Lights, Camera, Action!
Outside of Freestyle I produce, direct, and write my own TV show called Daily Smiles. It highlights positive news and features students who benefit the community in meaningful ways. Through the creation of my show, I have improved my communications and production skills along with script writing and time management.
Process
Each episode takes a lot of preparation and effort. There are many steps that cannot be missed and deadlines that need to be met.
The first thing I do before starting any other part of the process is making sure I have an interview lined up for that month. To find my interviewees I keep my eyes and ears open about what local teens are doing in the area to help benefit the community. I have found many of my interviewees through my high school or from connections through friends at other high schools. I have had the chance to talk with founders, young entrepreneurs, and athletes. Once I have a date scheduled I create questions, shoot the interview, edit, and export it.
My next step for each month is finding a date to shoot. I try to shoot each episode either at the end of the given month or the beginning of the next one. Once I find the date I send a text to my anchors to see if they’re available. Then I’ll book the studio and send out an initial crew email. The crew email goes to all of the volunteer staff at kmvt15 who has crewed on shows before and has taken the required production classes. My typical crew consists of a camera person, floor director, audio, graphics, and teleprompter. I send an email explaining my show and bolding the date and time of the shoot. I then gather responses and assign positions before the shoot date to make sure I have everyone I need. This process usually goes until the final week before the taping.
My next step after booking the studio is writing the script. Each month I look at news sources, including searching actively in my local area, to find stories that would be Daily Smiles appropriate and something the audience would enjoy hearing about. After gathering the links, usually around seven to ten stories, I start to write the script. I find the most important and interesting parts of each story and make sure to highlight the important information concisely. I try to write the script so it feels natural for the anchors when they recite it and creates a conversational tone and environment. I make sure to find graphics to accompany the lines and credits for each graphic. After creating the rough draft I’ll wait a few days before making final edits with a fresh pair of eyes. I will sometimes meet with Michelle Blaine, someone who has offered her professional assistance when it comes to my writing, to review the final script and make significant changes and final touches. Once the script is set I send the final copy to the anchors at least a week before the shoot day.
After I have all of the graphics ready and the script finalized I head to kmvt15 early and upload everything, including the roll in interview, onto the Tricaster. I add credits to the graphics and make sure everything is working in advance so I won’t have any issues the day of.
On the day of taping, I make sure the crew is happy, the anchors are prepared, and all the positions are filled. Then we shoot! Please enjoy the first several episodes!