As an internationally sought-after filmmaker, Tupa has made some captivating works of art. Known for her documentaries, the films The Search and Rape on the Night Shift have given an honest look at heartbreaking but important stories. However, working with Nonstop TV in South America, Tupa told stories from the entertainment industry.
“I wanted to work on this project because it was a production challenge. I had a lot responsibility because I was in charge of some of the shows like Um Dia Com (A Day With). Since many of the shows were produced in Brazil, where they speak in Portuguese, and post-produced in Argentina, where they speak in Spanish, I was a key member of the team because I’m bilingual in Portuguese and I could assist both ends of the production team,” Tupa described.
In addition to Um Dia Com, a Brazilian series that shows a day in the life of a distinguished individual from the entertainment industry, Tupa worked on shows like Model Profile, an Argentinean series that shows the life and career of a distinguished model in the country, and FTV Mag, a weekly magazine show with news on the entertainment industry that aired on Fashion TV Brazil. With this constant need to go between Brazil and Argentina, producers approached Tupa knowing she had the exact skillset that was required.
“I worked with Melina on Nonstop TV; we worked together on Model Profile, FTV Mag, and One Day With, Melina is a force of nature. She is proactive, efficient and always has a good attitude, which makes her a fundamental part of any production team. Melina is an amazing producer. She can handle any situation with passion and perfectionism. She is creative, diligent and she has a real talent for planning the production of a Documentary or TV Show,” said Martín Corti, Producer and Photographer.
As a producer on the different shows, Tupa has many different responsibilities. She would receive the raw footage and a preliminary script. She would then work with the editor to put together the basic show structure. She would re-write the scripts to make them more suitable for the show. After the show was edited, she had to make sure it complied with all the broadcast standards. This work was key to the success of the shows. She had to work long hours, but the shows were really successful. The shows were mainly broadcasted in Brazil, but many shows were also adapted to Spanish and broadcasted in nearly every Latin American country.
Um Dia Com also became the flagship of the channel. Without her work, the show would not have been broadcasted. She was in charge of the entire post-production of this show. She received all the raw materials and she put together a show.
“It was a challenging project, but very rewarding. It was a big responsibility. I didn’t take it lightly. I knew people were counting on my work. When you are part of such a big structure as a network every individual task counts to make the shows run smoothly,” Tupa described.
Nonstop TV was just the beginning of Tupa’s now esteemed career. There is truly no limit to what she can achieve. However, she is just happy to do what she loves every day.
“I like being in charge of all the aspects of a production. I make sure we have the best people on board for the project (from the director to the production assistant), making sure the scheduling is feasible, I love working with editors in the postproduction phase. I like that it is a position where I get to be very proactive, I can put forward my ideas but at the same time I get to hear the input of other team members,” she concluded.