Feb 4, 2014 By: admin
Behind the Scenes with Shield News, 黑料社 All鈥檚 Student-Run Broadcast News Team
These days, The Shield News team鈥敽诹仙 All鈥檚 student-run news video broadcast鈥攊s a well-oiled machine.
For instance, they鈥檝e gotten their popular 鈥溾 videos, which keep YU students up to date on the academic calendar, extracurricular events and university athletics news, down to a science. In the beginning of the week, producer and senior David Bodner takes a look at the selecting the most talked-about upcoming events for a script to be built out by a team of student writers and writing editors. Then anchors Benjamin Scheiner 鈥14YC and Shimra Barnett 鈥15S join videographers Ari Hagler 鈥16YC or David Khabinsky 鈥14YC at the team鈥檚 studio in the Schottenstein Center, where they draw on many of the modern staples of broadcast news, such as a green screen and a teleprompter, to give their broadcasts a professional look and feel.
Scheiner and Barnett do take after take as Bodner watches, correcting them if they forget a line or prompting them to add something if it sounds better. Then Khabinsky, who also serves as video editor, works late into the night to perfect the film, cutting and editing until the team has a polished video that鈥檚 ready to help students on both campuses kick off their week when they check their inboxes Monday morning.
All in all, the enterprise has grown to include some 11 students and produce dozens of videos garnering hundreds of views each. It鈥檚 come a long way since the day in 2011 when Scheiner, then in his first year at YU, began thinking about a way to combine his passion for news and news-anchoring with his desire to raise school spirit.
鈥淚 thought a student news broadcast could really make people feel part of their school in ways they didn鈥檛 know they could be by making them feel proud and excited about all the good things happening on campus,鈥 Scheiner said. 鈥淚 also thought it would be a cool way to train students who were interested in video journalism, in roles behind the camera or in front of it, producing or editing videos.鈥
So, with then-fellow student Benjamin Shai 鈥12YC serving as his video editor, Scheiner put together his first video: a brief history of YU and a tour of the Wilf Campus. It was well-received, and in the year that followed, Scheiner slowly began to film more videos with the increasing collaboration of other students intrigued by his idea鈥擸ehuda Silbermintz 鈥13YC helped with shooting and editing, Rafi Skier 鈥13YC drafted their signature music and logo. In the spring of 2013, Netanya Bushewsky 鈥13S signed on as Scheiner鈥檚 co-anchor, coining the team鈥檚 catchphrase 鈥淗ere鈥檚 to you, YU鈥 and bringing with her other students who were interested in participating. Shield News coverage that year included breaking news coverage of Hurricane Sandy, interviews and feature stories.
But it wasn鈥檛 until Bodner and Khabinsky came on board that same spring that the team really solidified. In Bodner, Scheiner found an ABC-trained news producer: Bodner had interned in the community affairs department at the news station the summer before, where he wrote the weekend calendar script that anchors would read on air. Khabinsky also brought solid experience to the group, having secured an internship through with a videographer for popular blogger Jew in the City the previous year. Both were passionate about news and video, and both were excited to bring their own ideas to the table to expand Shield News in new ways.
Week at a Glance was one of the first new features. 鈥淭hat came about because Ben and I were on the phone and I was looking at our schedule of classes, which is called 鈥榊our Week at a Glance,鈥 and I thought, 鈥榃e can do this with events,鈥 鈥 Bodner said.
