Our final CCI TV show produced for the TVBRO module was potentially the most challenging, both in terms of its production and live aspects. For the past two years, the Television and Broadcasting course has collaborated with the University of Portsmouth for a series of live cooking shows, hosted by Enwezor Nzegwu, Fast Fresh Food. It's a unique opportunity to create a show that has an element of risk and relies on a lot of planning and preparation for it to succeed. Therefore, as this would be my last chance to do so, I stepped forward to be Producer and, it's fair to say, I learned a lot from the experience.
Similarly to the shows CCI TV: 10 Years and CCI TV: Education mentioned previously in the blog, I took on a role that I had little to no experience in. However, in the case of being producer, there is a huge amount of responsibility that comes with the title. I was conscious of having to motivate the team to complete certain tasks (especially coming back after the Christmas break) as well as making critical decisions towards the programme's outcome. In the words of Deborah Mitchell, Founder and CEO of Deborah Mitchell Media Associates,
"Producing a show is a lot like founding and running a business -- you need a message, a team, content or service and great execution."
Having founded a business during my self-employed placement year, I was hoping that the experience would help me towards the production of a high-quality live cooking show.
For our show, Enzwezor, along with our presenters, would be learning how to make fruit crumble. During the pre-production process, I took the time to analyse the previous CCI TV cooking shows against a professional live cooking programme to gain an insight into the aspects they excelled in and, for the CCI TV broadcasts, aspects they may have needed to improve upon.
Notes from previous CCI TV shows:
- Presenters seem nervous and at times somewhat robotic
- Cameras seem slightly static
- Generally, shows seem slightly empty both visually and aurally
- VTs at times feel slightly disconnected from the rest of the show
Notes from Sunday Brunch:
- Very busy set/studio - Filled with kitchen ware, ingredients, bottles etc.
- Lots of guests - People waiting to taste the food
- Presenters drive the show
- Lots of discussion - Presenters are fully prepared
- Quick cuts between cameras
- Cameras are always active (one on close-ups and one on wide shot)
From these notes, I met with the group to explain what I intended for our show. This included conducting plenty of research surrounding the recipe to provide the presenters with useful information.
Unforunately, not all of the aims I had planned for the show were met. This was due to issues with the VTs that lead to a reshoot and adjustment to the original plan as well as changes that needed to be made right up until the show went live. Therefore, I wasn't completely satisfied with the final show and, concequently, my own performance. However, while discovering that I may not yet be best fit for the role of producer, I did learn what essential skills are needed to make a good producer.
1. Firstly, being the leader of a group is very important but this doesn't just mean telling people what to do. It also means being involved with each aspect of the production and encouraging people within the group to work together towards a common goal.
2. Secondly, and possibly most significantly, producers must be able to communicate effectively with their team, whether it is verbal or written. As the visionary for the programme, it is essential that you can explain your ideas and help others to realise them. It's all about being clear and honest.
3. Next, especially with the scenario of a 30 minute live cooking show, television programmes usually consist of many components that must come together seemlessly. Producers are the ones who are able to appreciate the bigger picture and understand how each of these parts fit within the scale of the project.
4. Finally, from my experience undertaking this role, producers must be execellent at multi-tasking. This may involve briefing guests, double-checking scripts, organsing equipment and so on. This quality in particular is an aspect I feel I was lacking during the production of the show and an area I could improve upon.
In conclusion, I'm definitely glad I managed to give the producer role a go. I had witnessed other students in the same position and wondered how I would perform in their shoes. If there is one thing to take away from this, its that you won't know if you're any good at something until you give it a try. I now recognise where my strengths and weaknesses are in organising a large team and, more importantly, I understand how I could improve in the event that I find myself having to do so again in the future.