Imagine your favorite TV show, or the newscast your family watches every night. Whether it is something made only for entertainment purposes or just the news, if it airs on TV, you can be sure they both have something in common: the production behind it all.
In the old days, the behind-the-scenes crew was often looked down upon and seen as employees of the artists – the “main characters” of the production – rather than part of the broadcasting company itself. But, luckily, as time goes by, this misconception is slowly fading away, along with the idea that pursuing this career is a bad choice.
So, have you ever wondered what it is like to work and be responsible for everything happening behind the scenes? To answer this question, we asked Bruno Cappobianco, 39 years old, and Mariana Morena, 28, to talk about their life in the production scene.
TV Production: What Is It?
When TV production is mentioned, what comes into your mind? If you picture that famous figure of the cameraman, you are not wrong, but there is so much more related to this area that it might surprise you.
The production crew is involved in everything you see appearing on TV. It goes from the clothes your favorite characters or hosts are wearing to the camera cuts and angles that make up the time something airs, especially when it is a live program. Bruno Cappobianco worked on the “most known” part of the job, as an editing assistant on a recorded show. He also helped with camera cuts on a live show that happened later in the same day.
Mariana Morena’s job, on the other hand, is not that well known and talked about, as she works on the production of merchandising for RedeTV, a Brazilian broadcast company. “I work in the merchandising and branded content area. So, every sponsored content in the schedule is the focus of my team”, she explains.
With different focuses on their careers, they also experienced different routines in their work. Bruno’s routine was, as he said, rough: “Although people were nice in the work environment, it was pretty rough, especially when it comes to shows that aired at the end of the day”. Bruno used to be the first one to arrive at the broadcaster company (which he chose to remain secret), around 6:30 AM, and leave when his last show ended.
Mariana also thinks it is tough work, but her routine is not as monotonous as Bruno’s was. “The first thing I do when I arrive is check the merchandising that is going to air on my shows that day. Then, I make sure that all the materials that are needed are ready to be used, and if not, I contact the clients and try to solve that situation”, she says. Another thing she mentions is the use of a teleprompter. Mariana is the one in charge of the scripts that are shown in the teleprompters during the merchandising.
Through The Storm: adversities Of TV Production
Being part of the crew responsible for everything that is shown on TV has its challenges. Something we can all agree about working on a TV show’s production is that you need to be prepared to work 24/7. “You need to understand that people with this kind of job need to be willing to work on weekends and holidays”, states Bruno. He also made sure to clarify that it eventually gets better during your career, but this is a hardship that should be taken into consideration when deciding your path.
Besides that, when they were asked if the production crew receives the recognition deserved, both answered the same thing: no. “We had no recognition, no matter how hard we worked. It is sad, but it is the reality”, says Bruno. According to his experiences, the only recognition people received were the famous “taps on their shoulders”.
Mariana thinks that, nowadays, the production crew already receives technical recognition, but doesn’t receive financial recognition, as it is not the most fair-paying job. “Although the artists have their image to sell and, because of that, are paid the most, they are there and know what to do because the whole crew behind the scenes worked hard to ‘make it happen”, explains Mariana.
After The Storm, Comes The Rainbow: The Good Parts Of TV Production
While this career path counts many hardships, it also has its rewarding parts. The road to having goals achieved may be rough, but the feeling to see a project that took so long and required so much of the crew finally airing makes up for all the challenges faced.
At least that’s what both Bruno and Mariana say. “Watching something you worked on and helped produce finally going on TV, even though no one’s watching, is an awesome feeling”, claims Bruno. He also added that the most rewarding part was being praised by someone who had years of experience.
Mariana also thinks that seeing the results is one of the reasons she is in this job. “When we receive a new project in RedeTV or a new client, we do some brainstorming and discuss what can be done to deliver the best content they need. Day after day, you watch the merchandising evolving into a project that works perfectly fine”. She also adds that it shows how important the communication between the areas of the company is, and if the project works, it’s because the communication works.
Another thing in the TV production career is the rush you always are. “I really enjoy the rush. Although there is a routine, everyday is different and I am surprised by new things daily”, says Mariana.
What Do I Need To Know To Enter This Area?
Despite the difficulties, which are unavoidable in every career, working in TV production is a perfect path for people who want to work in the communication area and love the rush this job offers. Check out some advice Bruno and Mariana have for those who have an interest in it:
Bruno starts by saying what disappointed him the most, since he was not prepared for it: dealing with all kinds of people, especially the bad ones. “You need to be aware of the two-faced people that work there, but, if this is what you really want, go for it, and as long as you take care, things will work out”.
Mariana takes a different direction. She makes sure to highlight the importance of the production crew and says that to work there, you need to be proactive and dynamic. “You need to be ready to go downtown, buy something for the show, deal with artists and take care of the merchandising, all of this in the same day”.
As The Time Passes, The Behavior Changes
Bruno worked in the production crew of a well-known Brazilian broadcasting company from 2009 to 2012. Mariana started working for RedeTV this July. During the interview, there were some differences in their answers that are worth pointing out.
When they were asked if there was something they wished would change in this career, Bruno wished that more qualified people would enter this business. Also, he mentioned that there was no recognition or whatsoever. Mariana, on the other hand, said that there was nothing that needed to change, and the hardships were quite understandable. “I just want to make more money, but who doesn’t, right?”, she says.
The impressive part is that Mariana said that the crew was given the deserved recognition, technically speaking. So, in the nine-year break between their experiences, we can notice a difference in the way people view the crew inside the company.