Creative Role in Production Department

Only they who have working in television company could understand that even though production department’s is the one executing programs, they are constantly torn between programming and marketing’s instruction. News people in television is consider journalist, marketing sales associated as the moneymaker, production’s people always being looked down as a field person, a level below all departments which doing their tasks behind desk.
But what happens if good concepts are not implements well as if it were designed? Say, if the creative is not smart enough, the producer is not a responsible person, the program director does not understand how to arrange camera blockings, or the cameraman does not understand how to captures good pictures.
Well, at least the audiences still have choice. They could switch channels. While on the other hand, the workers behind this disastrous program will get leashed as soon as the contract over.
A station with successful In-House programs is the one that understand how important the quality of human resources in production department. Because television is about shows that easy to enjoy nice to watch. People looked up to see something artsy may better be told to go to film festival.
Doesn’t mean television have right to put provoking shows for their audiences. However, there is a very thin line between commercialism and greedily degrading. While we will go to this subject in another topic entry, here I will focus on why Creative is holding an important position in production department.

Thy Eye of an Arrow, Thy Edge of a Pencil
Creative main task is designing concepts. The program idea might not be her/his, it might be created by programming people, or an outsider whose proposal is approved by acquisition, or their fellow creative, conceptualizing the format concepts for outbound activity (production department is scheduled to go outbound once every year).
Designing concepts mean they are responsible for writing scripts, doing research, points location, deciding talents/guest star, requesting costumes, arranging backdrops, choosing what artistic tools needed. That was only for shooting preparation. When ratings/share is falling, creative is the one who must figure why and now exactly how to fix it. So these field work, are also includes a lot of analyzing and multi tasking skills. Oh, make sure you remember everything though. A little piece of mistake then the live show goes ugly then you will feel like a surgeon killing innocent people.

You are putting your neck on it, run when you can!
Leave creative qualification to the human resources department, below is the insight look on the ‘bones’ of a program.

A CREATIVE HAS IN MIND:
There is reason why words like targeted or segmented are used in focusing television show. Because it will be easier to decide how to attract potential viewers. Plus a nice show for high educated people and to one who is low educated, is usually different. For example low educated usually choose for melancholic romances which stories could go far illogical. While high educated prefer something that entertaining without overly provoking.

NUMBER ONE A CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: WHAT IS THE TARGETED AUDIENCES?
“It is not important,” one of my producer said and rolling his eyes. I asked him the targeted audiences for his morning talk show. I was only practicing what once was taught to me in Television Industry class room. Naratama Rukmananda, famous program director and my former teacher at school always told his students how important to understand the show’s main audiences.
“The more segmented, the better,” he told us. Years after, I was implementing exactly what he told me and it is proven to be right.

Learning from my mistake in my first weeks, I no longer asked my producers to whom the show is targeted. Instead I try to figure by myself from the program’s type, schedule, and if it is talk show, chosen topics.

When I was handling a reality show which concept is to get celebrity meet with their fans, I used teen magazine as my ‘research’. Reason, celebrity obsession is typical young people habit. And for young people, magazine is their bible. But instead of Seventeen and CosmoGirl, I picked Aneka magazine and teen’s tabloids. Why? Well, girls reading Seventeen and CosmoGirl probably befriends with the teen celebrity itself. Or even if they are not, they would be too shy to show (on national television) how much they worship local celebrity, that would ruin their upper-class-conscious image, you know. From Aneka magazines and teen tabloids, I chose talents, guest star for the show.

Clearly the shows audiences are also the magazine’s readers.


NUMBER TWO A CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: WHO TO CALL?

Who to pick, why she or he will fit with the show’s concept, and are they equips with wit comment plus energy for making the show alive? That are what a creative consider when they have the bible, The Book of Celebrities Numbers, in hand.

If the program is music show, make sure it is the hottest band with the hottest popular song. If it is talk show, make sure the guest star is the expert with ability to explain complicated things clearly. If it is comedy show, make sure it is quick tongue actor with stocks of jokes. A shy and quiet character use to be the last one to pick.

Once the handpicked celebrity arrive, they will be handed the script, if the show require unique costumes, she or he better try the costumes first, if certain make up needed, a creative must stay in wardrobe room to make sure the make up and wardrobe people do exactly as planned.