The team also began producing more 鈥淪hield in the Field鈥 videos, featuring creative recaps and videos of fun or momentous University events, like the , the , (an event where students raise money for breast cancer awareness by participating in a cake-decorating competition), and the (exactly what it sounds like). 鈥淭hose videos are my personal trophies,鈥 said Khabinsky. 鈥淚n a technical and creative sense, we really do exciting things with them, and people who weren鈥檛 even at an event can watch them and see how fun it was. Editing the interviews afterward is also fun because you really get to see the passion that students feel at an event, which is difficult to capture when you鈥檙e writing or talking about it even a week later.鈥
Bodner agreed. 鈥淲e share these videos and the people who ran the events share them too, and you can see how proud they are of what they鈥檝e accomplished. It also helps build buzz for the next event鈥攚e鈥檒l share our coverage of last year鈥檚 Chanukah Concert or Cake Wars and say, 鈥榃e were there last year and we鈥檒l be there again, are you coming?鈥 鈥
When Barnett joined the broadcast this fall, taking Bushewsky鈥檚 place as the Beren Campus representative and Scheiner鈥檚 co-anchor, the team was complete. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to have that female presence there so women know that just because something is happening on the men鈥檚 campus, that doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 not for them also,鈥 said Barnett, who brought her experience as a stage actor to the role. 鈥淚 also really wanted to be involved because I have a ton of school spirit and Shield News is about having school pride. It鈥檚 about how passionate we are about YU and how we want this to be something that helps students take advantage of their week and be proud of the university they go to.鈥
Looking back at the last year, the Shield News team is proud of their hard work, as well. Their videos are now featured in a special tab on YU鈥檚 events page and circulated widely on campus, and there have been some real coups. 鈥淚 thought it was very cool that we had an interview with [musician],鈥 said Scheiner. 鈥淭he guy has celebrity status. I was nervous to do the interview and do it well. From a reporter鈥檚 perspective, I was very proud that the administration was able to help us get that interview, that David [Bodner] coordinated it and I was able to execute it.鈥 The interview received over 400 views.
鈥淥ne of the biggest challenges for us is the Week at a Glance鈥攈ow do we maximize the amount of information students can get out of these videos without making them too long?鈥 said Khabinsky. It鈥檚 a balance every video editor must strike, and he knows it: 鈥淒oing Shield News has made me well-rounded because I can just create a standard video鈥擨鈥檝e learned so many shortkeys from creating these videos every week and expanded my technical skills so much.鈥
鈥淭his is actually a club that teaches you about your future, even if you don鈥檛 want to go into the news industry,鈥 Bodner said. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot of responsibility and coordination. When you鈥檙e working with a group of people there鈥檚 going to be different views and you have to learn how to settle them and stick with a regular schedule.鈥
That鈥檚 been true for Barnett, who, unlike Bodner, Khabinsky and Scheiner, doesn鈥檛 plan to pursue a career in media. 鈥淚鈥檝e definitely gained a lot of confidence from seeing myself on camera week after week,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 much more conscious of the way I act, what I do with my hands. What can you do with your body when you鈥檙e reading off the screen that鈥檚 exciting but not awkward? It鈥檚 totally different from acting on stage.鈥 That being said, Barnett鈥檚 favorite moments with the group are when the camera鈥檚 not rolling. 鈥淭he minute it goes off, that鈥檚 when we have the most fun. There was one time when I was talking about a Russian dollmaking event, and there was a Russian word I just couldn鈥檛 say, and we kept cracking up鈥攊t鈥檚 still a joke we all have today.鈥
For Scheiner, the whole experience has been a lesson in perseverance. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to make something out of nothing, but if you really want it to exist, there are people who will stand by you and your idea, and it鈥檚 important just to stick with it,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e have an environment at YU where if you have the initiative and passion to create something, you can.鈥
As the new semester gets underway, Shield News already has an exciting lineup planned. They鈥檒l be reporting live for three days from YU鈥檚 and covering Cake Wars and Yom Ha鈥檃tzmaut, among other events.
They鈥檒l also be training a host of new students in everything from anchoring to video production as Bodner, Scheiner, Khabinsky and other senior members of the team prepare to graduate and hand the reins over to a new generation of Shield News. As Khabinsky put it: 鈥淭he new horizon is that we鈥檙e not only learning, but teaching others what we have learned.鈥 Barnett will stay on as lead anchor as she continues to develop her own style鈥斺淚鈥檝e been watching a ton of Ellen, which I learn a lot from鈥濃攁nd draw on her background as a speech language and audiology major. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about the power of words, in the end,鈥 she said.
As for Scheiner鈥檚 anchoring style, no surprises there: 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a combination of Ron Burgundy and Stephen Colbert,鈥 he said.
