The TechKnow Chronicles

Last Monday, I began a 12-week apprenticeship here at the TechKnow offices in Los Angeles, and it’s already proving to be a wild ride. Researching, shooting, and editing are the key components to creating an episode, and within just a week I’ve been exposed to all of these aspects.

For example, yesterday I assisted on a shoot where we interviewed a veteran scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In front of a full sized model of a mars rover, the scientist covered a variety of topics regarding traveling to the red planet, and I learned answers to questions I never even thought to ask. For example, it’s much harder to land anything on Mars than the Moon because of Mars’ atmosphere.

To be a great field producer, you must do extensive research and become knowledgeable in the story you’re producing. In just a week of research, I learned about the many difficulties of living on Mars, the hidden dangers of e-cigarettes, and how MDMA could potentially help individuals with autism develop social skills. The producers here have such a wide breadth of knowledge, it can be intimidating. But as someone who loves to learn about new things, it’s also quite inspiring.

Since I major in film production, I’ve been asked by some of my peers why I would want a summer job in news. What they don’t understand is that working at TechKnow is like creating a new documentary every week. The stories must be informative, but not boring, or no one would watch. Field producers are like the writer/director of the piece they create, and a level of artistry is required. They do not just show up to an event with a camera and hope to get good footage. They write detailed outlines so they know exactly what they need and where it will fit into the episode as a whole.

Ultimately, for me the best part about working at TechKnow is that the stories we tell really matter. Yesterday we aired a segment on ivory poaching and the fact that African elephants are getting very close to extinction. As a lover of animals, seeing the cruelty of the poachers struck me in a way no article could. I know that others must be struck in the same way I was, and perhaps because of the episode, more will be done to stop poaching.

To sum it all up, it’s a pretty awesome apprenticeship. Fingers crossed I can turn it into a full time job.

Check back next week as I continue to document life as a TechKnow apprentice.