Tech Guide - 2021 - 7

regarding fan attendance and the desire for streaming
services and student-run broadcasts becomes two-fold -
from the students who want to gain broadcast experience
and the fans who want to follow their favorite teams.
" The demand for live streaming athletic events is
through the roof right now because so many parents and
fans can't come to the games in person, " Green said.
Ryan Davey, digital media and production teacher,
at Avon Old Farms School, a private all-boys boarding
school in Avon, Connecticut, understands this demand
more than most.
" Where so many of our students' families are out
of state, or in some cases, out of the country, we've
always understood the importance of maintaining that
connection with our students and their friends and
families, " Davey said. " One of the silver linings to this
year with COVID is that we were already on top [live
streaming athletic events]. "
Unlike Green's program, the digital media and
production class at Avon is relatively young. Davey, along
with Erica LuBonta, developed the class after initially
forming an afterschool program and eventually merged
with the on-campus media outlet WAOF Productions. All
of the content is student-produced, from soup to nuts, and
Davey and LuBonta serve as editorial facilitators.
" We try to look at it like they can have all the fun, all of
the hands-on experiences, and we do all the grunt work, "
Davey said with a chuckle.
Convincing school administrators about the class was
follow the action.
Additionally, the
studio is complete
with an on-set video
wall and a " magic
window " touchscreen
display, while the
control room has two
NewTek TriCaster live
production switchers, broadcast graphics, and audio
mixing systems.
One could say it's the El Dorado for high school
broadcasting classes, with producers from CNN
relocating to the Carlsbad area to have their kids enroll
in Green's broadcast journalism program, he said. But
despite all that equipment, for the last year, it's gone
largely unused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
" We have been off of the air for a full year and I will now
have to rebuild my program from scratch as my seniors
will be graduating, " Green said, before finding a silver
lining. " What is nice is that we have discovered some new
technology that will simplify our setup when we do resume. "
Needing a barebones bag of a smartphone, a laptop,
to go along with a TriCaster, students can gain the
experience of working on location and on set in a variety
of roles. As Green put it, " you can do things on a laptop
we could never do before. "
Add in the restrictions many schools have in place
fairly easy, considering the potential to give students
on-the-job training to a future profession, building up and
expanding the sense of school pride, and, perhaps most
importantly, the fundraising opportunities.
" Being in Avon, we're just a stone's throw away from
ESPN's headquarters, " Davey said. " Some [ESPN
employees] have come through Avon. I know some of
our boys see this as a viable career option and gaining
internships or entry-level positions as a production
assistant. "
Green added, " During our daily broadcasts we cannot
run daily ads because we have a captive audience, but
when we're live streaming it's wide-open. We are able
to run legitimate advertisements, live reads, video
commercials. It can be a good revenue source. "
Schools utilizing their broadcast media students
already have a leg on the competition when it comes to
setting up a live stream for its athletic events because
much of the equipment needed should already be in
house, and the rest, with the help of a strong teacher, can
be taught through the students' digital tools.
" One of the things I stress is having gear is nice, but
it's a luxury. Some schools can do that, but you don't
necessarily need it. You don't need a $3,000 camera to
take a good picture. You need to know what to look for
and come from an educational angle, " Davey said. " And
some of the best technology is right in your pocket - these
phones can shoot in 4K and super slow motion. It's not
necessarily easier, but certainly more accessible. "
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