Most students watch RamTV everyday in their second period classroom, but most don’t know the process and work that actually goes on off camera. So, what really happens behind everyone’s favorite school production? Well, seeing the Video Production students work firsthand gives us an interesting insight.

Seeing the skits and advertisements on RamTV everyday makes some wonder how long it really takes and how they come up with them. Reginald Johnson, from Pop Culture in the Closet, tells us how the method varies between projects.

“Most of the stuff that I make – besides, like, Pop Culture, because that’s scripted – Nick  (Stowell) and I just kind of go into a room, hit record, and we just kind of figure it out,” Johnson said. “Pop Culture in the Closet takes about 30 minutes to film, but for something more elaborate, like say The Briefcase, usually takes about two or three class periods, so a total of three hours.”

The Briefcase is a comedic series made buy students in RamTV.

In the studio, students tend to sort of improvise the skits until they find what they really want it to look like. Johnson also says that the process “is very much so just sitting down and forcing myself to think ‘what do I want to happen?’ I think of a point A and a point B, then I start brainstorming – spit-balling ideas of how to get there.”

Before filming, students often will practice the scenes to make sure there is little error. One example is the exploding pie scene involving Benjamin Rivera for the trivia show “Are You a Know It All?”

Students take a different approach to the RamTV news section, though. Estrella “Star” Mendoza says, “The most fun part of filming RamTV is that it’s one take, so it’s fun to, like, look around at what mistakes you might make.”

Coming around to the final steps of RamTV, Justin Rambow tells us what the final steps are.

“Really, I’m the filter. You know, make sure everything is ‘politically correct,’ appropriate as it goes out. I guess the other piece would be to make sure we’re pushing creativity, and creation,” Rambow said. “I’ve learned we’re always going to offend somebody, which is tough.”

So, off camera, students tend to be themselves, which is due to change next year with many of our star students graduating.