On Oct 25, the Communications Department received a $2,986 grant to better Spring Hill’s Journalism, specifically video, taught by Anna Manning. 

New to this year’s Video Productions class is the Rein It In podcast. Initially, the class faced audio challenges, relying solely on the camera’s microphone. This caused background noise to be picked up, resulting in static interference in the podcasts. It was frustrating to produce a good quality podcast without the presence of high quality equipment. However, thanks to the grant, the class now has new microphones, noise-canceling blocks, sound accessories, headsets and more.

While the class managed to produce the podcast without fancy equipment, the addition of the new gear has transformed the recording process, enhancing the experience not only for the class and viewers, but also for the featured guests. Hosts, guests, and the producer now have headphones to hear themselves talk and noise-canceling blocks in the podcasting room to reduce any background noise. 

“Who knows, maybe I would like to start my own podcast one day. With this new equipment, I am able to get hands-on experience with equipment used in real, professional podcasts,” Jadon Kadera-Redmond, 12, said. 

Another notable upgrade is the introduction to better microphones for the video cameras, a crucial asset for conducting interviews. As stated, background noise would interfere, causing bad quality. The new high-quality microphones effectively minimize background noise, improving overall audio clarity. 

“It was really hard to be proud of a video I would make when the audio did not sound good. I would have to edit it [the audio] on Premiere Pro, but it ended up being so much work just for it to sound bad,” Tom Rush, 11, said. 

The incorporation of advanced technology not only facilitates student learning with professional equipment, but aims to attract more students from the school, offering them hands-on experience in the dynamic field of video journalism.