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.