Samo Film Presents: SamoHIGHLIGHTS

When you think of CityTV, you might imagine a continuous live stream of dull city council meetings, interrupted by a few black and white infomercials. Nevertheless, the Samo film department is working to expand the channel’s audience by adding a show of its own, “Samohighlights,” to the Saturday morning routine.This year, Samo began its third season of “Samohighlights,” a show, written and produced by Samo students. Sixteen of film teacher Bill Wishart’s Film and Video production students have come together to create and air the show. In all eight of the episodes, students are featured as hosts and guests.The students put in a lot of time and effort into producing the twenty-five minute episodes. According to Wishart, students write scripts, rehearse anchors, find guests to be on the show and finally bring all these components together in the five hours they have to shoot. These efforts are led by the executive producers of the show, Alana Feldman (’14) and Ruhi Bhalla (’14).Student hosts present news, talk and performance shows to their audience. Students cover events, feature their peers and talk to different people about organizations, events or even sports teams. In the performance shows, the producers look for students who have interesting talents that they want to share with peers.Sophie Horwitz-Hirsch (’14) was interviewed on the show about her participation in marching band. Horwitz-Hirsch said the show was not only a fun experience but was also a good way for her to show Samo students what the marching band is really about.“My favorite part of the experience was knowing that I wasn’t just speaking for myself but for over a hundred other people,” Horwitz-Hirsch said. “It was really cool knowing that my voice was being used to promote something that I and an entire band put a lot of time and effort into.”From dealing with nerves to figuring out film logistics, students who star on the show get a chance to see what being on TV is really like. According to performer Zander Tyger Allman (’15), it is also a great way for young performers to start getting experience in the music world.“It was pretty incredible to see how professional and under control everything was,” Harry Gilboa (’15) said. “Everybody knew exactly what to do, and I was amazed at how smooth the whole process went considering the level of complexity people had to deal with while using all of the high end equipment.”According to Kai Hakomori (’17) and David Shi (’14), both reporters on the show, one of the best parts of the experience was watching peers preform.Jessica Fuller (’16) who preformed an original song on the show, said that the pressure put on students makes most nervous. Thankfully, the show has a  “talent wrangler” to calm students down and get them what they need. This position is reserved for someone with great organizational skills and the ability to relax and calm other people in nerve-racking situations.“Before I went on I was pretty nervous because I had never preformed an original song in public before,” Fuller said. “The song was very personal so it was a little like reading my diary in front of everyone, but preforming is definitely a thrill, and it helped me gain more confidence and inspired me to write more.”Aakeem Allahjah (’14) who was interviewed on the show for winning Homecoming king, said that although the experience can be nerve-wracking, being on the show was worthwhile.“It was a really fun experience since both of the hosts were friends of mine. One of my favorite parts was getting ready and going over lines with Sadie [Dorf (’14)] and the hosts because we got to crack jokes and laugh while also getting ready to shoot,” Allahjah said. “I look forward to looking back on this experience 30 years from now.”Although the program’s goal is to get information to the students, Wishart said the experience of creating the episodes is more valuable.“Not having a huge viewership is okay from the standpoint that the experience is really valuable and the techniques that the students use are something that they will be able to use for the rest of [their] lives,” Wishart said.According to the Regional Occupation Program (ROP) Department Chair Rebel Harrison, the program is a great opportunity for students to be able to work in a professional environment. Studio 16, where CityTV is filmed, is equipped with high quality cameras, lighting equipment, a lighting grid and a control room complete with a mixing board and monitors.“Working in that environment is a great experience,” Feldman said. “I think of it like a job almost—we have all the resources as if we were really making a show on TV.”For students like Sadie Eller (’14), who is interested in continuing to work with film and video in her future, this is a unique opportunity.“The experience has given me such an insight into the world of production,” Eller said. “I now know how to work a three-camera shoot, operate a switcher and organize a show. I have learned things at CityTV that I will carry with me and apply to my filmmaking.”The program has aired three of its four first semester shows and plans to continue their upbeat and show in the middle of informational CityTV. The show will continue to air every Saturday morning at 8:30 through the end of the school year.friosfetchko@thesamohi.com