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A Day in Video Production

If Video Production at South Kitsap High School were any more of a "real world" work experience, we'd need to pay students salaries and benefits!

Okay, a little exaggerated.  The point is, our video students look the world of employment in the face and learn to meet the challenges!  And I am frequently astonished, with a little coaching, at the heights they can reach!  Our programming has won numerous regional and national video competitions.  Last spring, SKHS Video students won 5 student Emmys in the Northwest Student Emmy Competition, primarily for news reporting.

So how does this happen?  Come along for a tour of a typical day in SKHS Video.

6:55 am:  Students often are at the door to check out camera equipment – video projects could be news stories or short commercial or public service announcements for WTV, our daily "live" announcement show. During the next half hour, a stream of students pass through our editing area, reviewing raw video, editing projects or borrowing equipment.

7:25 am: The day starts off with our beginning level video class, Video Communication I.  These beginning students develop a understanding of the techniques of visual media. From there, the beginning video students delve into a wide variety of topics, including advertising, journalism, photography, and computer video editing.

8:56 am:  The second block of the day and Advanced level video students participate in our morning meeting.  A small group of technicians, writers and on-camera people plan for the day’s 7-minute “live” WTV announcement show.  Students not working on that show prepare stories for Wolf Tracks.  Wolf Tracks is our 30-minute news magazine that has been appearing since 1998.

9:55 am:  The full studio crew; director, camera operators, anchors rehearse.

10:27 am:  WTV is ON THE AIR (actually “cable”) throughout the school and “live” on SKTV, our 24/7 cable channel on WAVE Digital Cable channel 205.

12:36 pm:  In the last block of the day Video Comm II, an intermediate level class, arrives.  Their primary work is producing short videos; Public Service Announcements and Promotional Announcements.  Students often collaborate with staff or students to create videos that support school activities such as blood drives, Adopt a Family for the Holidays, sports events, clubs, etc.  The best of these are shown on the daily WTV announcements.

2:00 pm:  School ends and it often feels like a new day begins.  Normally the editing area is bustling with students working on deadline to complete video work.

 About 20 times a school year, as the school day ends, we begin setting up our portable production gear to cover “live” or tape school events for SKTV.  That includes music performances, theater events, assemblies, sports and the occasional school district presentation.  We average more than 120 hours a year of original, local programming.            

And all of it depends on student work, teamwork, and adaption to the professional standards we demand every day.  Visual media is everywhere in our society.  SKHS video production is an avenue to explore the career options while learning to be a professional, learn teamwork, and develop confidence through meeting challenges.