Learning more about television production
Today, I took photos of an African elephant. That is probably the only time in my life that will happen. She was beautiful. And no, if you are wondering, I did not suddenly take a trip to Africa (I wish). Instead, she was brought on set for DIY’s Disaster House. The show recreates disasters that happen to houses in an interesting way and then demonstrates how to fix the damage. Since first shooting, they have dropped a piano through the roof, had Clydesdales tear up a wall and had roller derby girls in the living room. It might not be life changing hardcore journalism, but it sure is fun helping out on set.
When taking photos on set, it is important to pay attention to where the photographer is shooting so you avoid walking in his shot, but you still get what you need. For the DIY network, the photos of the host are used for press to promote the show. The others provide a step-by-step guide for users to see online. It was a good refresher on how to use the camera since first learning my freshman year.
Some other highlights of my week were learning more about the other aspects of production. I sat down with a casting agent and listened to her interviewing a potential couple for an upcoming FN Challenge show. When an editing bay was free, I jumped in there and strung together a sequence. I also played with the ISIS system and created a string-out from saved footage. A string-out is what a writer creates and strings together how the show will look before it goes to an editor to add footage and finesse. Just continue to knock things off my list…