The Steps in Producing a Television Show

A television pilot is the first episode of a television series. Every show has a pilot. The pilot makes its rounds to different networks who will either pass or pick up the show.

If a network picks up a pilot, it enters production for additional episodes and becomes a season in the television series. Producing a pilot is much like producing any other episode except that you must start from the very beginning with hiring everyone and setting up the crew.

The Production Process

There are three main parts to TV production:

• Preproduction
• Production
• Postproduction

HowStuffWorks explains that each part plays an essential role in creating a television show and getting it from an idea to something you can watch and experience.

Preproduction

To create a pilot and get a series on track, it needs a showrunner who is the head person in charge of all production. The production company will handle choosing and hiring the showrunner. The producers also come on board at this time and will help the showrunner with all the things it takes to produce the series.

The showrunner and producers will then hire everyone else needed to get the production moving forward, including writers and actors.

During this stage of the process, the writers will go over the scripts. They may make changes to existing storylines or have to write new scripts from scratch. The writers will work with other members of the team to ensure the overall vision is on track and everyone is happy with the final product.

Production

Once the script is ready to go, the actors will shoot the show. Shooting requires a laundry list of people to handle every single aspect of the project.

Costume designers and makeup artists will make sure the actors look right for their parts. Set staff will make sure the scene looks rights and props are in place. They will create scenes from scratch or sometimes reuse old sets.

Lighting and audio staff members help ensure that everything looks and sounds good throughout the production. The camera operators capture everything that is happening from a variety of angles, while the director will give instructions to everyone and help to bring together a comprehensive vision that brings the script to life.

Before actively shooting the show, the actors and other staff will get together for practice runs. They may read through the script, which is known as a table reading because actors will usually sit around a table and just read the lines. They may do a rehearsal on set. If there is anything tricky, such as stunts or acting with animals or children, then they may run through that portion of the script more times than others.

Once everyone ready, the cameras turn on, everyone is in character, and the production begins.

Post-production

Wikipedia explains that post-production includes anything that happens after shooting the show. The major part of this stage is editing.

Editors will take the film from all the cameras and work with guidance from the director to cut a final shot that is a cohesive episode that makes sense from start to finish. They will remove any errors or issues and fit together the different takes in a seamless manner. They also will handle the audio to ensure it is high quality throughout.

During post-production, there may be instances where something did not turn out regardless of the camera angle. In this situation, the director may call everyone from the production process back in and have them reshoot a scene.

Post-production is usually what takes the longest in the whole process of producing a television show. There are many things to do to polish up the film and ensure it is ready to move onto viewers.

The new film goes back to the editors who will work it into the final project. If this is the pilot, the producers will send it off to the networks. If it is a regular episode of a show, then it goes off to the lineup for playing over the network at its allotted time.

Sit Back and Enjoy

All of this work leads to a television show whose future is in the hands of the viewers. Most networks rely heavily on viewership to determine whether to keep a show on the air or not. So, despite all the hard work that goes into making a television show, it is the humble viewer who really calls the shots.