The North Lake Video Technology department in partnership with the League of Women Voters, Irving, collaborated on a real-world experience for students on Oct 15.

They produced the 90-minute Texas House District Candidate Forum with candidates from House Districts 105, incumbent Terry Meza (D) and Rose Cannaday (R), and District 115 with Cassandra Hernandez (D) and John Jun (R).

The program was moderated by former Irving City Councilmember, Sharon Barbosa Crain.

“I felt that this was a great opportunity for them (the students) to learn,” said Adjunct Professor Robert Heine who served as the director for the show.

Heine also works as the associate director of media production for Dallas College.

“More times than not they’re in a class with a student director who’s also new.

So having an opportunity for the whole crew to work with an experienced director, I think is incredibly beneficial for them.”

 Twenty students in the program served on the crew in what was their first ever live show.

They served as sound technicians, lighting technicians, camera operators, lighting technicians, floor managers, producers and technical directors.

“This was my first time doing an actual production as technical director.

It’s really fun. I mean, you definitely do have to pay attention to everything that’s going on both on the director and out on the floor, because you never know when the director’s job is going to actually have to fall on you.

It’s stressful, but it’s fun,” student Rafaela Zysko Rivkind said.

Alexis Diaz is a graduate of the North Lake Video Technology program.

She works in the department as a full-time studio coordinator.

She said the pre-production was intense but that it smoothed out during the show.

“I was the one who was helping to keep an eye on things to make sure it (the equipment) was working and that everyone was OK,” Diaz said.

She recommends such experiences for new students to understand professional dynamics and real-world applications.

In addition to her work with Dallas College, Diaz freelances for local TV stations. She praises the North Lake program for launching careers.

The students who participated in the Texas House District Candidate Forum volunteered to be part of the production.

It was not required for a class, although some received extra credit.

Heine said as a director, he was able to offer lessons about live broadcast in an environment where they might stumble a bit and learn from it.

“This is the opportunity for you to make a mistake because this isn’t going to cost you a job,” Heine said noting that making a mistake in an academic setting will help students avoid making mistake when they’re getting paid.

“Live television is as planned as it can be but there are always surprises,” Heine said.

That was the case on Oct. 15 when one of the candidates was late for the show.

The show had to start, so the crew made a plan.

When the candidate arrived, they hooked up her microphone and eased her onto the stage beyond the site of the cameras.

“So, that’s something where I didn’t stress at all, because this is another teaching moment for students to realize that -A-, the show must go on and -B-, we got to get everybody on stage,” he said.

The Video Technology program brings together faculty members with professional experience.

Greg Ruuska is a long-time faculty member with the department who served as the liaison for the project. He brings experience with Fox Sports in covering Dallas Cowboys games.

Ruuska praised the students saying, “Overall it was a success.” Ruuska said 37 people came to campus to experience the live program, which the League of Women Voters live-streamed over Facebook. Ruuska said that as of this writing, the video had been viewed 1100 times.

He also mentioned that he had received positive feedback from the League of Women Voters, the candidates and the students who want to do another production in the spring.

“This is the kind of career that most people do because they like it,” said Heine. In reviewing the production, he said the students made mistakes here and there, but they did great in other areas. He asked them how they felt. If they felt good and wanted to do it again, they were in the right place.

“If you love what you do, it’s not a job,” he said. “This is the place to find out.”