VIEW Issue 4: Hidden Professions of Television
We know little about the ‘behind the scenes’ of television. While the booming field of production studies has been shining a light on the work processes and the personnel in production spaces, there is still a lot to be learnt about the ‘hidden’ professions of television. This issue of VIEW provides a rich but fairly eclectic series of contributions based on the theme. The articles presented here bring under scrutiny the ‘behind the scenes’ activities of television and their hidden, often unrecognised and uncelebrated personnel and processes. They engage across a wide range of organisational, administrative and technical activities that have played their understated, often ‘invisible’ part in the historical formation and development of television.
Just like in the previous issues, articles in this issue are divided across two separate sections: ‘Discoveries’ that zoom into the ‘behind the scenes’ of specific programmes and broadcasters and use innovative and original sources; and ‘Explorations’ that shine a light on different professions of television: from the continuity announcers, to the 1st AD, to the TV retailer or audience interpreters.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EditorialAndy O'Dwyer, Tim O'Sulivan
Discoveries
Revealing Television's Analogue Heroes Vanessa Jackson
Behind the Scenes: Costume Design for Television Gamze Toylan
Doing it Live! Planning and Preparing for a Live Drama Episode: A Case Study of 'The Bill' (ITV, 2005) Joanna MacDonnell
Whatever Happened to Vera? Jo Henderson
Explorations
In-Vision Continuity Announcers: Performing an Identity for Early Television in Europe Sonja de Leeuw, Dana Mustata
Rational Wizards: Audience Interpreters in French Television Jérôme Bourdon, Cécile Méadel
An Unknown, but Key Player in the Television Market: The Television Retailer and the Case of Black and White TV Sets in France (1950–1987) Isabelle Gaillard
Hid(ing) Media Professionals: Constructing and Contesting the 1st AD Daniel Ashton, Nic Jeune
Invisible Mediations: The Role of Adaptation and Dubbing Professionals in Shaping US TV for Italian Audiences Luca Barra
Writing Games: Continuity and Change in the Design and Development of Quiz Shows in Italy Massimo Scaglioni, Axel Fiacco