Television and Video Location Production Careers: The Director's Role

Finally, we have reached the production phase. Now we get into the meat of why you are interested in a television and video production career, well most of you anyway. By now, the director, having been on board since early on, has received the final script. The director may be involved with acquiring talent, at least the ones in leading roles. The director may also be involved in the screenplay stages of the script. Either way, the director is usually responsible in hiring the crew. In film work, the equipment used is different than video. There are slight variances in skills with the work performed, but video is very similar in the actual process.

I will take a moment right now to digress a little, and dispel a common notion. Except for local markets, network newscasts, magazine shows, sporting events, and other live productions, most everything you see on television is film. Let me say that again, most everything you see on TV is film. Well, maybe not reality shows. Believe it, or not, sitcoms are actually filmed. Just about every commercial you see is on film. Even your favorite music 'video' is on film. Bear in mind that today's pro video cameras can mimic the look of film at 24 fps (frames per second). This is now helping to change how the industry operates.