GILROY — When Ronnie Short envisioned his future stardom, he
probably never thought of it looking quite like this.
GILROY — When Ronnie Short envisioned his future stardom, he probably never thought of it looking quite like this.
Donning a small leopard-spotted cowboy hat and a plastic toy electric guitar, Short entered the Gavilan television studio and sat down in his seat on the set, complete with cameras, microphones and lights everywhere.
“We’re doing a show and I’m the lead band guy and I’m a cowboy,” he explained.
Short was given instruction on how to sit in his chair, what camera to look into and then on cue began to sing the words “Well my cat died, then my car broke, then I was laid off from my job …” all in the harmony of the old folk song “Oh, My Darling.”
The performance was a part of the off-the-wall comedy “Roxanne’s ‘Totally Bad’ Cooking Show.” When the kids first got in this week, they were able to watch a finished version of their first on-screen effort, an informercial spoof on a product called the “Hoover Craft.”
Short is one of nine local kids that are a part of STAR TV, an after-school performers workshop that gives kids a chance to see what the world of television is all about.
“Well, I always wanted to be famous, so since I was little I’ve been singing,” said Short, who goes to Luigi Aprea Elementary School. “Then my mom found out about this.”
That was the same story for most of the kids in the program. For Antonio Magnisi and his little sister Angelica, being put in the program was a Christmas present from their parents. Twelve-year-old Ashley Dejesus said she would be in trouble if she didn’t participate.
“My mom works at Gavilan, and she said if I wasn’t going to do it she’d ground me for a month,” Dejesus said. “And I was already grounded for using the phone.”
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t having fun.
“I think it’s alright,” she said. “I like it.”
After they get out of school, the kids spend about two hours on Monday and Wednesday afternoons at Gavilan Community College. Mondays are spent practicing their parts, and Wednesdays are used to film.
The kids learn about using cameras, performing in front of video cameras while they make original programming that will air on Cable Channel 18.
“They will be aired,” Producer and Director Julianne Palma said. “It will probably be the first thing that’s produced here at Gavilan to on the air. They’ll be on TV for all their friends and family to see.”
Helping Palma are Gavilan students Matt Coughlin and Cherise Mantia and former Gavilan student Bob Vasquez, who helps with editing the footage shot in the studio.
Coughlin said the hardest things for the kids to get over is the fear of being filmed.
“The kids are all over the place and have all this energy, but once you get them in front of the camera it’s like a deer looking at headlights,” he said.
Most of the kids agreed that they lose a little energy when the cameras are rolling.
“I learned not to be shy,” 10-year-old Alex Garcia said. “It feels weird to see yourself because when you talk, your voice sounds different. You’re more shy; you’re not as energetic.”
She said Palma and her staff have helped the kids get over their fears and feel more comfortable.
“I had a lot of help from people working here,” Garcia said.
Palma said the kids are very active until the camera is turned on, but they are getting over it.
“Basically, it was getting them over the scare of being in front of the camera for the first time,” Palma said. “They’re all hams.”
Palma said the introduction of the Community Media Access Partnership allowed for an opportunity for kids to learn about television.
“We’ve been trying to do some programming for children,” Palma said. “We’ve always like the idea of kids participating in sketches and getting involved in a more active way. It’s an incredible opportunity for kids. These kids are getting a chance to be in a studio and get that experience.
“Just the exposure to this lets them know that they can do anything. When I was a kid I thought I could just as soon be on TV no more than going to the moon.”
Rachel Tenney also took a lifelong lesson from the program.
“Usually I do things with my friends,” said the 12-year-old who wants to be a professional dancer or actress when she grows up. “I learned I can do things by myself with out my friends and be independent.”
Katie Hipol also got something new out of the program: a new group of friends.
“What surprised me was that I thought we’d end up like strangers at the end,” the 12-year-old said. “We didn’t.”
Star TV is looking for kids ages 9 to 14 for the second section of the program, which runs from March 24 to May 21. The program meets from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at the Gavilan TV Studio. The program costs $225 per student, but Palma said scholarships and partial scholarships are available. For more information on the program call 848-4717.
