Hawk TV, the Monmouth University student-run television station, is preparing for their Hawktober special on Friday, Oct. 31. This is the second year in a row the club will be filming the episode, and it will be just as fun and spooky as last year!
Hawktober comprises festive segments that the club films in the weeks leading up to Halloween. On Halloween, the episode gets uploaded on their YouTube channel @HawkTVMU and you can enjoy a movie length program of games, spooky stories, and a whole lot of laughs.
Hawktober began after club members watched “Shadows of Shadow Lawn,” the 2005 documentary produced by Hawk TV alumni Tom Hanley and Patrick Perrotto.
Feeling inspired by the campus ghost stories, last year, Hawktober was centered around ghost hunting in the Great Hall. It was broken up into three main parts; on the street interviews asking students on campus where they think the most haunted place on campus is, touring the Great Hall while giving some of its spooky history, and finally, ghost hunting.
In between each segment were bumpers that transition from one part to the next. Each bumper was a brief recreation and parody of famous Halloween movies, including “Scream” and “Halloween.” There was also a pumpkin painting competition, games, and a cooking segment.
With last year being a resounding success among the club, the students could not wait to get started brainstorming for this year’s show. Ideas started getting thrown around months in advance, and in the weeks leading up to the shoot dates, the club’s meetings consisted of members getting to share their creativity and join in on the planning process.
Natalee Mattei, sophomore communication major, and club operations manager, said, “Participating in Hawktober this year has been a blast! With it being my first one I cannot believe the creativity and planning that is involved in it.”
This year, the layout is relatively similar to the first special. Returning segments include the bumpers and some friendly competition. The main story will be Hawk TV’s rendition of “Clue,” the popular whodunit board game and film adaptation from the 80s.
Although none of the members are professional actors in the industry, I would bet that after adding this parody to their portfolio, there may be a few blockbuster scripts with their name on it.
Frank Hoarle, junior communication major, and Hawk TV station manager, said, “We are very excited, it’s one of the most anticipated events of the year for Hawk TV.”
He continued, “…there’s a lot that goes into Hawktober…it takes a lot of hands so we can really get the members of the club involved…it takes a lot of pre-planning and a lot of production”.
The club filmed the bulk of the content last week, however there is still a lot more production and editing that still needs to be done before the finished product is posted.
Post-production editing is delegated amongst the members who produced the segment. This way, they can make their vision for the segment come to life, and get a few of the general members involved so they can learn how to edit as well.
The members will soon see their hard work come to fruition when it premieres, so grab some popcorn, throw on a spooky costume, and be sure to catch Hawktober coming this Halloween at 6 p.m. on YouTube.
