Live Production

Of all media, Live production is the only one that comes with the thrill of live audiences at live events. Most other media is mainly created in quiet rooms where experts labor over every detail for as long as allowed. Live production is now and done!

No longer limited to television screens in living rooms, Live Production is everywhere including stadium events, industry events – and of course the smartphone in your pocket. MTSU has been a leader in teaching live production for over thirty years. MTSU’s Live Production facilities include a 2,800 square foot television studio and a Mobile Production Lab that averages over thirty live events every fall and spring semester – completely manned by students. Twice in the last six years, students in this program have been awarded for the best student produced sports broadcast by the Sports Video Group trade association. In addition to a long legacy of live sports productions – many of which are broadcast live on ESPN and other national services, Live Production students get experience with numerous live music events including all four days of Bonnaroo’s Who stage, and a wide range of other musical happenings including at Nashville’s Bluebird Café, the Loveless Café, and Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center. 

Beyond live television, the Live Production program also embraces venue-based live productions such as live concerts with video installations, and even legitimate theater with LED walls for sets. This new direction for the application of video is advancing at light speed and creating amazing experiences for audiences. The same technology has even made its way into filmmaking and was used extensively in the production of The Mandalorian. We know of no other university anywhere in the world offering these kinds of educational experiences, and MTSU has been doing it for over five years.

With our close proximity to the media industry in Nashville, MTSU has become a primary source for talent and workforce for live productions. Our graduates can be found at pretty much every major live television show or event across the nation on productions such as the Super Bowl, Dancing with the Stars, and major awards shows. 

To view the required curriculum for the Live Production major in the 2020-21 catalog, click here.

And for those who are interested in learning about both live television production and filmmaking, MTSU’s classic, blended Video and Film Production program remains available. Students can also choose MTSU’s new Filmmaking concentration as well.

For folks looking for clarification on the differences between Filmmaking and Live Production, the following is a simplified explanation.

Live Production is shot simultaneously with multiple cameras. Images from those cameras and other sources of sound and images are sent live to a central control room where a team of experts collaborate in real time to create a finished end product that is often published immediately on live television or other means, usually with no postproduction. Live sports, awards shows, game shows, cooking shows, and variety shows and follow this production model.

In Filmmaking, the content is typically shot with a single camera – most often with a script. The recorded material is then taken to a postproduction environment where it is edited and otherwise transformed through an often-lengthy creative process to create a finished end-product. Most movies, TV dramas, commercials, music videos and documentaries are created this way.

There are similarities in the skills, tools, and techniques between the two, but there are equally critical differences. Establishing two separate concentrations fosters deeper and more focused learning for the students. These new concentrations will also provide clearer academic paths, ultimately contributing to greater industry success for our students. And that’s what it’s all about.