Behind the scenes
Campus production crew offers professional setting, result
By Chhun Sun
Start at the east end of the Speech Arts building, where the glass double
doors lead to a dimly lit hallway. Walk past a few classrooms, and then
stop at the door leading to Room 172 to 182.
| 
Cameramen Derek Martin and Bader Shaaban, along with club president
and floor director Jenna Boozer of B# prepare for a debate tapping
Sept. 20. Photos by Joseph Hollak |
Open the door and make a right turn. Now walk a few more feet to see
where the old Hollywood saying, “Where the magic happens,”
comes to life.
On a typical day, B# (B-sharp), comprised of students from the mass communication
and journalism department, uses Studio A, equipped with a control room,
to produce such shows as debates and comedy shows.
But the production crew does work that goes outside the studio doors,
where it films such projects as program orientation videos, documentaries
and educational videos.
“This gives you really good experience, working real shows that
are actually going to be aired,” said club president Jenna Boozer.
“We churn out projects that are as good as the ones that go to a
professional videographer.”
| 
Chair of the Mass Communication and Journalism Department and coordinator
of B# Don Priest (left) mans the control board. |
Boozer said, with 26 members, the production club lacks enough people
to handle every project that comes its way.
“We don’t have twenty members doing cameras, because if did,
then we wouldn’t need to fill the positions,” said Boozer,
who doesn’t know why many people haven’t heard of the production
club. “We don’t have enough members to do every project. We
really want to be able to do every single project.”
That is why Boozer and the production club are opening their door to anyone
interested.
“You don’t have to have experience,” Boozer said. “Anybody
that has an interest in video and want to know about it.”
Members of the production club are usually recruited through MCJ classes.
Amjad Qafeiti said he is glad that he switched from computer science to
electronic media production.
Now he serves as technical director or director of production shows.
He describes the atmosphere during production as “crazy” and
“an adrenaline rush.”
“I love doing it,” Qafeiti said. “I’m glad I landed
in this medium.”
During taping, everyone is usually focused, Boozer said, but they still
have their moments of laughter.
For example, minutes before a debate taping on Sept. 20, a couple of members
of the production crew, including Qafeiti, were lounging in the control
room, not talking about the show.
Then Don Priest, chair of the MCJ department and coordinator of B#, chimed
in. Priest, who describes the production crew as hard and dedicated worker,
turned to Qafeiti and made a statement to prompt laughter inside the control
room.
“For the rest of your life you’ll be sitting around eating
doughnuts,” Priest said, laughing.
You can visit the B# Website at www.csufresno.edu/mcj/bsharp/
for more information about the club.
|
