TV: Behind the Scenes

Our interns went behind the scenes of the Bangkok Post TV studio to watch the production of a segment for TNN 24.

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Sitthidej Maiyalarp and Kanyarat Pimsawat interview the guest speaker for tonight's segment. JAYNA MILAN

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TV: Behind the Scenes

Once again, it was an early start for us, as we had to make it in time to meet the producer, Khun Siwattra Tiangrojrat. She was very approachable in her blue dress and we were eager to shadow her for the morning as she produced tonight’s segment for the local TNN 24 cable channel.

As we sat patiently waiting for the production to begin, we noticed three people being ushered into a small room. We peeked inside and saw a make-up artist daintily applying powder to their faces. Two were relatively young, and from their clothing and familiarity, we inferred that they must be the anchors of the show, Sitthidej Maiyalarp and Kanyarat Pimsawat.

The third man however, seemed to be unfamiliar with the routine and was constantly escorted around by an assistant. We decided that he must be a guest on the show.

We realized we were right when Khun Sitthidej charismatically introduced himself and his co-anchor in perfect English.  He escorted us into the main studio, which was divided into two segments. The upper part of the studio was the studio floor that would serve as the background of the show with bright lights and an impressive backdrop. The other part was an empty stage that allowed for a multiple camera set up.

This screen in the studio control room showed us all the camera angles JAYNA MILAN

Next to the main studio was the control room in which all of the production takes place. There was a large screen that displayed all of the different camera angles as well as the running time of the segment.  Also, there was one man in charge of managing the audio while the assistant producer was in charge of speaking to the anchors throughout the segment to inform them of the time remaining.

There were two portions of the show. We watched the first segment inside the actual studio until the commercial break. During this segment, the two anchors interviewed the guest star about his knowledge of cooking oil. During the commercial break of two minutes, we were ushered into the studio control room where we observed the control room in session.

Behind the scenes in the studio control room of TNN 24. JAYNA MILAN

Khun Siwattra explained that the show is filmed every morning at 9:30 AM, but the show is actually aired at 5 PM every night. Also, today was a special day, because instead of just reporting the news, the anchors interviewed a guest.

Post-production, we got to talk to Khun Sitthidej a little bit, and we learned that he had actually graduated from university with a degree in engineering rather than journalism. He told us that the knowledge you get out of high school and college is the foundation that you can build upon, but this doesn’t dictate your future. Khun Sitthidej also told us just to do what we love doing and have fun in life. Sounds like he’s doing what he loves!

While it was a short day, we can both say that it was extremely exciting as we got a quick glimpse at what journalism in television can be like. Who knows, maybe you’ll see one of us on TV some day.

segment – a part of something ตอน
angle – the direction from which something comes, or the direction from which you look at something, especially when it is not directly in front of you มุม
approachable – friendly and easy to talk to; easy to understand ที่เข้าถึงได้ง่าย, ที่เป็นมิตร, ที่สนิทได้ง่าย
eager – wanting to do or get something very much or enthusiastic about something that will happen กระตือรือร้น
shadow – to follow and watch somebody closely ติดตามอย่างใกล้ชิด
patient – able to wait for a long time without becoming angry or upset  อดทน
usher – to take or show somebody where they should go นำทาง
peek – to look at something quickly (and often secretly because you should not be looking at it) แอบดู, แอบมอง, ลอบมอง
daintily – with small and graceful movements อย่างพิถีพิถัน
familiarity – well known to someone ความคุ้นเคย, ความเคยชิน
infer – to form an opinion about something that is based on information that you already have อนุมาน, สรุป
anchor – a man or woman who presents a television or radio programme, especially the news  ผู้ประกาศข่าว
routine – the normal order and way in which you regularly do things กิจวัตรประจำ
escort – to go with a person or group of people in order to protect them คุ้ม
charismatic – (of a person) having a strong personal quality that makes other people like them and become attracted to them ผู้มีอำนาจ ผู้ที่ได้รับการเคารพยกย่อง
impressive – something that people admire because it is very good, very large or shows great skill ซึ่งน่าประทับใจ
backdrop – everything that you can see behind the main thing that you are looking at ฉากหลัง ภาพเบื้องหลัง
in session – (of work activity or meaning) happening at the moment
journalism – the activity of reporting the news for a newspaper, magazine, radio programme or television programme  วารสารและสื่อมวลชน
foundation – supporting structure รากฐาน
dictate – to influence or control how something is done ควบคุม บงการ
glimpse – when you see something or someone for a very short time เหลือบดู, ชำเลือง, ชายตามอง