My name is Joe Sousa and I am a field producer of a new show tentatively entitled "Alaska Unleashed." The show will premiere on the Discovery Channel's Alaska week later this year. For the next month I will be up in Alaska field producing and writing for the show. A lot of what I do professionally is very similar to the skills and concepts that you guys are learning in Ms. Ventura's class, so she's asked me to do a daily blog documenting my experience doing the program. Over the next month I'll blog about the tasks involved in making a TV program in very harsh conditions under a very tight deadline. I'll also do some profiles of members of the team up here, including editors and camera persons. Finally, I'll probably talk a lot about what its like to be up in Alaska and what makes this such a special and spectacular place. Oh, and of course I'll try to put up as many cool pix and videos as I can.
But most importantly I'd like to do my best to start a dialog with you. I'd love to hear your comments, your reactions, and add to discussion topics that you care about. This is the first blog I've done, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm a little slow figuring everything out.
Tomorrow I'll start off by describing what exactly a 'field producer' does and how the whole team fits together up here. But I'd love to hear any questions you guys have initially about producing TV shows or topics that you'd like me to cover. Do you guys watch the Discovery Channel? What are some of your favorite shows? What is it about those shows that you think is so cool? To you, what's the coolest thing about Alaska?
Like I said, fire away with any questions--that will help me think of things to write about. I look forward to hearing from you. Oh, and check out a moose that came in to give us a closer look!
22 comments:
Hey my name is Popo and I'm a senior at Watertown high in Ms. Ventura's class. I don't watch the discovery channel, I've flipped through channels and stopped there before but havn't ever actually turned straight to it to watch a certain show. My favorite shows are more along the lines of comedy shows like family guy, south park, also mainly all of comedy central. What I find cool about the shows is how they can take such simple everyday things and make them funny in ways that you most likely wouldn't of done yourself. To me the coolest thing about Alaska has to be the fact that there's always snow there, also how there can be months at a time that theres no sun.
I'm Tori and I am a sophomore at Watertown High School. I enjoy being in Ms. Ventura's class and I have a lot of fun with editing film. I watch the Discovery Channel sometimes if there is a show on that I like. Some of my favorite shows are Desperate Housewives, The Secret Life of The American Teenager, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, shows on MTV, and a lot more. I like these shows because they have a lot of drama in them. The thing that I think is coolest about Alaska is that the temperature can get to below zero and that the wild life in Alaska still manages to survive. What is your favorite part in producing? How is the weather in Alaska? How many people do you have helping you make the show?
Hey Joe Sousa, good to blog with you, its nice to know someone besides classmates and MS V read this now. I'll start off with your questions first. I watch the Discovery Channel if they have interesting shows. My brother became obsessed with the deadliest catch for a while so I was forced onto that. I'm a huge fan of Seinfeld, and I love Always Sunny In Philadelphia. I watch those because I love to laugh and watch quality stuff. I've never really thought about Alaska in depth. I wouldn't mind going up there though with a few good cameras. The landscape there is beautiful and its something I would want to see and take with me.
How did you become a field producer? I'd really love to be involved with television or movies when i grow up (who wouldn't?) and any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
-Keith Singh
Hi joe, my name is Kosta Kalmanides and I'm a senior at Watertown High School. I think it's neat how you'll be spending some time over in Alaska field producing and writing for a show that's going to be shown on the discovery channel. I sometimes watch the discovery channel when something interesting is on, but I mostly watch programs on comedy central and various soccer channels. Sports and comedy interest me the most when I'm scrolling through the T.V.
I think the coolest thing about Alaska are the northern lights. I heard it's phenomenal. Will you be around to see it during your stay?
My names Rose and I'm a fresh at WHS.
I don't watch a lot of TV but when i do its not usually the Discovery Channel I'm watching. My brother watches MythBusters and Man vs Wild, which i think can be gross, sometimes so then i do. I watch a lot of Law and Order SVU, and some other shows like One Tree Hill but thats really all. Law and Order makes you think and I guess thats why i like those kinds of shows. Ones like One Tree Hill i like cause i can follow it every week. I've never been to Alaska but it seems cool that theres snow all year round and all the animals there that we don't have in other parts of the country.
Hey my name is Eddie and I go to Watertown High School. I'm a senior and also one of Ms. Ventura's students. I do watch the Discovery Channel a lot. There are interesting shows that spark my interest such as special documentaries that air from time to time. I like to watch and gain more knowledge about the environment. Basically I watch everything on the Discovery Channel. I don't know anything about Alaska but I would like to find out about the weather, people, and points of interest.
Hi my name is Isilay and I'm a sophomores at Watertown High School. I like to watch Discovery Channel because sometimes the facts they gives you are pretty intersecting! My favorite show is Scrubs because its funny. What I like about Scrubs is the songs they at the end and I really like How JD ( the main character) has day dreams. I don;t know much about Alaska but i don't like I'd every travel there because I HATE cold weather. Why did you choose to become a field producer?
Isilay
Hi Joe and Alaska! I'm Greg, a freshman at Watertown High.
