Directing, Performance, and Production Leadership

Introduction

Television and radio production are collaborative forms in which creative intention must be converted into coordinated action under time, technical, and organizational constraints. The director is the principal interpreter of the programme concept and the person who coordinates performance, visual or sonic form, editorial priorities, and operational decisions. However, directing is not simply the act of giving instructions. It is a leadership practice involving preparation, communication, judgement, motivation, ethical responsibility, and the ability to make rapid decisions when plans change.

In television, the director commonly coordinates presenters, performers, contributors, camera operators, vision and sound teams, floor staff, editors, and transmission personnel. In radio, the director may work closely with presenters, guests, producers, studio engineers, music operators, reporters, and technical assistants. The media differ in sensory form, but the underlying leadership challenge is similar: people must understand what is happening, what is expected, when action should occur, and how quality and safety will be protected.

Effective production leadership combines three capacities:

1. Creative interpretation—understanding the purpose, tone, audience, and editorial identity of the programme.
2. Operational coordination—organising people, timing, equipment, cues, and contingencies.
3. Interpersonal leadership—building trust, managing performance anxiety, resolving disagreement, and maintaining professional standards.

This chapter examines these capacities through blocking, rehearsal, cueing, communication protocols, performance direction, crew leadership, conflict resolution, and fast operational decision-making.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

• explain the director’s creative, operational, and ethical responsibilities;
• plan blocking and rehearsal for television and radio production;
• distinguish among different cueing systems and communication channels;
• direct presenters, performers, and contributors appropriately;
• coordinate production crews through clear protocols and leadership structures;
• analyse and resolve common interpersonal and operational conflicts;
• make rapid decisions using priorities, contingencies, and risk assessment;
• evaluate the effects of technology, remote production, and artificial intelligence on production leadership.

1. The Director as Creative and Operational Leader

The director converts a programme brief into a coherent experience for an audience. This involves interpreting the script or running order, deciding how attention will be directed, establishing pace and tone, and ensuring that each department contributes to the same editorial purpose.

The director’s authority is often described as hierarchical, but effective authority is based less on status than on preparation and clarity. A crew is more likely to follow a director who has a clear plan, understands departmental realities, listens to relevant expertise, and communicates decisions decisively.

1.1 Core responsibilities

A director normally undertakes the following responsibilities:

The director does not replace the expertise of other specialists. A lighting director, sound supervisor, camera operator, floor manager, or transmission engineer may possess deeper knowledge of a particular system. Good leadership uses this expertise while preserving a coherent final decision-making process.

1.2 Authority, accountability, and delegation

Authority is the legitimate capacity to make decisions. Accountability is responsibility for the consequences of those decisions. Delegation is the transfer of a task or decision within defined limits. These must not be confused. A director may delegate communication with performers to a floor manager but remains accountable for whether the communication supports the programme.

A practical delegation statement identifies:

• the task;
• the person responsible;
• the deadline or trigger;
• the quality standard;
• the escalation route if the task cannot be completed.

For example: “The floor manager will confirm the guest’s microphone and seating before rehearsal. Any audio fault that cannot be corrected within two minutes must be reported to the director and sound supervisor.” This is more useful than the vague instruction “Check the guest.”

2. From Programme Intention to Production Plan

Directing begins before anyone enters the studio. The director studies the programme brief, script, running order, contributor information, location constraints, and technical resources. The objective is to transform abstract intentions such as “energetic,” “intimate,” or “authoritative” into observable production choices.

A director may ask:

• What should the audience notice first?
• What information is essential and what is supplementary?
• Where should the pace accelerate or slow down?
• What emotional or intellectual change should occur during the segment?
• Which moments require a close-up, reaction, pause, musical transition, or silence?
• What may go wrong, and what is the acceptable response?

2.1 The beat structure

A beat is a meaningful unit of action, information, or emotional change. In a television interview, beats might include introduction, establishing credibility, explanation of the issue, challenge, response, clarification, and conclusion. In radio drama, beats may be created by changes in intention, soundscape, conflict, or silence.

Beat analysis helps the director avoid treating a scene as a continuous block. Each beat can be given a purpose, performer objective, duration, and cue. This supports both performance quality and technical planning.

