While most University of the Ozarks students were kicking off their three-day Labor Day holiday, an intrepid few were flexing their technological muscles in a KUOZ TV-6 Boot Camp. Their mission: Learn how to procure, operate, store, and maintain the new, state-of-the-art JVC camera equipment provided by the generous endowment established to support Walker Hall by the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation.
From white balancing to back-focusing, KUOZ Executive Producers Cory Pintado and Alix Tiegs led approximately 20 recruits through rigorous training exercises. Throughout the day, two emergency scenarios were staged. Students worked in teams to shoot, report, edit, and submit polished, cohesive, captivating news stories on tight deadlines. And, they succeeded.
Approximately 20 students recently took part in an KUOZ TV-6 boot camp to learn how to work new JVC cameras that the RTV program received this summer.
"This boot camp was a student initiative," said Susan Edens, director of broadcasting. "The executive producers came to me at the end of the school year and said they thought producers and members of KUOZ 6 needed to have an immersive learning experience in which they would all come away with an intermediate media field production skillset. So, I pitched that notion, with my full support, to incoming Executive Producers Corey Pintado and Alix Tiegs, and they jumped on the idea. We soon realized that we would need to narrow the content to field camera use, for time purposes, since this was pretty much a voluntary deal."
Before RTV students can acquire and use the new equipment, they must show proficiency in its use, so as the day drew to a close, all were subjected to camera, tripod, and procedure testing. A willingness to sacrifice a day of vacation for a day of long hours, hot weather, and a grueling pace exemplifies the dedication that makes the University of the Ozarks’ RTV program so impressive.
"We were blessed with an update to our camera fleet, so this provided the perfect way to kick off the new year and give a large core group of RTV students and students outside of the major an opportunity to learn the camera and practice with it in scenarios," Edens said. "We had executive producers acting as instructors and teaching in the classroom and observing in the field and then at the end of the day the executive producers and Dr. [Rhonda] Shook and I tested all of the students, with a hands-on, verbal exam. To pass the exam, students had to make an 80 percent. We are happy to report that the majority of the students passed and some made perfect scores. I think the 9-hour day paid off and was a fun experience for everyone involved."
KUOZ 6 is an organization open to all students on campus and is an extension of the RTV major. The organization has weekly meetings and an "earn it" rank system of : member, producer, and executive producer.
Topics: Communication Studies