Today has been a great day in the TV Studio! Former Millis High School teacher Mr. Bill Dooling spent some time with Shannon talking about his recent experiences on the campaign trail with President Elect Barack Obama.
Watch for this interview on Channel 8 in Millis! We will post pictures soon!

Millis Students win Honorable Mention in the National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences National Student Emmy Awards!

Sponsored by the National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences, the National Award for Excellence is an award given to high school students around the country for outstanding journalism. Millis High School won the award for their coverage of the SADD sponsored mock crash.

Director Erika Decker (then a senior and now entering her sophomore year at BU) was inspired by the event to turn this mock crash into a film about a student and the lives she impacted with her decision to drive under the influence of alcohol.

Erika and her crew chose actors to play the role of friends and interviewed the main charactors of the mock crash including the drunk driver. It was a powerful production. Students were so engaged in the roles they played that tears were shed by some believable actresses including Marissa and Deidre. The crew worked with the Massachusett's state Police and the Millis Police Dept. on the production.

In late June, the Millis production crew was honored for their achievement by channel 5 anchor Bianca de la Garza at WCVB. An awards presentation took place at the Channel 5 studios which included a studio tour and the opportunity to watch the live news in the WCVB studio. Student winners were presented with their certificates by a representative of the New England Board of Governors for the National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. Congratulations to all of the student winners!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition Student Blog Entries

My experience at Extreme Make-over Home Edition was amazing. I learned so much. I realized that being in the film and TV industry takes a lot of patience and dedication. I always knew that it was hard to break into the industry but the hard work doesn't stop there. In order for us to get the shots we needed we had to stand outside in the freezing cold for six or seven hours. I didn't mind though, I loved every minute of it. Once I got passed the numbness of my hands I realized that this was such an amazing opportunity. I went everyday I could, and spent many hours just standing around waiting to get the best shots. I remember on the Friday the family came home that Stacey and I stood in the media section from 9am until 1pm before we began filming anything. It was all worth it though. I got to observe the camera men and woman from the show in action and get ideas from their shots. I also got to meet some incredible people who worked on the show, and it is always great to make a connection or two. It was also fun to meet some of the stars of the show, and be regarded as more than a volunteer on set. It was a good feeling to be able to show the media pass and get access to most areas of the production site. Most of all though I believe this experience really tested my dedication and love for media production. I learned that I am willing to stay out in the cold for hours to get one good shot, because getting that one shot makes it all worth it. You need to be aggressive and assertive to get what you want, you cannon sit back and wait until you feel like going out and wait for the shot to come to you. I learned so much from the whole experience. I learned about the industry and about myself. It was over all a great learning experience that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.
MHS Senior

Students of Millis Blog about EMHO

WHAT EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER MENT TO ME


During the month of February I contributed my time to helping with the Extreme Home Makeover in Maynard Mass. Being there when the community was so involved touched me. It was nice to see that people were coming together to help even when some of them did not know the family in need. People were volunteering their time and their money so that other people could live without the constant worry that the negative events lead to. I think that attending this even renewed my faith in people during a time when selfishness is predominant.
Millis Senior

Student Blog Entries about their Extreme Makeover Home Edition Experiences

Since I'm a Senior I try my hardest to not miss any opportunity thrown at me in high school. The opportunity that was given to me and many other students was to be a part of a behind the scene video shoot of the Extreme Makeover Home Edition. This experience I will never forget because it allowed me to work side by side with my teacher and experience a wonderful setting of hardworking people who actually care for the family in need. By working alongside Mrs. Mannion we were lucky enough to learn many things about filming and now we are able to work on our footage. I loved going to the construction area and being apart of the hustle and bustle of the 5 day building of a brand new house. Two other students and I were allowed to go behind the scenes and get a tour of the whole construction area (except for the house of course). We received a tour from Bongo the location director for EMHE. It was really exciting because we got to see into the wood workshop and where all the trucks are parked for all of the production equipment and construction. I was able to film students at Maynard Elementary and Middle School who were making posters for the big day when they were going to "MOVE THAT BUS". It was really cute and fun because they were all so excited for the family and wanted to help as much as they could. Ultimately I will always remember the family and Maynard for their drive and excitement to finish a house in 5 days.
Millis Senior

Overall, Extreme Makeover Home Edition in Maynard was one of the best experiences I've ever had. It was extremely cool to be so close with some of the famous designers from the show. Being able to have a special "photographer" pass was especially interesting. Aaron and I got to go right up to the driveway and we ended up getting some amazing shots of the house and some beautiful shots in the snow. I saw that everyone in the community of Maynard was very nice and welcoming. Not once was there an instance where any of the volunteers were in a bad mood. Everytime I walked into either the Catering or Worker's tents, the people volunteering were incredibly nice to me. The fact that everyone in the community was willing to come together for the Guinta family was remarkable. Also, Fenton Construction put in so much hard work and effort to get the house completed in a week. It blows my mind how normally it would take months to plan and construct a house, but with the help of Fenton and the entire community, Extreme Makeover Home Edition can build a house in exactly one week. Watching the camera crew and seeing the equipment that ABC uses was truly awesome. I would love to go back and do it all over again, but it's definitely taken a lot of work afterward to try and get the final piece edited!
B

"A Small Town with a Big Heart"

Millis High School Students

shooting Behind The Scenes at Extreme Home Makeover

This week, Jeanson Homes and Fenton Contracting, based in Acton, Massachusetts, will do what many consider the impossible. Together with ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition design team and hundreds of local subcontractors and volunteers, they will build a new, wonderful home for the Giunta family from Maynard, Massachusetts.

The Public Relations Firm for the Builders have chosen Danielle Mannion, resident of Maynard and TV Production teacher at Millis High School to produce a Behind the Scenes documentary of the Extreme Home Makeover project. Student teams from Millis High School arrived on the set Friday morning and are shooting day and night. Back in the MHS TV studio students are already editing the previous day’s footage into shorts to played on the Extreme Home Makeover building site. For more information about the Extreme Home Makeover project and the Guinta family log on to the following website:
www.extremehomema2008.com

Conference Time!

Lights! Camera! Action! The New England HS TV Production Conference will be held on April9,2008! Please e-mail me if your school wants to attend! It's free and it's amazing!