Preparing A Studio Shoot

Hey guys, it is time for another blog post. So last Friday I directed my first studio show. I knew what a lot of obstacles and challenges would be from watching other shows get directed. I decided that planning and crew knowledge would be very important to the overall shooting to prevent frustration, arguing among crew and too many retakes. So to do this I made sure to involve most of my crew in different parts of preparing for the show, both as help and to educate them for the shoot itself. For example I had Aaron, who would be one of my camera ops, help me with set construction so he would get a feel for the environment while on camera and the kind of shots he could take while on camera. I had Wyatt, who was my technical director, look over my script and package for opinions and criticism but also to familiarize himself with the content so he was in a better position to assist me as my technical director. Also I made sure to have a solid run through of the show before shooting and have crew meeting leading up to the shoot to keep everyone up to date. Plus since the subejct was foreign to my host I set aside time during and after school to speak with him and read through the script to help make his time on camera feel more natural. Overall I was very pleased with how it turned out. As with most things you do we hit a snag or two, but because of the preparation we did we were able to overcome them easily and have the shoot go smoothly.

What's The Deal With Comedy!?

The other night I got to go see Jerry Seinfeld do stand up. It's been a while since I got to see him do stand up and I forgot how great it was. But why is it that people like watching Jerry Seinfeld do stand up? I think it's because his jokes are about stuff people can relate to and have truth to them. They're all about things or situations that happen to you in everyday life. And they aren't mean spirited like some comics, you won't ever hear him making fun of people like calling people fat or ugly. He picks out truths in our everyday habits and makes them the focal points, drawing focus to things we don't usually focus on or view or actions as. This is very important to take notice of. With such a plethora of comedy shows on television, especially ones focused on family life, it is an important tool to be able to use to have a successful show.