As someone born just before the
turn of the century, I have lived in a world where television is prominent in
day to day life. Whether for Saturday morning cartoons or for the daily news
when returning home; the television has become a staple in the household.
However, it has been more than a distraction or an information database for me.
The most important thing about television to me is the effort that people put
in to produce shows. I think the first time I saw the "behind the
scenes" of any T.V shows (such as Doctor Who or Supernatural) was when I
was completely inspired. I have always had a love for details, for putting
together all of the little bits to see something magnificent appear. Seeing
this in my favorite T.V shows made me love attention to detail even more. Through school I became more and more
interested in what it takes to create the visual and audio effects that we see
in television and film. I learned from my teachers in Stagecraft
and Design when I attended Denver School of the Arts that it takes a lot of
people and a lot of effort to put all of the little bits together. I worked on
stage productions, and even though we were not being filmed, the creation of
props and sets, costumes and lighting all contributed to how the production
came together. As I watch the appendices for movies or television shows I know
that even though I am not filming my production in theater, that it still takes
the same amount of effort in order to bring it all together. When I transferred
schools to Denver School of Science and Technology I thought that all of my
love for this creation, this producing and designing was going to disappear
because I was transferring from arts to sciences. Yet, that is another thing
that the background action of television taught me: never give up. There are
hundreds of takes for the episodes we watch in order to make them perfect, and
everyone knows that Rome wasn’t built in a day. So I did exactly what producers
like Robert Singer and Russell T. Davies would have done and persevered. I have continued building my repertoire
throughout high-school and in the beginning of my senior year was struck with a
very hard decision. Film studies or theatrical studies? I applied to the
University of Chicago at the beginning of my senior year, under the major of Theatrical
Design. The important thing that I learned from television, not in the
background action but on the screen, is that you should always follow your
dreams when you can. Even though the television world has had a big impact on
the way that I view the world around me and the way that I create all of my
effects, I have always had a passionate love for the theater arts. Television
in the most simplest of terms is teaching, influencing those who watch to act
or think certain ways. In my life television has influenced not only the way
that I view details but how I deal with people around me, more importantly
television has taught me that I should never give up on my dreams. No matter
where my major takes me in life I know that there are applications I have
learned from watching T.V that I can use in every aspect of my day to day life.
