Have you ever wondered what it takes to produce a television show? In May 2014, my family and I went with a group of students from Celebration Education on a behind the scenes tour of the PBS SoCaL studios in Costa Mesa, California.
PBS SoCaL is the nation’s third most watched PBS station and has more than 40 years of production history. They are the only station in the Greater Los Angeles area providing the full PBS schedule to Southern California and is home to all PBS program premieres as they are released nationally. As Southern California’s flagship PBS station, PBS SoCaL provides early education, access to a broad array of arts and culture, and programs for, about and by the people of Southern California.
My son, Athan, was especially looking forward to the field trip, because he’s interested in working in the entertainment industry when he grows up.
The first thing I noticed when I entered the building was how beautiful and state of the art PBS SoCaL’s studios were. There were so many buttons and screens to keep track of, I couldn’t image running a broadcast station myself!
Our tour guides took us on a complete tour of the studio and talked about the all different equipment that was in each room. My favorite room was hair and makeup where they explained how they do the make up for the shows. The lighting in the room seemed strange to me, but our guide explained that the lighting was made to be that way so it matched the color of the studio lights. Interesting, I thought.
Athan’s favorite room was the green screen studio. He’s always wanted a green screen to use to shoot videos. Maybe next year for Christmas, buddy!
Our tour of PBS SoCaL was quite fascinating and was far more kid-friendly than I had anticipated. The tour is best suited for elementary age students. Anyone who has ever watched TV will find plenty to enjoy, and anyone interested in TV production will be completely captivated. The staff even gave us an in-depth look at the very large (and expensive) broadcast cameras that they use.
PBS SoCal studio tours are free! They are offer 30 minute tours on Wednesdays staring at 3 p.m. Studio tours are perfect for Girl & Boy Scout troops, field trips and avid PBS SoCal viewers. To schedule a tour, send an email to [email protected] or call (714) 241-4189 to schedule your backstage pass. For more information, visit their website.
PBS SoCal Studios is located at 3080 Bristol Street, Suite 100 in Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
Happy Field Tripping!
Windi Eklund
SoCal Field Trips Contributor
Amz
Thursday 9th of June 2016
They are doing construction this summer so to get an appointment please call in September.
Jenn
Friday 10th of June 2016
Thank you for updated info. I left the voice message and sent email, too.No wonder no any responding yet.
Jilleen
Thursday 9th of June 2016
Thank you for the update and info.
Jen
Thursday 14th of May 2015
This is great! I am totally doing this with my kids. Thanks!