MNN Producers Get Their Feet Wet at El Barrio Firehouse

With two weeks now under their belts creating original programming at MNN El Barrio Firehouse Community Media Center, producers are weighing in on what they see as the benefits, challenges and very exciting implications of working with brand-new, state-of-the-art technology and equipment.

New toys

“I love the smell of the place,” says Will Sanchez, producer and host of Gotta Run with Will, an MNN original about running, running personalities, and how the sport can improve your life. “Everything’s high-tech, and there are so many options. All the producers are asking, ‘Can you do this? Can you do that?’ And usually the answer is yes.”

Sanchez produced his show at the Firehouse for the first time last Friday in the facility’s two-camera studio, getting some exposure to new controls and cameras. For now the equipment is operated by an experienced Firehouse crew, since it’s so different from what most MNN producers are used to.

For example, Sanchez notes that the Firehouse’s teleprompter cameras can be made to go up and down remotely, whereas at the old studios in MNN’s 59th Street headquarters this had to be done by hand. “It is fabulous—really fabulous—but scary,” Sanchez says. “It all looks more complicated than what we had before. It just looks wonderful, and I’m looking forward to learning it.”

“It’s very exciting,” echoes Saundra Taylor, producer of The Movement, an MNN program showcasing musicians and other artists. “It’s like being a little kid in a toy factory—you see all these different things you want to touch, but you’re not able to yet.”

Sneak peek

The equipment in the Firehouse studios offers a glimpse what’s to come as the MNN studios on 59th Street undergo a complete overhaul. MNN producers will receive a full training in the new year, with 59th Street’s Open and Closed studio estimated to reopen in early 2013.

Once the rebuild is complete, producers will have access to technology that allows them to share high-definition programming via multiple platforms, including mobile apps, and to fully integrate their work with social media networks. Three-dimensional graphics and image layering will also become routine.

Taylor says the new technology will completely change how her show looks, sounds and gets shared. “This will be really good for the talent that appears on my show,” Taylor says. “I always make copies of the episodes for them, and now it’ll sound and look better, and they’ll be able to show their friends.” The clearer HD picture will also make sharing online even more desirable, Taylor notes.

Learning curve

As with any transition, producing at the Firehouse for the first time (or first few times) does come with challenges.

“This is a process we have to go through to get from, ‘Hey, this is good’ to, ‘Hey this is damn good,’” Sanchez says.

“Even the cameras look different to me, and I’m not sure where to start,” Taylor agrees. “I can’t even see what I’m supposed to look through to get a picture.”

Sanchez remembers words of wisdom offered at the Firehouse orientation producers attended last month: keep it simple. “There’s a learning curve and a process, so the simpler it is, the better off you’ll be.”

“And you have to be flexible,” Sanchez continues. “Things will go wrong, but people will figure it out.”