2.2 The production grammar of television and radio

Television directs attention through framing, camera movement, editing, lighting, graphics, colour, and spatial relationships. Radio directs attention through voice, music, ambience, silence, microphone perspective, rhythm, and sound design. In both media, production choices create meaning rather than merely decorate content.

A close-up can signal intimacy, scrutiny, vulnerability, or authority depending on context. A pause can create suspense or permit comprehension. A sudden reduction in sound may focus attention, while excessive background activity can obscure meaning. Directors therefore need to understand both the technical effect and the cultural interpretation of production choices.

3. Blocking and Spatial Design

Blocking is the planned positioning and movement of performers, presenters, contributors, cameras, microphones, and other relevant elements in production space. It applies visibly in television and acoustically in radio, where microphone distance, orientation, movement, and studio position influence the listener’s experience.

3.1 Television blocking

Television blocking should consider:

• camera sightlines and framing;
• the relationship between performers and set elements;
• lighting direction and shadows;
• microphone concealment and radio-frequency restrictions;
• movement paths and safety;
• continuity of screen direction;
• access for cameras, floor staff, and emergency movement;
• the practical time required to reposition people or equipment.

A presenter who moves from a desk to a standing position may need a planned camera transition, lighting adjustment, microphone accommodation, and floor cue. A movement that looks simple to the audience can involve several departments.

The director should communicate movement in concrete language: “On the second line, cross to the left mark, stop, face camera two, and hold until the graphic clears.” The terms “left” and “right” should be standardised, because stage left, camera left, and audience left may differ. Production teams should agree on terminology during preparation.

3.2 Radio blocking and microphone technique

Radio has no visible blocking in the conventional sense, but performers still occupy an acoustic space. Microphone position affects level, tone, proximity effect, breath noise, and the relationship between voices. A contributor who turns away while speaking may become difficult to hear. A performer who approaches the microphone for an intimate line can create a deliberate change in presence, but uncontrolled movement may produce inconsistent sound.

Radio blocking should specify:

• seating or standing position;
• microphone type and distance;
• direction of address;
• movement during dialogue;
• placement of music or effects sources;
• procedures for page turns, coughing, and unexpected noise.

3.3 Blocking as a safety practice

Blocking is also a risk-control activity. Cables, camera tracks, lighting stands, set pieces, chairs, and audience access routes must be considered. A visually effective movement is unacceptable if it creates a trip hazard, obstructs an emergency exit, or places a contributor in an unsafe position. Production schedules should allow time for a safety walk-through rather than treating it as an optional task.

4. Rehearsal: Testing the System Before Transmission

Rehearsal is not merely repetition. It is a structured test of performance, timing, technical coordination, and communication. Different rehearsals serve different purposes.

A rehearsal should have a declared objective. If the purpose is camera blocking, stopping repeatedly to debate script wording may consume time without solving the immediate problem. Conversely, a technical rehearsal that ignores unclear contributor questions may produce a technically polished but editorially weak programme.

4.1 Rehearsal discipline

A productive rehearsal follows a cycle:

1. Brief—explain the objective, sequence, safety conditions, and stopping signals.
2. Run—allow participants to perform under realistic conditions.
3. Observe—identify performance, technical, timing, and communication problems.
4. Diagnose—separate symptoms from causes.
5. Adjust—change movement, wording, cue timing, equipment, or responsibility.
6. Repeat selectively—rehearse the affected section and then test its connection to surrounding material.

The director should avoid correcting every minor issue publicly. Too many simultaneous notes can create confusion and reduce confidence. Notes should be prioritised according to editorial importance, safety, transmission risk, and effect on audience understanding.

4.2 Giving useful performance notes

Effective notes are specific, observable, and connected to purpose. “Be more natural” is vague. “Slow the final sentence and look toward the guest when asking the question so the audience recognises the handover” is actionable.

A useful note often includes:

• the observed behaviour;
• its effect;
• the desired alternative;
• the reason for the change.

Directors should distinguish between an actor’s character objective and the actor’s private personality. Criticising a person rather than a performance behaviour is unprofessional and may damage trust.

5. Cueing and Communication Protocols

A cue is a signal that initiates or coordinates an action. Cues may be verbal, visual, timed, technical, or embodied. Examples include a presenter beginning after a floor manager’s hand signal, a camera taking a shot on the director’s command, or a radio contributor entering after a music fade.

