GILROY
– Middle-school students who are wondering how their favorite
Nickelodeon show goes from the drawing board to their families’
television set are in luck. Community Media Access Partnership, or
CMAP, Gilroy’s public television station, will teach a new Saturday
class through the school district’s m
iddle school enrichment program.
GILROY – Middle-school students who are wondering how their favorite Nickelodeon show goes from the drawing board to their families’ television set are in luck. Community Media Access Partnership, or CMAP, Gilroy’s public television station, will teach a new Saturday class through the school district’s middle school enrichment program.
“Make a TV Show” is open to 15 students who will use the equipment in CMAP’s three-camera TV studio to make a program that will air on Channel 19.
“What we want to do is teach a group of kids how to use the production studio … and get some programs done by young people,” said Suzanne St. John-Crane, executive director of CMAP, who will co-teach the class along with CMAP Access Facilitator Shawn Mulcare .
She said that many kids already have access to camcorders and editing equipment for personal computers, so the class will give them the opportunity to work on studio equipment and create a full-length program.
The students will be responsible for the content of the program and will take turns directing, operating the graphics machine, engineering sound, running cameras and using the TelePrompTer.
“It’s pretty much going to be up to them,” St. John-Crane said.
The class will be held at the CMAP studio on the Gavilan College campus for six Saturday sessions starting March 20. Interested students must submit an application by March 15.
CMAP will benefit by having a show created, directed and filmed by Gilroy students to air for the community.
“Really, this year, what CMAP’s goal is, to try and fill up Channel 19, which is the education channel that we run, with local stuff,” St. John-Crane said.
The channel currently airs educational programming that is broadcast to students nation-wide, but St. John-Crane would like to see more videos from schools, student plays and sports, in particular.
Although open to all middle-schoolers, the Saturday enrichment classes are targeted to high-achieving students identified by Gilroy Unified School District for the Gifted and Talented Education program.
For more information on Make a TV Show, or to obtain an application, visit the GUSD Web site, www.gusd.k12.ca.
