Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 14, 1990                   TAG: 9003142479
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: ROBERTA GREEN SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: BLAC                                LENGTH: Medium

ORANGE-JUICE VIDEO HAS TANG OF SHOW BIZ A-PEEL

While this scenario may sound a bit strange, it may just be the concept that will help Blacksburg High School students win the Nutrition Music Video Contest sponsored by the Florida Department of Citrus.

"The students are learning to work well as individuals and as a group," said Blacksburg High business education teacher June Wang. "They are working cooperatively, freshmen to seniors, trying to produce a good music video and to win the contest.

"The central message of the video focuses on good nutrition and the value of Florida oranges in the daily diet. It's a tough contest. We've seen last year's winner, which included students chasing oranges around the Washington monuments. . . ."

Students in Wang's "Introduction to Business" class are producing, writing and directing the video and providing original music. The school's band, dance troupe and cheerleaders also will be involved.

In addition to the experience in video making, the students also have a chance to win one of two trips to Walt Disney World, $1,500 for their school and other prizes.

So far, much of what they have learned has to do with the difficulty of putting together a winning concept and final product. The students have been writing scripts and shooting sequences, then studying them to see what works and what doesn't.

Earlier versions of the video have included footage from the Valentine's Day dance and a gym scene with a basketball player drinking orange juice while dribbling down the court. The track sequence is the group's third shoot.

"It's pretty tough, but I've gained a lot of respect for what directors and producers do," said Jacob Payne, a sophomore who was elected director of the video.

"The hardest part has been getting all the actors to do the same thing at the same time. It's all pretty fun, though. It would be an interesting occupation."

While Payne makes many of the shooting and editing decisions, the actual footage has been shot by the school librarian, Karen Stipes, who sees this as just part of the modern librarian's job description.

"Librarians today do this kind of work. Information nowadays is high-tech, not just print material. It's very definitely a good learning experience for the students. I had an idea what to anticipate, partially because of a campaign commercial the social studies class made last fall, but the students have had to learn about projecting voices and keeping from having their backs in the shots.

"They also start looking at television and commercials differently, seeing how shots are set up."

Principal Clinton LeGette said the school is "proud of our students for entering this contest. They are developing their skills in the performing arts while learning cooperation, teamwork and what it takes to make a good music video. We hope all their hard work pays off. . . ."