H-T chamber begins executive search
November 13, 2012OUR VIEW: Petroleum essential among US issues
November 13, 2012
Ever wanted to know the origin of cop lingo like diffuse and DDACTS?
Just tune in the Thibodaux Police Department’s Chief’s Corner at 7 a.m. or 6 p.m. on Charter Cable’s local public access channel.
“It’s a great chance to let the public know about the work we do,” said TPD Police Chief Scott Silverii. “We talk about cop jargon and the theory behind the words. We also do profiles on officers and divisions of the department. It shows the different aspects of law enforcement on a local level.”
Chief’s Corner, originally a division of the department’s website, has taken on new life through five-minute video clips produced by the Nicholls State University Mass Communications Department.
“The students are getting video experience in a real work environment,” Silverii said. “They learn about things like microphone placement, and we learn as well. It’s fun to do, and the students and Lance (Arnold) are very professional. Filming Chief’s Corner is a great way for them to build their portfolios.”
Through the partnership, Silverii and the students have filmed spots on subjects ranging from Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) to target hardening tactics like keeping lights on when not at home, trimming hedges and making sure newspapers don’t stack up when away for extended periods of time.
“The students put the videos together and see what flows best,” Silverii said. “Then we approve them and send them to Charter to air. The videos are very message-focused about the work we do.”
Silverii said the segments have received positive feedback from sponsors, other local media outlets and the community.
“People see me out and about and say, ‘Hey, I saw you on television,’” Silverii said, laughing. “I hope we can keep the project going indefinitely.”
In addition to airing on Charter Cable’s local public access channel, the show can also be viewed on Charter Channel 99, the Nicholls channel, and at www.youtube.com/user/NOLASOME/videos, the YouTube channel of Arnold, chairman of broadcast and journalism at Nicholls.
“The students appreciate the real-world experience they are getting by shooting the Chief’s Corner segments,” Arnold said. “It’s great for them to be able to video something besides stuff on campus and interviewing professors. They are getting their feet wet and learning to work with the police, which is great because many of them want to be on-camera reporters.”
Arnold’s 15 future video journalists are shooting the footage as part of his back-to-back fall and spring television production classes for seniors, and Arnold plans for his protégés to produce two videos a month.
“We have enough footage in the can to make another six videos,” Arnold said. “We may need to shoot a few more things, but we are set for the next month. It’s a great learning experience for them to understand how to do different types of video. We shot video in the chief’s office and in the department’s lab, and the students set up the lighting and the microphones. The haven’t taken the whole production over totally, but that is the goal.”
Shooting each video takes the students about two hours, and once filming is complete, the pupils spend another four to five hours editing the footage.
“They are getting better and better, so editing time is getting faster,” Arnold said. “We’ve shot footage with chief, the K-9 unit, the bike officers and the crime scene investigators. We want to highlight every aspect of the police department, eventually.”
Ashley Dufrene, of Des Allemands, hopes her experience shooting Chief’s Corner will eventually lead her to an on-camera job as a sportscaster.
“I like being on camera,” she said, laughing. “I can’t wait until the end of the semester when we will each get to direct a video. This is great, hands-on experience.”
Classmate Raymond Henry of Raceland is also looking forward to leading an episode of Chief’s Corner.
“I like getting to be in charge and help direct,” Henry said. “The coolest part is getting to see all the behind the scenes stuff at the police department. I didn’t know how much technology – like the mapping programs – the police department had at its fingertips.”
“It’s so crazy, the number of times you have to do takes,” said Victoria O’Rourke, also of Des Allemands. “You also have to be careful of the placement of things in the background.”
Like Henry, many of Arnold’s students expressed their delight at getting a backstage pass to police work.
“It’s great to see the effort the police put into protecting the community and their public relations and marketing outreach,” said Nick Gremillion, of Covington.
Nicholls State University Mass Communication seniors Ashley Dufrene, left, of Des Allemands and Raymond Henry of Raceland edit video for Chief’s Corner. The school has partnered with the Thibodaux Police Department to produce five minute videos that highlight different aspects of the city’s police force.