5.1 Cue categories

A cue system is effective only when participants know what the cue means, who is authorised to give it, and what action follows. Ambiguous or competing cues produce hesitation. Before production, the team should agree on terms such as “stand by,” “go,” “hold,” “stop,” “clear,” and “next.”

“Stand by” means prepare; it does not normally mean act. “Go” authorises action. “Hold” means maintain the current state and await further instruction. These distinctions should be used consistently.

5.2 Communication hierarchy

In a multi-camera production, the director generally communicates with the production control room and the floor manager, while the floor manager communicates directly with presenters and performers. This reduces conflicting instructions. In radio, the producer or director may speak to the presenter through talkback while the sound engineer manages levels and the broadcast assistant monitors timing and technical feeds.

The hierarchy should not prevent urgent safety communication. Any person who identifies an immediate danger must be able to report it promptly. Safety communication overrides normal status conventions.

5.3 Closed-loop communication

Closed-loop communication reduces errors by requiring acknowledgement. The sender gives an instruction, the receiver repeats or confirms it, and the sender verifies completion when necessary.

Example:

• Director: “Stand by camera two for the guest answer.”
• Camera operator: “Camera two standing by.”
• Director: “Take two.”
• Vision mixer: “Taking two.”

In fast environments, not every routine cue requires a full verbal repetition, but critical instructions should be acknowledged. This is especially important in outside broadcasts, live news, complex studio shows, and productions involving inexperienced contributors.

6. Directing Presenters, Performers, and Contributors

Different participants require different forms of direction. A trained actor may respond well to an objective or beat-based note. A first-time contributor may need reassurance, plain language, and a clear explanation of the sequence. A presenter may need timing, emphasis, eye-line, and audience-relationship notes rather than character analysis.

6.1 Presenters

Presenters usually need clarity about:

• the editorial purpose of the segment;
• pronunciation and sensitive terminology;
• timing and available recovery space;
• camera or microphone focus;
• handovers to guests, reports, graphics, or music;
• what to do if a cue is missed.

Directors should not overload presenters with technical language while they are performing. Instructions should be short and timed so that they do not compete with essential editorial content.

6.2 Actors and performers

Performance direction should preserve the performer’s agency while aligning the performance with the production’s interpretation. Directors may work with objectives, obstacles, relationships, rhythm, physical action, and subtext. Technical constraints should be explained as creative conditions rather than arbitrary restrictions where possible.

For example, “Keep your movement within this area because the light and microphone are fixed” is more constructive than “Do not move.” The performer understands both the limit and its reason.

6.3 Contributors and guests

Contributors may have valuable knowledge but little experience with studio procedures. A pre-interview or briefing can establish expectations without scripting their answers. Ethical direction avoids coercion, misleading promises, or pressure to express views they do not hold.

Guests should know:

• the approximate duration and subject of the contribution;
• whether the segment is live or recorded;
• how interruptions and retakes work;
• where to look and when to begin;
• how personal data, sensitive material, or consent will be handled.

The director should protect contributors from avoidable embarrassment while preserving editorial independence. Assistance with clarity is legitimate; manufacturing a false impression is not.

7. Leading the Production Crew

Production crews are interdependent systems. A camera operator cannot frame effectively if blocking is unclear; the vision mixer cannot take the intended shot if cues are late; the sound team cannot protect intelligibility if microphones are changed without notice. Leadership therefore requires shared situational awareness.

7.1 Briefings

An effective briefing covers:

• the programme objective and tone;
• the running order and critical timings;
• individual responsibilities;
• known technical or editorial risks;
• cue terminology;
• emergency procedures;
• decision authority and escalation routes.

Briefings should invite questions. A question is often evidence of a planning gap rather than a challenge to authority.

7.2 Psychological safety and professional conduct

Psychological safety means that team members can raise concerns, admit mistakes, and ask for clarification without fear of humiliation or retaliation. It does not mean that standards are relaxed. A psychologically safe team can correct problems earlier, when they are easier to manage.

Directors must address harassment, discrimination, bullying, unsafe practice, and abusive conduct. High pressure is not a justification for degrading people. Professional leadership includes equitable opportunities to speak, reasonable accommodation of disability, respect for cultural differences, and attention to fatigue and working-time requirements.

