It is far too early to show anything terribly exciting in the world of 3D graphics for the up coming episode of the Bald Explorer as he explores an abandoned canal in Shropshire, but I thought I would share with you some of the progress. While the weather has turned rather unpleasant and not in the least conducive to filming lovely narrow boats up and down the navigations of England, I and immersing myself in the job of creating all the graphical elements for the programme. This is more time consuming that you might imagine. Because I do not use the graphic software everyday, I often forget certain procedures and find myself having to look up the various ‘how to’ videos on Youtube or blog posts on the Internet. 
There are a number of reasons why I use 3D graphics within my programmes. The first and most important reason is to demonstrate how something works. It is not always easy to show a real life object in operation while on location, especially if it is a historic relic. Very often there is nothing left to show and my graphical displays are purely an interpretation, but they help to tell the story. The second use I put graphics to within my films is that of style. Most TV shows have a series of visual stings that help to break up sections of a programme. In order to help the viewer feel he is watching a TV programme and not just a random quickly edited video on the Internet, I like to emulate this where it is appropriate. I try not to add things just for the sake of it, however. I do get annoyed by video producers who seems to put in every little bit of flashy gimmick effects they can, believing, wrongly I think, that it makes the production have more value.
The post production takes a fair chunk of time to achieve and shouldn’t be hurried. This is where all strands of the story come together. The graphics and live footage are only part of the story. There is the voice overs, photographs, music and sound effects to find, organise and get cleared for television broadcast.