Ready, Set, Action!

Cutchogue East fourth graders from Philip Munisteri’s and Donna Anderson’s class received a behind-the-scenes look at how a live morning news show is produced. The elementary school students were invited to the TV studio by Mattituck Jr.-Sr. High School’s in-house news crew, WMHS News, to learn about the high school’s media program and to engage in a collaborative broadcast.WMHS News, under the direction of Tiffany Pelczar, is an advanced media and film elective available to juniors and seniors. The class produces The Morning Show, a student-run live broadcast that covers school news, announcements, sports and events. Students taking the class exercise their skills in meeting deadlines, working in a fast paced environment, and creating engaging media to communicate with the school community in a creative and dynamic way.
The fourth grade class was chosen because of its innovative use of a green screen to produce their own productions, such as the recent production of “The Polar Express.” The class had already shown great enthusiasm for creating videos and participating in the technical side of production, making them the perfect group to take on the challenge of producing a live morning show.
Eleven members of the WMHS News production team worked alongside the fourth graders in the high school studio and on location and guided them through various roles, including filming, editing, interviewing and on-camera reporting to produce a broadcast in the format of The Morning Show. The finished product will be shared on the WMHS YouTube channel in the coming weeks. Some of the roles taken on by the elementary school students included anchor/reporter, producer, director, technical director, sound team, script team and commercial crew. The day ended with a professional and polished show with each student contributing their unique skills to the broadcast.
The fourth graders not only gained a greater understanding of the hard work that goes into producing a news show but experienced the power of teamwork and creativity.