Freshers 2021

Freshers 2021
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Genre:	Freshers
Executive Producer(s):	Joe Radford
Producer(s):	Alize Akturk, Kira Moore

Freshers 2020 was highly difficult for YSTV, both in terms of recruitment and coverage, due to COVID-19.

Recruitment

Welcome Pages

welcome.ystv.co.uk was the brain child of one Dom Hall as a one stop shop for all things Freshers. It featured an overview of the various departments of YSTV, the ways to get involved, a link to the various ways to sign up to YSTV's services and more.

Although it was created in 2020, many would say it was perfected in 2021.

Welcome Meeting

Due to extraordinary demand (over 200 people signing up) the YSTV welcome meeting was held in P/L/002. It was attended by around 120 people and featured a talk from the committee and then a Kahoot.

Freshers Fair

As well as the Freshers Fair livestream (see below for more details), YSTV also had their own stall. This was located in Central Hall and featured a screen playing YSTV content on repeat, a red carpet and a cardboard cutout of Gemma Collins wearing a YSTV high-vis jacket (this was Louis Dickson's idea, I still don't understand why it was there).

Give it a Go Sessions

Riddle Me This made a return for 2021's Give it a Go sessions. Due to extraordinary demand 4 sessions were hosted in total, offering opportunities to partake as a contestant, floor manager, sound op, camera op, vision mixer, etc. As well as specific computing and tech slots too.

Coverage

All coverage of Freshers' in 2021 was executive produced and overseen by Production Director Alize Akturk.

Sophie at Salvos

This segment featured newly elected Activities Officer, Sophie Kelly, interviewing drunk students outside of Salvos and Flares on a Freshers' Week night out.

Alpacas on East

This segment saw Louis Dickson head to East Campus to chat with some Alpacas

Vanbrugh Paradise Festival

This segment saw Joe Radford and Kira Moore head to Greg's Place at Vanbrugh to check out the musical offering.

Max and Izzie's Big Night Out

This segment was planned essentially as a sequel to Zoe and Johnny's Drunk Diaries.

Joe Radford and Alize Akturk had been looking at the schedule for Freshers Week and deemed there to be enough activities going on on campus that night and so sent Max Roach, Izzie Norwood and the team out to film the goings on. Only unfortunately there wasn't all that much to be seen on Campus that night and the video in the end entails all involved slowly breaking down as the night gets worse and worse.

It won Gold for Best Comedy at NaSTA 2022.

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Max tries on the Banana Boi costume for the first time

Freshers Fair

Produced by Kira Moore.

There were some difficulties on the day due to a number of factors, the biggest being weather. YSTV were already on the back foot with exactly 0 current members ever having been present for an in-person Freshers' Fair livestream before, which caused some issues during setup. It was decided to try and follow suit from the last in-person Freshers' Fair livestream in 2019, and so the gallery was setup in Vanbrugh dining hall and the studio itself was to be outside on the balcony area of Greg's Place.

Around midday torrential rain and wind came and caused major issues. A quick decision was made to relocate back to the YSTV studio and some very quick rigging occurred courtesy of one Ben Allen.

This livestream also marked the first appearance of Banana Boi who became YSTV's pseudo mascot and reoccurring joke through 2021 and 2022. He was conceived at a meeting about the Freshers' Fair livestream, when it was decided we needed a fun game that each society could play. Max Roach thought it would be funny to get them each to try and throw bananas into a basket which was being held by himself dressed in Banana costume. This was deemed a good idea and actually happened.

Comedy Night

Pretty bog standard coverage of Comedy Night interviewing the acts who were present.

Max Roach tried to coin a new thing where we ask everyone we interview what their favourite dinosaur is. This did not stick.

Technical Stage Services Ad

The day prior to Freshers Festival, as Technical Stage Services (TSS) were rigging the event, YSTV filmed a commercial advert for them.

Freshers Festival

Alize Akturk and Joe Radford led the coverage of Freshers' Festival, giving a tour of the goings on. This was subject to some atrocious sound work and questionable camera work...