Production Review: Healthy Eating

In an earlier blog post, The Perks of a Positive Production, I was able to thoroughly document the process of putting together a television program in a short amount of time. As leader of a group of students working on a Healthy Eating round table discussion program, there were several things to consider as I helped my peers move from creating the idea, contacting guests, selecting jobs in studio, and recording our show.

It is nearly impossible to think of every complication that could crop up during a studio production, and if there was a foolproof way to be prepared for every potential obstacle -- chances are there simply wouldn't be time. Even working as a team, as students of production we are still growing and developing our skill set while operating on a tight schedule.

As I look back on the program we created, there are things I have identified as problems, and some things I think went smoothly.

The Perks of a Positive Production

What would a studio production class be without content to produce? For one of our last major projects, students were given the option to either work in post-production for the writing center shoot discussed here, or work in groups to produce something new, a program created entirely by the students. Knowing that we needed content, I had been thinking about about potential program themes during Spring Break, and jumped at the chance to present those ideas to the class.

The first of two potential programs I suggested was Healthy Eating, a round-table discussion about eating healthy on Shepherd's campus. How do students maintain a healthy diet, and what could the university do to promote nutrition?

A student perspective on this topic was necessary, but an expert opinion would also be beneficial. I suggested that we contact a professor from one of the Fitness for Life classes on campus, who teach Shepherd's students about healthy eating habits.

The second program I suggested to the class was 2012, a round-table discussion about the theories of the end of the world. Is it possible that the world could end in December of this year? What is the history behind the doomsday prophecies, and what points to 2012 as the ill-fated year? I thought a combination of history professors from campus, who could talk about the source of the prophecies, and science professors, who could discuss the possibility of an end-of-the-world occurrence, would be the best candidates for guests.

I was surprised at how many people were in favor of the 2012 program, and began to grow more and more excited about how to produce the show. However, when the class also decided to produce the Healthy Eating show, an issue presented itself. I could not contribute to the two groups that took on my ideas, I could only work with one. After being assigned as leader the Healthy Eating group, I had to say goodbye to one of my ideas. Letting go was my first lesson on this project.

LESSON ONE:  Sharing your ideas with a team means they are no longer yours alone. If you can't take on more than one program at a time, every now and then you just have to trust someone else with your vision.