SEAM Club Invites Students to Perform at Upcoming Talent Show

 

CALL FOR TALENT: Sixth Annual Motlow Smyrna Talent Show

Motlow student performs at Talent Show

     Attention Students, Faculty and Staff… The annual Motlow Smyrna Talent Show is coming up on April 25, and we need you! 

     TALENT: Consider performing as an actor, comedian, dancer, musician, poet, singer, songwriter, storyteller or visual artist.

     VOLUNTEER: Invest in the Motlow community by helping out. There will be a need for welcomers, organizers, promoters, artists, food servers, and more. (You can earn community service hours for TNPromise and Tennessee Reconnect).

     If you are interested in performing or volunteering, please contact Professor Charles Whiting at cwhiting@mscc.edu.

     FYI… The event will occur from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 25 (Thursday). Admission is free, and lunch will be provided. 

     The event is hosted by the Smyrna Entertainment, Arts and Media Club. 

     See you soon!

Fifteen Artists to Perform at Motlow Smyrna Talent Show on April 24

        SMYRNA, Tenn. – The second annual “Motlow Smyrna Talent Show” will feature performances by 15 artists from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. April 24 (Wednesday) in the Lobby of the MaryLou Apple Building.

        Students, as well as faculty, administrators and staff will present songs, instrumentals, poetry, comedy, and even a few magic tricks. Performers will include Nya Alexander, Megan Buzard, Damian Copeland, Robert Davenport, Bob Fitzgerald, Paige Hendrickson, Orlando McHenry, Robby Napier, Rachel Towle, Kolyn Vick, Montez Voorhies, and Charles Whiting.

        Elizabeth and Kevin Fitch will make a special opening appearance with a 15-minute instrumental performance at 11:30 a.m. Magician Brian Foley will entertain attendees with magic card tricks at a nearby table.

        The show will be emceed by English Professor/Comedian Nick Bush. Biff Kittii and Alara Bishop will handle sound.

        Members of the Smyrna Entertainment, Arts and Media Club have been planning the talent show since January, and they are excited to see it come to fruition. The show was created to give students and others the opportunity to share their talents with the Motlow Smyrna community.

SEAM Club President Alara Bishop expressed her excitement of having the opportunity to celebrate the organization’s becoming an official club at Motlow State Community College. The club also is a sponsor of the annual “Motlow Smyrna Holiday Show,” “Dance Across The Decades,” and the “Famous Communicator Speakers Series.” 

        “We hope the talent show will truly submerse us in the club community, and open the door for anyone interested in media, entertainment, etc.,” she said. “This is our chance to truly establish a prominent club for Mass Communications students and others who are interested in the arts.”

        SEAM is the club on Motlow’s Smyrna campus that is dedicated to discussing, exploring and consuming various types of entertainment, arts and media. To learn more, contact Charles Whiting at cwhiting@mscc.edu.

Second Round of Talent Show Auditions to Occur April 10

By Anthony Czelusniak

Motlow Buzz Student News Editor

 

 

        SMYRNA, Tenn. – The Smyrna Entertainment, Arts and Media Club (SEAM) is continuing its search for talented performers and artists to take the stage for the Motlow Talent Show on April 26.

 

        The talent show, hosted by SEAM, will take place in late April but will be holding its second round of auditions on April 10 (Tuesday) in Room 201 of the Marylou Apple Building starting at 3:30 p.m. SEAM asks that those who wish to audition RSVP Mass Communications Instructor Charles Whiting via email at cwhiting@mscc.edu . The auditions are open to everyone. The show lineup will be announced in mid-April.

 

 

        If it is not possible to audition in person, the club would like for students, faculty, administrators and staff to upload a clip of them performing their talent to YouTube and send the video link to Whiting.

 

        The types of talent that the club would like to see include singing, musical performances, songwriting, dance, poetry reading, storytelling, comedy and acting. The talent show will also include an art exhibition for those who would like to display their original artwork. Painting, sketches, woodworking, multi-media, knitting and other original works are welcome. To reserve a spot in the art exhibition, send Whiting a jpeg image with the details about the piece, such as type, size and other relevant information.

 

        SEAM is the club on Motlow’s Smyrna campus that is dedicated to discussing, exploring and consuming various types of entertainment, arts and media.

 

Dick Gregory fills the stage with laughter at Zanies

By Akira Siharaj

            NASHVILLE, Tenn. ----- Comedian Dick Gregory preformed at Zanies comedy club in Nashville on Nov. 6, drawing laughs and tears from the sold-out audience.

A variety of comedians perform each day at the popular club on Eighth Avenue. The jokes are never the same.                

After walking up to 10 minutes, guests enter the club to the cheering and excitement of fans happily waiting for the show. After paying, the maître d’ escorts guests to a table. The club has a variety of places to sit, including the bar, close to the stage, or far from the stage. Sitting in one of the corners gives individuals a wide view of the audience and the stage, allowing them to see people’s faces as they laugh. 

                Gregory, who is 85 years old with 10 children, is known as a Civil Rights activist and a comedian. He spent part of his career helping Martin Luther King.  Now he is a performer who makes memorable jokes for adults while offering insights about political issues. Two other comedians opened for Gregory, giving the audience a good laugh before he took the stage. Their job was to loosen the nerves the audience had built up after waiting for more than an hour.

                During the show, staff members visited the tables to take orders for food or drinks. Attendees ordered items such as chicken wings, burgers and fries.

One of the jokes that was funny and memorable to the fans was Gregory describing the difference between an ape and a human. He told the crowd how humans’ mid-sections are not as big as an ape’s belly or lips nearly as wide. The way he described it made the audience howl.

