RVTC students win first in TV Production

On June 25th and 26th the duo of Elliot Thompson and Rebekah Ferreira, students at the River Valley Technical Center (RVTC) in Springfield took first place in TV Production at the SkillsUSA Championships held in Kansas City, Missouri.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/rvtc-students-win-first-tv-production

RVTC Students Win First in TV Production Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 07/22/2014 - 12:36pm By SUMMER RITER The Shopper SPRINGFIELD, VT -On June 25th and 26th the duo of Elliot Thompson and Rebekah Ferreira, students at the River Valley Technical Center (RVTC) in Springfield took first place in TV Production at the SkillsUSA Championships held in Kansas City, Missouri. For soon-to-be Springfield High School junior Elliot Thompson, the road to excellence in video production started around the age of ten. He began filming special events at St. Mary’s Church and connected with Springfield Area Public Access Television (SAPA-TV) to broadcast these events. Because of this connection he began filming other community events and editing them before they aired on the channel. “As my video ‘company’ expanded, I teamed up with friends of mine to expand our outreach and begin work on creative projects, primarily promotional videos,” said Thompson in an email. “Every year we produce a promotional video for the Springfield Dam Run taking place in May.” Thompson’s company, TAC Digital Media, was so successful that he purchased video production equipment. “When I entered high school two years ago, I was naturally drawn to RVTC’s AVP program,” he said. “I had heard excellent things about the program, and I had seen a lot of the videos produced in it. During my freshmen year I was given the opportunity to take AVP’s intro course and, as anticipated, I never wanted to leave.” This past school year Thompson took RVTC’s Level 1 Video Production course, which complemented his fervent interest in the subject. “The training I am receiving at RVTC has helped to further fuel my extracurricular video endeavors,” he said. The journey to the annual National Leadership and Skills Conference and SkillsUSA began with local and state competitions. “After we had won gold at States in April the remainder of the year was focused on fundraising and further polishing our video skills,” he said. “In particular, we spent a good deal of time focusing on motion graphic design. We needed to be prepared to animate any logo given to us at Nationals.” Thompson and Ferreira’s efforts paid off as they were this year’s top competitors out of a field of 51 pairs. “Other than winning, the highlight of the competition for me was probably the reviewing session, where we were finally able to view other teams’ projects. It was somewhat of a relief to finally know what we were going up against,” Thompson said. “Also, I distinctly remember the feeling of accomplishment after we had slapped the final logo on and reviewed our project. We were definitely proud of what we had produced.” “The competition was tough. I thought for sure that we were in the top five but when our name was called and listed on the big screen center stage I was ecstatic,” said RVTC instructor Zachary McNaughton in an email. “I am very proud of Rebekah and Elliot. They are both sophomores who competed against mostly seniors and brought home the gold for Vermont.” For first prize, the duo was awarded medallions and top-notch production gear, including professional cameras, microphones, and lighting equipment. “In addition we each received a $10,000 scholarship to the Arts Institute for video production,” Thompson said. Thompson humbly noted that the reward of this experience was greater than the prizes. “A far greater prize than the equipment is how this award will impact our future,” he said. “Hopefully, this award will help us to secure spots in colleges of our choice, and will help us land a job in this increasingly competitive field.” As rising juniors, Thompson and Ferreira still have more chances at the top prize. “I am truly exited for junior year at RVTC,” Thompson said. “I look to further expand my knowledge and skill and hopefully compete in SkillsUSA again.” McNaughton has hopes of expanding the contest at a local level and challenging his award-winning students in new areas. “Currently Vermont only offers the TV Production contest at the state level, but I am hoping to rally together programs around the state to get Digital Cinematography offered at the local level,” he said. “It would be a new challenge for my students and would be a fantastic opportunity for them to try proving their skills in different contest area.” Thompson pointed out that the award was a team effort. “I want to thank Mr. McNaughton in particular,” he said of his instructor. “Without the dedication he has to his students, and Rebekah and I as a team, none of this would have been possible.” McNaughton is thankful to the sponsors that made this experience possible. “One of the largest hurdles to this is the cost,” he explained. “I am extremely grateful to the businesses and individuals who sponsored our team to Nationals and hope that next year, should we qualify again, we be able to find additional support from our community and state as this is an incredible opportunity for Vermont students.” Their main sponsors included: Vermont Association of Broadcasters, River Valley Technical Center, Kelley Sales & Service, Cavendish Game Birds, Red River, iFishLakeChamplain, Falls Area Community Television, and the Springfield Teachers Association. While they have new challenges to look forward to, Thompson, Ferreira, McNaughton, and the RVTC community have time to revel in this great accomplishment. “Overall Vermont brought home ten gold medals at Nationals, which is a huge testament to our quality of technical education in the state,” said McNaughton. “I am excited to have been part of my student’s journey to Nationals and am looking forward to competing in the future.” - See more at: http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/rvtc-students-win-first-tv-production#sthash.YBQhg11I.dpuf