Gelbach Designs Inc.

The following is a design question regarding TV set design. Specifically, what we consider when creating our news desks.

Dear Mr Rackley,

It would be of a great help to me if I could ask a few minutes of your time to reply to me. I am a 2nd year Furniture and Product Design student at Sheffield Hallam University in the U.K. . Currently I am working on a project designing a piece of furniture for a TV studio, either for news, sport, or a chat show programme. I have looked at your products admiringly and wondered if you would give me a few basic rules and considerations when designing furniture for a TV studio environment. Thank you for reading this email.

Yours faithfully

Miles Dexter

Hey Miles

Things to consider:

• Height: Stay with standards depending on whether you are using chair-height or stool-height.
• Sheen: Stay matte or at most satin on front-facing surfaces. It makes it easier on the lighting side to avoid glare.
• Top: It is usually safe and attractive to have a reflective surface such as glass for the top. Acrylics scratch too easily.
• Width: Consider how many people will need to use the desk at the same time. experiment.
• Space: Most studios have space issues. Make sure what you create will not take up too much room.
• Programme: Chat would shape the desk so that the two (or more) face each other more often than not. News would be more direct-at-camera.
• Accessories: Often a broadcast studio will want a monitor on the front of the desk, or inside the top.
• Riser: If a camera is viewing both the desk and standing positions, it is often advantageous to place the desk and chairs on a riser or platform, so that the camera has to change height less.

I hope that helps some. Do you mind if I post this question-response on our blog, so that others with the same question can easily find an answer?
Thank You,
Buck Rackley
Gelbach Designs

Thanks for the reply Buck, I appreciate it. There’s no problem with placing the question on your website blog. Enjoy the weekend !!

Miles

Virtual Studio Set - The approved design

Whether it is on a green screen, large monitor, or printed fabric– virtual studio sets are on the rise.

There will always be fully built TV set design. We have had many clients contact us to switch from a virtual set or a drop to a real three dimensional fully built broadcast set.

However, there is a large contingent of small broadcasters that don’t have the budget for huge fabricated backdrops in their studio (or the space). That is where virtual studio sets come in.

Here is a great example of a virtual studio set for U.S. Polsat, a Polish news channel. A printed backdrop, 10′ by 30′ long.

This could just as easily be projected, on a monitor, or composited with a green screen. Contact us if you need something for your space that is affordable.

Virtual Studio Set - Ready to ship

The epic tale of a Telex Machine

Kathy is working diligently on the props for Billy Graham museum’s old roll-top desk area.
She has had very little luck finding the 1954 Telex machine the museum designers want.

Miles away, Mr. Flowe is preparing to move. He has had his Telex machine stored in his garage for 50 years.
He did not want to part with it ,but because of the move he had no choice; he had to find the telex machine a new home.
He even had all it’s original paperwork, parts, and replacement parts.
One fateful morning, he says a prayer–
“God, what will I do with my Telex machine?”

Mr. Flowe and his Telex Mahcine - soon to be a museum piece.

That same day, Mr. Flowe went to morning coffee with his friend Mr. Claudel.
Interestingly, Mr. Flowes’ friend relays to him this message–
“A girl from the Billy Graham Library is looking for an old Telex machine.”

Mr. Flowe returns home and (lips quivering) says to his wife–
“Billy Graham wants my Telex machine!!!”

When ken Gelbach and Kathy Karmondy arrived, mr. Flowe told Kathy–
“I gotta tell you, you’re an answer to a prayer.”

We have obtained the Telex machine.

However, for the museum it must look brand new, as the scene in the museum is depicting 1958.
After approval from Eric Gordon of ITEC, our Ricky McWaters reburbished the machine inside and out.

Click the thumbnails to view the before, during, and after images larger.

Billy Graham Museum - Telex Before

Billy Graham Museum - Telex During - Happy to be Retired

Billy Graham Museum - Telex After

They all lived happily ever after.

We just finished designing and building a news / broadcast desk for Buffalo Wild Wings.

This desk will travel from location to location for live broadcasts.

Please click on the image to view it full size.

Broadcast News Desk for Buffalo Wild Wings

Light Signs: As in weight and luminance.

Light Signs. I mean that in two ways…

One, The spool is printed on a thin, but semi rigid material that can be back lit. We did so with small flashing LED lights like you see on bicyclers at night.

Two, an ant could carry this. The solvent printed vinyl is mounted to 1/32″ styrene. The spool is the same material curved and velcro’d on the sides to the background.

Wah-LA! A lit, three dimensional sign that weighs less than a pound.