Tuning in to Tomahawk Today
Anticipation builds up as the timer counts down to the start of Tomahawk Today. The tech crew adjusts audio, lighting, and transition effects to present the show in its best format. They control the attention-grabbing intro to the show, along with the music.
September 14, 2018
Tomahawk Today: NC’s popular morning show manages to wake up even the sleepiest of the warriors. Instructed by audio and video productions teacher Mr. Knode, the Tomahawk crew manages to put together a captivating show filled with unique segments and important information to grasp students’ attention every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:20 a.m. Brainstorming new production ideas for the new school year, the crew proposed a significant shift in the focus of Tomahawk Today, leaving behind the lack of student participation in the past.
Known and favored throughout NC for its popular entertainment segments, Tomahawk Today continues to work toward morning laughter and smiles across the school. However, the process behind the creative writing of the production changed enormously for the new school year, and the crew wanted to base the show off of the common interests of NC students. Previously, they simply based the comedic production off of the team’s humor.
“A lot of it comes down to what’s popular at the time, what kind of things the audience is going to relate to, and that is something we didn’t really hit last year. We had a lot of things that were really funny to the people in the class, and then we kind of forgot that we’re not the only ones watching,” technical director and senior Josh Jenkins said.
For the past couple of years, only feedback from the Tomahawk crew itself remained persistent and relevant, which left out the key to success: the attention of the NC student audience.
The camera crew films the entirety of the show to its best ability, concentrating on which angles and functions of the camera will best enhance the quality of the show. The cameras shift from the anchor’s green screen to the couches where the next segment will take place.
“Last year, we kind of lost touch with the school, we did not have enough news stories, it was a lot more about the group doing it than it was the school. This year, you’re gonna see more school packages, more faces— we want students to have a chance to be on there,” Knode said.
With this significant shift in focus, the question remained of how the Tomahawk Today group would succeed in achieving this milestone in the production of the show. In the modern age of technology, it seemed that social media would remain the most efficient way to tackle an idea like this, resulting in increased student participation in the show to provide better content for its viewers.
Zion Fitch and Emily LaPierre prepare for their duties as anchors of the show, reciting and memorizing their scripts to accurately present each segment to the NC audience.
“We’re working on interacting more with the students this year through social media, using Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. We’re also utilizing Instagram’s new feature IGTV so we get a chance to reach out to students more. We’re going to incorporate polls so that we can hear their opinion on things,” Tomahawk Today anchor and senior Emily LaPierre said.
With these plans incorporated into Tomahawk Today’s future, the crew believes that the creativity and quality of the show will flourish as a result. The team works hard to make sure that they will produce a positive outcome for the year and hope that these new elements will initiate a new, exciting goal to work towards for plenty of years to come for Tomahawk Today.
“We’re really looking forward to reaching out to the students this year,” Jenkins said.
