"Family Feud" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" Getting New Sets

[JamesG]

"Family Feud" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" Getting Set Makeovers
9/10/2012
by Kimberly Nordyke


The sets of several syndicated shows are getting face-lifts this season.

"Family Feud" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" are debuting new or improved sets. Many of the makeovers were a result of either relocating to new studios or transitioning to high-definition -- or both.

Here's a breakdown of each show's set changes, along with photos.









"Family Feud" (premieres Sept. 10):






"Family Feud's" set tweaks were a result of its transition to high-def, executive producer Gaby Johnston says. The podiums, lighting and graphics are among the features that got updated on the long-running game show, which is distributed by Debmar-Mercury and produced by FremantleMedia North America.

"We did the podiums particularly because the shots of families are going to be different in high-def, so we had to make those longer," she says, adding it because of the new cameras, it "took a lot of research to get it right."



Johnston adds that the crew pored over the entire set with a fine-toothed comb to make sure nothing was amiss.

"If you go into high-def, you notice things in the back ... like when a tile or something is not painted properly," she says. "Everything has to be absolutely perfect, or you can see it. Everything was repainted and there's new material."



As for what viewers at home will see, "everything about it is so much prettier," Johnston adds. "The difference is night and day."

As for the switch to HD, "viewers see every little thing about the contestants now. If they are nervous and start sweating, it's right there for the world to see."









"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (premiered Sept. 3):






For its 11th season, the New York-based, Meredith Vieira-hosted game show has moved into a new studio with a newly constructed set that features several improvements that are intended to modernize the look of the show and take into account the high-def cameras, according to Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

The updates include two new and much larger screens -- one for the trivia questions and another for the "money tree." Both screens have twice as many projectors, intended to make the images richer and brighter.



Meanwhile, the screen that the questions are projected on is nearly twice as large as last year, measuring 25 feet by 9 feet.

The show also has added a new contestant podium, new lighting with LED technology resulting in "more vivid" colors, new LED neon edging around the set's perimeter and a new circular ceiling piece with color-changings LED lights over the game podium, intended to give the set and game play area a more intimate feel.

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