On the 29th of October 2009, our Broadcast Communication team along with several other representatives from the SSH 10th Anniversary organizing committee invaded 8tv and One Fm (legally, with our visitor pass and all).
Ever had that feeling, sometimes when you encounter something so surreal, it just makes you feel small. That was exactly how we felt when we walked into the Media Prima building. We were, quite frankly, awestruck at the prospect that we were at the building which carried many of Malaysia’s major media stations.
Being briefed before starting our tour
Our chatter in the hallway of the building began to tone down, as our tour guide, the very nice Ms. Lai Sook Yee, gave us a brief introduction of Media Prima to the 30 of us that were there. Then, our journey inside this very large building began.
First, we visited the “8 E-News” (八八六十事) studio, which was much smaller than what we had expected, but the colourful décor of the set was exactly as portrayed on TV. What caught us by surprise would be to find that in the exact same studio room, was the 8tv “Quickie” set exactly opposite it. You have to give the wonderful hosts of 8tv credit, not only do they have to overcome the idea of millions of people watching them as they presented their segments. Sitting inside the set of “8 E-News”, we finally understood how it felt like to have glaring bright lights shining in our faces while two cameras sat across us to capture our every move.
A rare view...Taking a look at 8 E-news from behind the camera
Next, we visited the green room where you get your Chinese daily news from, we were all surprised as the room was smaller than the 8TV Quickie set and the decorations were much simpler. The set has only one simple table and a chair and two cameras facing it. One of the cameras has dual functions, which allows it to record while projecting the newscaster’s script, this is actually called the teleprompter, and the newscasters are actually allowed to scroll through their scripts using a navigation device hidden behind the laptop you would usually find placed on the table.
What we found even more fascinating was perhaps that we were in the studio for Chinese news with the highest viewership in Malaysia. Some of us who went for the trip commented on how surprising it is to find that some of Malaysia’s greatest shows were actually made in rooms considerably small. We guess it is as they say, “Good things come in small packages”.
This is where all your 8tv Chinese news is shot live
Next up, we visited 8tv’s interactive room. Don’t know where that is? Ever sent in SMSes to 8tv during their night chats and wondered where they actually go to? Well, they go to the Interactive room, where moderators observe the flow of shows that are on air and at the same time monitor the feedbacks by SMS.
Listening intently as we are told briefly the process of the 8TV Nite Chats
Finally, Ms Lai Sook Yee passed us to our next tour guide, Ms Mandy Chua who explained to us how a radio station worked. She took us into the studio of One Fm as one of their DJs, Jack of the “One Fm Happy Hour” segment did his thing. His partner, Ryan, was unavailable that day for he was at a training seminar. Though we were somewhat disappointed, we were very delighted to meet Jack nonetheless. Jack was a true professional, he was not distracted by our presence while on air, and the moment he was off the air, he graciously joked with us and posed for pictures. Many of the girls in the group swooned.
Us, at the One fm studio
Here are some interesting things we learned:
• A presenter must not only be able to speak well, but look good on the camera as well. This is what they call “camera face”, it has been said that sometimes, people who are really attractive are not able to portray the same attractiveness while on camera.
• Make-up is very important when doing a shoot, as the bright lighting in the studio will make the presenter look pale. Therefore, make-up is a must for the presenters to look... well, presentable.
• Did you know that there are delays for about 3 seconds for live broadcasts?
• Studios can get very cold sometimes, yes, even with the glaring bright lights! This is because the equipments used are vulnerable to temperatures that are too high. • We’ve mentioned that studio rooms are usually small, but do you know why they always look so big? Ah...the wonders of perfectly angled cameras.
The trip was truly a treat, not only did we get to see what a real TV studio and radio station look like for real, we even managed to see how they work. Let’s not forget the opportunities to meet celebrities as well. :P
Want to know more about what we have learned about the world of Broadcasting? Then please stay tuned.
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Look who we found in the hallways of 8tv…Paul Moss of Malaysian Idol and One in a Million fame.
Jack, being very gracious as he took a break from the show to pose with us
A group photo in front of Media Prima before parting with 8tv and One Fm
**A special thanks to our tour guides, Ms Lai Sook Yee And Ms Mandy Chua
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