Throughout this current school year, only ten students at Bergen County Academies have been taking Mr. Lang’s full year broadcasting course. Within this class, they have been taught several components of the field, the lighting and camera work just to name a few.
All of this has been done in the anticipation of premiering their new show, Knight Vision, on March 1, 2024. The first episode will be posted on Mr. Lang’s YouTube channel, BCALangsta. The whole show will cover various topics, and even with all this content, Knight Vision will remain fairly short, allowing students to quickly watch and be informed on upcoming events.
Though the concept could seem fresh to some, Knight Vision actually is an inspiration of BCA’s past shows. However, with the growth of the school in the past couple of years, it has become harder and harder for these productions to reach a large number of students.
“At the time the entire school was just the engineering wing and some other classrooms, but everything was contained there, making it easier for all of the students to tune in,” said Mr. Lang, the teacher who runs the full-year course. “As the school got longer and students got involved in more and more things, the number of students committed started to drop and it became a Wednesday project.”
Creating a show requires assistance from people in many different categories. Everyone spent plenty of hours preparing, allowing them to gain knowledge on tasks both in front and behind of the cameras leading up to the first episode.
Mr. Lang has been preparing for this show for several months, as discussions with students began towards the end of the last school year. During the third and final trimester, Mr. Lang started an elective dedicated to creating the show. However, the time constraint in which they had to work under made it extremely difficult to accomplish this. They recorded interviews and tried their best to get everything set in place, but there was simply not enough time nor students. So, once attracting enough interest, Mr. Lang offered broadcasting as a full-year elective beginning this past fall.
Some may see only 10 students working on a single show as a disadvantage, but other students take away the positives from it. “There are not very many of us which can create complications, but it also makes the experience more enjoyable,” said Lucy Montalti, a senior in the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts – Visual. “We’re able to work well with each other and bounce ideas off of one another, and I think it makes us a more productive team.”
Everyone shares different experiences in their particular roles, but at the same time, all of them are learning something new, and this information is incredibly valuable to some. Lucy is a prime example of this. “I plan on pursuing journalism in college and as a career, but I’ve only done work in documentaries or print and writing,” she said. “I thought this would be a great opportunity to experience the broadcast TV side of the field!”
Of course, not all students are mapping out a career in journalism, some just find it enjoyable, and want to increase their understanding of the extended professions. “I joined this elective because I enjoy journalism and this class seemed like an extension of that field. I also thought it would be a different class to try out.” said Fiona Curran, a sophomore in the Academy for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Administration.
Most of the live and repetitive portions of the show are filmed in the back of Mr. Lang’s room, where a huge set up filled with different lighting, teleprompters, and more are on display. The studio gives the filming process a professional look, feel, and product. But through interviews in the hallways, classmates outside of the course can give their input on varying topics. This involvement is a favorite of a few students, Fiona included. “My favorite part of this class has been filming out in the hallways because I liked seeing the students’ answers,” she said. “It’s really interactive and hands-on.”
It is already nearly halfway through the school year, and unfortunately, no more students can join the broadcasting elective. However, those who are not enrolled in the course are still able to pitch their ideas, make appearances, and most importantly, provide their assistance. In fact, those on the outside looking in are just as important as those directly involved.
“I think the students that are putting the show together have done a lot of good work in terms of coming up with ideas for segments,” said Mr Lang, “but the show is only going to be as good as the people who tune in and watch and come up with more ideas and help us create something that is engaging for everybody at school.”
With each episode, the show changes slightly, as it will contain new components, segments, etc. But there is one portion that remains the same: BCA news and sports. At the end of the day, no matter what differences may separate students from one another, they are all part of the same circle, and Knight Vision may connect them in several ways. Lucy put it best, “Whenever we’re able to revive past BCA traditions, especially after the pandemic, it makes BCA a stronger community.”