In talk show, the one to brief, is the hosts and co-host. The talk show guest stars do not have to do many things than only to sit pretty, answering questions, and being talkative. If the talk show is daily, it is even easier. Presenters are smart, quick learner people, they do not need full dialogue script, pointers are enough. Certain talk show may also need experts, the best one on the topic field are the better. Also make sure they are someone who can explain the most complicated things in a simplest way.

In magazine show, the weekly Saturday type, scripted dialogue will be fun for some words exploring chances. There are risks of bad memory presenter (if the show is doing without teleprompter), bad memory guest stars, and if the guest stars are not a public figure, do what you can to make the non public figure feel relax and not pressure, so they will not be too camera conscious. Even though this is rarely happens.
To fix possibility of bad memory problem, just make sure the lines are ‘catchy’ and not too long.

For a creative that already trusted to handle variety show, which includes comedy segment plus band performances, congratulation, this is a yippy-yippy challenging job that is not going to be trusted on someone with bad rapport book. Most variety show shoots live, and a new kid in the block shall not get this job until she or he can prove one is able on doing it. Now, I was also bad in doing run down, but do not worry, timing is not as tight as they used to anymore. Arrange the segments neatly and add more seconds from its exact times. Just in case.

Variety show, especially special events variety, require all the current trends from bands to singer, the songs they play, and guests stars. Make sure the hosts are smart and good improviser. High experiences required because we don’t know if something will go wrong. You do not need to put sexy actress and handsome actor, you need someone you can trust.

There are two kind of reality show; competition reality and non-competition, follow by camera reality. Competition reality consist a lot of studio audiences is almost the same format as variety. While follow by camera reality come with various sub-format and is usually semi-scripted. The script is simple. Focus on who you choose. Whether housewives or high school students, the more they want it, the more chances of emotional scene you will get. For teenagers targeted reality show, good looks and trendy clothes will get more attention. Looked up at The Hills, trendy clothes and the wannabe model star-aura also what makes America’s Next Top Model to multiple cycles.

Last but not least, music programs. This is the television program that can win audience attention with simple strategy. Coolest band, coolest singer and the most popular songs, are guarantee will take the top spot of night share/ratings competition. Music video type show also needs the same demands. But sometimes audiences are more eager to see the musician play their music instead only see the clip video. So slip short interviews with the bands or singer to get ‘the young in the heart people’ (main audiences for music show) stay tune.
Do your research, do not asks stupid too obvious questions. To play it safe, direct the scripts to ‘why, how and what is your next plan’. Warning, they may not like the ‘why’ but that is what audience wants to know.

NUMBER THREE CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: R&R
R&R is for Research and reference.
I do not watch infotainment, and since graduated from high school, I rarely read Indonesian magazine. But working as creative will demand you to be rich with pop culture reference. You will be less creative when you don’t know anything that goes around, locally or globally.

Most producers without broadcasting background would think research is not necessary, let’s keep this as our so no little secret…it does.

One of creative job is to win the talents trust. This celebrity, you might not like her or his from what you saw on tv, but ask them to do guest show will help attracting audiences. You only do what you must. Now, you meet them, you have to give brief on what your plans from the script, so they get what you are planning and help you to reach it. How will you make them give one hundred percent performance if they feel like you are some gossip addict trying to give snide remarks on their embarrassing personal life?

Please do not watch infotainment as a pattern that can make you feel better about yourself, watch it to get as many information as you can, so you know what you can and cannot explore about this celebrity.

You found this actress loves singing, when she is the guest star of your meet-the-fan reality show, design a concept she suddenly show up singing to her fan his favorite song. On a magazine you saw this public figure loves to cook, you can design a cooking topic for your daily talk show and asks her to demonstrate their cooking ability. So you can’t stand dangdut, suddenly you are appointed to be the creative of dangdut show.

This one was actually happened to me once. I did a lot of googling using ‘dangdut yuk goyang yuuuk’ kewords, consulting the ‘dangdut experts’ slash the home workers, read tabloids and watched lots of TPI’s dangdut shows.

See, from doing research you will get an insight look of the theme of the show you is doing, the topic which you will be bring. As if that is not good enough, you will find some interesting fact on the target audiences of your show; what they like and what is not. From research and reference, you can get ideas on designing the show’s concept, one that can help to attract target audience and even new programs.

