Blog 6: TV Production

In the last month or so of class since our return from Spring Break, we have been split into three different groups to work on our own television production. One of the biggest things I learned during this process is how much work goes into the production of a TV show. In TV Productions, there are 3 different stages to it. The first of the stage is the planning stage. This involves meeting with the television production team, discussing who will do which job, the theme of the show, how the set should looks, and who the speakers shall be. The second stage of this process is the actual filming of the production itself. What this involves is the camera being set up so that the right focus and white balance is there, the floor manager making sure that everything is okay on the set, and the camera on-stage being connected with the monitors so that the show is being recorded. Finally once the production is filmed, we move onto post-production where the show is edited so that the introduction and the credits are added, mistakes are corrected, and the show is completely produced for all to watch. Throughout this process there were a few things I did like and a few things I didn't like. What I did like was being able to meet up with the production crew. It may just be the writer in me but I do like being able to interact with the group prior to filming. I feel that it helps build group chemistry and allows all of us to express our ideas. I also enjoyed being able to work behind the camera. I like having the ability to frame my own shots and put together art in the form of film. I do wish to do more camera work in the future as it is something I very much enjoy doing. What I did not like about the process was that while I did enjoy camera work I would have much preferred to have been directing or hosting. I say this mainly because I feel that I need some practice in both of those fields. When I did both jobs in this semester I struggled with them. On terms of hosting I had a hard time trying to stick as just the "host" and not try make myself a guest on my own show. I feel that is something I need to work on in the future. On terms of directing I had struggled earlier this semester with it as I had become very nervous due to not having directing a live show before. As mentioned in earlier blogs it is an entirely different process than film or stage due to the fact its all rapid fire and has to be done on the go rather than planned in advance. I would have liked an opportunity to do either of these but I trust the group's decision in letting me just do camera work and I did enjoy it. Another thing I didn't like was how short our show ended up being. I feel that because of how vast our topic was (2012 and other end of the world theories) that we needed to go 30 minutes instead of 15. In spite of that the show did work but at the same time I felt it could have been longer and more detailed in what we were discussing. Overall, it was a very good experience that gave me the insight of what it takes to work on a television program and has been one of my better experiences in college. Going forward I look ahead in anticipation of working on other programs in the future.