Have you ever wondered just what happens behind the scenes of Titan News, or wondered what the kids walking around the school with a camera and a tripod are doing? TV Productions is the class behind all of this multimedia work, including Tower’s lipdub, and Titan Nation. Titan News is showed on Fridays, and informs students of things going on within the school from the perspective of a student. However, not much else that is produced by the TV Production class is widely viewed. So what else do they do throughout the year?
“Well, in the first semester, we did projects such as a lipdub, a dialogue scene, a video that had to convey a mood, a documentary on a job here at Tower, and a day in the life of a student,” Kevin McNeilly ’12 explains. “Basically, each project was meant to give us practice in different aspects of camera work and post-production editing.”
With the extensive amount of equipment used by those behind the scenes, practice is very much needed to get the hang of working with it all. Work with cameras, tripods, studio lights, microphones, receivers and green screens all must be mastered in order to produce quality work, as well as editing with programs on Mac computers.
However, though projects may take a while to put together, the class is never boring. “The thing about TV production is you do something different every day. Some days we stay in class and plan shots. Other days, we’re out filming scenes,” McNeilly says.
Because TV production is not a core class, but an elective, it is not usually given as much attention as classes needed to graduate. However, a lot of time and effort is put into the making of every video put out by the class, and unlike in most classes, where you can get by with sitting quietly while doing your work, every person plays an essential role in production.
Though they may not be visible in the videos, there are always people working behind the scenes, making it all possible. “Usually, one or two people are the editors, who splice scenes together on the computers. One person works the camera while another does the lighting,” McNeilly clarifies. “Then there are the people in the video.”
Tower is one of few schools in Southeast Michigan that offer TV Production as a class, and it is definitely a unique opportunity. With the value placed on technology in modern times, learning how to manage such equipment could be beneficial for those hoping to learn a useful skill. Students planning on getting in on the behind the scenes action can expect to “learn how to make some sweet videos, and have fun!” McNeilly encourages.
Those who have an opening in their schedule, especially upperclassmen who have more of an opportunity to choose which classes they will be taking, should certainly consider taking this unique course.
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