ONW SID Fall Final
Alex Kiegerl

The Beginning.

4 months ago I began my Senior year at Olathe Northwest. I was excited, optimistic and ready be given that new level of responsibility I had worked long and hard to achieve. Sports Information; a class I randomly took my junior year as what I thought was going to be a filler elective, gave me that freedom. As a senior I have a two hour block of SID. Everyday 6th and 7th hour my environment changes.I am given the opportunity to independently work on my projects at my own pace. I gain access to top of the line media equipment and the ability to conference my peers in a way unlike any other class. I enter the world of E-comm.

Last year when I started my journey as an E-Communication student, I was thrilled and ready to learn. I had access to numerous sources of knowledge-plentiful one on time with Journalism Administrators and hands on training with cameras so expensive I was scared to carry them around. I progressed greatly as a junior, however I didn't fully realize the power that had been given to me. I worked hard on the projects that were assigned, but I wasn't taking that extra step outside of the box to creatively present my work.

By the end of my junior year, I had majored most if not all of the skills I needed to thrive as a Sports Information Director. My E-Comm savvy friend Joe Kolega and I embraced our roles as the oldest students in our class. Being a role model and helping our underclassmen peers was a responsibility we were more than ready for. One of my favorite projects I did that spring was a hype-video for the Lady Ravens bowling team. It was a very fun opportunity for me to be creative and show my teacher, Mr.Allam that I was ready to take on bigger and better things.


Senior year.

As a senior, I hit the ground running. Towards the end of the previous year we had discussed making a promotional video for the Varsity Football team at Northwest. This video was going to be played at the first assembly, so we had to work fast. Since Joe was a member of the team, I was going to have to film the video by myself. I spent hours after school shooting footage and finally thought it was ready to be thrown together. Joe and I spent numerous days in class reviewing the Broll and trying to make sure the video would be ready on time.

This project enabled me to show off my newly honed skills behind the camera and gave me the chance to show of my creativity. I planned out each of my shots and at one point was even laying on the turf under the QB in order to capture his throw and the pretty sky as a backdrop.

I was very pleased with the turn out of this project. Not only did I have a lot of fun, but I was able to become more confident as I headed into my first semester.


The TriCaster.

The E-Comm department received a brand new state of the art tool called a Tricaster. This piece of equipment costs tens of thousands of dollars and even now, months into using it I still haven't scratched the surface of its complexity. It controls a 3D green screen set that we now use to anchor our Live show, ONW NOW. The program alone requires 2 people to operate and is capable of thousands of editing and graphic features. I was chosen with a couple of other students by Mr.Allam to try and master the Tricaster and take on the responsibility of operating it during the live show every week.

I have gained a lot of knowledge about this piece of equipment and I am very pleased with the things I have learned throughout this year.

Looking to the future...

I have set my goals very high for the rest of my senior year and look forward to progressing with this program.

1. Learn more about the tricaster. I am very excited to learn more about the workings of the Tricaster. I know we have come nowhere near close to its full potential.

2. Improve my blogging and writing skills. I am very impressed with the skills I have learned this year so far.My main goal for second semester is to improve my writing skills and create stories for our Raven Daily website.

Final thoughts

I have come a long way and I can finally say I am confident as an E-Communication student. I know I still have a lot to learn and I am eager to move forward in SID. I have begun reading other blogs, websites and communicating with other sports journalism students. It has helped me grow a great deal. Although I plan to pursue a career in pharmaceuticals, I am very grateful for the skills I have obtained throughout this last year.

Doc Proposal (Joe and Alex)

Documentary Proposal

A proposal is a thorough explanation of your project. It is created in the pre-production phase to persuade funders, distributors and others to support the project.

1. Working title:

       “Digital Media: E-Communication”

2. Producers:

       Joe Kolega  & Alex Kiegerl

3. Controlling idea: You must first write a controlling idea that will describe the premise of your documentary. Use the following template:

My documentary is about the purpose of the ecommunications program at olathe northwest and the impact it’s had on student’s lives.. The main point to cover is what E-Communication is and why it’s such a great program. Ultimately, I want the audience to feel enlightened on the art of digital media and to understand that E-comm can help you strengthen these skills.

4. Main characters: Write a paragraph about EACH of your main characters. For each, include:

Visual Design Media Student: A student who partakes in either graphic design, animation, or web design who is a junior or senior. What do they plan to do with their retained knowledge from Ecomm? How was Ecomm positively impacted their life or student career?

Video Media Student: A student in either the SID, entertainment, or convergence journalism classes who is a junior or senior. What do they plan to do with their retained knowledge from Ecomm? How was Ecomm positively impacted their life or student career?

Underclassmen Ecomm student: Freshman or sophomore who has some or little skill in the field of digital media. What do they plan to do with ecomm? Why are they pursuing the program?

5. Conflict: What is at issue in the film?

Why do students take Ecomm? What impact does it have on the school? Why does this program separate Olathe Northwest from any other high schoo?

6. Plot diagram:

Act 1: Explanation of program. Examples of work. Showcase of teachers, students, and other staples for the program.

Act 2: Interviews of students: what do they do? what makes them special? why are they in ecomm?

Act 3: Why is the program as a whole so important and unique to other high schools? What does this do for olathe northwest?

7. Resolution:

A showcase or montage of students work. Have the audience have a better understanding of the program and be more interested in the field of digital media after viewing the film.

8. Production schedule: Film through 2nd semester, edit accordingly. (?)

The Olathe Northwest football team suits up for the season this week and has their first game on Sept. 6, against Hays High school. Coach Chip Sherman is ready to start his second year with the Ravens and is very confident in his team as a whole. Joe Kolega and I made a promotional video to kick off the season. To view video:
   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irb07BPA83s