Student film

Natalia Barr, who will be a senior at Baldwin High School this year, recently interviewed some of her peers about their experience working as extras for a TV show shot at BHS. The show, “Bad Teachers,” recreates the stories of real-life teachers who become involved in scandals using paid actors and volunteer extras. It is slated for a three-episode pilot run on the Investigation Discovery network in the fall. Barr will be the editor of the BHS Golden Wave for the 2013-14 school year.

A handful of Baldwin students made their television debuts on Aug. 13 and 14 when the Alpha Media company came to Baldwin Senior High School to film a crime drama for Discovery ID, also known as the Investigation Discovery network.

Based on a true story, the episode was about a popular band teacher who commits the same crime twice over a span of 20 years. The media company asked for 10-15 student extras. These included: Ally Callaghan, Nick Kelliher, Leron Wellington and Adam
Hartman.

While some students found it weird to film inside of their own school, others found it educational. All the students seemed to enjoy the overall experience.

After learning about the show from friends and neighbors, the students came to the high school last Tuesday and Wednesday with extracurricular and possible career interests in mind. “Initially my career focus was the stage,” explained Ally Callaghan, an active member of the musicals and plays at Baldwin Senior High School who will study acting at Brooklyn College this fall. “Through this experience, I was exposed to the pros and cons of film. Now, I look forward to the next time that I get to work with the camera.”

Nick Kelliher agreed, saying, “It was much different than what we’re used to in doing the musicals and plays at our school.”
The experience with television even sparked career interests for some. BHS senior Adam Hartman said, “I’m kind of at a point where I don’t really know what I want to do in college. I had been leaning towards something TV-related, and this kind of
reassured that.”

The students not only called the show an educational experience, but a fun one too. “We just did stuff like walk around the hallway and pretend to play instruments,” Leron Wellington said, “and they had free food, so that was cool.” The students also said that the crew, actors and director were fun and easy to talk to. Whether they obtained insight on a career or just got a complimentary snack, all of the Baldwin students seemed to have gained something from their day working on the set of a real TV show.