By JOYCE HILLS
Contributing Writer
Saint Rose Television’s (SRTV’s) soap opera parody “Grades of Our Lives,” detailing the trials, errors, successes, and joys of the media group: Student Agents of Publicity and Publication for the Year (SAPPY). It began production for its second season on Friday, Sept. 7, in the Hearst Television and Recording Studio on Madison Avenue. The show will continue the intertwined stories of SAPPY, and welcomes new characters, fresh intrigue, and high drama as SAPPY grapples with the events of the past and the challenges of the future.
“Grades of Our Lives” was renewed for a second season last April. During preproduction over the summer, it saw the implementation of many format changes that resulted in a three-episode order; each one clocking out at approximately twenty minutes. Regarding the increased length of each episode, SRTV’s founder, Samuel Lund, believes that “it’s a brave feat that the club will learn a lot from.”
“Grades of Our Lives” has also been facilitating new creativity and expertise in SRTV. The show’s technical and artistic attributes have given members the chance to develop critical production skills both in front of and behind the camera. Lund emphasizes that the show “has a lot of promise and is very different from what the club usually creates. With [“Grades of Our Lives”], we are able to step into the world of entertainment television and see what creating an actual 22m show is like.”
Leaving off last season on a hopeful but mysterious note, “Grades” looks forward to the introduction of some eccentric new characters. SRTV’s TJ Gibson has been cast as two brothers; one, the revered student detective, Paolo Vicenio, who is called in to solve a devastating crime against SAPPY, and the other, Reggie Vicenio, a caring musician with a big heart.
“The characters I play are essentially foils of one another, which makes portraying them endlessly fascinating,” said Gibson, regarding the complexities and challenges of playing two, very different roles. “Especially considering the way I see conflicting pieces of myself in each of them. I guess I’ll be doing some unexpected soul searching.”
Pertaining to the biggest expectation of Grades, season two, Gibson also said that it is to “just watch the tale that’s been crafted unfold. I was glued to the page when I first read the script, but to actually witness this whole mystery narratively and visually – especially once this wonderful cast brings these wacky characters to life – is really going to be a treat.”
Another highlight for the show is that former Saint Rose student, Tori Karns, has composed an original score in the score of the soap opera. The compositions include an official theme song and saxophone sting. Karn’s music will be featured in the official “Grades” intro as well as throughout the episodes.
“Composing the music for Grades of Our Lives was a challenge,” said Karns. “As with any other situation where you are working with someone else to understand what they want from something that has never been heard before and doesn’t exist yet.” Karns is enthusiastic about the work that SRTV is doing. “Saint Rose TV is accomplishing so much as a group, and I’m impressed to see all the that they are achieving. It is a privilege to have the chance to be a part of it,” said Karns
“Grades of Our Lives” is expected to be released in the second half of the semester. SRTV will be releasing teasers, sneak peaks, and trailers in the weeks leading up to its upload.
