First Day of Mentorship

Wednesday September 24th, 2014:

I observed a run-through of a TV show that has not yet premiered on Disney Channel. Since it has not premiered, I cannot yet reveal its identity. I met my mentor for the first time at Hollywood Center Studios and she briefly explained what I was walking into. Run-throughs are done every Wednesday for the show. The cast rehearses the episode, jumping swiftly from set to set. The sets are often directly across from each other or adjacent to each other. Run-throughs are similar to a rehearsal of a play. The point is for the crew to get an idea of what their episode is going to look like, as well as to notate or address any potential issues regarding the content of the episode. First, however, Amanda took me to the "Rack Check", where I met the wardrobe staff, and the showrunner. The Rack Check's purpose is for producers of the show to work with wardrobe people regarding the clothes/costumes worn on the show. Various potential issues were addressed, then we moved on to the run-through. I shadowed as the entire cast and crew shuffled from set to set, rehearsing each scene. Although it was fast-paced, the group and the run-through itself were rather light-hearted. Since the show was a comedy, there was a lot of laughter, as expected, and much of the crew served as an audience, that way the producers--including Amanda--were able to gauge what reactions to the episode would be like. I took notes for most of the day, and read the script as the cast acted out each scene.