Television production and postproduction require an extensive array of equipment, but the most important element for television production is patience. Before any equipment has been turned on, before the lights have been focused, before the director has called his or her first shot, creative personnel must take the time to plan the production. Despite the best intentions of the production team, poor planning or a weak premise will only result in a feeble finished product.

Cameras and Accessories

Central to television is the use of cameras, which provide most of the visual elements that the audience sees. Basically, the camera is the visual acquisition tool that uses a lens to project an image (technically, the light reflected from the subject) onto the camera's pickup element, either an electron tube or a solid-state imager. The tube encodes the image into thousands of dots...