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Terminology Differences
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U.S. and Canadian vs. European Terminology
In the United States and Canada the room where the director commands things is called a control room. In Europe and in particular at the BBC this area is called the gallery. (This name dates back to 1936 when television was just getting started and the Minstrel's Gallery in Alexandra Palace was used for this purpose.) In the United States and Canada video sources are controlled by a switcher. In Europe this is more commonly referred to as a vision mixer. In Europe there may be several people sitting with the director: the PA (production assistant, who keeps track of times), the vision mixer, (who punches up video sources), the Technical Director, who monitors and adjusts the video from the cameras—working in conjunction with the Lighting Director (who makes the necessary lighting changes). On both sides of the ocean the Director may operate the switcher or vision mixer, especially in the case of simple productions. In room adjacent to the control room or gallery, an audio person will handle the audio for the show. -Thanks to Chris Long, Producer, BBC, London
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