Yes, I do watch the discovery channel. For me, the Discovery Channel is the perfect combination of information and entertainment. In my opinion, the Discovery Channel show Mythbusters is the best way to use that combination; the hosts of the show bring humor to the science involved in the myths they must bust.
Honestly, I don't know much about Alaska. I can really only think about caribou, snow, the Inughuit people, and Sarah Palin. I guess it is most fascinating to me that people have lived in such conditions for so long. I know that generations of adaptation to the cold enable people to survive there, so I guess I'm saying that the fact that I would struggle to survive there amazes me that you (and a few other people, I assume) could travel up to Alaska with loads of TV equipment, and film a show for many months.
I've heard that working in a TV studio, working on a TV show can be very stressful at times. The big question I have for you is: Does working in such a harsh climate make working on your show less bearable? Or does the fact that you were able to see the other end of the continent through making a TV show make any discomforts disappear in your mind? (sorry if that question was poorly worded!)
--Greg
Hi I'm Courtney and I am a freshman at Watertown High School. I very much enjoy being in Ms. Ventura's class. I watch the discovery channel sometimes if there is something on I like. Some of my favorite shows are Wife Swap, The Secret Life Of The American Teenager and more. I think those shows are cool because i understand whats going on in them and the action they have in them. Also how they have so much drama. One thing cool about Alaska is how its always cold and snowy there. Do you get sick of the weather?
Hi, my name is Emily and I'm a sophomore at Watertown High. Unfortunately, I do not watch the Discovery Channel often, however, I have watched it once or twice. The programs from Discovery Channel which I've seen include Destroyed In Seconds and Mythbusters. I enjoy watching comedy and drama shows, such as Family Guy and Grey's Anatomy. I like to laugh but I also like to see some drama.
Alaska seems like a cool place. What is it like working in that type of weather? The wildlife up there is so different from that of Massachusetts. I'm curious to know what its like to work with such animals. I'd like to know how you came to be a TV producer.
~Emily
My name is Carolyn and I'm a sophomore at Watertown High. I usually watch the Discovery channel during Shark Week, because I find sharks very interesting. Other than that i don't really watch Discovery channel. Most of my favorite shows are on Animal Planet and it's my favorite channel. I like how on the shows its all done by camera men which puts you directly into the situation that you are watching. By far the coolest thing about Alaska is all of the different animals and their surroundings.
-Carolyn
Hi I'm Courtney and I am a freshman at Watertown High School. I very much enjoy being in Ms. Ventura's class. I watch the discovery channel sometimes if there is something on I like. Some of my favorite shows are Wife Swap, The Secret Life Of The American Teenager and more. I think those shows are cool because i understand whats going on in them and the action they have in them. Also how they have so much drama. One thing cool about Alaska is how its always cold and snowy there. Do you get sick of the weather? Do you like being in Alaska?
-Courtney
Hi Joe, I am Chris. I love Discovery Channel. I am a huge fan of animals, their natural habitat and stuff. Like the way they show a lion (or any other predator) attacking. They show in the lion's perspective which is really cool. We come to realize that those killings that the predator do is just another work of nature, you can't really hate the lion for that...
I don't really know about Alaska, but I would love to know about it.
I've got a question... How did you become a field producer? (I mean isn't it cool that you can go to places like Alaska and produce some shows!!!)
Chris
Hey, my name is Ariana. I don't really watch the Discovery Channel, but in general I prefer learning about nature. I got Planet Earth for christmas and have really enjoyed the amazing photography and interesting facts. I also love the show Destroyed in Seconds.
I think I'll like your show, as long as you have some amazing shots of the landscape, which I'm sure you will. Alaska is a really cool place to shoot; the tundra is so pretty. However the weather must be a pain while you're shooting. What interests me most is how the sun isn't visible for a few weeks, but, at another point in the year, it's always there. I'm also interested in the animals, like the moose from your picture.
~Ariana
Hello Joe, my name is PJ Phinney and I'm a freshmen at Watertown High. When I had cable I was a big fan of the Discovery Channel. I think that a show about Alaska could be really cool. My questions are as follows: What is it like field producing a show? and How harsh is the weather in Alaska? I mostly watch sports, but I enjoy any show that makes me laugh. My favorite show of all- time is The Boondocks because of it's comedic outlook on serious social and political issues. Good luck with your show.
-PJ
Hi Joe my name is Ethan and im a Senior at Watertown high and in ms.Ventura's class i do like to edit film and being on t.v is cool even if its on my own school channel but i do like the Discovery channel i watch mostly time warp and Mythbuster's and man vs wild its really great how you can learn so much on the Discovery channel and i do like Alaska becuase of the snow and the animal's.
~Ethan
Hi,
My name is Ms. Westgate. I watch the Discovery Channel when I can (at someone's house who has it on their cable) I watch lots of nature shows e.g. National Geographic. It is super that Mr. Souza is sharing with us tips on producing a documentary :-) especially in such beautiful location.
QUESTION In the dark winter, how much time is there to shoot video? Do they use artificial lights?
CAUTION Don't wake up the grizzly bears!
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