The Man Behind The Camera
Andrew Kirkman Revealed

By Lindsay Gordon - 03/08
NEIRAD enilno edition

“I want papers on my desk,” senior Andrew Kirkman exclaims as he freezes mid-sentence and disappears back into the control room of Blue Wave News, where just minutes ago he was writing his script. Mitch Blummer, a fellow DHS senior and cast member of Blue Wave News since 2005, tugs gently on the green screen that covers the barren cement wall of the Video Productions room. The excitement and anticipation is heavy in the air of this square high-ceiling room as Nick Berry, another senior and cast member, squints into the bulky camera and carefully turns the knob to adjust the focus. He turns the camera slightly to the left, then to the right to make sure the camera is centered on the simple wooden desk in front of the huge jungle-green screen.
Old pieces of furniture from sets of various tapings sit scattered around each corner of the room. It is virtually impossible to walk around the two cameras on tripods due to wires tangled like black snakes against the blue tile floor. The room’s distinctly cooler feel creates a refreshing chill that tingles the body upon entering. The ceiling consists only of a medley of black metal pipes, which don’t exactly contribute to a homey feeling of the Video Productions room that is unknown to most of DHS.
Andrew strides back into the room with his freshly printed script and sits down at the plain wooden desk in front of the camera. No longer is he just Andrew Kirkman, a regular DHS student, but now Andrew Kirkman, the all-business anchorman of Blue Wave News. His crisp white dress shirt, blue tie, and stiff black blazer clash absurdly with his faded jeans and dirty sneakers, but this anchorman pulls off the look because only the top half of the ensemble is revealed to the lens of the camera.
“No lies, no racism, no derogatory terms,” he exclaims while frowning jokingly at his script. He pats the script and says defiantly, “It’s an [ethics] code, actually.” Andrew immediately swivels around in his grey, fuzzy desk chair and spends five more minutes meticulously smoothing the green screen. He nods at Mitch, signaling that with his approval, the taping of this episode of Blue Wave News can finally begin.
Andrew adjusts his tie and pushes back his hair as he looks into the feeder next to the camera. His rigid blue blazer rises and falls with the rest of his upper body as he takes a final deep breath and utters the first words of his segment with affirmative command.
Before the third take, Mr. Ivan Crowther, who teaches the Video Productions classes and oversees the making of Blue Wave News, strolls in and takes one look at Andrew.
“Can I give you a tip?” he says while walking towards Andrew.
“Sure,” Andrew shrugs nonchalantly.  
Mr. Crowther flashes a knowledgeable smile at Andrew and forcefully grabs the bottom of his black jacket.
“Pull this down. It’s too tight!”
“But the smaller jacket works sometimes,” Andrew sighs. Mr. Crowther teases as he continues to pull down the bottom of the jacket,
“You look like one of those pencil neck geeks. Pull the lapels down!”
“I don’t even know what a lapel is!” Andrew jokes, but still completely defensive of his chosen jacket. He finally adjusts his jacket so that it sits flat, and prepares to resume filming. Mr. Crowther takes one look over his shoulder and nods approvingly.
“You look good! One take, Kirkman, one more.”
Andrew Kirkman has gone through a lot with Blue Wave News to make it what it is today. Despite the fact that his Video Productions 1 class in the new building as a sophomore consisted of only four students, the assignment was to make up a news show.
“When we were shooting the first show, we needed someone to be the anchorman, and I volunteered to do it. I guess the position just stuck and here we are today,” Andrew says.  
Since he was a young boy, Andrew Kirkman’s initial interest in video was film-making. “I used to make little movies when I was younger because I had a little black and white camera,” he says, “I really started doing video-productions because I wanted to get involved in making more movies. I never really expected to be an anchorman.” So then why did Andrew volunteer for the anchorman position during that first taping of Blue Wave News? “I thought being the anchorman might be more fun than the other jobs and maybe a little less work, too,” he explains.
Andrew wasn’t correct in assuming the anchorman position was less work than other jobs in the news show. In fact, according to Mitch Blummer, “He works harder than any of us [in Blue Wave News],” Mitch said. (But Mitch is more fashionable than Andrew)
Many people probably don’t know that aside from being the anchorman of Blue Wave News, Andrew Kirkman is also the managing editor of the show, which requires a serious amount of work. “As the managing editor, he’s always double checking to make sure people are getting things done and doing their stories,” says Mr. Crowther. “He is dedicated to making sure all those little technical things behind the scenes are done properly.”
