Indian River Charter High Sschool Creates Popular TV Show
Article Submitted by: Jeremy Baker, Public Relations Director IRCHS
What does it take to make a half-hour TV show? Well at Indian River Charter High School it takes three or more teachers, ten video production students, thirteen student actors, and about one hundred twenty hours of pre-production, video taping and editing. This is obviously no small feat and the students and teachers who create IRCHS's locally broadcast TV show "CHARTER" are understandably proud of their work. And now they have a brand new episode to crow about.
The TV show, which airs on Wednesdays at 8:00 am, 4:00 pm, 7:00 pm, and 11:00 pm on WWCI TV - Channel 10 and on the County Education Channel, TV 28, Wednesdays through Mondays at 10:00 am, 9:00 pm & 3:00 am, is an exploration of Indian River Charter High School from the inside out. Previous shows have highlighted the various programs and activities at the school, including their first annual African American History Month performance, the schools celebrated music & dance programs and a science field trip on the Indian River Lagoon. Each episode includes a bounty of student generated material, from interviews with teachers and students, to historical biographies, to music videos and more.
The whole process begins with "CHARTER" Director/Producer Jeremy Baker and his TV Production students sitting down to discuss show concepts. Once they land on an idea, students begin the pre-production process of research, scripting, rehearsal, creating shooting schedules, location scouting and gathering props and costumes. From there students move on to production. Student directors and their production assistants haul out the lights, tripods, headphones, video tapes, cameras and sound equipment needed for their individual production and begin shooting. If all goes well a student may end up with twenty to forty minutes of footage for a three to four minute finished segment!
Once the students have their video "in the can", the capture and editing process begins. IRCHS TV Production students are currently working with the cutting edge Adobe CS4 Premiere editing package, giving them complete artistic control over their final product. During the editing phase, students cut together the raw footage they shot for their productions, add transitions, titles, musical scoring, sound effects, graphics and a variety of other video effects such as color tinting, cropping, and image movement. Once students have completed a first draft of their production it is time to present their work to the rest of the class for critical discussion and revision notes. Many times projects go through three or more revisions before they are accepted to be a part of the "CHARTER" TV show.
Senior Jordan McDonald, a second year TV Production student who is planning on attending Film school, notes that "The editing process is really difficult - there are so many variables for everything you do. The thing I like most about editing and the thing that really keeps me going is just knowing that the end is in sight!"
The newest episode of "CHARTER", which begins airing this week on both local channels, gave the advanced TV production students the opportunity to make any kind of video they wanted. The results are enlightening, funny, creative, touching and above all, unique. Segments in the show include a comic "Cooking Show" shot on location in Indian River State College's Richardson Center's teaching kitchen, a hysterical flash animation created by Leanne Franchville, an informational piece about teens going "green" at the beach, written and directed by Heather Grove, and a music video written and performed by IRCHS choral and acting student Bree Manning and directed by Jordan McDonald
The IRCHS TV Production students are currently working on three new "CHARTER" programs; the "Physical Education Show", which includes interviews with IRCHS P.E. teachers Abbe Newman and Kristen Simpson and a biography of Jackie Robinson, the "Our American Heritage Show" including highlights from the school's blockbuster semester performance and interviews with IRCHS Assistant Artistic Director Dr. Ray, Publicity Director Jeremy Baker and Jazz Band Director Dave Mundy and the "Summer Arts Camp Show" a whirlwind tour of IRCHS' 2008 Summer Arts Camp for students in grades 2 - 6.
The show has received rave reviews from across the county, with many viewers commenting on the professional look of the show as well as its exceptional educational content. But don't take my word for it, watch "Charter" for yourself and see why this show is a point of pride for everyone at Indian River Charter High School. For more information about "Charter" or for underwriting opportunities contact IRCHS Publicity Director Jeremy Baker at 567-6600 ext. 232 or by email at jbaker@irchs.org.
