#jessicadazzo, #superme, #amygiaquinto, #giaquintoproductionsllc, #supermom, #thelongmontchannel, #intheshadowoflongspeak, #publicaccesstv
I had always been curious about writing and producing for television, but that stinking anxiety thing kept getting in the way. After the success of SUPER MOM and the support I found with The Longmont Channel and all of the volunteers at The Longmont Channel, and, thanks to the warm prodding of the channel's Executive Producer, I began thinking of ways to improve my skillsets while contributing content to The Longmont Channel. It had been a goal of mine to work in a studio. After SUPER MOM, I realized I needed more time on the cameras, more time with the microphones and lighting equipment and I could use that time in a more controlled environment with more time to focus. I spent a long time racking my brain trying to think of ideas that would be a fit for The Longmont Channel's programming, but I was fried after SUPER MOM and what was left of my brain was busy marketing my award-winning script, IN THE SHADOW OF LONG'S PEAK.
In the meantime, while I attempted to find my brain again, my husband and I paid the volunteer dues to the station and, whenever I had a free moment, we'd haul the kids to the studio to get some learning time with the cameras, mics, lights, greenscreen, etc. Of course, nothing useable ever came out of what we shot, other than knowledge, but that knowledge was worth sacrificing for.
The great thing about volunteering at public access TV was that there were always a couple of volunteers, typically retired professional TV writers, producers, directors, editors, etc. available at the studio to answer questions and help out when we were "messing around." It was the most incredible learning opportunity I've ever had, and it was FREE, well minus the $50 annual fee for The Longmont Channel membership, but that's nothing considering the access we had to people in the know. And the best part was that long as I was producing content for The Longmont Channel, I could check out any of the equipment I needed and even reserve the studio for FREE! Cameras, tripods, mics, lights, their royalty-free music collection, etc. It was amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better learning opportunity. But again, I was struggling to come up with a reason to need that equipment, struggling to find an idea for content.
But then, my great friend, Jessica Dazzo, self-published the novel, SUPER ME, that she'd been working on for years. As soon as I read it, I wanted to scream from the rooftops and share it with the world, but since screaming from rooftops would probably get me arrested I decided that wasn't the best way to share her book with the world, so I decided I'd create a TV program in which I'd do an on-camera interview with Jessica about her book.
And so, A MOMENT WITH...JESSICA DAZZO was born. Beyond nervous, I filled out the proposal form at the station, decided I was now an official Producer and Director, then lined up an editor, DPs and set out to write the script for the interview. Once I'd finished the script, I emailed it to Jessica so she could prepare for the interview. We then took some time to go over the questions and answers on the phone in anticipation of nerves the day of the shoot.
The day of the shoot, I got to the studio early and worked with Barb to create the set and make sure the lighting was okay. Barb also gave me some very helpful makeup tips she'd learned from her makeup artist friend. I then worked with my DPs to get the cameras set up in the correct locations, checked camera angles and framing and performed sound checks.
Jessica arrived. We set up her books, had some tea, went over the questions one last time. Then, with the help of the wonderful volunteers at The Longmont Channel, we shot the interview. Both Jessica and I were nervous as can be initially. I had never shot anything in front of, what I considered a captive audience, before. Being the writer, producer, director, I had also put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to make this the best interview ever and to do everything on the first take to save time during editing. I also didn't want to look like an idiot or fail.
And so, when we began, the pressure crushed me, and my nerves went haywire. I had a couple of very embarrassing moments where I just blanked out or misspoke, but the patient team helped guide both of us through the process and reminded me that we weren't live and could cut anything we didn't like. I knew that, but having someone remind me that this wasn't life or death put me in the zone and allowed both me and Jessica to relax and get into the flow of the interview.
And flow we did. We shot for 2 hours, the amount of time we had before babies needed to be nursed and older kids tended to. We had an absolutely wonderful time and I felt so empowered by the wonderful team of volunteers that helped me succeed with the project! It was the best Mom's Day Out Ever!
Once the interview was over, I said goodbye to Jessica and stayed to help clean up the studio. My editor (also the DP and sound guy) grabbed the footage and said he'd put together a rough cut of the interview based on the script. Unfortunately, due to my schedule, I didn't have the opportunity to sit with him, but he did a fabulous job editing. I suggested a few, minimal changes here and there, and learned I needed to be better as a director at communicating certain ideas to my fabulous editor.
I designed the title sequences, added music and voila, we had a completed TV program for public access TV. I don't remember the exact air date, only that it was a very proud moment for both me and Jessica and it received great reviews and helped Jessica generate a few additional sales of her book.
I was pumped and had grand delusions of making A MOMENT WITH... a continuing series and interviewing local authors, artists, etc., however, life got in the way and we wound up moving away from Longmont, moving too far away to make it feasible to run to the studio with two kids to produce a TV show for free.
I will never forget my experiences and how much I learned at The Longmont Channel. They are the reason I am where I am today!
For every goal, there are obstacles, but for every obstacle, there is a solution. My advice to you is if you want to work in the industry, but don't have enough money or time for film school, see if there's a local public access TV station for which you can volunteer. They often have a variety of opportunities available in all areas of the industry, are willing to teach you whatever you want to know, and they can help connect you with the people and resources necessary to succeed, and even help hook you up with paid positions on local productions.