Year 10 student Nikolai in control of the visual department for the assembly production. Photos: Supplied.
Students at the tiny Ariah Park Central School swapped the classroom for the control desk last week, gaining a hands-on taste of what it takes to put on a professional production.
Seven students and three teachers from the school — one hour north of Wagga — spent three days learning the ins and outs of audio, lighting, vision streaming and staging through a purpose-built NSW Department of Education Entertainment Mobile Training Unit.
The training culminated in the school’s formal assembly, where students put their new production skills to work, operating cameras, sound equipment and other technical gear to help deliver the event.
Year 10 student Nikolai was head of the visual department.
“I managed what appeared on the projector, managed cameras, told people on cameras where to aim them,” he said.
“I was able to get some nice live camera shots focusing on the performance, some close-up shots on performers, and I was telling people where to aim the camera, how to aim the camera, zoom in and left and right and all that.”
The experience has also given Nikolai something to consider as he prepares to choose his subjects for the next stage of school.
“I’ve got subject selections coming up. I could take this as an opportunity in my subject choices. I really enjoyed the visual role, so I could definitely pick that up and take that into my future.”
Year 8 student Jim took charge of the audio side.
“I was the one controlling all the sound, the microphone levels and anything you hear,” he said.
“It’s definitely opened up pathways because I like doing the audio work. I don’t really know what I want to be or do when I’m older yet, but audio’s on track.
“One thing I remembered is how to work the sound desk and I picked up how to make sure the speakers are working, plug them in properly and how to run the cords.”
Year 8 student Jim controlling the audio.
School principal Andrew Clifton said the students had embraced the practical nature of the program.
“I know that the students and staff that have participated in the program over the last two days have gotten a lot out of it, learning about all the technicalities of sound and lighting and how to put together a presentation with a real professional flair to it,” he said.
“It was fantastic to see the culmination of that at our assembly today.
“It was really brilliant to see the students taking ownership of the hands-on learning that they’ve experienced and putting that to work as part of the assembly, operating their different devices to support the running of the assembly and to put on a really fantastic show.”
The Entertainment Mobile Training Unit is being used to take industry-standard teaching directly to regional, rural and remote schools.
Across Terms 3 and 4, the unit and two expert VET teachers are travelling more than 3500 kilometres to reach 10 NSW public schools west of the Great Dividing Range.
The students finishing with a performance for teachers and parents after learning the ropes.
It is equipped with professional equipment including lighting and audio desks, speakers and cabling, lighting trees, video cameras, a vision mixer and a communication system.
The program is designed for schools that want to offer the VET Entertainment Industry course but do not have the capacity or equipment to deliver its practical components.
The workshops are led by John Russell and Joel Lowrie, both Wagga Wagga High head teachers in creative and performing arts, who bring teaching experience and industry expertise to the program.
Mr Clifton said staff had also valued the chance to work with the specialist equipment.
“I know that the staff have really valued seeing how interactive the program has been and the students have had the opportunity to work with the different devices and tools,” he said.
“To be able to operate them in a professional environment has just been really super to see.”
