|
February, 2008 |
|
By Christine Xamis The SchoolTube team was on the road once again, this time traveling to Anaheim, California for the Student Television Network national convention. Thousands of students and teachers made the trip to Disneyland for the weekend long convention. Students came from coast to coast; Maine to Hawaii!
The convention kicked off on Friday morning with the opening ceremonies. SchoolTube made their presence known by throwing out t-shirts and getting students excited for meeting one another. The STN convention brings students together to learn from each other as well as professionals in the business. Channel 1 News attended and taped an opening for its newscast. Students yelled and cheered as the camera was rolling for the show opening. Also during the opening ceremonies, students had the unique opportunity to listen to Bob Dotson, a reporter for NBC’s Today Show. Dotson spoke to students about the importance of story telling. He says, everyone has a story and it is up to you as journalists to tell their story. After inspiration and encouragement from Dotson, students were turned loose in Disneyland to put their journalism skills to work.
Students competed in the Sweet Sixteen Contest. This contest taught them how to work in the fast paced world of journalism. In sixteen minutes students had to choose a single word to do a story on. Then, they had sixteen hours to shoot, write, and edit their videos. Many students said they took Dotson’s words of advice seriously as it helped them find a story from just one word.
While some students were busy competing in multiple contests, other students visited booths in the exhibition halls. One of the most popular booths was SchoolTube’s interactive booth. Students had the chance to anchor newscasts, play SchoolTube Games, report live, and even say hi to their friends and family back home through the live feed. SchoolTube also had an assignment desk where students could sign up to report on the happenings at the convention or in Anaheim. As the weekend moved on, students interested in film making became busier and busier. As well as producing movies on site, these students had the opportunity to receive feedback and critiques from Hollywood filmmakers. Chute Thomas and Darren Fletcher from ISM Films, an internet company that teaches students how to make films judged and awarded students during the SchoolTube Film Festival. Both Thomas and Fletcher have worked on many Hollywood films such as Minority Report, Meet the Parents, Saving Private Ryan, the Sandlot, and many more. Thomas and Fletcher taught informational sessions on how to break into Hollywood as well as group critiques of student produced movies they watched. There is no doubt students gained a great deal of knowledge in just a couple days from Thomas and Fletcher. Saturday night was when the best of the best students had their time to shine! SchoolTube teamed up with ISM Films and STN to host the STN Showcase where the top student produced music videos and films were recognized in an elaborate awards ceremony. Students and teachers were treated like Hollywood stars. SchoolTube’s red carpet and bright lights set the scene for the gala. As students and teachers walked the red carpet, they were interviewed by their peers as well as by the SchoolTube team before entering the showcase. Two of SchoolTube’s own played host at the showcase as Thomas and Fletcher handed out awards for the best films in ten different categories. The fun filled weekend came to a close on Sunday morning during STN’s closing ceremony. Thousands of students and teachers attended the ceremony. Awards were handed out to the winners of many different competitions. The Student Television Network once again put on a great convention. STN truly gives students the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience. Without organizations such as STN students would not have the ability to learn from professionals as well as from each other on such a large scale. The excitement and anticipation for next year’s convention was evident in all the students’ reactions after the closing ceremony. They were ready to get back to their homes and start using the new techniques and lessons they learned at the STN convention in preparation for upcoming broadcasts and films. Next year’s convention will be held in Orlando, Florida. Christina Xamis is a Senior Reporter/ Broadcast Manager for SchoolTube. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Christina was a general assignment reporter and co-hosted a talk show at KOMU News in Columbia, Missouri. She is a frequent contributor to School Video News. You can reach her at christinax@schooltube.com
|
|
SchoolTube Teams Up with STN at Annual Convention |
