[ cite news |first=Angela|last=Cuming|title=Quiz show host Harwood dead |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/quiz-show-host-harwood-dead/2008/02/09/1202234236483.html|work= Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=|date=2008-02-10 |accessdate=2008-02-28] ] Original format
The 1970s version of "It's Academic" was conducted on a state basis with episodes featuring teams of three from three different schools. Contestants were aged around 16 years, in Year Ten at High School.
Winning teams would progress through to state semi-finals and finals. In many years, state champion teams met in a national finals series.
State contestants usually received Parker pen sets as mementos, with additional prizes (often dictionaries or encyclopedias) awarded to the winning school. National prizes differed but were of a similar financial value.
In early rounds, team captains would 'pick a packet' (a numbered pack of ten questions) from a board of numbered options. Teams could answer these questions with no penalties for incorrect answers. All team members could respond to questions; in cases where two answers were given at the same time, the host would ask the captain to confirm the team's response.
A video-clip round and 'beat the buzzer' segment completed the contest. In cases of ties, captains would pick tie-breaker packets for their team to answer.
Current format
The 2007 version features three new schools every week, the winning schools to reappear later in the season for semi-finals and Grand Finals. Each individual episode features three teams (green, red and purple), each made up of three members from each school.
The show is set out as follows:
* Segment 1
** Green team question round
** Red team question round and "Random Spotlight"
** Blue team question round
** "Who Am I? or The Wonderful World of Pablo/Pablo's World" (for home viewers)
* Segment 2
** Green team question round and "Random Spotlight"
** Red team question round
** Blue team question round
** "Beat the Buzzer"
** Remote School quiz (for the break)
* Segment 3
** Information segment (with Lizzie Lovette(2005-2008) Sally Stanton(2008-current)
** First team question round
** Second team question round
** Third team question round and "Random Spotlight" for Blue Team
** "Unscramble this Picture Puzzle" (All teams)
** "Fact or Fiction?" (All teams)
* Segment 4
** "Watch This Space"
** "Beat the Buzzer"
*End of show
The question rounds consist of a series of 5 or 6 questions aimed at one team only. Players are given five seconds to answer, or longer for a spelling question, and may confer amongst themselves before giving an answer. If two students answer differently at once, the team captain is asked to select one answer.
The "Random Spotlight" selects a member of the team at random. They are then asked a question about their chosen topic, varying from academic subjects such as spelling or outer space to entertainment subjects such as Harry Potter.
Unlike the question rounds, "Beat the Buzzer" is open for all teams to answer. Simon Reeve reads out questions to all contestants, who buzz in to answer. This is the most competitive segment of the show as teams attempt to buzz in before other teams in order to score points (10 per correct question). "Beat the Buzzer" is a speed round lasting for 45 seconds.
In "Watch This Space", contestants are shown a one minute video clip on a certain subject, about which they are then asked five questions. All teams compete on the buzzer for the right to answer the questions: 10 points for a correct answer, ten points off for a wrong answer.
In "Unscramble this Picture Puzzle", a 3 by 3 sliding puzzle is shown on the screens. The puzzle can be a person, a place or an object. When a team buzzes in, the puzzle freezes. The first team to identify the puzzle gets 10 points for their team and the puzzle is instantly revealed to the audience. If they get it wrong, no points are deducted but they get locked out allowing the other teams to answer it. If all three teams fail to identify the puzzle (scrambled or not), no points are given out.
The team who answers the "Unscramble this Picture Puzzle" question on the buzzer has the right to choose one of three topics for "Fact or Fiction," a new round in 2006 and get five seconds to make that decision. Reeve then reads five statements about the topic for which schools buzz in to answer whether they are fact or fiction (although answers of true or false are also accepted).
In the "Information Segment", a question is asked and the team that gets it correct gets 10 points and becomes the first team to receive the questions. An incorrect answer locks them out for the round, and another question is asked to the other teams. Before, teams weren't locked out and no deductions were made to their scores.
coring
*Each team begins with 100 points. (When the show first returned in 2005, it was impossible to lose points at any time during the show; this made these 100 points rather useless.)
*In the individual team question rounds, 10 points are awarded for a correct answer; no points are deducted for a wrong answer.
*If a contestant correctly answers his or her Random Spotlight question, 20 points are awarded instead of 10; once again, no points are deducted for a wrong answer.
*In any buzzer rounds, 10 points are awarded for a correct answer, and 10 points are deducted for a wrong answer. When the show was introduced in 2005, no penalties were given for incorrect answers.The school with the most aggregate points at the end of the week is the winner, progressing to the semi-finals and then the Grand Final. The winning school on any one day does not compete for more points or prizes. Should there be a tie after the week, a sudden death question would be given out for the Friday's teams. The team that gives the correct answer gets 10 points for their team and go through to the next round. An incorrect answer would lose them 10 points and the opposing team go through instead.
List of different types of questions
* Spelling
* Missing letter in a grid
* Missing letter in a two word phrase
* Flags (2007)
* Arithmetic
* Area or Perimetres
* Which word comes first
* Roman numerals
Production details
Crew
Its Academic's Director is Brian Forshaw, Producer is Antoinette Dyce, Production Co-ordinator is Wendy Lalor, Production Manager is Suzie Baird, Segment Producer is Jenny Forsyth, Floor Manager is Jenny Ward, P.A/Researcher is Verity Bell, Host is Simon Reeve and the Make-Up Artist is Terri Farmer. Lighting specialists Shannon Ryan and Michael Burton, light the show. Technical producer is Scott Baldwin.
Camera setup
There are normally 6 cameras on It's Academic, one for each of the schools, a jimmy jib (which flies in the air at the top of the studio,) A close-up camera, and a camera for Simon. In this seasons Grand Final, the team hired a new camera, which would come right up to the contestants desks.
Winning schools
A list of winning schools in the show. At the end of the season, winning schools will be invited back to play in the finals.
Notes
*First Heat of season 6 ended in a tie. A student from Rockdale answered correctly so they made it to the semi finals.
*Fifth Heat of season 6 ended in a tie. A student from Hazelbrook answered correctly so they made it to the semi finals.
ee also
*Australia's Brainiest Kid
*List of Australian television series
References
External links
*It's Academic Offical Site [http://au.tv.yahoo.com/b/its-academic/]
* [http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=Number%3A138074;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=10 It's Academic at the National Film and Sound Archive]
