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I arrived in Springfield on
Saturday evening and got settled into my dorm room on the Drury University
campus with all the comforts of home--my pillow and sleeping bag. All day Sunday I spent as "Shuttle Boy" shuttling teachers arriving for Camp STN 2005 from the airport to campus for check-in. That night, Drury provided pizza and drinks for the evening orientation session. Then I did my kickoff keynote presentation for the teachers which concluded at nearly 10pm. After making a Wal-Mart run for teachers whose baggage was lost by the airlines and for those who just needed to pick up some supplies, it was finally bedtime at midnight. Whew! Monday was the first day of the camp's week-long "Breakfast at 7:30" routine at the Drury cafeteria. "Let's see, one egg, one sausage, one bacon, one coconut doughnut..." |
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Camp "home" for the week was
Hillcrest High School as we shuttled teachers between the Drury campus and
Hillcrest. Here Tim, my long-time friend and Assistant Camp Director,
gives the 40 beginning teachers from 30 different states the Camp STN
focus statement: "I will learn to tell stories using audio and video." |
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After a series of training sessions and presentations, the campers were given their first
assignment, a video only shoot. They drew scenarios we had created for
them. "If I don't like what I draw for my group, can I draw again?" |
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Tuesday morning, Dave, my
long-time friend and Camp Director, jokingly scolds the teachers for complaining
about getting to bed late again after completing their second
assignment (an edit only project) and a tour of a local TV station and
viewing their live 10pm newscast. "Whadaya' mean you're dead tired? Wes did another Wal-Mart run late last night, so he's running on only 6 hours of sleep, yet he's PERKY! This is CAMP! Time is relevant only for deadlines! We live and breathe WITHOUT SLEEP!" |
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I critiqued the edit only
projects in which the campers were given the same 7 minutes of raw footage
(interview "sound bites," reporter "stand-ups," and "B-roll") and had to produce a 45
second story called a "package." "So why was it so important to do your audio track first, including using 'nat sound'?" |
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Channel One, a
co-sponsor of the camp, sent one of my former students, Jeff, to
videotape our instructional presentations and guest speakers. I was Jeff's
art teacher when he was in 4th grade and his media teacher when he was in
6th grade. In high school, Jeff was in Dave's media class and a producer
on the award-winning HTV
Magazine staff. Jeff still calls me "Mr. Leggett." "My beloved media teachers are getting older and grayer and older and grayer..." |
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After completing assignment
three, a 45 second story that campers shot in downtown Springfield and
edited back at Hillcrest, we rewarded them with a late night visit to
Lambert's restaurant in Ozark. Here I am with Tim and two more friends
that are part of the Camp STN staff, Paul and Mike. "More sweet tea, please..." |
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After more critiques and
instructional presentations on Wednesday morning, it was time to give the
campers their final assignment, a location shoot in Branson. Here Tammy,
a Channel One producer, and I go through the different story topics
possible in Branson. Behind us, Jim, my dorm roommate and fellow
shuttle van driver, jots down the members of Team A (my team) and Team B
(Tim's team) as each team will be producing their own television show
about Branson. (BTW, Jim took all the photos you see here, except for this
one, so thanks Jim!) "Remember, we're looking for stories that will run about one to three minutes in length for the television shows..." |
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As campers (they worked in partners as reporters-photographers) on Team A began calling in their stories to me, here returning campers Belinda, Julia, my line producer Paul, and returning camper Lara (out of view in the passenger seat) work with me on organizing the show run-down and writing the anchor "wraparounds" on a laptop. The beginning campers left Branson at 11pm while Tim, Mike, Paul and I and the rest of the returning campers set up and shot the anchor spots, finishing up at 1:15am. We finally made it back to Springfield at 2am! |
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Here is Dave with one of our
guest speakers for the camp, Dale, an investigative reporter for
Fox News in Atlanta. Dale has spent 25 years in broadcasting and is an
Emmy, a Peabody, and an Edward R. Murrow Award recipient. "Dale warms our spirits with his reporter's creed: 'Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the Comfortable'!" |
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On Thursday, the campers spent
all day and night (some finished close to midnight) editing their stories.
Paul and I began assembling their stories on a single Mac. "Smile, Paul!" "I'm too tired to smile." |
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On Friday, Paul and I spent all
day line producing Team A's television show while Tim and Mike line
produced Team B's show, while the campers enjoyed a final day of
presentations and workshop sessions. Late Friday afternoon, we premiered
the two television shows followed by a fun behind-the-scenes bloopers
segment produced by the camp interns. When the shows finished, we
presented Julia with a special gift for attending six consecutive Camp
STNs. "What the heck is this?" |
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"Oh, it's an autographed toaster oven from all the camp staffers!" Friday night, we shuttled the campers back to Branson for shopping and a late night (why break tradition?) dinner. On Saturday, I was relieved of my airport shuttling duties so I could spend my last moments in Springfield visiting family. Then it was my turn to catch my own evening flight back home. What an exhilarating and exhausting week at Camp STN 2005! |