Blog 5: Producing a TV show in Alaska!

Writing from blustery Bethel, Alaska. We're all the way on the western fringes of the state, only about 400 miles from Russia. There's actually no roads to Bethel from other parts of the state. They have to get everything in by plane. There are roads in the town, but lots of folks get around on snowmobiles.

This is also the area of Alaska where the rivers freeze so thick that they actually use the rivers as roads. But when the snow gets blocks the ice roads and downs all the planes, the villages around Bethel rely on a unique alternative to get their material goods shipped: hovercraft.

The hovercraft transports US mail, which in western Alaska means huge pallets of foodstuffs, household goods, even building materials and snowmobiles. Below is Chris Ho, he's another cameraman who actually lives in Bethel. He's from Oklahoma but has been living in Alaska for the last few years and really knows how to keep warm. Check out his very warm seal skin hat.

Thanks again for your thoughts on cinematography, they were really fun to read. Ariana had a great question. She wondered what Dan's favorite job was. When I asked him he told me that it was a project he did about elephants in South Africa. He said it was amazing to see the animals and the area in which they were filming was one of the most remote and pure natural environments he's ever been in.

We'll be traveling to Juneau in the next day, which is the capital of Alaska. Its actually become really warm up here, almost 40 degrees, which is a seventy degree swing from the -30 degree temps we had last week! I saw from the blog that you guys are doing a TV project. Looks cool. I was wondering how things were going? What are you guys finding to be the most challenging parts of the project? I wonder if its the same things I find challenging about TV.

Blog 4: Producing a TV show in Alaska!

Writing you today after an amazing adventure in Homer, Alaska. Homer is at the bottom of the Kenai Peninsula. Not only is this area spectacular, but it is also one of the most volcanically active areas in the world. In fact, a volcano across from Homer named Mt. Augustine erupted in 2006. It remains dangerously active. We actually took a helicopter there to document two geologists who are doing studies on the volcano. The helicopter ride was really fun, but it got hairy toward the end because high winds gave us a lot of turbulence.

It was fun to read your posts about collaboration. When I first started in the television, I thought along your lines, Molly, in that I really wanted to figure out how to make my voice heard. But I learned quickly that is a team effort and it is really difficult, if not impossible, to go it alone and make films or TV. Eddie really hit the nail on the head when he wrote that collaboration helps make the job get done fast and easy. But it's definitely a tricky thing, and you really have to work to check your ego and learn how to cooperate. Having cool people to work with helps a lot, of course. That's why I'm glad this guy is around:



Dan Lyons is the director of photography and the main cameraman on this show. He's got tons of experience both as a cameraman and also out in the bush in Alaska. So he can get nice shots of course, but he can also give you advice on the best types of clothing to wear, what kind of food to bring along, and how to prepare for nasty conditions. Dan's done lots of different types of shows, including several documentaries for Discovery, History, Home and Garden, and PBS. So I figured this go round I can put some of your awesome questions to Dan. Do any of you guys want to go into camera work or photography? What is your favorite kind of cinematography? What kinds of things do you think about when you are designing the shots you want in your projects? If you have any questions for Dan, let me know and I'll put them to him and have him answer in the next go round. Otherwise hope everyone is well--and sorry for missing a few days! Things got a little busy, but I'll try to be better.

Day 3: Producing a TV Show in Alaska!

So it sounds like almost everybody's least favorite part of making media is writing. This is funny, because I spent all day trying to write and I think writing is my least favorite part right now too! Hopefully I'll get it right tomorrow. Ani had a good point that part of the difficulty with writing for television type media is that you try to take complicated concepts and make them simple and entertaining. It is a really difficult skill that I'm still learning myself. One thing that can help is to start watching TV and movies and really pay attention to how the story works, how the writing works, why you like it or why it flows. That can give you some insights and some ideas that you might be able to take into your own projects. But no, writing is certainly not easy!

Anthony asked how being a producer differs from being a director, which is a really good question. I'm sure often you'll see people titled as both producer and director on movies. The answer is that there is no crystal clear answer. As I said yesterday, the producer tends to deal with business and logistics and the director tends to deal with strictly the filmmaking. In other words, the director is in charge of everything that goes inside the frame. The producer is in charge getting all the lights, cameras, support staff, and everything else it takes to make a project that is outside of the frame. That is really simplified, though, and in practice all of these projects are first and foremost very collaborative. This project, for instance, doesn't even have a named director. Everyone is working together collaboratively to create what happens on screen. I'll always take writing advice from editors. The executive producer will always take story advice from me. While the camera person is the principle photographer, sometimes producers will bring along a small camera to shoot a different angle.

Those were some interesting questions PJ about the producing fervor subsiding. And in truth one of the most difficult things about this job is being away from your family and loved ones for long periods of time. But I'm also with Keith in getting a real enjoyment out of shaping a project and reaching that moment where it all starts to work and you know it is a good, cool show. So that keeps you going. There's of course also the part of this job where you're helping to shed new light on different parts of the world. One hopes this can help lead to greater understanding, appreciation, and tolerance. That can be really rewarding too. Anyway, awesome questions and thoughts once again guys. Now tell me, do you guys like to collaborate? Or do you prefer being the only 'voice' in your projects? Do you find that you like working with other people or do you prefer to do things on your own? I totally forgot to talk about how I became a producer! Will save that for tomorrow, then I'll start profiling some team members up here.

Day 2: Producing a TV Show in Alaska!

Wow, great questions guys! It was really cool reading all of your posts and responses and I can tell that you all already know a lot about making media. So the role of a producer was a common question in your posts. It actually totally depends on the show. For instance in a show like Scrubs, which Isilay really likes, a producer would deal mostly with the business side of things like putting together financing, interfacing with the network, hiring other production positions, and managing the project. Usually specific people, like writers, directors, editors, and camera people, deal with the creative stuff. That’s not to say that producers don’t take part in the creative process on fiction, but usually their emphasis is on business.

In non-fiction, like documentaries and news, the producer usually has more of an active role in creating what happens on screen. For instance a field producer in non-fiction (which is what I am) is sort of a combination of a director and a news reporter. So I’ll manage the crew, direct shots, interview subjects, and keep everything going on time. I am primarily out in the field (hence the clever title) while the executive producer—my boss—manages the project from a home office. Tori asked what my favorite part of producing is. This is always a tough question because really I like almost everything. It’s a really fun variety of experiences and it is pretty cool to get to see so much of the world. On this show, I’ll also be writing portions of the program, which is also really fun. But it can also be tough on the body and soul because the work is intense and exhausting and there’s a lot of pressure to succeed.

That’s a really good question Greg about the impact of the climate. Yesterday we were at the Palmer airport north of Anchorage shooting bush planes and it was 20 below zero! Its actually quite dangerous—you can get frostbite just by having your skin exposed to the air. So to answer your question Greg: no, those kinds of discomforts definitely don’t disappear! The mechanics and other folks who work up here in those conditions are really quite amazing. Anyway, everyone had really great questions and those who I didn’t get to today I’ll try to get to in a future entry. In the meantime definitely keep the responses coming. With the projects that you guys have done, what has been your favorite part? The filming? The writing? The editing? What is your least favorite part of making media? A couple people asked about how I became a producer. I'll write about that tomorrow. Can't wait to hear from you!

Producing a TV Show in Alaska!

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!