7.3 Motivation and morale

Motivation is supported by purpose, competence, recognition, autonomy within role boundaries, and fair treatment. In a difficult live production, a concise acknowledgement—“The recovery on that link was excellent”—can reinforce effective behaviour. Recognition should be specific rather than manipulative.

8. Conflict Resolution and Negotiation

Conflict may concern creative interpretation, technical feasibility, schedule pressure, role boundaries, interpersonal behaviour, or editorial ethics. Not every disagreement is harmful. Constructive disagreement can reveal risks and improve a decision. The problem is unmanaged conflict that consumes attention or damages cooperation.

A practical conflict process is:

1. Stabilise—protect safety, transmission, and immediate working conditions.
2. Clarify—state the disagreement in neutral terms.
3. Listen—allow each relevant person to explain evidence and constraints.
4. Identify interests—distinguish positions from underlying needs.
5. Generate options—seek alternatives that preserve the essential objective.
6. Decide—make the decision at the appropriate level.
7. Record and review—communicate the outcome and assess it later.

For example, a director may want a moving camera shot while the camera operator identifies an unsafe cable path. The disagreement is not simply “creative versus technical.” Both parties may want a dynamic opening without creating a hazard. Alternatives might include a shorter movement, a different camera position, or a pre-recorded shot.

When conflict involves harassment, discrimination, safeguarding, or serious misconduct, informal negotiation may be insufficient. Organisational policies, legal duties, human-resources procedures, and safeguarding channels must be followed.

9. Fast Operational Decision-Making

Live and deadline-driven production requires decisions before complete information is available. A useful priority order is:

1. immediate safety and safeguarding;
2. legal and regulatory compliance;
3. accuracy and editorial integrity;
4. continuity and audience comprehension;
5. technical and aesthetic quality;
6. convenience and preference.

This hierarchy prevents a visually attractive choice from overriding a serious safety or accuracy problem.

9.1 The contingency mindset

For each important segment, the director should identify:

• the intended action;
• the most likely failure;
• the earliest warning sign;
• the backup source or procedure;
• the person authorised to activate it.

A live interview may have a primary remote link, a backup telephone contribution, a recorded package, and a presenter-led explanation. Contingencies should be tested where possible. A backup that exists only on paper is not a dependable backup.

9.2 Decision quality under pressure

Under pressure, directors can reduce cognitive overload by using short decision questions:

• Is anyone unsafe?
• What must the audience receive next?
• What source is available now?
• Which option preserves the most editorial value?
• Who must be informed?
• What should be reviewed after the immediate problem is controlled?

The director should communicate the decision and avoid narrating uncertainty unnecessarily to the whole team. After the event, a debrief should examine whether the plan, training, equipment, or communication system needs improvement.

10. Applied Case: A Live University News Programme

Background

The following is an illustrative case. A university media unit is producing a live twenty-minute news and current-affairs programme. The running order includes an anchor introduction, a studio interview, a pre-recorded report, and a remote interview with a public official.

Problem

Two minutes before transmission, the remote guest’s video fails. The audio is intermittent, the anchor has not been briefed on the fallback, and the studio interview has already been shortened because of a delayed rehearsal.

Analysis

The immediate priorities are to maintain intelligible editorial content, avoid misleading the audience, and prevent the anchor from waiting silently for a connection that may not recover. The director checks whether the remote guest can provide stable audio, whether the recorded report can be brought forward, and whether the anchor can conduct a short studio exchange while the technical team attempts recovery.

The production team has a communication problem as well as a technical problem. If several people issue contradictory instructions, the anchor may receive confusing cues. The floor manager therefore becomes the single communication route to the anchor, while the technical supervisor tests the remote link.

Approach and solution

The director announces: “Remote video is unavailable. Stand by the recorded report. Floor manager, tell the anchor to introduce the report as planned. Sound, confirm whether remote audio is usable; do not put it to air without confirmation.” The recorded report is transmitted. During the report, the technical team establishes that audio remains unstable, so the remote interview is removed from the live running order. The anchor closes with a transparent statement that the planned remote conversation could not proceed and provides verified information from the report.

Outcome

The programme remains coherent and accurate. The audience receives the essential information, and the production avoids broadcasting fragmented or unintelligible audio. After transmission, the team conducts a debrief and adds a mandatory remote-link check, a presenter fallback card, and a decision rule for abandoning unstable contributions.

