Two behind-the-scenes television people who work on a hit N.B.C. comedy in New York will be in western Iowa this week to share some of their trade secrets. Tim Tracy, the managing director of the Donna Reed Foundation, says the first of several workshops will be held Friday night at Denison High School — and it’s free and open to anyone.
The first workshop is called “Creating ’30 Rock'” and features Bellamy Forrest, an assistant director on the show who’s worked on more than 20 episodes. Forrest will show one episode and will talk beforehand about what went into making it and some things to be watching for as it runs. Tracy says it promises to be an information-packed talk from an industry insider.
“She’ll go into a lot more depth on ’30 Rock’ and what it’s like to be an assistant director, how she got involved in the business,” Tracy says. “(She will) give people a lot more insight into what it takes to be an assistant director on a major TV show.” Bellamy’s husband, Nathan Stoll, is a Denison native and also works in a key role on the show. Tracy says Stoll’s workshop will be among those held on Saturday.
Stoll is a producer and an eight-year veteran camera operator in New York and will speak on “Framing the Image and Framing the Interview,” which will focus on how you sculpt an identity and make an iconic image based upon how you frame a shot. While Friday night’s workshop is free, there is a fee for Saturday’s sessions.
To register, visit: “www.donnareed.org“. The Donna Reed Foundation and Festival honors the actress, a Denison native, who died in 1986. She was best known for film roles in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “From Here to Eternity,” as well as TV shows including “Dallas” and “The Donna Reed Show” which ran from 1958-1966.
By Michael Earl, KDSN, Denison