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Off The Cuff: Difference between revisions
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After an off-air pilot in May 2003 the set was shifted from the fire escape corner of the studio to just in front of the entrance to the studio at the start of the 2003/4 academic year to allow bigger productions to make use of the full back wall of the studio (eventually settling on the [[YSTV Week]] set in one corner and other productions in the fire escape corner). A few special [[Freshers' Week]] shows followed, including one on the very first night of term, aiming at getting people in bars watching our output when conversation dried up with their new housemates. Word was then put about to freshers that presenters were wanted for a new anything-goes slot (hence the name) every afternoon between 1600 and 1800, replacing the TMF Music Videos slot that usually went out at that time, as a warm up to the evening's programmes. The response was not exactly enormous. | After an off-air pilot in May 2003 the set was shifted from the fire escape corner of the studio to just in front of the entrance to the studio at the start of the 2003/4 academic year to allow bigger productions to make use of the full back wall of the studio (eventually settling on the [[YSTV Week]] set in one corner and other productions in the fire escape corner). A few special [[Freshers' Week]] shows followed, including one on the very first night of term, aiming at getting people in bars watching our output when conversation dried up with their new housemates. Word was then put about to freshers that presenters were wanted for a new anything-goes slot (hence the name) every afternoon between 1600 and 1800, replacing the TMF Music Videos slot that usually went out at that time, as a warm up to the evening's programmes. The response was not exactly enormous. | ||
[[Image:broomcupboard.jpg|thumb|right|Off The Cuff with Jonathan and Ed]] | [[Image:broomcupboard.jpg|thumb|right|Off The Cuff with Jonathan and Ed]] | ||
[[Image:YSTV Jan 2004 03.JPG|thumb|left|The broom cupboard as seen from behind the news desk]] | [[Image:YSTV Jan 2004 03.JPG|thumb|left|The broom cupboard as seen from behind the news desk]] | ||
After the set was used successfully for [[Children In Need 2003]] (partly to drum up interest and partly because we didn't have enough crew to do a big show properly) the afternoon slot finally launched in January 2004 (losing the bubble tube to give the presenters a bit more space, and to avoid having an enormous tube of water balanced above a lot of equipment). Sadly there were many problems, including the set being quite difficult to learn how to control, the music videos (taped from TMF) having to be cued from ageing VHS machines, the components of the set frequently being removed for OBs or testing and above all lack of interest (or ability) to hold together a two hour TV show as would be easy on the radio. The pressures of the term meant the show effectively ended once pre-production for [[Elections 2004]] really kicked in, and after a period of inactivity the set was dismantled in May 2004 during the [[YSTV Clean-Up]] when it was decided it was unlikely to be used in the future. | |||
For the concept to really have worked the set would have needed to be much easier to operate. Most presenters had enough trouble thinking of something to say let alone cueing a video and mixing into it smoothly, so getting people to present as duos would also have been a good idea. As technology has now moved on considerably it would be much easier to have all videos running from a hard drive, which would ease operations considerably. The tiny active membership also didn't have the time to train everyone up properly and come in every afternoon to nurse them through it, which is a shame as the shows done by more confident presenters were fairly entertaining and a good use of otherwise "dead air". | For the concept to really have worked the set would have needed to be much easier to operate. Most presenters had enough trouble thinking of something to say let alone cueing a video and mixing into it smoothly, so getting people to present as duos would also have been a good idea. As technology has now moved on considerably it would be much easier to have all videos running from a hard drive, which would ease operations considerably. The tiny active membership also didn't have the time to train everyone up properly and come in every afternoon to nurse them through it, which is a shame as the shows done by more confident presenters were fairly entertaining and a good use of otherwise "dead air". | ||