Learning points

• A contingency must include communication, not only equipment.
• The person speaking to the presenter should be clearly designated.
• Editorial honesty is preferable to pretending that a failed contribution succeeded.
• A recorded item can preserve programme structure when a live element fails.
• Post-production learning converts an incident into organisational improvement.

11. Ethics, Regulation, and Inclusion

Directing decisions affect representation, privacy, consent, safety, and public trust. Directors should understand applicable broadcasting codes, privacy law, copyright requirements, defamation risks, employment rules, and organisational policies. Specific legal obligations vary by jurisdiction, but the underlying principles are widely relevant.

Consent must be meaningful, particularly when recording vulnerable people, children, private environments, or sensitive experiences. Editing and direction should not create a materially false impression. Contributors should not be pressured into disclosing personal information merely because it increases dramatic impact.

Accessibility should be included in planning rather than added at the end. Captioning, sign-language interpretation, audio description, readable graphics, clear pronunciation, appropriate contrast, and accessible studio arrangements may affect blocking and timing. Inclusion is both an ethical responsibility and a design requirement.

12. Technology, Remote Production, and Artificial Intelligence

Remote production expands access to contributors and reduces travel, but it introduces latency, unstable networks, inconsistent acoustics, and communication delays. Directors should allow for transmission delay, use concise questions, confirm whether contributors can hear, and maintain a fallback source.

Automation can assist with camera tracking, rundown management, caption generation, transcription, and audio monitoring. Artificial intelligence may help prepare transcripts, identify silence or clipping, suggest shot changes, or organise production information. These systems should support—not replace—human editorial judgement. AI-generated captions and summaries require checking for names, accents, specialist terms, and context. Automated systems may reproduce bias, expose personal data, or create false confidence in an inaccurate output.

The director remains responsible for the programme’s final meaning and operational integrity. Human oversight is essential when a system makes recommendations affecting representation, safety, editorial selection, or transmission.

13. Best Practices for Directing and Production Leadership

The following practices are consistently valuable:

• prepare a clear creative intention and running order;
• identify beats, transitions, risks, and fallback sources;
• use agreed cue language and closed-loop communication for critical instructions;
• brief contributors in plain language;
• rehearse the difficult moments rather than repeating easy sections;
• give specific, respectful, behaviour-focused performance notes;
• establish one clear communication route to each presenter during live action;
• invite technical and editorial concerns before transmission;
• prioritise safety, accuracy, and accessibility over aesthetic preference;
• document decisions, incidents, and post-production learning;
• protect confidentiality and personal data;
• use technology and AI with verification, transparency, and human accountability.

Chapter Summary

Directing in television and radio is a form of integrated creative and operational leadership. The director interprets programme purpose, plans beats and transitions, coordinates blocking and rehearsal, gives performance notes, manages cues, and makes rapid decisions under pressure. Effective communication depends on agreed terminology, clear hierarchy, closed-loop confirmation, and reliable fallback procedures. Leadership also requires respect for professional expertise, psychological safety, inclusion, ethical conduct, and legal responsibility. Conflict can be productive when evidence and interests are addressed, but safety, safeguarding, and misconduct require formal escalation where necessary. Contemporary tools such as remote production, automation, and AI can improve efficiency, yet human judgement remains essential for accuracy, fairness, and accountability.

Key Terms

Director: The person responsible for integrating creative interpretation, performance, and production execution.

Blocking: Planned positioning and movement of people, cameras, microphones, and relevant production elements.

Beat: A meaningful unit of action, information, or emotional change.

Cue: A signal that authorises or initiates an action.

Stand by: An instruction to prepare for an imminent action without acting yet.

Go: A cue authorising the prepared action.

Hold: An instruction to maintain the current state and await further direction.

Closed-loop communication: A communication process involving instruction, acknowledgement, and confirmation.

Floor manager: The person who coordinates studio-floor activity and often relays instructions to presenters and performers.

Running order: The planned sequence and timing of programme elements.

Technical rehearsal: A rehearsal focused on equipment, cues, transitions, and technical coordination.

Dress rehearsal: A near-complete run performed under conditions resembling transmission.

Contingency: A planned alternative response to a possible failure or change.

Situational awareness: Understanding current conditions, risks, resources, and likely developments.

