Hungarian Television Network Ltd
MTV-MTVA
2004 – 2012
I worked at Hungarian Television Network Ltd., and then at its legal successor, the Media Services Support and Asset Management Fund, initially as a Recording Manager, then as a Production Manager.
The production manager is the first person in charge of the production and the operational manager of the production. In this role, I gained a broad knowledge of the myriad workflows involved in the production of various programmes and the operational dynamics of the crew.
It takes a lot of people to make a sports broadcast, a news programme or a feature film. To name a few: directors, cinematographers, scriptwriters, sound engineers, costume and set designers, script editors, editors, lighting technicians. It is also worth mentioning the editor, who is usually the person responsible for the content.
The production supervisors are the producer, the director, the production and recording supervisor and the assistant director. The director is responsible for the visuals, the editor for the content and the production manager for everything else.
The production of a show involves a number of different professionals and crew members. During the filming, crew members work both in front of and behind the camera to ensure that scenes are captured properly. Location selection, set design and make-up also play an important role in filmmaking. The sound crew is in charge of sound recording and post-production, while the editor is responsible for editing the filmed scene.
A film shoot consists of several phases, including planning, preparation, shooting and post-production. During the shoot, crew members work closely together to ensure that every detail is perfect and costs as little as possible. A lot of skill and organisation is required during a shoot to ensure that the scene is completed as planned.
Usually the work starts months before the production manager gets the idea. In contrast to filmmaking, television is more focused on the financial framework. Of course, film has a budget, but usually everything is hired for a film, whereas television has in-house capacity and can also have contract staff on order. So the first step in the planning process was to look internally at the available options and plan them directly, thus setting the budget. Once the budget has been approved by the economic managers, production can begin, which is the organisation of the actual shooting.
Esetenként 100-200 fős stáb is összeáll egy nagyobb volumenű projektnél.
The Production Manager is responsible for the preparation, organisation of shooting and post-production, contract management and payment control.
As production manager, I drew up the shooting schedule and prepared a detailed budget. After that, the shooting could start, where I was present as production manager.
During my work, I coordinated with the actors, the director, the cameramen, the set designer, editors, etc. I took care of the paperwork and arranged the permits for the shoot.
In short, I was the person responsible for the economic planning and organisation, so I was also responsible for the financial side.
My tasks included preparing and organising the television coverage of the European Swimming Championships, the World Kayak-Kenu Championships, the World Cup for Street Running, the EHF Handball Cup. During the summer, I worked as a stand-in on the news crew. My work also includes public and religious programmes. In 2010, I was responsible for the relocation of the entire archive of the Hungarian Television in the changing public media system, and then I was in charge of the technical organisation and implementation of the promotional area of the Hungarian Radio, Duna Television and Hungarian Television.
