FEED Issue 02

17 STREAMPUNK Whitney High School

THE THING I’VE LEARNEDMOST FROMTHE PROGRAMME IS HOW TO BE A LEADER AND BE ACCOUNTABLE

has the expectation that it will be done to the best of their ability, to create the best product possible.” However, Ryan isn’t planning on a media career when he graduates later this year, but he will be reaching for the stars. He plans to study astrophysics. NAB… FOR KIDS But the broadcast ambitions of Whitney High School extend beyond the Sacramento area. Every year Barnholdt takes his students to the Student Television Network (STN) convention in Nashville. STN is devoted to promoting excellence in scholastic broadcast journalism, filmmaking and media convergence. “It’s the high school version of NAB. There are a bunch of contests and award ceremonies,” says Barnholdt. “This year we took 68 kids.” Vendors show up at STN too, just as they would at any other tradeshow. Wirestream, LiveU, GoPro and Blackmagic all have stands. The only di‹erence between STN and NAB is that the attendees may be a

little more receptive to new ideas. “Telestream has a workshop that teaches about Wirecast. The kids get to meet di‹erent vendors and see the technology, and they go to workshops and seminars and get to learn from the pros. The days are about 50% competitions and 50% learning.” Around 3500 students attend STN and the show isn’t just limited to US schools; some London schools have also sent students. Every year STN holds its ‘Crazy 8’ competiton, in which students have eight hours to create a television show. Students have to supply their own gear and crew are judged at the end of the day. The Whitney team flies in a huge array of equipment. This year it was ten iMacs, eight cameras, an Osmo iPhone gimbal, a mixer and sound recording equipment. Some students brought their own cameras and computers too. “We have a quote that hangs up in our room that says ‘Start working like you have something to prove’.”

STAPLE DIET: Weekly football games form the basis of the live streaming programme, with hands-on experience central to the course

Powered by FlippingBook