Psychological safety: A working climate in which people can raise concerns and admit mistakes without humiliation or retaliation.

Editorial integrity: Commitment to accuracy, fairness, transparency, and non-misleading presentation.

Safeguarding: Measures protecting people, especially vulnerable individuals, from harm or exploitation.

Remote production: Production in which contributors, personnel, or technical operations are geographically separated.

Delegation: Assignment of a task or decision within defined authority and accountability.

Post-production debrief: Structured review of what occurred, why it occurred, and how future practice can improve.

Review Questions

Short Answer Questions

1. What are the three broad capacities required for effective production leadership?
2. Define blocking and explain how it applies to radio as well as television.
3. What is the difference between “stand by” and “go”?
4. Why is closed-loop communication useful in live production?
5. Identify two responsibilities of a floor manager.

Long Answer Questions

1. Explain how a director transforms a programme brief into a production plan.
2. Compare rehearsal types and discuss why a production may require more than one type.
3. Discuss methods for directing trained performers, presenters, and inexperienced contributors.
4. Explain how psychological safety and professional conduct affect production quality.
5. Analyse the ethical and regulatory responsibilities of a director working with sensitive contributors.

Analytical / Application Questions

1. A guest’s remote connection becomes unstable during a live interview. Construct a decision sequence that protects safety, accuracy, continuity, and audience comprehension.
2. A camera operator objects that a proposed movement is unsafe, while the director believes it is essential to the opening. Analyse the conflict and propose a negotiated solution.
3. Design a cueing and contingency plan for a ten-minute radio programme containing a presenter link, live guest, music bed, recorded report, and emergency fallback.

Multiple Choice Questions with Answers

Question 1

Which statement best describes the director’s central role?

A. Operating every camera personally

B. Integrating creative, operational, and interpersonal aspects of production

C. Writing all scripts without consulting contributors

D. Managing only the transmission equipment

Correct Answer: B. Integrating creative, operational, and interpersonal aspects of production

Question 2

What is the primary purpose of blocking?

A. To eliminate the need for rehearsal

B. To determine staff salaries

C. To plan positions and movements in relation to production requirements

D. To replace the running order

Correct Answer: C. To plan positions and movements in relation to production requirements

Question 3

What does “stand by” normally communicate?

A. Act immediately

B. Prepare for an imminent action

C. End the programme

D. Ignore the next cue

Correct Answer: B. Prepare for an imminent action

Question 4

Which practice is an example of closed-loop communication?

A. Giving an instruction without checking whether it was heard

B. Allowing several people to issue contradictory cues

C. Giving an instruction, receiving acknowledgement, and confirming action

D. Communicating only after transmission

Correct Answer: C. Giving an instruction, receiving acknowledgement, and confirming action

Question 5

Which rehearsal is primarily designed to test cameras, sound, lighting, graphics, and transitions?

A. Technical rehearsal

B. Table read

C. Informal social rehearsal

D. Post-production debrief

Correct Answer: A. Technical rehearsal

Question 6

Which priority should normally come first during a live production problem?

A. Aesthetic preference

B. Convenience

C. Immediate safety and safeguarding

D. Maintaining an originally planned camera angle

Correct Answer: C. Immediate safety and safeguarding

Question 7

Which performance note is most actionable?

A. Be better

B. Be more natural

C. Try harder emotionally

D. Slow the final sentence and look toward the guest when asking the question

Correct Answer: D. Slow the final sentence and look toward the guest when asking the question

Question 8

What is a key benefit of a clear communication hierarchy?

A. It allows everyone to give simultaneous instructions

B. It reduces conflicting instructions

C. It removes the need for technical expertise

D. It prevents safety concerns from being reported

Correct Answer: B. It reduces conflicting instructions

Question 9

Why should AI-generated captions be checked by a human?

A. They are always intentionally fictional

B. They may misrecognise names, accents, specialist terms, or context

C. They cannot be displayed on television

D. They eliminate the need for accessibility planning

Correct Answer: B. They may misrecognise names, accents, specialist terms, or context

Question 10

In the illustrative live-news case, why was the recorded report used?

A. To conceal the technical failure from the crew

B. To preserve editorial continuity while the remote contribution was assessed

C. To avoid informing the presenter

D. To replace all future live interviews

Correct Answer: B. To preserve editorial continuity while the remote contribution was assessed