UNE REALISATION DU COLLEGE St. JOSEPH:

St. Joseph's College, Sydney, Australia, is entirely a boarding College of 830 boys between the ages of twelve and eighteen, and is believed to be the largest such boarding College in the Southern Hemisphere. It is certainly the largest boarding College in Australia.

As in every large school, interesting things are happening all the time and it becomes difficult for the boys, and indeed for the staff to ' keep up' with everything that is going on around them. St. Joseph's has had a wide reputation of being remarkable for extraordinarily strong College spirit.

However the College has grown in population to over 800, only moderately recently, having been just over 500 for many years. It might seem to be becoming too large and (unwieldy to preserve the unifying spirit which for years has been one of the marks of its greatness.

The age of electronics, however has provided us with the means of both preserving a very happy family spirit amongst the 830 boys, both senior and younger boys, and also providing imaginative opportunities for a broader educational experience. This has been achieved through experiments with television recording equipment.

 

GRACE AU MAGNETOSCOPE, AVOIR AU COLLEGE UNE STATION DE TELEVISION

The Parents & Friends Association presented the College with a video-recorder and television camera unit, mainly for the purpose of tele-recording educational broadcasts for re-playing at a convenient time. Great use was made of the recorder in this way and it was realised that in a little city like the College we could have our own " television station." It began as an exercise in creativity by some of the senior class (Sixth Form – 17 & 18 years olds) and took the form of a weekly television " News " broadcast of College activities, with interviews of various types. The programmes were recorded and played back to smaller class groups in the dormitories or Common Rooms in the evenings.

From the group interested in this project, the boys elected the one they would like to work with to be the Producer, and the others nominated the side of production they were most interested in. The team consisted of Directors, reporters, scriptwriters, cameramen, newsreaders, interviewers, technicians, and compeer. The sole interference of the Brother in charge was to supervise that the equipment was carefully used, otherwise the production was entirely the work of the boys.

 

FAIRE DES INTERVIEWS DANS LA RUE

The early programmes were filmed almost entirely in the studio, and the boys, realising that it is action film that is most interesting to watch, became more ambitious and took the equipment out 'on location' to record outdoor activities. Sometimes on-the-spot interviews were recorded, and sometimes a commentary was later dubbed.

Each programme ran for about thirty minutes and began and ended with a theme tune, and until it was realised that the boys paid little attention to the written credits, each programme ended with the credits moving up the screen in the true television manner.

 

FAIRE JUGER LES PROGRAMMES PAR UN JURY

In each programme one segment was given over to items of television entertainment; a song or comedy sketch or pop group etc. in which an individual or group from any class could appear for the general entertainment of the whole college. This part of the project drew entries from every class and provided great enjoyment for both boys and staff. Following the example of several Sydney television stations, each act was judged by a 'panel' of one of the Brothers and one of the senior boys. The comments of these ajudicators spiced with wit and understatement gave added fun to this ' Talent Quest' part of the production. Indeed at the end of the year the boys invited two of Sydney's leading television personalities to judge the finalists and to present a trophy.

 

S’INITIER A TOUTES LES TECHNIQUES DU METIER

This adventure in modern communications brought with it many educational values, both for the boys involved in the production and the College as a whole. The boys concerned had to work together, each depending on the contribution of the other. They had to bear with things going wrong, either by way of technical breakdowns or failure of boys to attend rehearsal. They were provided with the thrill (or otherwise) of seeing audience reaction to something they had planned and created. They were given opportunity to think imaginatively in the techniques they could use — fade-outs, out of focus, dubbing appropriate music, zooming, moving the camera on a trolley, use of spotlight and silhouette effects etc. Something most difficult for boys they learned to be a necessity, namely planning ahead and checking that the different ingredients for a show would be ready in time. Some may have developed a vocational interest and all have had the responsibility of care for the valuable equipment.

The boys who participated, either through entertainment acts or being interviewed, had to gain confidence in front of the camera, to look their best and to speak clearly and fluently. They then had the opportunity to see themselves as others see them, and perhaps learn to bear some good-natured mockery for their appearance. The possibility of appearing in the talent quest section encouraged boys to practice and prepare items. They readily took direction and advice from the boys on the production crew.

 

MIEUX FAIRE CONNAITRE LES ELEVES DE CHAQUE CLASSE

The benefits to the College as a whole, too, were considerable. The programmes were looked forward to by all classes and received in high spirits. The College was united in sharing the same information and interests in the personal way which is a feature of the medium of television. The smaller boys got to know the personalities and leaders of the senior classes and remark on their television appearance when they chanced to see them during the week. Respect for talent and achievement, from whichever class it came, was shared by all classes and a most healthy respect for the individual as an individual was strengthened.

In all, television production for College news and entertainment purposes carried out at St. Joseph's College, has been a rich educational experience for all involved in the production and a unifying force within the College community itself.