Case study / Student media & live production
Student-led media.
Professional live production.
I lead the programme, production systems and training; students lead the creative work. At Berkley TV, that includes school films and four-camera live streaming for major events.
The purpose
Give students a real audience.
A student television programme brings storytelling, production skills and collaboration together around work people can watch. It gives learners a reason to turn an idea into a finished piece.
I established student television programmes at three schools: ESTV, SFTV and Berkley TV. I currently lead Berkley TV at Berkley Normal Middle School in New Zealand, where my employment title is Media Specialist Teacher.
My contribution
Build the conditions for others to create.
At Berkley, I lead the programme and development of its production setup, preparing students to take responsibility for real broadcasts.
At ESTV, I ran the programme: teaching, production guidance, budgets and publishing. I designed and project-managed the new studio and worked with the school’s Advancement and Communications Office on promotional video.
Students took the creative lead, supported by my teaching and production standards. During my 2016–2022 tenure, the SJI International YouTube channel grew from 200 to 1,600 subscribers—an eightfold increase in subscribers.
Colleague perspectives
Production and collaboration at SJI.
“you have applied your well-honed cinematography skills to present us all in our best light.”
“You showed so much dedication and innovation with this project.”
Names withheld for privacy.
Live production
From one iPad to four cameras.
When I arrived at Berkley, some major events were captured on a single iPad. I led the development of a four-camera live production setup for our Final Assembly, using vMix, NDI and wireless video.
The move to a software-based workflow brought infrastructure and budget constraints. Faced with an expensive quote for HDMI and power cabling across the space, we developed a Hollyland wireless video setup instead.
The student crew had dedicated roles in technical direction, vision mixing, camera operation and production logistics. I led the programme and production guidance; students took responsibility for the live show.
The student vision mixer built the vMix show file from scratch: configuring NDI inputs and audio routing, creating multiview overlays, programming graphics shortcuts and triggers, and managing live transitions.
Featured work
A school day, from a student perspective.
The featured film is A Day in My Life at Berkley Normal Middle School, published by Berkley TV. During my leadership, the channel has grown from 200 to 1,410 subscribers as of September 2026.
My professional production work includes motion graphics, promotional video, music video and live shows. The main portfolio includes What is Capital E? alongside other credited examples.
Business relevance
Good tools need people who can use them.
At Capital E SoundHouseNZ/MediaLab, I designed and ran game design, animation, music production and movie-making programmes. The programme reached more than 5,000 students annually from around the world, with sell-outs across all four programme areas.
Live production brings those skills together: choosing a practical technical approach, working within a budget and preparing a crew to deliver during a real event. My apps are also used daily across the school’s classrooms and by Berkley TV for filming and media production. Students’ creative contributions remain central to the school productions.
Let’s talk
Let’s talk about the role.
Need someone who can build useful tools, communicate clearly and help a team deliver? Send me the challenge, the role and where your team is based.
carl@carlrayner.com · Hamilton, New Zealand