How are television broadcasts developed, shot, and aired? From sitcoms and commercials to primetime specials and the news, authors Donald and Spann explain equipment and procedures necessary to mount almost every type of live or prerecorded television show in the studio or on location. In an easy-to-read style, this comprehensive text discusses all stages of the production process, including helpful tips you would not otherwise experience in most hands-on production courses."Tag Along Tours" give readers an up close and personal look at the creation of a sitcom, a commercial, and a news story. The book examines areas of pre-production, with its emphasis on organization and creativity. Next, the production phase begins, where rehearsal and long hours of work bring the images on paper to life. Finally, readers arrive at the post-production section, where they learn about the technical world that brings everything together in a way the viewer never imagines.The reader is given a clear sense ofthe individual devotion one must have to a production effort as well as the cooperative effort necessary for any production's success.Not just for technical personnel, like many other texts currently in the marketplace, Fundamentals of Television Production contains a wealth of information about the "above-the-line, " or creative skills of television production with chapters on scriptwriting, production design, producing, and two chapters on directing.