[bbctvtechop]

At one time BBC Persia used to have fine black mesh blinds on the windows in 54D when it was dark outside. The lights from All Souls Church, other lit buildings and the headlights of the moving traffic were still visible. You still got the perspective changing when cameras moved, but there was no reflection of the staff operating behind the camera.

Perhaps they could try that again for Newsnight. I don't want to lose the view out of the windows, but they seem to have the same issue that the Daybreak v.1 newsreader's desk suffered from in TLS Studio 7 many years ago.

It was even more clever than that. Each camera lens also had a device on the front where operators could adjust it to open or close the mesh effect to let in more or less (or none!) of the outside lights in.

I never figured out exactly how it worked!

The problem towards the end (before the 54D refurbishment when the desk moved away from the windows) was that so many changes had been made to the streetscape the blinds no longer matched.

[krs55]

It was even more clever than that. Each camera lens also had a device on the front where operators could adjust it to open or close the mesh effect to let in more or less (or none!) of the outside lights in.

I never figured out exactly how it worked!

The problem towards the end (before the 54D refurbishment when the desk moved away from the windows) was that so many changes had been made to the streetscape the blinds no longer matched.

Persian TV had variable ND filters attached to the front of the cameras, and there were polarised blinds on the windows. Very effective, and it was possible to control exactly how bright the view was behind Presenters, better in MCU/MS shots than wide shots. They were driven by whoever was doing Vision Control/Lighting in the Gallery, not the Camera Operator on the floor (most cameras were under remote PTZ and focus control by the Lighting/Vision Op anyway).

They worked the way that cheap variable ND filters for DSLRs would work. Variable ND doesn't help against direct sunlight hitting a presenter - just the view out the window. The ND wheels needed constant tweaking as the cameras crabbed across the studio floor. The streetscape blinds were quite clever, though spoiled the overall feel of the view through the window - possibly why Newsnight don't use them?

[Spencer]

Are these the same netting blinds in 54D that were in use when Andrew Marr and Sophie Raworth were in there on Sunday mornings?

I remember at that time of day they looked terrible, with really prominent moiré patterns all over them. I’d assumed they’d tacked up some greenhouse shading netting from B&Q (which I understand is a quick fix used in some parts).