in HDCAM for delivery to PBS. While it would be nice to shoot everything in the recommended formats, PBS does know it isn't always possible to do that and they understand.
All that said if you deliver something to them that isn't broadcast safe they will kick it right back to you.
sublimesnfu
Well-known member
Depends on the type of look you are going for. something shot at 24fps displayed at 30fps will give a different look than something shot at 30fps and displayed at 30fps.