On Tue, 24 Feb 1998 11:51:05 +0100 Arnt Maas <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Yesterday the live-episode of E.R. aired here in Norway. Being fairly
>stunned by the technical wizardry of the episode, I wonder: was it *really*
>recorded and transmitted live -- or was it recorded live (with for instance
>some "audio sweetening" in post-production), or were for instance some of
>the live (diegetic) music pre-recorded? (e.g. the patient drumming, with
>some synth/bass mixed in), or was it perhaps transmitted 'semi-live', for
>instance my some kind of "flying start" system, giving some seconds/minutes
>of time lag to fix details? (I heard that the whole show was taped in
>advance "just in case", so I guess it would be possible to insert things
>from this version, if something went wrong).
I can't answer all of your question, Arnt, but I can certify that it was
broadcast live and not just recorded "live-on-tape/film" (as, say, a US
daytime soap opera is). In fact, it was broadcast live *twice*--once for
the East Coast timezone and once for the West. There has been some
discussion on the Web about the differences between the two performances.
You might nose around in the DejaNews archives (www.dejanews.com) for
Usenet material regarding it. E.g., I found the attached (see below)
there; it's an excerpt from the ER FAQ:
http://www.digiserve.com/er/erfaq0.html
which led me to the homepage for alt.tv.er:
http://www.digiserve.com/er/erdex.html
NBC itself did host a fairly elaborate Web site specifically for the live
telecast:
http://www.erlive.com/
And you may buy a copy of that episode. I'm not sure if it's the East or
West Coast feed, though.
Some of the answers to your questions might be found on the NBC site. It
also includes some cool VR shots of the sets and other material.
Hope that helps,
----from the ER FAQ----
5.43 Did "ER" go live?
You betcha! Needless to say, this was an enormous challenge,
especially for a show like "ER", with its fast-paced and highly technical
production standards.
The show was done live on the East and West coasts, with some
minor(?) differences due to the nature of live television.
According to Mr. Showbiz <http://www.mrshowbiz.com>,
"The episode [focused] on Dr. Greene (Anthony Edwards), who was
brutally beaten last season and was still trying to overcome his feelings
of fear. [Writer/producer John] Wells says that Greene is `in the same
emotional state we left him at the end of last season, reeling from his
violent assault and trying not to admit what`s going on in his life.` The
episode [was] shot documentary-style on the show`s regular set, and the
cast [rehearsed] the
show about eight times before airing."
For more details on Live ER, check out Scott Hollifield`s
review/summary on the episode <http://www.digiserve.com/er/erambush.htm>,
titled "Ambush", and also NBC`s ERLive website <http://www.erlive.com>.
----
Jeremy Butler
[log in to unmask]
ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/ScreenSite
Telecommunication & Film/University of Alabama/Tuscaloosa
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