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September 1998, Week 1

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Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
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Shawn Tyler <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 3 Sep 1998 13:09:41 -0700
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BOOK REVIEW
 
 
Breaking Into Television: Veteran Advice From The Trenches
 
I've got a gripe with the publishers of this book.... the title "Breaking
into Television" implies too much violence.... and we all know there's
too much violence in television already.... especially when the object of
the book is to make it easier for people to survive the second hardest
period of one's life... beginning your professional career... and it does
that very well
 
I wish I had this book in my hands when I had my first internship back in
the early '70s.... now that I help people learn how to create TV and
video... I think that "Breaking into TV" should be required reading for
prospective interns... whether it should be required by the journalism /
media program or whether it should be required reading by the TV station
or video production facility providing the internship is moot.... if you
are going to be an intern... if you are an intern... READ THIS BOOK !
 
If you're a journalism or broadcast teacher READ THIS BOOK and make sure
that the J-library has at least one copy so you can get your students to
read it !
 
If you're supervising an intern program READ THIS BOOK and give a copy to
each intern that steps though your studio door... your life will be
easier and your co-workers will thank you for it (so will your boss) !
 
This book is packed full of the kind of advice that it took me years to
learn and that takes all too much time for me as a teacher to pass on to
my students.  I've said almost everything in this book to one student or
another.... but was never able to have the chance to say everything in
this book all my students....
 
This book teaches on-the-job learning.... something that schools do not
do...and probably never did.. in reality.... any student going into any
internship program .... or starting the first professional job of their
career would benefit from reading this book.... because it will help make
you a better and more creative employee... no matter what industry you're
in...
 
This book is not full of academics telling you what they think you should
expect in the real world..... it's filled with the words of successful
practitioners of the media arts who have lived and survived the
internship process.... who believe in the process so much that they have
taken the time to share their real-life experiences as interns with
you.... with this book you could actually be the only intern in the
place... and still survive.... hell...if the station doesn't have an
intern program... give the boss a copy of
this book and s/he'll quite probably start an internship program for
you....this book takes the worry out of interning for both you and the
boss...
 
After reading this book, only three questions might remain unanswered....
 
- how does it add to the book's credibility to be cute and call the
chapters "Channels"?
 
- why do the illustrations of cameras heading the "Channels" look like
35mm cinema cameras instead of video cameras or camcorders?
 
-why do the illustrations heading the "TV Intern Hall of Fame" sections
look like Oscars rather than Emmies?
 
  Now... when will the next book in the series come out?... you know...
the one for the hardest period in one's life..... knowing when to retire
gracefully from a successful career in television ???? It'll be so hard
to
quit the addiction to a creative career started so well by "Breaking into
Television."
 
 (c) 1998 George Lessard
 
----
Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
University of Alabama.

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