Want to get involved with Shield News? Email the team at theshieldnews@gmail.com and watch their .
For instance, they鈥檝e gotten their popular 鈥溾 videos, which keep YU students up to date on the academic calendar, extracurricular events and university athletics news, down to a science. In the beginning of the week, producer and senior David Bodner takes a look at the selecting the most talked-about upcoming events for a script to be built out by a team of student writers and writing editors. Then anchors Benjamin Scheiner 鈥14YC and Shimra Barnett 鈥15S join videographers Ari Hagler 鈥16YC or David Khabinsky 鈥14YC at the team鈥檚 studio in the Schottenstein Center, where they draw on many of the modern staples of broadcast news, such as a green screen and a teleprompter, to give their broadcasts a professional look and feel.
Scheiner and Barnett do take after take as Bodner watches, correcting them if they forget a line or prompting them to add something if it sounds better. Then Khabinsky, who also serves as video editor, works late into the night to perfect the film, cutting and editing until the team has a polished video that鈥檚 ready to help students on both campuses kick off their week when they check their inboxes Monday morning.
All in all, the enterprise has grown to include some 11 students and produce dozens of videos garnering hundreds of views each. It鈥檚 come a long way since the day in 2011 when Scheiner, then in his first year at YU, began thinking about a way to combine his passion for news and news-anchoring with his desire to raise school spirit.
鈥淚 thought a student news broadcast could really make people feel part of their school in ways they didn鈥檛 know they could be by making them feel proud and excited about all the good things happening on campus,鈥 Scheiner said. 鈥淚 also thought it would be a cool way to train students who were interested in video journalism, in roles behind the camera or in front of it, producing or editing videos.鈥
So, with then-fellow student Benjamin Shai 鈥12YC serving as his video editor, Scheiner put together his first video: a brief history of YU and a tour of the Wilf Campus. It was well-received, and in the year that followed, Scheiner slowly began to film more videos with the increasing collaboration of other students intrigued by his idea鈥擸ehuda Silbermintz 鈥13YC helped with shooting and editing, Rafi Skier 鈥13YC drafted their signature music and logo. In the spring of 2013, Netanya Bushewsky 鈥13S signed on as Scheiner鈥檚 co-anchor, coining the team鈥檚 catchphrase 鈥淗ere鈥檚 to you, YU鈥 and bringing with her other students who were interested in participating. Shield News coverage that year included breaking news coverage of Hurricane Sandy, interviews and feature stories.
But it wasn鈥檛 until Bodner and Khabinsky came on board that same spring that the team really solidified. In Bodner, Scheiner found an ABC-trained news producer: Bodner had interned in the community affairs department at the news station the summer before, where he wrote the weekend calendar script that anchors would read on air. Khabinsky also brought solid experience to the group, having secured an internship through with a videographer for popular blogger Jew in the City the previous year. Both were passionate about news and video, and both were excited to bring their own ideas to the table to expand Shield News in new ways.
Week at a Glance was one of the first new features. 鈥淭hat came about because Ben and I were on the phone and I was looking at our schedule of classes, which is called 鈥榊our Week at a Glance,鈥 and I thought, 鈥榃e can do this with events,鈥 鈥 Bodner said.
