What are the Keys to Producing a Good Cooking Show?
Now more than ever, consumers are watching cooking shows that will help them to learn how to recreate restaurant quality meals at home. If you’re interested in producing a cooking show so that you can get in on some of the action, you couldn’t have picked a better time! But, it’s important for you to understand the keys to producing a good cooking show because simply recording yourself in the kitchen certainly won’t be enough to engage and entertain the demanding audiences of this generation.
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So, what are the keys to producing a good cooking show? As professional cooking show producers with extensive experience in culinary segments, Beverly Boy Productions shares several important factors that should be considered when producing a cooking show:
1. BE NICHE SPECIFIC TO TARGET A PASSIONATE AUDIENCE
Would you rather watch a cooking show that shares baking tips, or would you like to know how America’s most talented bakers create amazing masterpieces?
Niche specific cooking shows that focus in on a specific style or challenge that consumers face can help you to target a more passionate audience.
Your niche doesn’t have to be so specific that you lack ideas or that your audience size would be real small, but choosing a niche will help you with overall targeting.
Your niche could be adding humor to your content or it may be that you’re a humble chef, or perhaps you cook only vegan meals. You’ve got tons of options to choose from. Think about it!
2. PLAN A SERIES WITHIN THE NICHE
Producing a good cooking show starts with a good, solid plan. Once you’ve decided on your niche, it’s important to plan your series.
What will the theme be for your show? How will your recipes tie into the series? Will you have multiple themes in which you focus on different subsets of your niche?
A series will get your audience to focus on what you’re going to do next, and they’ll build a habit of coming back for more!
3. PLAN EQUIPMENT & SHOTS
If you’re hiring a professional production company, like Beverly Boy Productions, to produce your cooking show, much of the planning and intricate details will be handled by the crew – you’ll be able to focus more on your recipes.
When it comes to planning equipment and the shots that you’ll take during the show, consider the following:
- Every cooking show has at least 3 angles from which the cameras capture the footage. Most use 5 cameras or more!
- Depending on where the cooking show will be produced, you may or may not have enough room for extensive equipment – think about this in your planning!
- Lighting is important – actually, it’s vital! Poor lighting can really devalue a cooking show!
- Audio is equally important. Make sure you’ve got lapel mics and that mics are placed within the set to ensure the best audio for the final cut.
4. MAKE SURE YOU’RE ENGAGING THE AUDIENCE
One of the most commonly overlooked keys to producing a good cooking show is the fact that your audience doesn’t need to see you prep every item or measure each ingredient.
Have you ever noticed how all of this is already completed on the mainstream cooking shows that are featured on television? It’s because there’s nothing really exciting about watching a chef chop onions and measure flour.
Instead, use your viewable time wisely, chop onions and measure flour behind the scenes, dump and go on camera, this way you can spend more time engaging your audience and talking more in depth about the various steps of the process that they may not fully understand.
5. STAGE THE KITCHEN APPROPRIATELY
The background of your cooking show can make a big difference in your audience’s ability to focus on what you’re doing on the camera. A busy background with cluttered counters can make it difficult for your audience to focus.
A simple, clutter free background in a kitchen with dark, muted features that won’t add glare or reflections to the camera can draw the viewer’s attention to YOU – the chef! Make sure the kitchen is staged appropriately and that steps are taken to minimize reflection when filming.
6. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
What are the keys to producing a good cooking show? Practice! A great cooking show is the result of planning and practice. Production crews know the importance of practicing and they’ll typically remind clients of this too.
If you’re trying to produce a cooking show of your own, at home – such as for YouTube or for your own website, just keep practicing. The more you practice, the better you will get with what you’re doing!
