What does a reality TV 'field producer' do?
The reality show field producer has to have that relationship with the participants in the show, where they feel that they know that they have an open line of communication and trust with them, that they know that they're the go-to person for them to open up to. The participant has to have a sense that the field producer sympathizes with them and understands where they're coming from, because if you think that somebody is sympathetic to you, you'll open up to them. If you think somebody doesn't have a clue about you, you'll blow them off. It's very important that they develop a good, personal relationship with the reality TV subjects. Those field producers actually work with camera people, and directly with the crews. Some of the crews are very good, though. There are reality show cameramen who sometimes prompt their own questions because they see the moment, and the field producer might be distracted, might be away, or it just might be a situation where they're the only ones around. What the field producer does day-to-day depends on if it's a continuous, everyday shoot. If it's a concentrated show - fourteen straight days of filming to produce six episodes, or something like that - they are literally on their feet, working with multiple camera crews on the hot set every single day. If it's a reality show that's more spread out or doesn't shoot every day, they go back, they work with the post-production department on organizing where they are, and then they go back into the field.
