For teenagers across the country, Sunday night often brings time for relaxation. But for cherubs in the journalism program at the National High School Institute, the last night of the weekend brought a multimedia surprise: Club Vlog.
Every Sunday night, cherubs would meet in Fisk Hall for a new technology tutorial by instructor Sarahmaria Gomez and the Club Vlog weekly screening. Throughout each week, 10 cherubs would volunteer to be a producer, editor or host for the Club Vlog video.
There is no prerequisite to joining the Club Vlog team. Students are not expected to have any experience producing or appearing on camera. They get on-the-job training in every facet of video production and editing.
Producers would ask random cherubs or Evanston residents to answer a man-on-the-street question. Editors would then edit and produce a video for a Sunday night debut. Weekly videos not only included cherub responses but clips of special events, such as field trips and sporting events of the week.
Campbell Burr, hostess of the fourth week of Club Vlog, said it was a great experience.
“I know that right now journalism is changing a lot and one of the new demands for new journalists is that they have to be able to edit, anchor and produce,” Burr said. “It’s one person for a three-person job. And by having the opportunity to participate in all these different parts of Club Vlog, I learned the skills.”
Burr said she enjoyed Club Vlog because being a hostess and working with other creative cherubs was fun.
“I definitely learned a lot about making audio [podcasts],” said Rachel Bracker of California, a Club Vlog producer.
Deonate Moore of Illinois, a Club Vlog editor, said he became more of an expert at making videos and enjoyed the outcome of his work.
“It was overwhelming to sit there and watch and say, 'I did that,'” Moore said.
Sarahmaria Gomez, a Northwestern graduate and cherub instructor, has been heading Club Vlog for four years.
“You have to add as many things as you can to your skill set as a journalist,” Gomez said. “By learning how to shoot and edit video, it prepares students to be able to go out and do the kind of journalism they want to do.”
Gomez said she loves to see the creative ways cherubs answer the weekly Club Vlog question and feels that working on Club Vlog helps cherubs grow their skill set.
“Everything you do to improve the cherub community is helpful, so by giving your answer, it helps the video producer which in turn will make our Sunday nights happier, which is what we’re always going for,” Gomez said.