Flash Into the Future

By Ella Harrison

I hope that I am a part of many more nights like January 31, 2023. At the beginning of the semester when we signed up for a time to attend a taping of FUNC, Furman University News Channel, I was a little worried about what I might have to do. Now, I am grateful that I got to witness all that goes into getting a news show on the air. As someone who is interested in one day being in front of the camera, I think it is important that I see everything that goes on behind the scenes.

The night I attended FUNC, Lexia Gianopoulos and Josh Swope, the current student body president, filmed a talk show. Before they got to the studio, I worked with Jada Walker to prepare the scene. First, we turned on the main camera and lights. The hosts did not use the teleprompter for this particular segment, but Jada demonstrated how you can upload the script to the computer and display it on the teleprompter for the anchors if needed.

After turning on all the equipment on the floor, Jada and I went back to the studio room to work with the TriCaster. One helpful tip Jada gave was to use the numbers camera numbers 1, 2, and 3 on the keyboard to turn on the TriCaster to prevent jump cuts. Then, she clicked “start live production.”

Once this program was up, we could see Lexia and Josh on the monitor from Camera 2. Then, Kayla helped make sure the chairs were in the right place and turned on the TV to align Lexia and Josh with the image of the Bell Tower. I learned that the Bell Tower on the TV helps the director place the anchors symmetrically on camera.

Once Lexia and Josh were ready, the actual taping of FUNC began. Jada pressed the record button on the monitor and the show was under way. While they were filming, Jada and Kayla let me put on headphones to hear the show. After about ten minutes, Lexia and Josh finished their discussion and Jada stopped recording on the TriCaster.

I thought it was so impressive that the FUNC crew ran the show so smoothly without a professor or adult director there. FUNC allows students to receive invaluable experience in filming and production. Every member displayed knowledge of all the different aspects of the show. Each person seemed to understand how to arrange the set, how to anchor, and how to run the equipment in the studio.

I think that this wide array of knowledge is the treasure of FUNC. When applying to jobs in the broadcast news industry, it is impressive to have comprehension of multiple aspects of running a news show.

Although my ultimate goal is to be on the sidelines reporting, I realize that in order to work up to that I will probably start in the studio. I hope that nights like this one will one day lead to accomplishing my dreams.

Listening to the audio soundboard during filming.