Director and Assistant Producer Ava Bartnicki, standing, in the control room during Show 1 of the semester.
As the assistant producer and director, my role differs from that of the main producer in that I am also responsible for maintaining a beat. Over the past two weeks, I have gained valuable hands-on experience, but several key lessons stand out as particularly impactful to my growth.
First, I have developed a much deeper appreciation for the level of detail required in producing. Attention to spelling, grammar and formatting is not optional; it is essential.
While I understood in theory that producing demands precision, I initially overestimated my own proficiency. After receiving feedback on assignments that highlighted grammatical errors, I realized there was significant room for improvement.
Script formatting, in particular, requires meticulous consistency. When I copy-edited the main producer’s first script for our initial show, I made very few corrections because I believed it was nearly flawless. However, I later learned that the script contained 71 errors — most of which I failed to catch. That experience was eye-opening and reinforced the importance of careful, methodical review.
Since then, I have taken proactive steps to strengthen my editing process. I installed the Grammarly extension on my computer to minimize grammar and spelling mistakes and regularly run documents through it for a more thorough review. I have also begun reading scripts aloud and reviewing them line by line rather than skimming. These adjustments have helped me recognize that professionalism in producing begins with the smallest details, and even minor errors can undermine credibility.
In addition to my production responsibilities, I cover the WVU campus beat, which requires me to produce a VO or VO/SOT for every show. Working in the field has presented its own learning curve.
One of the most important lessons I learned involved the value of pre-scripting. Before heading out to shoot, it is critical to outline the structure of the story, draft potential interview questions, and think through how the script will likely flow. Pre-scripting allows you to identify what information you need from interviews and what visuals will best support each portion of the story. Without that preparation, it is easy to overlook essential b-roll or ask questions that do not fully advance the narrative. By planning ahead, I can intentionally capture footage that complements specific lines in the script, making the final product more cohesive and visually engaging.
Another major lesson involved shooting sufficient and high-quality b-roll. While covering the ICE protest for our first show of the semester, I captured enough footage to complete a strong VO/SOT, but I failed to gather enough variety and did not consistently review my shots while filming. As a result, some of my close-up footage of protest signs was blurry.
Although I initially used a few of those shots because they were visually compelling, I quickly realized that clear, stable footage is always preferable to an interesting but unusable shot. If I had captured more b-roll and carefully reviewed my footage before leaving the scene, I could have avoided that issue entirely.
Preparation extends beyond scripting and shooting techniques. I was not adequately dressed for the single-digit temperatures during that assignment, which caused me to rush portions of the shoot instead of double-checking my footage and ensuring I had everything I needed. That experience reinforced the importance of planning ahead, both technically and personally. Overall, these lessons have strengthened my awareness of the precision, preparation, and accountability required to succeed as both a producer and a beat reporter.