Event #2 Alt.news Episode

I went back and viewed the very first ever episode of AltNews. I was hoping to gain some incite to the origins of the show and what students were interested in back then. They had several segments in the show like; nothing being done about the AIDS epidemic, rival bagel carts, and an experiment testing the trustworthiness of students and faculty on campus with a wallet. The episode reminded me of 90’s television which is the style they were going for. The students were looking to expose truths and make a few people laugh in the process which they effectively accomplished in this first episode. The artists used VHS cameras to record and produce this episode which is apparent in the quality, but adds to the authenticity to the episode and places it in time. Green screen effects were heavily used and adds to the 90’s aesthetic and nostalgia. It makes me think of the transition from 90’s television to the early 2000’s. In the 90’s people were experimenting with this style and making wacky shows, but in the early 2000’s those same stations became less relaxed and forced the shows to become more of what modern television is today. With that we lost a great deal of artistic expression and freedom with experimentation. The show encapsulates what life was like in Carbondale, Illinois in the 90’s. The art shows us that these student’s were mimicking what they themselves saw on television at the time. Just how students are influenced by the vast expanse of media they consume now. I find myself pulling inspiration from films and music that I consume and it finds a way into my work. Being born in 1997 I was unable to experience as much of the 90’s as I would have liked to, but watching reruns and experiencing it through my older brother, born in 1991, I have a good recollection of what it was like. The episode was extremely successful for the time. They nailed the aesthetic of the 90’s while producing entertaining and thoughtful segments directed towards students. A downfall of the episode was the lack of well rehearsed scripted segments. You could tell some hosts and actors were reading lines instead of speaking directly into the camera. This was the only thing that took me out of the episode. Overall I enjoyed seeing what life was like in Carbondale back then and seeing the beginnings of the student run Alt News organization.