After the show, attendees were clapping hands and whistling. Some even cried after seeing Gregory’s performance.

“We love you Dick Gregory,” said one female audience member.

 A man named Joe and his wife love Zanies for giving them good laughs every time they visit. They have been to Zanies seven to eight times and have never been disappointed.

“I liked how Dick Gregory was different from the other comedians,” said Joe. “He was slow sharing, not to mention we are talking about a legendary speaker. In his comedy talk, he challenges you to think and exposes you to something very different.”

                Soon after everyone stop clapping, fans gathered around Gregory to get an autograph or picture, shirt or book. He was happy to answer any questions a customer had, and people didn’t mind the wait.

One fan asked Gregory how he got his talent for comedy.

“How I developed my comedy is time,” said Gregory. “It’s like lifting weights; you keep doing it. You are funny, you just have to look in the mirror and practice.”

Audience members left with a smile, looking forward to returning soon for another Zanies comedy show. For more information about Zanies, visit http://www.nashville.zanies.com/.

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Making a Filmmaker

By Jason Taggart

Filming is a wonderful art, whether you’re behind the camera or possibly starring in the film yourself. From writing to editing, there is a lot that goes into a film before you get to see the finished product. Whether you know all of the “Ins and outs” or you are just getting started, let's walk through the starting line of the production race. 

Why are you taking advice from me?

                Hello, my name is Jason Taggart, and I have been operating cameras since I was 6 years old. I met my colleagues for filming in kindergarten, and ever since we started filming, we never stopped. First we just shot silly home movies any third grader would make. Later we shot good, quality videos that were uploaded to YouTube. Mostly they were comedic. We also shot some serious pieces my friend turned in to film school. We have also filmed all of the music videos for our friends and an aspiring band, The Busks. I study film as well as acting. I have seen every episode of “Saturday Night Live” and I know what you mean when you say, “Tarantino film.” I am currently in school pursuing a Mass Communications major, and I plan to move on after my associates to get a bachelor’s degree in film from a major University. 

                At this stage, I know more than the average filmmaker, and I am writing this to help you along and show you what I know. I have been involved in over 35 films and starred in 25 of those. On and off the camera, I have some know-how, mostly from experience. The best way to learn is to be involved by trying it yourself.

Sources

                Right off the bat, I am going to throw a few links of things I have been involved with such as music videos, as well as links that I find to be good examples. 

·         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfJANoqI0hY

The Busks’ first music video. I wrote, did casting, and helped film on this video. 

·         https://www.youtube.com/user/JonTronShow

Jon Tron is my favorite on-camera actor.

·   https://www.youtube.com/user/RoosterTeeth

Rooster Teeth is one of the most famous film companies on the web. 

     

Getting started, and What you need

Depending on what you are planning to film, pretty much the only thing you really need is a camera. Now If you are filming nature or things of that nature and you have a camera, then congratulations. You are ready to go. For those of you who are looking towards a different type of production, I will just throw out a little bit of film lingo and some definitions.

• Props: Anything on set you will be using besides costumes.
• Actors/Actresses: The male(s) or female(s) you will be using on set. 
• Mics: Or microphones, to amplify sound. 
• Lights: To light up the area.
• Director: Sometimes also the cameraman or boss man of the production.

Now all you have to do is pick the genre that most interests you and get started. 

Audience

This is possibly the most important part of your production. Is this production just for you? Are you trying to gain a following of many viewers? Is it only for friends and family? Well, if the video is just for you or your friends and family, then by all means take it away and do what you like and whatever you think will entertain them. If you are trying to get new viewers to appreciate and watch your videos, you need to narrowcast to what kind of viewer that is. Now I am by no means saying change yourself to match that personality of your viewers, but make sure you are entertaining them. Otherwise, they will not keep coming back for more or tell their friends and get you more views. So if your genre is comedy, try to be funny. If your genre is horror, try to be scary and horrifying. Study up on professionals in your genre to get a better idea. Be original but still take into consideration what they are doing to be so successful.

 Quality

Second to audience, quality is very important as well. The quality of your videos will determine greatly how well of a filmmaker you are. It’s not only important to you but to your viewers. I’m not only talking about whether its high definition here either. You need the actual quality of the subject matter itself to be good as well. Like I said before, if you are going for comedy, be funny. If you are going for horror, be horrifying. If you are just shooting nature, then try to get some good shots. Go to the most beautiful place you know and just shoot. So try your best to produce the best film quality you can both visibly and entertainment wise, and your videos should be nothing less than perfect to you. 

5. 4. 3. 2… ACTION!

You have got your camera, you have decided on the audience you want, and you are ready to film. Now hear me out when I say this: Whether or not you have heard differently, there is no right way to do this. There are so many different styles of filming and directing. Whether it’s on a tripod or you are walking with a Steadicam, it's an art, and your pictures can be beautiful no matter what way you hold your paint brush. For goodness sake, if you want to film a comedy sketch and you have no actors or tripod, put that camera on a stack of books and get on the other side of it to act every part. Through every production you film, whether you release them to the public or not, you are only going to learn from it, and you’ll find your style. Whether you're the next Tim Burton, or famous YouTuber, or just a phenomenal home movie maker, it all starts with the word “action”!

Homework

                The best thing to help you along the way is to visit some workshops, enter and view film festivals, and practice. Research whether a film festival comes to your town or one near you, for instance if you live in my area you might want to try The Nashville Film Festival. I will drop the link down here below. 

http://www.nowplayingnashville.com/event/nashville-film-festival-2/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwhbzABRDHw_i4q6fXoLIBEiQANZKGW5PzoS_fCrbKrYJgXdhXo1FhZveEfKD7mY7UebjB3LgaAmqY8P8HAQ