Mitch Blummer recalls, “At the end of our first year, we tried to do this piece, and it was just a complete disaster. Andrew was the one who kept the story going the whole time, and we actually ended up with a pretty funny result.”
“Can you tell Nick to get in here, please?” Andrew shouts while adjusting the green screen in preparation for his segment.
“Wow, well that was an attitude. Did you say please?” Mr. Crowther responds.
“I said please!” Andrew says, laughing reassuringly. Mitch Blummer says later, “[Andrew] really directs all of us and keeps us all in check.”
Andrew is obviously very dedicated to his news show in and out of school, so it makes sense he is always looking for ways to improve.  “When the [network] news is on, I will turn it on to see what the show looks like and also how the anchormen deliver their news,” he says.
Mr. Crowther has some other speculations as to how Andrew achieves his status as “a broad-casting professional” and improves his performance as anchorman. “I think he sits at home in front of the mirror and says, ‘I’m Andrew Kirkman.’” Mr. Crowther shrugs lightheartedly, “But that’s good, that makes him a better broadcaster. He takes it very seriously, and it shows.”
Nick Berry, who has known Andrew since elementary school and been an active member of Blue Wave News throughout Andrew’s entire involvement, reveals, “When Andrew comes to mind, I think of ego. His ego makes him charismatic enough to carry on the show as an anchor.” He goes on to say, “He is a confident person.” At this moment, Andrew walks by to check one of the cameras and overhears Nick’s comment.
“Wouldn’t you say, Andrew?” Nick pipes up, looking directly at Andrew.
“Yes,” says Andrew, smiling and nodding in approval. Enough said.
In some ways Andrew is different when not in front of the camera. “Off the air, he’s got more of a sense of humor than he does on the air. He has a bit of an absurd sense of humor,” Mr. Crowther says.
Andrew executes his subtle sense of humor without even knowing it. When asked what he would take on a deserted island, of course, he immediately asks, “Is there electricity on this deserted island?”
It’s often hard for Andrew to integrate his sense of humor into delivering the news because he is so dedicated to acting like a professional anchorman. Kirkman’s on-camera demeanor is actually more similar to a British newsreader’s style than a flashy American television presence: Maybe Mr. Crowther’s British influence has informed Andrew’s anchoring style. According to Nick Berry, “On the set, he is all very serious business.” Andrew would probably agree, and he says, “I think [the movie] Anchorman is very funny, but I don’t ever try to be like Will Ferrell on the show.” There is hope for the future, though, when he ends by saying, “I do think hosting a show like [Will Ferrell’s] would be cool sometime.”
The highlight of Andrew’s elementary school years was acting in short plays at the Darien Library. “There was one in which I played a vampire, and [in another] I played cupid.” Looking back on the experience, he says, “They were kind of stupid. I guess it was just something I thought would be fun.” Ironically, Andrew stopped acting because he wanted to work more behind the scenes. “I quit because I started to get more interested in making movies than acting,” he says.
“Before, I only saw myself doing film-related stuff, but now I think about broad-cast journalism as a career” he says. “I would maybe like to be an anchorman someday.” Kirkman will major in journalism at American University in Washington D.C.
“I do like politics,” he says, “I’ve thought about being a politician, but now it’s probably second or third on my list.” Nonetheless, he still has unusually strong views about his country. Mitch Blummer describes Andrew as, “American, that’s the big one.” Andrew says, “I like George Bush,” and leaves it at that.
Despite his ardent political views, Andrew has a much more peaceful side. “I like Vermont so much in the summer because it’s just so quiet. It’s cool.” According to Mitch Blummer, “He’s a softer guy and not as stern and hard-core as he looks on camera.”
“Kirkman,” as he is casually called by his friends, is also a member of the outdoor track team and participates in the throwing events. Andrew says, similar to mostly everything else he is involved with, “I really just do it because it is fun.” But, as opposed to his involvement with Blue Wave news, he admits, “I’m not too intense about it.”
After the necessary help from Mr. Crowther in the wardrobe department, Andrew effortlessly executes his sign-off with style and an understated attitude. “From all of us here at Blue Wave News, I’m Andrew Kirkman.” His nearly robotic manner lightens up as he nods before confidently uttering his anticipated closing line. “We’ll see you next time.”