Elections 2005

Elections 2005
Genre:	Events Coverage
Broadcast:	11 March 2005
Producer(s):	Kate Rushworth Kat Sutton

Elections 2005 was broadcast on March 11th 2005, and produced by Kate Rushworth and Kat Sutton.

The successful Goodricke/Derwent split of the previous year was again used, and broadly the same format and set were used. New additions included another interview spot on the balcony of Derwent bar. This was included to try and get some more of the flavour of the atmosphere in the event into the programme, which hadn't had a correspondent in the dining hall itself for around four years. The interviews on this camera were to be more light-hearted (such as random students, candidate supporters, JCRC chairs etc). Also used for the first time was the Death Star camera in the main hall, allowing for far more control over the shot used that usually allowed by the camera in the dining hall.

The title sequence was made by Steve Walker, depicting a room with a ballot box in it, which the camera then zooms inside. The inside of the box is like a long corridor, with various colourful effects pulsing along and previous years' highlights on the walls, before resolving in the logo - designed by Kate herself and animated by Drew Perry - at the end of the corridor. By an amazing coincidence (alledgedly!) a title sequence of effectively the same concept has been used for the BBC's coverage of local elections and by-elections since May 2006! Compare the two here (YSTV) and here (BBC).

A new theme tune was composed, again by Rob Humphrey, which would go on to be used in a slightly remixed form for Elections 2006 and Good Morning Campus. However it wasn't ready for the Bona Dicta specials and 60 Second Manifestos at the start of week 9 and so the 2003 theme was once again used for these. The final title sequence and theme tune was only finished hours before the programme went on air!

Fillers included the latest versions of the legendary STV VT, This Is YOUR: Manifesto, some student opinions and an interview with outgoing SU President James Alexander. Also making it's first appearance was Elections Past - a hastily edited compilation of YSTV election night highlights that went on to become a programme in its own right and be updated every year.

The programme went very smoothly and was the first in a very long time to go on air on time. This year was also the first programme to be shown online. The seven hour-long segments of the show were placed online within a couple of days and immediately received hundreds of hits, albeit from candidates and YUSU wanting to see themselves!

Behind the scenes photos can be seen on YSTV's website. There was also a behind-the-scenes film of the set-up and broadcast of the programme made to show how much work goes into the show. This was shown on Small Screen's Spring 2005 Week 10 programme, YSTV Week's Summer 2005 Week 2 programme and Good Morning Campus at the end of the Summer term.