The dopey bald guy will now take your questions.
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'197980\' date=\'Sep 23 2008, 03:35 PM\']What's the highest score any team has ever amassed on
Quizbusters?
And has that announcer been with you since the beginning?[/quote]
720, set way back near the beginning. A few teams have managed scores in the 600s since then.
And yes, I'm pretty sure than Dan Bayer (who does much of the vocal work for WKAR TV and radio) has been with our show from the beginning. All his stuff is prerecorded.
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'197981\' date=\'Sep 23 2008, 03:40 PM\']Are the screens behind the teams projectable, or is that just a Duratrans?[/quote]
Neither. It's just a white elastic fabric similar to spandex, stretched tightly on the frame. The "QuizBusters" logo is a stencil on a studio light, and lights from below create the colors.
[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'197986\' date=\'Sep 23 2008, 03:57 PM\']I'm assuming that's the same studio space? And has anything changed with relation to cameras and other stage position? Again, from the picture I assume it hasn't, but I am curious.
[/quote]
Same studio, but everything has been rotated about 120 degrees. The original set had solid flats behind the players. The fabric of the new background is transparent enough to show the studio door behind it, so we had to move everything around. One of the unmanned cameras is in a slightly different position and the audience is no longer visible on any camera, but besides that, everything is pretty much the same.
[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'197989\' date=\'Sep 23 2008, 04:05 PM\']Now, is the same peppy theme song still in place or do we get drama music? And will the columns change colors throughout the game?[/quote]
Completely new peppy theme song, nothing solemn or dramatic, I assure you. Hints of the old theme, but an entirely new mix.
And yes, one of my favorite parts of the new set is that the columns and background change colors depending on the round. (Much like the way the DOND set changes colors for bank offers and other special
moments.)
[quote name=\'weaklink75\' post=\'198044\' date=\'Sep 24 2008, 12:25 AM\']And that set looks great-kudos to the set designers/builders! Is it a full refresh for the anniversary season- new graphics package, etc?[/quote]
Yep, everything on camera is new except me. The desks and my podium are the same ones, just spiffed up. There's now a flat-panel TV on my podium which shows the video clue and other information. All of the sound effects, all the way down to the sounds the buzzers make, have been changed.
Ken Merley, our director, is the one who came up with the set design and did most of the work to construct it. Certainly by our standards it was an expensive endeavor. Still, I betcha any national operation would be blown away at how little money we spent to achieve the look.
First three shows went off virtually without a hitch. Certainly without anything needing us to stop. Can't wait for you guys to see a finished show!
