Eric Perkins

Swamped

September 20, 2006

Sorry I've been a slacker on the blogs this week.  I'm Everglades swamped at work. 

The bulk of the business has come from an Extra I'm working on for the 10pm news. 

I'm working with Gary Knox, a ridiculously talented photographer on a behind the scenes look at the Prep Sports Extra.  The high school football show has been running under Randy Shaver's guidance for 23 years now! 

Gary got access to our High Definition camera to shoot the piece.  We got 3 weeks to shoot the goings-on and what it takes to put the show together.  It was interesting interviewing Randy, Pat Sidoti, Bea Chang, and other co-workers for the story.  I'm so close to the material, it was a bit of a challenge stepping back long and far enough to give an unbiased account as to what goes into the production of the half hour prep show. 

There is over 6 hours of footage that we've combed through in putting together 4 minutes of on-air material. 

Gary caught it all, the hilights, the photographers, the editing, the tension, the deadline scramble, the phones ringing off the hook with scores being called in, etc. 

Friday Nights are pretty amazing.  It'll be neat to show folks just what kind of madness goes on behind the curtain.  The piece is slated to air on October 3rd.  That's the same night NBC's new prime time show Friday Night Lights debuts on KARE-11.  Hope you get a chance to see the feature.  It's Randy at his finest.  See you on TV. 

perkout