The team also began producing more 鈥淪hield in the Field鈥 videos, featuring creative recaps and videos of fun or momentous University events, like the , the , (an event where students raise money for breast cancer awareness by participating in a cake-decorating competition), and the (exactly what it sounds like). 鈥淭hose videos are my personal trophies,鈥 said Khabinsky. 鈥淚n a technical and creative sense, we really do exciting things with them, and people who weren鈥檛 even at an event can watch them and see how fun it was. Editing the interviews afterward is also fun because you really get to see the passion that students feel at an event, which is difficult to capture when you鈥檙e writing or talking about it even a week later.鈥
Bodner agreed. 鈥淲e share these videos and the people who ran the events share them too, and you can see how proud they are of what they鈥檝e accomplished. It also helps build buzz for the next event鈥攚e鈥檒l share our coverage of last year鈥檚 Chanukah Concert or Cake Wars and say, 鈥榃e were there last year and we鈥檒l be there again, are you coming?鈥 鈥
When Barnett joined the broadcast this fall, taking Bushewsky鈥檚 place as the Beren Campus representative and Scheiner鈥檚 co-anchor, the team was complete. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to have that female presence there so women know that just because something is happening on the men鈥檚 campus, that doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 not for them also,鈥 said Barnett, who brought her experience as a stage actor to the role. 鈥淚 also really wanted to be involved because I have a ton of school spirit and Shield News is about having school pride. It鈥檚 about how passionate we are about YU and how we want this to be something that helps students take advantage of their week and be proud of the university they go to.鈥
Looking back at the last year, the Shield News team is proud of their hard work, as well. Their videos are now featured in a special tab on YU鈥檚 events page and circulated widely on campus, and there have been some real coups. 鈥淚 thought it was very cool that we had an interview with [musician],鈥 said Scheiner. 鈥淭he guy has celebrity status. I was nervous to do the interview and do it well. From a reporter鈥檚 perspective, I was very proud that the administration was able to help us get that interview, that David [Bodner] coordinated it and I was able to execute it.鈥 The interview received over 400 views.
鈥淥ne of the biggest challenges for us is the Week at a Glance鈥攈ow do we maximize the amount of information students can get out of these videos without making them too long?鈥 said Khabinsky. It鈥檚 a balance every video editor must strike, and he knows it: 鈥淒oing Shield News has made me well-rounded because I can just create a standard video鈥擨鈥檝e learned so many shortkeys from creating these videos every week and expanded my technical skills so much.鈥
鈥淭his is actually a club that teaches you about your future, even if you don鈥檛 want to go into the news industry,鈥 Bodner said. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot of responsibility and coordination. When you鈥檙e working with a group of people there鈥檚 going to be different views and you have to learn how to settle them and stick with a regular schedule.鈥
That鈥檚 been true for Barnett, who, unlike Bodner, Khabinsky and Scheiner, doesn鈥檛 plan to pursue a career in media. 鈥淚鈥檝e definitely gained a lot of confidence from seeing myself on camera week after week,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 much more conscious of the way I act, what I do with my hands. What can you do with your body when you鈥檙e reading off the screen that鈥檚 exciting but not awkward? It鈥檚 totally different from acting on stage.鈥 That being said, Barnett鈥檚 favorite moments with the group are when the camera鈥檚 not rolling. 鈥淭he minute it goes off, that鈥檚 when we have the most fun. There was one time when I was talking about a Russian dollmaking event, and there was a Russian word I just couldn鈥檛 say, and we kept cracking up鈥攊t鈥檚 still a joke we all have today.鈥
For Scheiner, the whole experience has been a lesson in perseverance. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to make something out of nothing, but if you really want it to exist, there are people who will stand by you and your idea, and it鈥檚 important just to stick with it,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e have an environment at YU where if you have the initiative and passion to create something, you can.鈥
As the new semester gets underway, Shield News already has an exciting lineup planned. They鈥檒l be reporting live for three days from YU鈥檚 and covering Cake Wars and Yom Ha鈥檃tzmaut, among other events.
They鈥檒l also be training a host of new students in everything from anchoring to video production as Bodner, Scheiner, Khabinsky and other senior members of the team prepare to graduate and hand the reins over to a new generation of Shield News. As Khabinsky put it: 鈥淭he new horizon is that we鈥檙e not only learning, but teaching others what we have learned.鈥 Barnett will stay on as lead anchor as she continues to develop her own style鈥斺淚鈥檝e been watching a ton of Ellen, which I learn a lot from鈥濃攁nd draw on her background as a speech language and audiology major. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about the power of words, in the end,鈥 she said.
As for Scheiner鈥檚 anchoring style, no surprises there: 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a combination of Ron Burgundy and Stephen Colbert,鈥 he said.
Want to get involved with Shield News? Email the team at theshieldnews@gmail.com and watch their .
