Two similarities in both studio and film production are that they both depend on directors, camera operators, production staff, talents/actors, etc. They require people with specific responsibilities for any kind of production(s). No production can be produced by a single person. I have learned in this class it is a team effort, and you either must listen very carefully or communicate loudly, clearly, and quickly. If you make one mistake, it will affect everyone else no matter what position you are in. You can be a director and if you are nervous, everyone will be nervous. If you are confident and calm, everyone will feel calm and relaxed. Another similarity is they both require planning. Whether it’s film or studio production, you need a plan. If it’s a film, you must have a script, you need cameras, set dates and times and you need to have actors/actresses etc. If it’s a studio production, you also need to set a date and time, have talent, scripts and arrive early to set everything up. They may be in different fields, but they are very similar in their own way.
However, film and studio production have differences. One difference is in film, if something went wrong or a mistake, the scene can be stopped and be shot again. In a live studio production, everything happens in real time and it’s easy for the audience to see or hear the mistake, whether it’s the wrong camera selected or a graphic is misspelled. You must figure out how to make a quick recovery or the whole production will crash and burn. Another difference, film and studio production communicate very differently. In a film, you can work shot-by-shot, often with time between takes to discuss changes, reposition cameras, etc. While studio production has to respond to immediate commands and with continuous communication through headsets. Production is more like a coordinated live performance, while film is more planning in a series of individual shots. Coming into this class made me work more on timing, how to be fast physically, mentally, and how to coordinate with your crew members. I may be a slow learner, but when I learn something, I’ll never forget it.
The three areas of production the associate director (AD) is responsible for keeping track of is timing, coordinating prerecorded video/content and communication with master control/commercial breaks. The AD is like the timekeeper or the traffic controller in production. Firstly, they keep track of time, which is one of the most important roles for AD. They must keep track of the overall program time as soon the production begins and ends and also the times of prerecorded video segments. The producer and the director must know whether the program is running on time or behind so they can adjust. If the AD loses track of time, the show could run long, end too early or force the director to rush or cut material unexpectedly. Secondly, the AD must identify video content in the rundown, note each video’s total run time (TRT), check the video with playback and they even record the final words of a voice outcue when necessary. It’s an important job because the director must know exactly when the video will finish so the next live element is ready. If the AD has the wrong TRT or misses the end of the video, the production may return to the studio before the crew or talent is ready, causing an awkward transition, dead air, or the wrong shot to appear.
Third and last, the AD must synchronize with the broadcast. They communicate with Master Control, synchronize with the control-room clock and participate in the countdown into and back from commercial breaks. During the show, the Master Control and the AD coordinate the return from commercials so the producer and director can have the content ready. If they have poor communication, it could cause the program to go to commercial at the wrong time or return to commercial when the studio is not ready. AD may not be the one making the creative decisions, but those decisions cannot be executed smoothly unless the AD keeps everyone synchronized.
The reason why studio personnel work with a sense of urgency is because every job is connected to a deadline, the moment the program goes live. For example, the AD must arrive before crew call, know the schedule start and running time, obtain the rundown and script, and communicate with the Stage Manager, Master Control, and repeatedly tell the crew how much time remains before going on air. Once the broadcast begins, there is even less room for delay. The AD is counting down video, overall program time, and commercial breaks while the rest of the crew must be ready for the director’s next command.
One thing I learned in this Production class is you cannot panic or everyone else will feel that energy and it will affect the whole crew. Everyone must know their responsibility, come prepared ahead of time, listen very carefully and respond loud and immediate when they receive a command. Even if you’re a few seconds late in a live production, it will affect the entire production. In film, time often allows mistakes to be corrected with another take, while in a studio production, preparation and teamwork prevents mistakes from happening.
My overall experience in performing the various production roles during class exercises, everything took me by surprise. I felt like I went to a skating competition and forgot my skating routine. From learning graphics to being a director, I was very nervous. But once I started learning, reading the slides, going over the commands, observing other classmates, and met with my TA, I felt a little calmer and started to slowly feel more confident.
Among all the production roles, besides being the host and guest, I felt comfortable with being technical director (TD), minus the little fumble on going to black instead of fading to black. At first, I was like “Whoa, that is a lot of buttons and how am I going to listen and know which button I am going to press right away?” But when I met with my TA, Ava, I felt so much better going into the next Tuesday morning class and when I got confused at one of the buttons in one of our non-graded rotations, I was very fortunate to have one of my classmates to navigate me to press the right button before going “live”.
In contrast, one of the production roles that presented me with a challenge, which is probably one of the most popular stations, is graphics. What made it so challenging for me was how it took me days to figure out how the machine works. To use the numbers on the keypad to press “Alt-T” and not “Control-T.” Don’t worry, I was able to organize my notes so that the next time I do graphics, I’ll do it with flying colors. Which is what will improve my performance the next time I do graphics. You will be amazed when the time comes.
If I could teach any of the production positions to a new student, I would either teach them graphics or TD. I would teach them like how I would teach someone how to skate. I would go step by step, very slowly of what they have to do, I would have them memorize their commands, I would show them my notes that way they have something to look in case they missed a step, and I wouldn’t rush them at first and let them go at their pace till they’re confident to practice the real deal.
As for directing, I learned you must be confident in yourself, think ahead, be very alert and quick, and be a leader. I had no clue of what being a director was like until I sat in the chair in the studio. When it came to communicating commands, I felt that I wasn’t as confident in myself as I should’ve been. Not only the energy affected me but it also affected my crew. I also felt like I wasn’t prepared and wasn’t thinking ahead like I should’ve been. I must work on trusting and being more confident with myself.
As for other challenges, I believe I must work on timing, which is something I’m also struggling with in skating but that’s a different story. I believe with practice and believing in yourself, you can be possible. It’s in the word. Im-possible.
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