Lights, Camera, Action! Many people think that this critical line in film production is for the people performing or the actors, but it is actually for the cameramen and women, gaffers (light controllers), audio directors, and photographers who are working behind the camera. These people are all part of the Audio Visual, or AV, team. At Science Hill High School, we have an AV team of over thirty students who operate controls or take videos at games, shows, and other important events around the school. The SHHS audio-visual team director is Mr. Micah Ridley, who also coaches girls’ soccer and teaches AV classes. Ridley is highly passionate about what he does, whether coaching the soccer team to a win or running the sound and video board for the sports games and the other activities/shows at SHHS.
The AV team members do many things at school events that often go unrecognized. AV team members love what they do for the school, even if their contributions go unnoticed. For example, six people are needed in the press box for every football game to operate the cameras, control the screen and fans, maintain the equipment, and replenish supplies. Additionally, there are six more people on the field. That means that 12 people are needed for every football game! That’s not all; orchestra, band, and choir concerts also require members of the AV club to run seamlessly. Fewer people are at these events, but their roles are still crucial. At these events, there is one camera in the press box, one person on sound, one person on lights, and the director/producer. Additionally, one photographer is out in the crowd taking pictures of the program.
It’s incredible how much the AV team does for the school’s events and programs, but many people do not recognize their contributions. Out of a 20-person survey, 25% of the students had never heard of the AV team or noticed their hard work. The people who said that they knew what they did only said they did sports events for the school. Additionally, only about 20% of people knew what AV stood for. Most people who did have an idea of what AV was had seen the football team hype videos on Instagram made by Ian Turner, a videographer and editor for the AV team. Many students also pointed out that football games would be so different without the AV team, with one student saying they would be “sad and confusing” and another saying that it would be “not as well-liked by the student population at the school.”
The AV team’s work at our school is substantial but continues to go unnoticed. In the future, we can only hope that the AV team will be recognized and respected for everything they do.
