Collegio Online

Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: After Hours

Kaylan Grizzle, junior in broadcasting, rehearses her lines before recording a peer-counseling scene in the graduate broadcasting office. Grizzle portrays a student who volunteers as a peer counselor at a Crisis Center.

Media Credit: Teresa Gawrych/Collegio Beth Newhouse, right, sophomore in communication education, listens to the director's insight while Kaylan Grizzle, junior in broadcasting, reviews her lines. Students in the dramatic television production class used various pieces of the broadcasting department's equipment to light, decorate and record the production of "The Complex."

Media Credit: Teresa Gawrych/Collegio Jason Stafford, right, senior in sociology, listens to the actors' questions while Jaakko Vallo, junior in computer science and information systems, brings them microphones.

Five or six students stay in constant motion, moving props and equipment and setting up lights and cameras in an office that will be used as a set in the film.
A few actors are clustered around a table, working on makeup, rehearsing lines and joking about their heavy course load.
"Last night Jaakko said, 'Stop typing,'" said Kaylan Grizzle, junior in broadcasting. "But he's from Finland and I thought he said, 'Stop talking.' I cried last night."
Such are the stresses and joys of creating a soap opera.
Director Jason Stafford calls out, "Ten minutes!" and things get a little more serious as everyone begins to focus on his or her role.
Students were enthusiastic in the comfortable chaos of 123 Whitesitt Hall on Monday night, the fourth night of shooting for "The Complex," a soap opera-themed television show produced by the Dramatic Television Production class.
"The Complex" is the first student-produced soap opera to be made on the PSU campus. The show's first air date is undecided.
Stafford, a senior in sociology, says that "The Complex," his directorial debut, has proved to be an "incredibly difficult" experience.
"None of the actors have scripts, so none of them going into any scene knew their character, knew their lines," said Stafford, "so I had to inform them of what was going on and try to get the story out of them and make it look humanistic, make it look real instead of forced."
He continued: "You know, I think it could have been a lot worse. Luckily we have Jaakko and Leo ... So the chaos has really been kept to a minimum."
Students participating say they enjoy the artistic freedom the class provides.
"This is something new," said Justin O'Toole, junior in communication. "You get to use creativity and interact with people, unlike most classes."
Rebecca Hagan, senior in communication, first made the suggestion to do a soap opera, and the students liked the idea.
"We have all the basic news stuff on TV, so it was a fun idea," said Hagan. "This isn't live and it has been a new experience."
Leo Hudson, broadcasting instructor, says students in the class are willing to put in the time, but finding the right time for everyone has been a challenge for the production pioneers.
"The tough thing about producing something on this large of scale is getting people together," said Hudson. "We knew this was going to require lots of out-of-class work but the work itself is a lot harder. There is more set-up time, which includes decorating the set, and lighting. The students have to learn most of this, but we can always go back and adjust the film."
Jaakko Vallo, junior in communication, says students will receive three hours of credit but may put in as many as 10-20 hours a week.
"The problem is everyone has other jobs and classes," said Vallo. "Our class time is not nearly enough but the students must enjoy this because we haven't had dropouts. During shoot time it's hard, but everything gets smoothed over."
As people take their places, Stafford gives some last minute pointers to the two actresses about to perform.
"This is where you are very passionate. Your own emotions are involved and you can't help that," said Stafford.
The final touches are placed, the lighting is tweaked, and Jaakko performs a sound check.
For the rest of the story, readers will have to wait until the episode airs on CAPS 13.

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