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The decades-old backdrop at the Southern Cross News studio is falling apart. A new set will be unveiled to viewers on Tuesday and, for the presenters, this is great news
The so-called “magic of television” conceals all manner of harsh realities. Make-up and lighting ensures people’s skin always looks perfect, flat backdrops are crafted to create the illusion of depth, and careful camerawork can draw the eye exactly where it is wanted. In the case of Southern Cross News, the production team has worked hard in recent years to conceal one big secret that has quite literally loomed in the background of every news bulletin.
That instantly recognisable red and blue set, with its shining columns and map of the world, which we see on our screens every night, is falling apart. In fact, it has been for some time, but the casual viewer at home would be hard pressed to notice.
The newsdesk and set sits in one corner of the cavernous shed-like studio at Southern Cross’s Launceston headquarters. The space has a bare concrete floor and no heating or cooling but surprisingly good acoustics. Just out of shot on one side of the set is the ragged edge of the timber framing, where a chunk was roughly sawn off to make it fit in the space provided.
On the other side, also just out of shot, the shiny red foil covering part of the backdrop is dog-eared and peeling. The carpet behind the desk is stained. There is a dirty hand print on the back wall, which the studio lighting, luckily, washes out from view. And black gaffer tape is helping to keep the backlit screen attached to the framing.
Director of news Grant Wilson openly jokes about the condition of the set, knowing full well it is has exceeded its use-by date, but he is proud of how his team has been able to make the most of it and keep things polished and professional on screen. And he is also clearly excited about the studio getting a new set for the first time in more than 20 years.
“We bought it in the mid-1990s and it was second-hand then. It came from a studio in Bendigo,”...