At the beginning of the school year, audio/visual technology teacher and baseball coach Duston Shepherd started a new creative media and video production club. The idea for the club has been in the works since last school year, and they have released their newscast called “The Buzz” on January 31.
“I’ve always been really interested in stuff to do with cameras and the news,” junior Jonah Castro said. “I learned that we were doing the news things last year because he did a test version of it, and I was very interested in that. I love Coach Shepherd, so I felt obliged to go and do that.”
Students can get in touch with their creative side with theatre and art classes and the drama and art clubs. Students who love to write can also join classes and clubs such as creative writing and journalism, but there hasn’t really been a club where you can get creative with broadcasting and videography. With the new Creative Media Club, you can use this creativity to be involved with the newscast.
“I did it because I wanted to make sure that kids had an outlet,” Shepherd said. “Not every kid is an athlete or in band. There’s a lot of students that enjoy creating things, and being artistic with technology.
They use this newscast to keep people updated on what goes on around the school and Azle.
“What I do is I record people, interview them and get their opinions about topics we go over,” junior Emma Garces said. “So far, we go over basic stuff like athletics, give daily info on activities that are going around at Azle High School and just up-and-coming stuff that’s really popular.”
This club is a great opportunity for people who like video production and photography.
“If you’re interested in editing or anything in video or photography that [creative media club] would be a really good thing for you,” Junior Grace Justice said. “Also it’s great for kids who like to act, like me, and people who like to be on screen for the newscast, but, especially if you’re an editor, it’s a great place to learn how to do effects and things like that if you’re not able to take a video class.”
Creative media is also a great way to find people who like the same things you like. You can make new friends and find people who care about the same things you do.
“[I like] how much everybody cares,” Castro said. “It’s like a group of people who really care about making something awesome, and I really enjoy the effort.”
The Creative Media Club will release the next episode of “The Buzz” March 7.
