By Jeff Morley

As Officers of the BYU English Society, we do a lot to provide our doting fans and fellow club members with content that they can read, write, think about, participate in, watch, hug, hit on, etc. We strive diligently to be there for our beloved club members. So what does it take to provide you with this constant stream of content? How about we take a peek behind the scenes of “Major English News,” our weekly news video.

Every Friday after our weekly officer meeting, there is this mysterious, yet extremely beneficial room held on the fourth floor of the Harold B. Lee Library where we do our filming for “Major English News.” It is aptly named the Production room. I didn’t even know this room existed until becoming a part of the BYU English Society. The Media Center, where the Production room can be found, is an invaluable source for filming, editing, and even renting video equipment at the disposal of BYU’s students.

Once we get all of the lights, microphones, and camera set up in the Production room, we get down to business to come up with the various news and events to cover for the week.

With all that info on a whiteboard, it is time to begin recording. The ever so debonair Davis Blount, and the glamorous Chalene Riser, check their teeth, tune their voices, and make themselves camera ready to begin shooting. As the camera begins to roll, magic happens. With only bullet points covering the various news and events, Chalene and Davis artistically come up with the weekly video content. I have to admit, those two were born for the big screen. Witty and quicker than ever, they come up with four minutes of dialogue with little to no script.

I wish I could say that the “Major English News” is filmed in one flawless take, but perfection takes time and multiple shots. During and after filming, we check for sound and lighting issues and then take it to post-production.

Also available to students at the Media Center is an array of programs for editing and producing film and photographs. For the “Major English News,” we use two Adobe programs called “Premiere Pro” and “After Effects.” “Premiere Pro” takes care of all of the editing, in particular lighting and sound issues, and “After Effects” provides manipulation of the green screen, graphics used, and transitions between shots.

When that week’s news is edited, it is then sent over to Professor Gideon Burton, our Club Faculty Administrator, for any corrections. Once it is found ready for the public, it is uploaded to YouTube and linked with the various URL’s to more club information. It is then accessible to the public.

And that’s a wrap! From recording to uploading, it is typically a two to three day process. We enjoy putting this all together for you, and we hope you enjoy it too. All we ask is that you get involved. Watch! Listen! Take whatever step is necessary stay current with the English Department and the BYU English Society. We promise we will never leave you disappointed.