‘The Production Crew’ Film Documentary Showcases The Best in Chicago’s TV News and Entertainment
Emmy Award-winning Editor and Chicago native Don Howze has produced a film documentary The Production Crew, that reveals the behind-the-scenes production of Chicago’s TV news stations and live-to-tape concert events. The documentary will premier this year at The 19th Annual Detroit Trinity International Film Festival on July 19th and 20th.
Photos L-R: Producer-TV Director Hope Halliburton, DGA, ABC-TV Chicago. Ray Blaney, Senior Newstape Editor, WGN-TV Chicago. Producer-Director Ron Vasser, DGA, former TV Director at CBS-TV Chicago. (Stills from The Production Crew film documentary).
Photos: Kevin Gist, Senior Editor, Steve Harvey show (Chicago). Michael Clay, Lead Camera Operator, The Stellar Awards, Central City Productions (Chicago). (Stills from The Production Crew film documentary).
Howze is the producer, director and editor of The Production Crew and says the idea of creating the documentary came to him about 18 years ago, while working as a newstape editor at KNBC-TV and an adjunct professor in Los Angeles. “I was teaching a journalism class at the UCLA Extension Journalism Department and asked the students had anyone visited a television news station- and to my surprise none of the students had that opportunity,” says Howze. “With permission from UCLA, I invited my 17 students to participate in a tour at KNBC-TV in Burbank, California and the students loved it!“
Photo: Michael Clay and Ron Vasser, with Don Howze, Producer-Director of The Production Crew film documentary. Photo: Kelvin Jackson, Minicam Camera Operator, WGN-TV News. (Stills from The Production Crew film documentary).
After working in television news in California for over 28 years, Howze relocated back to his hometown Chicago where he continued to teach journalism and television production courses at various broadcasting schools. “So instead of conducting another group tour for my students, I decided to do the tour myself and capture it on-camera,” describes Howze, “in this way, I’ll be able to produce an instructional video that I can present to my current students as well as future students.”
Photos: Michael Johnson, Producer-Director of The Stellar Awards. Debra Martin Chase, Producer-Director (Harriet, Equalizer -TV Series) at the American Black Film Festival Honors. (Stills from The Production Crew film documentary).
Howze tells The Art Of New Media that he contacted his friends who were working in the Chicago television industry, to request permission to videotape their work place and job assignments. “I had a unique opportunity to interview and videotape Ray Blaney Senior NewsTape Editor at WGN-TV; Hope Halliburton, TV Director at ABC-TV News; Michael Clay, Camera Operator for The Stellar Awards; and Kevin Gist, Senior Editor of the Steve Harvey show.”
Michael Clay, Camera Operator for The Stellar Awards. (Stills from The Production Crew film documentary).
“I also invited my former television instructor Ron Vasser to participate in the documentary,” says Howze. “Ron is an Emmy award-winning Producer and TV Director who worked at CBS-2 Chicago for 33 years. Michael Clay and I were students of his when he taught at Columbia College Chicago in the ’80s.“
What started out as a behind-the-scenes exploration of news and entertainment production, Howze says the video tour idea turned into a film documentary with on-camera interviews and exclusive footage of crew technicians, producers and directors at work. “With all the elements in place, I had enough content to produce and edit a 46 minute presentation and I’m really looking forward to sharing it to audiences at the film festivals this year.“
The Production Crew film documentary is produced by DVIDEO 79 Productions and The Art Of New Media, and funded in part by The Field Foundation of Illinois. See the list below for upcoming film festival screening dates and honors:
- WINNER: Best Educational Film Award, The Production Crew: Detroit Trinity International Film Festival, Detroit, MI
- WINNER: Best Documentary Feature, The Production Crew, Chicago Cinema Awards, Chicago, IL
- WINNER: Best Editing, The Production Crew, Chicago Cinema Awards, Chicago, IL
- OFFICIAL SELECTION: The Production Crew, African Film Festival, Western Province
- OFFICIAL SELECTION: The Production Crew, National Black Film Festival, Houston, Texas
The Art Of New Media
Don Howze is an Emmy Award Winning Film/Tape Editor and the author of The Art Of New Media. Don is an Adjunct Professor of Journalism and Television Production and currently producing the upcoming film documentary The Production Crew.
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6 Comments
Toni Shelton
This is Incredible Don , to do a Documentary on what you know & done most of your life. You have some of the players in here, we’ve all watched over the years. To see this upfront and personal is so awesome. Keep up the good work Don!
The Art Of New Media
Thank you Toni! Salud!!
Niina Coleman
This is Awesome! I remember being a student of Don Howze at Kennedy King College in Chicago. Getting the opportunity to meet Michael Clay was amazing.
The Art Of New Media
Thank you Niina! You’re the best! And many blessings to you too as well!
Lathan Hodge
Congratulations Don! I’m truly glad to see that you had the foresight to capture our contributions to the industry. It is great to see friends and colleagues, Ron Vasser and Michael Clay, along with the other notables, doing what we all do best.
The Art Of New Media
OMG! Great to hear from you Lathan! You and Geno Jones led the way for Mike and I to believe that we can make it in this industry. Columbia College Chicago rocks with talent and Ron Vasser was and still is da man! Thank you my brother.