Directing and Producing for Television, 3rd Edition

chapter six

Scripted Format

The conventions for shooting multiple camera television come from the early days of live television, when directors were imported from the theatrical community. The skills they had learned as stage managers were effective when it became necessary to put dramas and scored musicals on the air. So the procedures and the script markings we now use for “a line cut”or “cutting” a television show—daytime dramas, some sitcoms, classical music, operas, ballet, and theatrical productions—are very similar to those used by stage managers in the theater.

As in the theater, the functions of the director and the functions of the producer are quite different in this format. There is no single example that will cover all productions, ...