No biz like show biz

Today I actually went in to the studio around 8:30 so I could watch some of the morning show live, since it ends at 9. I watched the cooking segment live outside and watched the Good Daze band perform live on the show. I also watched part of the morning show back in the control room, where I was able to see people control when certain clips were played, when the camera was live, when the commercial played, etc. Then I went with Mr. Kukla back one of the news studios to do promos with the anchors.
Afterwords, I went upstairs to see what else we had to do today. Unfortunately, I was not able to go out with a reporter for a news story, like we thought yesterday, because I didn't have an insurance release from school, and I was not old enough to sign for myself (Fox 4 policy is 21 and older). So instead, I went with a man named Tadd to look at a news piece he has been editing. I was able to give him my input on the story, and tell him what would make want to tune in again to watch the rest of the story later. Then I watched some more upfronts (previews of possible new Fox shows) and gave my opinion on those.
Yesterday I mentioned how we might go to the set of the new Fox show Good Guys. Fox 4 works with Good Guys because it is filmed and based in Dallas. Since the show is about Dallas cops, they use Fox 4 for news coverage in some of their scenes, and in return, Fox 4 gets some footage and stories of their own to actually use on the news. In the scene today, the show called for a Fox 4 van, reporter, and photographer. Mr. Kukla wanted to go along to make sure they had everything we need.So around 11:15, we headed out to the current film site of Good Guys, which was at some neighborhood near to White Rock Lake. The next hour or so was a whirlwind. I was meeting directors, producers, assistants, set extras, and lots of other crew members. I got to stand on the side and watch as they filmed the show. At some point I even stood under the tent with the producers and watched the screens with them, and got to hear their commentary. They also talked about the other popular shows and movies they worked on.
As if all of this so far wasn't amazing enough, today on set they were blowing up a moving truck. I got to watch this truck blow up while standing not 20 yards from it. We got a safety lesson and some ear plugs, then were ready to go. I watched from the next yard over. I definitely felt the sudden burst of extreme heat, and it was still loud even with earplugs.
After putting all the flames out and making sure the scene was safe, everyone was off for lunch break. I headed with the Fox 4 reporter, Natalie, and the cameraman in a big white van with some of the other tv crew over to a church where they had food set up for all of the cast and crew. After lunch we headed back to the set and I watched more filming and talked to some of the assistant directors. At the end I also got the chance to meet the main characters, Colin Hanks and Bradley Whitford. We didnt end up leaving the set until about 7:30pm.
So basically, today was awesome:)

Day 2

I got to the studio just before 9 again, and met up with Mr. Kukla at his office. From there we went to Studio 2 to watch Tim and Lauren (the Good Day news anchors) wrap up and film some promos. Then I got to chance to watch the Good Daze band, that I mentioned yesterday, practice. They were actually pretty good and it was fun to watch. Then we went into see the manager, who wasn't in today. So instead, we talked with her assistant for a while about the shows that had aired last night and our thoughts, and the ratings.
After watching the band, we went upstairs and looked at some of the stuff going on today. Then I went with Steve, who does graphic design. Steve showed me the software that he works on and what sorts of things he does for Fox. He showed me some videos he had worked on and then broke down some of the work he had to do to make them look a specific way. We had some extra time while we were waiting for Mr. Kukla to get out of a meeting, so we played around with some of the technology and watched some more videos.
Afterwords, I got to watch a bunch of video clips for shows that Fox is thinking about showing in the fall. Then I gave Mr. Kukla my input on what shows I liked and what shows I thought would be able to "make it" in the long run. He explained to me that many of these shows did not even make it past the pilot episode because there was doubt that they would bring in enough viewers.
At 2, I went to the evening news meeting again. Today's meeting was heavily focused on the weather due to the severe weather watch in North Texas, and the Tornado warnings. Most of the afternoon programming was interrupted for these weather updates because the weather was so bad (although we didn't really see it in Dallas).
That was about it for today. Tomorrow morning I think I will be heading out with a reporter to watch him/her cover a story. In the afternoon Fox 4 is sending a news crew to the set of Good Guys (a new series starting on fox starring Colin Hanks and Bradley Whitford - watch it!!) to be in a scene for an upcoming episode. Hopefully I will get a chance to visit the tv set!

