With millions of people watching worldwide, it is no secret that telenovelas are among the most popular forms of entertainment. They have increased in volume and type in rapid numbers over the past few decades. From La Reina Del Sur to EL Clon to Betty La Fea, telenovelas have captured the hearts and minds of so many people around the world. But I’m curious to know what percentage of this audience could actually explain the inner workings of telenovela production. I know I couldn’t explain how some of my favorite shows are made.
Firstly, people should understand that the production of telenovelas is a fast paced, ever changing process. It is a stressful, high pressure industry with billions of dollars involved. It is the very definition of teamwork. From the writer to scripts to production assistances it is an all-hands-on deck sort of situation. One part of production cannot be successful without all the rest. Because of this high interlocked workings it is essential that there is effective communication between all parties. 'La Pauta' is a document used through production that helps keep clear communication. Personally, my favorite role in production to learn about were the ‘scripts’. At first, I thought this was referring to the paper packets that house actor’s lines. However, I soon learned that a script is a type of assistant to a director. The biggest challenge a director faces is how to “make the story come alive, to be able to transform the drama in the written text into an emotional experience for the audience” (Grisolli, 1992). Scripts can be an extra pair of eyes by giving their opinions or advice. Additionally, they can help keep the sequence. The sequence is incredibly important during production because when it is kept correctly it helps filming run as efficiently as possible. Keeping the sequence refers to tracking character costumes, what scenes need to be filmed when and where, or other things that are essential to the logical flow of the telenovela.
So, while actors and actresses are the faces of telenovelas, it is important to always remember the people behind the scenes who work so hard to help with success of our favorite productions.
Great post Katie! I can tell you put a lot of thought into this. I completely agree with you regarding the fact that when I first heard the term "script" I thought that it was the packet that had the actors' lines. You are right, production is a team effort, and it cannot operate smoothly if even one role is missing. I always had an idea that there were people behind the scenes for various television shows, but learning about telenovela production showed me just how many people go into producing even just one episode!
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