Art direction and its more sophisticated counterpart, production design, are the disciplines responsible for creating the spaces where stories told through images and sounds unfold. In other words, these specialties generate the sets where films and television series are shot and recorded. These works can be fictional or non-fiction. For example, a daily news program requires an art direction department to design the spaces where presenters and journalists can speak to the camera and report on the day's events. To understand the importance of these specialties, one need only consider that they are essential to the existence of the physical world in which the life we see on screen takes place.
Regarding the creation of news sets, Armando Gamboa, director of Telepacífico Noticias, answers the following questions.
Tintacinephile: What should a viewer perceive or feel when watching a news program?
Armando Gamboa: The viewer should feel a set of sensations ranging from harmony, credibility and quality, all accompanied by a strong emotional impact.
TC: Which colors best achieve the desired objective?
AG: After experimenting with different proposals, I believe that blue is a striking color that generates a feeling of seriousness and respect for the news.
TC: What references do you recommend for those seeking inspiration when planning the aesthetics of their news programs?
AG: Before suggesting examples, I'd like to point out that the key to achieving effective and impactful designs is creativity coupled with a high degree of resourcefulness. Furthermore, it's important to keep in mind that technical proficiency is a determining factor for those starting out in audiovisual production in general, and news production in particular. For example, mastering the use of chroma keying will give them narrative freedom to better communicate their content.
Moving on to references, I would recommend studying the art direction applied to the Univision 24/7 News program and Euronews. I believe that the points discussed earlier can be observed in these projects.
