
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, February 28, 1994                   TAG: 9403010041
SECTION: NEWSFUN                    PAGE: NF-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON RICHERT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HOW THAT WEATHER MAP REALLY WORKS

Many of you may already know that Robin Reed doesn't actually stand in front of weather maps when you see him telling about the weather on WDBJ-7. In fact, those maps never even leave the computer.

When Reed is on TV, he actually is standing in front of a wall covered with green paper. He explains that the image of him and the weather maps you see on your TV are made the same way Star Trek's Enterprise appears to be flying through space.

Time to pretend again: You know that the Enterprise really isn't in space when it's flying. The Enterprise is actually a model, like a model airplane or car. Star Trek makers film the Enterprise model in front of a wall, like Reed's. Another camera records space with the planets and stars flying by. Then, the cameras put the images together, leaving out the wall behind the Enterprise model and replacing it with the space scenes.

That's the same way TV crews film Reed. One camera cuts the green wall out while the other camera puts the maps behind him. He knows where to point on the wall by looking off the set at TV screens of him and the maps combined - just like you see at home.

by CNB