There was talk show about health issue, Dokter TV. Every week there was topic health to be discussed, for example; tuberculosis, diabetic, sex after baby birth, etcetera. What I was looking for in Google engine and magazines were the most horrible thing this health problem could cause, beside of course dead. Now, Dokter TV is a kind of show that women prefer to wach. Women care about health (and cleanliness) more than men, and the show was aired in Saturday morning. So what I tried to do was to get audiences by saying, ‘oh you must know about this issues deeply, it can be really dangerous’. I did that on the first minutes Dokter TV began. The guests star would franticly show up mentioning the worst symptoms and the overdramatized affairs the symptom has caused, she or he would complaining to the host, a doctor, then she would had her colleagues (an expert, another doctor with specialization in talked the issues) to gave explanation.

Admits, the affair or accident and the worst symptoms could be exaggerating. Only slightly percents people could have passed out only because of migraine. But that was true and worked. Especially after the white phlegm issue I suggested, from the 0,1 share/ratings Dokter TV got, the programs was closed with average 1,0 rating/share. We talked about Antv here, and compare to the other Antv’s programs at that time, Dokter TV was doing better.

So in some ways, research and reference will give an understanding of what the target audiences likes and not, need and not; help to add some weight quality on discussed topics; give you an idea on how to attract audience attention, and by the end, increasing ratings/share numbers.

NUMBER FOUR CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: THE POWER OF GOOD SCRIPT

Writing program script may not the best part of creative job. There are boundaries for time and imagination. Consider for duration, discipline for dialogue length, and guards on any possibility. Of course it is less fun than writing for fiction and drama script.

I was not good in making run down, just add one thirty second more than the exact time you count, especially in band performance, you don’t know what they are planning to do on stage, if the lead singer decides to do little chat to studio audience, that can took ten seconds minimum.

Television is about providing programs that cozy to see. Simple but nice, not great, not spectacular, more like making audiences feel comfortable. To make it happen things must be fixed right; except for backdrop, shots, multicamera blockings (single camera like in reality show is usually a creative’s right too depends on how the script is planned), graphic and editing, the rest are on our hand.
Creative chooses the talents, plan the costumes, the surprises, games, questions, and sentence. The whole representation.
I think words arrangements have important share for making the show nice to watch. If it is possible, like for feature magazine show, presenter script shall use proper ‘Bahasa Indonesia’ that nice to hear. Don’t write it too long, because it will hard to memorize, but do make it sounds ‘catchy’, to put more edge.

NUMBER FIVE CREATIVE HAS IN MIND: PRODUCERS

As a creative, your choices of talent will be asked, your script will be judged, and if the show going bad, you will be the first to get blame. The tasks are many and you will fine yourself in strained position all the time.

Sadly, office hierarchy is something a creative cannot avoid. In some television company, producers could determine your contract. Another problem, she or he will like to interfere on what you have neatly write and in many-many cases the co-write script would become a disaster. Again, you get the blame.
Many producers who usually started from Production Assistant position almost illiterate. Even if they used to be scriptwriter it usually doesn’t helped much.
See, if the script you write does bad and you are blame, at least that is for something you do. You deserved it. But if it is the other person who change what you have done right, than you will get to blame by something that are not your fault.
This happened to me. For special variety show event, my producer who like handling anything by himself, changed my script. I let him. Before shooting, the talents read it. They commented on the script, said it was ugly and they would rather improvised. The in-charge production person heard, then he spread what he heard to anyone and in the end of my second contract period he used that to go against me.
After that happened, I become so guarded with producer interference. One day we worked together again and he tried to do the same. I rejected his suggestion bluntly and had hurt his feeling for no good reason.
So do refused but not too straightforward. Just say that it is your task to do the script and that a good team player does not do interference another person’s job.
Another advice, creative will work closely with producers. You needed to know closer the person you work with. Presumably one strength and weakness. Because if the shootings are done in the outdoor field which will needed a lot of coordination, that would be useful. Does your producer a communicative person? Does your producer a people person or people people? Does he/she always on time or usually late? Does he/she can do different things in one time? If they can’t, you must fill in and be they sole reminder.

GENERAL:
TELEVISION CREATIVE IS AN ADAPTATION ON SOCIOLOGICAL CHARACTER BASED ON CATEGORIES; SEX, AGE, EDUCATION, ECONOMIC STATUS, AND DEMOGRAPHIC AREA.