North Pole’s Matthew Bierer's advanced video production class won the first prize for a public service announcement they produced. Sponsored by the Alaska Energy Efficiency Partnership, their commercial will air statewide during the Super Bowl pre-show. Clockwise from lower left, pose for a photo in their classroom, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, editor and soundtrack producer Lucas Acker, 16, gaffer Erika Blanchard, 17, actor Wesley Young, 16, key grip Steven Aloen, 16, and director Timothy Belmont, 18. /
JR Ancheta/News-Miner intern
A team of seven students entered the 30-second video in an energy efficiency high school PSA competition sponsored by the Alaska Energy Efficiency Partnership.
The prize for first place, which the North Pole team won, was three iPads and $1,000 for the high school’s video production program.
On top of that, the PSA will be shown in Alaska during the Super Bowl pre-game show and during the season premiere of “The Voice,” both on Feb. 5 on NBC.
“That was a surprise,” Bierer said on Friday after school.
He thinks he didn’t look closely enough at the contest’s guidelines and didn’t read the part where it said the clip would get such good airtime.
The team of students is excited.
Some of the students weren’t planning on watching the Super Bowl pre-game show.
“Now we are,” said Timothy Belmont, 18, the PSA’s director. Belmont is a senior and plans on studying history with a minor in education at college next year.
The students have decided to sell the three iPads and split the profits. His share will be going toward his education.
Belmont and the others had high hopes of winning the contest.
Even though Bierer would tell them, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” some students began planning where the video production program would use its $1,000 immediately after submitting the entry — one thought was a new desk chair for Bierer, Belmont said.
Lucas Young and Raphael Martinez star in the mini-production.
As they watch a sports game on the television, a nearby lamp’s light bulb burns out. Young explains to Martinez that replacing the bulb with an energy-efficient one will consume less energy and save money.
The quick bit includes some creative camera angles, visual and audio tricks and a simple but effective story line.
Others on the team include Erika Blanchard on lighting, soundtrack editor Lucas Acker, key grip Steven Allen and focus-puller Aaron Betts. Most of the team members are second-year video production students.
The video will air on television throughout the month of February.
After its debut, the video will be available on the district’s website at www.k12northstar.org.
Contact staff writer Reba Lean at 459-7523.
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Another option to conserving energy is to just turn off the lamp while you are watching TV...