Television/Video Production Program Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center
WRITER: Eric Millham DATE:
August 30, 2020
VIDEO
PROJECT: Creative Process Documentary Series, episode 1 RUN TIME: 60:00;00
AUDIO
Opening Title Video
Title Video Music
Stand-up shot of narrator
Mike: Good evening, I’m Mike Line and I’d like to welcome you to the first episode of a new documentary series called Creative Process. Each week we’re going to feature an ordinary person who shares their creativity with their community. Tonight I’m pleased to welcome Eric Millham. A former civilian and military radio/TV announcer and feature news reporter who is currently an educator and an amateur documentary filmmaker. Eric, thank you for letting us into your creative process.
Medium close-up on Eric Millham
Eric: Mike, thank you for featuring me on your show. I actually crossed paths with you several times during national SkillsUSA competitions. We really appreciate your support.
Medium close-up on Mike
Mike: I was told you are involved. Fantastic organization.
Two-shot on Mike and Eric
Mike: As much as I’d love to talk about SkillsUSA, this show is called Creative Process and I’d really love to hear about your process. Eric: I’m really looking forward to sharing it with you. This is something that has been near and dear to my heart for years but a flame was really reignited during professional development training in August 2020.
***This script template is adapted from the script template developed and used by the Radio and Television Broadcasting Program at Tarrant County College Northeast Campus in Hurst, Texas.
Medium close-up on Mike
Mike: Really, during the height of the plague?
Medium close-up on Eric
Eric: Strangely enough, yes. During online, virtual professional development training.
Two-shot on Mike and Eric
Mike: Well, now that things are starting to return to normal, we’ve had a chance to spend a few days with you, your students and your family and friends to really take a deep dive into your Creative Process.
Cut to shot sequence from classroom with SOT: Sound of students working on video students working and Eric doing small group projects in the TV/Video classroom w/Eric instruction making suggestions Cut to shot sequence of Eric teaching with cutaways to students
SOT - Eric Teaching: Alright yesterday we watched several previous Forrest Center Promo Videos for inspiration. Today it’s time to really look at the beginning of the preproduction process where we explore what we feel our big picture will be for this project.
Two shot on Mike and Eric
Mike: I’ve seen how you interact with your students and how you guide them to finding their own creative process. Let’s talk about you. Your creative process. What does it look like for Eric Millham? What are you working on?
Medium close-up on Eric
Eric: Shoot, I was hoping I could avoid this and we could focus on my students (laughs).
Medium close-up on Mike
Yeah, we’re not letting you off that easy.
Cut to shot sequence of Eric working with his SOT - Eric Speaking: Let’s really make sure we wife Jacki on a script don’t lose focus on the fact that Maryland was founded as basically a religious refuge. Medium close-up on Eric
Eric: I really do start with something at inspires me. Like this current project we’re working on about the history of religion in St. Mary’s County. It was actually inspired by a wedding my students were recording a few years ago that took place at the oldest, continually operated Catholic church in America. I just got inspired by the history of the grounds and talking to the priest, and I’m not even Catholic.
Medium close-up on Mike
Mike: So you look for something that inspires you and you go from there. What’s next?
Cut to shot sequence of Eric teaching
SOT - Eric Teaching: Hopefully everyone was able to come up with an inspiration for their
Continue shot sequence of Eric teaching
SOT - Eric Teaching Cont: Forrest Center Promo Video project. We’re continuing the preproduction process now with your team developing it’s “Big Idea” for your project. That’s basically the glue, the core idea that’s going to drive your creative decisions and help you maintain focus and continuity. This will help us fully move into the production phase.
Medium close-up on Eric
Eric: You see, my inspiration was the old church. That was used to drive our big idea, the history of religion in St. Mary’s County. This one was really tough because religious history in St. Mary’s County was just too broad for a single project to do it justice. My wife, Jacki, is my writing partner and my co-producer. She suggested that we consider making it into a documentary series as opposed to just one film.
Cut to shot sequence of working on script
Medium close-up on Mike
Mike: How does finding the big idea help you produce your project?
Medium close-up on Eric
Eric: I look at it like it’s the focus point for your art because it’s constantly something you can look back on to make sure you are on track. When you’re doing a documentary, the big idea is the purpose for your project.
Shot sequence of Eric teaching
SOT - Eric Teaching: We’ve been working on the promo video for a few weeks and are moving well into post-production. We’re now to the elevate stage of the creative process where we refine and revise. Today all of our production teams will pair up to share their progress on their version of the promo video. Remember, feedback should be positive but at the same time offer suggestions for improvement.
Medium close-up on Mike
Mike: Please tell me what you think about the importance of the need to refine and revise during the creative process.
Medium close-up on Eric
Eric: I think it’s important to get feedback as the process is coming together so you can make sure you’re on the right track. It’s easy to get too close to a project, to the point that you miss what should be obvious. Jacki and I sought out feedback from the priests and pastors we worked with as well as some friends who work in the video production industry. The feedback really helped.
Cut to shot sequence of getting feedback
Shot sequence of Eric Teaching
SOT - Eric Teaching: At this point, you’re all basically done with your version of the promo video but is it ready to present? We’re near the end of post-production but not quite there. At this point you need to assess your work to determine if it’s ready to present. There’s still enough time to make a few tweaks but that time is running out. We’re once again partnering with another team to show off our basically complete videos to get feedback to see if your project is really ready to present. In addition, two of our instructional resource teachers are here to help you assess.
Medium close-up on Mike
Mike: This part of the creative process seems to be as nerve-racking as an actual performance.
Medium close-up on Eric
Eric: Tell me about it. Sometimes I go into the assess stage knowing that improvements need to be made before put it out there for performance so the reviews and feedback are Shot sequence of Eric’s video being reviewed extremely helpful. It’s those times you think it’s done and good-to-go where the feedback can be difficult to hear if you have to come to the realization that your project isn’t ready. Don’t get me wrong, the assess stage is extremely important but it is nerve-racking when someone tells you your project isn’t “ready from primetime.” Medium close-up on Mike
Mike: How did it go for your current documentary?
Medium close-up on Eric
Eric: Really well, actually. We did make one relatively minor tweak but our completed project went over very well with our assess team.
Shot sequence of Eric Teaching
SOT - Eric Teaching: Here we are, today’s the day. All projects should be turned in by the end of the period today. Tomorrow I will be presenting all the videos to the admin committee and they will pick our school’s new promo video.
Medium close-up on Mike
Mike: So the final part of your process is to present. What are the plans for your documentary?
Medium close-up on Eric
Eric: We are presenting our documentary at the Southern Maryland Film Festival. It has been submitted and we recently found out that
Cut to shot sequence of Eric editing
Eric: our documentary has been selected as one of the top overall submissions so we’re excited to see how we’ll do. In terms of the present stage, it isn’t really a final part. I say that because artists take feedback during and after each performance to help improve the next performance. In the case of what Jacki and I are doing, don’t forget that we’re doing a series of short documentaries so by the time we present this short film we will already be working on the next one in the series.
Two-shot of Mike and Eric
Mike: Eric, thank you for your time and letting us find out about your creative process. Eric: Mike, I really appreciate you giving me this opportunity to talk about my work.
Medium long-shot on Mike
Mike: Well, that’s it for this first episode of “Creative Process.” I’d like to thank Eric Millham, his wife Jacki and the St. Mary’s County Public School System for making the time for our crew. (Begin closing music under then up full) Join us next week when we feature Alysia Shield’s Creative Process. I’m Mike Line and on behalf of our wonderful crew I we will see you next week.
Roll closing credits
Closing credit music