Any that are found are reviewed by the requestor, who must either accept them or substantiate why they no longer meet requirements and a new program is required. In a rapidly evolving field such as healthcare, excellent programs must often be replaced, not due to quality, but because developments in medical technology have made them obsolete. A technical advisor from the proponent office is always involved to ensure subject matter accuracy. Technical advisors give the production the expertise to provide guidance on everything from script content to location choice and, when pertinent, production dates. Production techniques reflect subject matter requirements, ranging from the most basic studio format in which a single speaker addresses a single camera, to highly complex productions that mix varied medias and locations.
Many programs employ actors.
When subject matter demands location shooting, HSMD is equipped and staffed to provide it. Recent productions have taken crews fully equipped with cameras, lights, and sound gear not only to 24 states in the U.S. but to Germany, Hawaii, Honduras, El Salvador, and Western Samoa. Through the years, HSMD's multifaceted production capabilities have brought the Division recognition for excellence and it has participated in and won a number of broadcast media competitions at the DA and DOD level. Such wide-ranging activity necessarily demands first rate equipment and a Broadcast Standard production format. Due to requirements of medical photography, HSMD was the first Army training facility equipped to produce television programs in color.