Club status helps NDTV expand
By CHRISTINA CEPERO
News Writer
Notre Dame Television, a biweekly 30-minute variety show, attained club status from Student Activities in December after actively seeking recognition since April.
"We have laid down a permanent foundation," said executive producer and junior Film, Television and Theater and history major Liam Dacey. "Things have been going much more smoothly this semester."
Dacey said the club can now put up a booth at Student Activities night in the fall and hang signs around campus to raise awareness and get more people involved.
The show consists of news, spotlight, interview, entertainment and random segments. The four executive producers, Dacey, junior Lance Johnson, sophomore Chris Chamberland and senior Alex Grunewald, film, edit and host the segments and put the whole show together.
This week's news topic is fake IDs.
"We had thought about doing it last semester, but after the Boat Club incident, this was the perfect time to do it," said news producer and junior FTT major Bailey Ertel. The last news episode covered the new rectors on campus.
This week's show spotlights the Pasquerilla East Musical Company's interpretation of "Into the Woods." NDTV has also spotlighted WVFI, Las Posadas, Asian Allure, NBC sideline reporter Lewis Johnson and the marching band.
Andy Gomez is the spotlight producer and a senior FTT major, in addition to being president of Coro Primavera, the Spanish choir that sings Christmas carols around campus every year for the Mexican Las Posadas tradition
"My favorite spotlight so far has been Las Posadas because it was interesting to put a piece together on something so personal to me," said Gomez. "We aim to spotlight clubs and organizations on campus that are not very well known, so the wider community can see what's going on," said Gomez.
Spider Kwok, spotlight staff member and sophomore FTT and English major, said, "We like to open our segments with montages of exciting clips and then alternate with interviews and voice-overs."
This week's interview features new student magazine Changing Times' President John Cannon. The last show featured chemistry professor Dennis Jacobs, who was named Professor of the Year. Senior Brian Bircher produces the interview segment.
This week's entertainment segment highlights The Not So Royal Shakespeare Company's rendition of "The Taming of the Shrew." Sophomore Monika Mehlmann produces the entertainment portion of the show.
This week the random segment will launch a four-part series called "Joe Athlete," a parody of "Joe Millionaire" and will include a commentary on Notre Dame athletics and male-female relations. Past random episodes include films that did not make it into the student film festival, gladiator interviews at the Rock, a "mockumentary" on the Grab `n Go ladies, fake ND clubs and Jaywalking at a tailgate. The random segment's current producer is sophomore FTT and philosophy major Nick Bruno.
The producers of each of the segments and their staff film several hours of footage, and then spend hours editing down to 5-minute segments. NDTV staff members gain valuable experience, since many of them plan to pursue careers in the competitive television industry.
Junior Cheryl Turski and sophomore Tony Easterlin host the show.
"It gets more fun and spontaneous as we do it," said Turski.
The past several episodes have been on location at the student film festival and at LaFortune instead of the studio.
"This gives more energy to the piece and allows for a shorter setup time," said Chamberland.
For the March 4 episode, the executive producers hope to have Turski and Easterlin host the show outside the Joyce Center at the Feb. 22 Virginia Tech basketball game.
Originally named New Dimension Television, the student-produced television program forged ahead last spring with its four executive producers and faculty adviser and assistant FTT professor Christine Becker. NDTV aired its first show last October.
Now called Notre Dame Television, the organization has more freedom to do things because it is associated with the University. Its new Broadcast Media Coordinator Laurie McFadden has provided NDTV with new equipment as well as connections.
"This will help keep the organization in motion," said Dacey. The shows air every other Tuesday at 10 p.m. and every Thursday at 5 p.m. on local public access cable Channel 3.
All News Stories for Tuesday, February 18, 2003
