Hi Everyone,
People are always looking for ideas for entertaining. I have been a bit behind in my blog posts because I have been concentrating on planning, prepping, hosting AND taping 4 cooking demonstrations for use on the internet. (I still have 2 more to go!) If you have ever considered taping your own cooking show or just curious about how one is produced, here are the steps I took:
1. I chose the recipes and tips that I would highlight on each show.
* Since I specialize in helping beginners learn to host casual entertaining, I chose recipes from my book that are easy and delicious.
2. I organized myself with shopping lists, recipes and a loose script for the show.
* I cannot stress enough that the prep stage the week before is one of the most important. There are a lot of details that need to be present and pulled off well to make the cooking demo part of it look easy.
3. I practiced, practiced and then practiced some more!
* There is a balance needed with this part. Yes, you need a script that you have mostly memorized, but you also want to be spontaneous and be yourself!
4. Shopped for props and organized all kitchen utensils, bowls, tools needed. Chose my wardrobe. Did all grocery shopping.
* This takes some time and focus, so whatever you do, don’t wait until the day before taping to do this part. Pacing yourself will really help relieve stress.
5. The morning of the shoot, I set everything up in the kitchen. Applied my makeup with special matte finish makeup to minimize shine from camera angles.
* This is crunch time. Just walk yourself through the entire demo. This will help you catch anything you may be missing. I have a very fair complexion, so I needed to purchase a special make-up. My husband, Augie says that light skinned people are the hardest to light. Your wardrobe needs to be a darker color; blue works well. I found this part right before taping, challenging. You are trying to focus on your part (hosting) when there is a lot of movement/conversation from crew going on around you. I was trying to focus and not to sweat all my makeup off! Very different than teaching before a class or group of people. Now I know why many tv chefs have a live audience. It is a bit easier to know if you are connecting the way you want.
6. Augie works in the motion picture business and with the help of some friends also in the biz, provided professional lighting, camera, sound and direction. This took about 2 hours to set up.
* All these guys were so professional and know exactly what they were doing. Because of this we were not slowed down with loads of technical problems.
7. Taped each show (2 per day) with many angles and close-ups.
* This part is a lot harder than it looks. Being able to walk and chew gum at the same time helps! Having energy, smiling, being yourself and accomplishing your goal to give great information and encouragement to potential viewers is a lot to remember. We had our share of bloopers and multiple takes and it was a team effort! I’m excited that we have produced quality shows.
* I have appeared as a guest chef on cooking shows before, but those shows always had a host to help guide. In this show I was the host and chef so it was much different.
8. An additional 2-3 hours to clean everything up. Whew! Were we tired.
* As you can imagine there is a lot of equipment, food, props, dishes. Dang, my fairy godmother wasn’t around to wave the magic clean up wand!
Now, the raw taping will go to an editor who will have the important job of putting it all together. This has been a great experience and I can’t wait to see the finished products!
Happy Entertaining!
Patricia Mendez