Day 1 at Fox 4

I got to the studio just before 9am and signed in with the front desk, got my fox 4 visitor badge, and waited for Mr. Kukla. Right away, Mr. Kukla took me on a tour of the building. On the first floor there is a studio for bands/musical guests, a studio set for the main news, and a studio for interviews/guests who will be cooking or presenting items. There is also a large news room with lots of desk space, computers, and the sets for traffic and weather. As I was touring the downstairs I met many of the reporters, producers, anchors, and other Fox 4 staff. Upstairs are many of the offices, including Mr. Kukla's office, the editing rooms, and lots of electronic storage.
After the tour, we went back to Mr. Kukla's office and talked about some of the projects going on that day. Basically, as director of creative services, Mr. Kukla spends his day "putting out fires", as he calls it. First thing I did was listen in on a conference call between Mr. Kukla and The House of Blues. Some of the members of Good Day, the morning show at Fox 4, have composed a band which they have named "Good Daze". Good Daze will be performing at House of Blues on June 18th, as an opener to "The Who Show". The conference call was about working out details for the concert, with questions from both sides. It was interesting to sit in on the conference call because I got to see what goes into setting up events such as these, and how much planning must actually happen.
After the call, I went with a man named Keith (I cannot remember his exact job title), to work on a promo for a watermelon contest Fox 4 will be holding soon. I was able to see how much editing and re-editing goes into just a short 15-20 second commercial. I also got a feel for some of the software used to edit these promos and how to use it. I heard from many of the people that worked on promos, how it was important for even the news reporters and anchors to have a feel for what goes into making promos. With this sort of understanding, the jobs of those making promos generally become easier and there is a better relationship between everyone in the studio.
At noon, we took a slight break from the studio and headed down to my old school, Good Shepherd. This trip was not Fox-related, however Mr. Kukla is the "official" video camera operator for many Good Shepherd, and the 8th Grade Drama Class teacher spoof was happening today during lunch. I was happy to go and help film, because I got to go back to my old school and see the student run teacher spoof, that I was a part of my 8th grade year.
After the skit was over, we picked up lunch and headed back to the studio. At 2, I headed down to a meeting with the evening news producer. While in the meeting, everyone discussed where the reporters were/what they were able to cover, what stories would be taking top priority for evening news, and what stories need to be followed up on. I sat there, slightly amazed, as they discussed who had called in to help with a story, info on American Idol, the possible bad weather, and numerous other topics. After the meeting was over, I headed back upstairs with the producer and helped him with wording for the promos that would be on before the evening news. By that time, it was 4 o'clock, and time for me to leave.
Overall today was a good experience, and I had fun. There was two pieces of advice today that really stuck out in my mind. The first was from Mr. Kukla. He told me that in college I need to expose myself to as many opportunities as I can. Even if it is only volunteering to help at the college tv or radio station. He told me that a lot of your experience is not only figuring out what you do like, but it is also figuring out what you don't like to do. Also, all of the experience will be good in applying for future internships and jobs. The second piece of advice came from a director soon after I walked onto the Good Day set first thing in the morning. After he introduced himself, he asked me, "What is your passion?" Well this stumped me...I mean I know what things I like, but passion? It seems like such a strong word. I was not able to give an answer. After this, he said to me "That's what you need to do. Find your passion. Because once you walk in the door with that passion, everything else will fall into place." The whole rest of the day, I had this idea of passion in the back of my mind. I will continue to contemplate on this idea.

Project begins tomorrow

Since my project won't begin until tomorrow, I spent the day catching up on college stuff that I needed to get done, and figuring out final details for tomorrow. Exciting, I know. Hopefully I will have much more to say tomorrow:)

A slight change in plans...

For my senior project I will be shadowing John Kukla, the Creative Services Director and VP at Fox 4. I will be spending my time at the Fox 4 Studio in downtown Dallas.

Saturday Evening I got an email from Mr. Kukla letting me know that he suddenly had to take a trip and thus would be out of town both Monday and Tuesday. Due to these circumstances, I will not be starting my project until Wednesday now. While initially I planned to stay at the studio from 9am to 2pm Monday-Friday, now I will be staying after 2pm, and going Wednesday-Saturday. I am excited to get started and I think that this project will be a lot of fun and definitely a good experience for me.