NESCom Productions Offer Students a Taste of Reality
“This was an awesome opportunity, and I'm glad I had the chance to work on a project that is going to benefit so many people,” said Olivia Mosher ’21, writer and producer of one of the New England School of Communications’ most recent productions, the “Amazing Y FundRacer.” The other notable production was based on author Stephen King’s short story “That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French.” Director and Editor David Gerken ’20 claimed, “It was pretty much learning how to put all these puzzle pieces together and making it run smoothly.”
NESCom Video Production Instructor Frank Welch said, “We are always looking for exciting projects to challenge our students and allow them to showcase the skills they have spent four years developing.” He went on, “The end goal is always that the students learn from the experience, show themselves and others what they are now capable of, and leave with something to show potential employers what they can do.”
The “Amazing Y Fundracer” production was the largest single day shoot in NESCom history with 30 students and 18 cameras. This was done in the midst of the pandemic since The Bangor Region YMCA could not conduct its usual annual fundraising. Lynn Darling of the Y’s Board of Directors approached Welch about the idea to raise money and include a lot of Bangor businesses and landmarks in a reality-style TV show.
Mosher admitted to the tremendous amount of work. “Teams went to each business, filmed interviews and edited them. There was a camera person and an audio person assigned to each team and at least one camera person stationed at each location so that there would be more angles to work with.” She went on, “After event day, we were still putting packages together, making graphics, editing footage and more; it was pretty crazy.”
The second creation mastered during the pandemic came from one of the works of Stephen King. With permission, King occasionally allows a short story to be made into a video production. For Gerken, “It was about working with a lot of people, getting permissions and organizing; it’s the behind the scenes work that nobody sees.” He also appreciated Stephen King’s comments. “He critiqued the film and was happy to see this come out so well.”
Welch joins his students on these long, student-driven days. “I work as an executive producer and we discuss ideas and concepts, but I never take over a project. Students learn the challenge of taking on a real-world project and applying the skills.”