By RAVINA PATEL
Staff Writer

April’s Artist of the Month, Ben Chiu (Sr.), is a member of Advanced Video Production and an integral part of Univision. Chiu has participated in Advanced Video Production for two years under the instruction of Ms. Hali Kessler (Visual and Performing Arts Dept.).
Chiu works on the graphics for every themed Univision using After Effects, an Adobe program similar to Photoshop that deals with video frames instead of photos. He examines and edits others’ works, combines his own ideas and devotes over six hours into every graphic he creates.  Since 2013, he has been doing all of the graphics for Univision on his own, with occasional help from David Geller (Sr.). He also contributed to the server structure that uploads Univision to help prevent the lag that occurred in previous years when teachers tried to upload the episodes at the same time. He is motivated by his desire to fix issues he notices with distributing digital media around the school and to assist in any way possible. To address the issue of watching Univision episodes outside of school, for example, he created an archive for school related videos in the official UHS YouTube account.
Mildred Yu (Jr.), a member of Advanced Video Production, said, “He is one of few that really knows how to do graphics and is extremely talented in it. He really knows his way around with technology, so if any of us have a problem, we usually ask him for help. Next time you see cool titling on Univision, you’ll know it’s Ben Chiu Graphics.”
In addition to his work with Univision, he manages the DVD content for the Yearbook, assigns people to capture pep rallies and assists other students with his knowledge of physical film equipment and technical computer programs.
Dan Kim (Jr.) added that Chiu is constantly asked for assistance. Kim said, “He is very consistent and he never brags; he’s always willing to help others if they need anything.”
When asked how Advanced Video Production has helped shape his high school experience, Chiu said, “As an introvert, I had trouble connecting with friends other than those interested in tech. Video helped shape me to become a student with about 25 to 55 people I like to call friends.” Chiu advises those considering taking Video Production to practice. An understanding of how to use the equipment, and knowledge of time-saving shortcuts are needed to produce one’s vision.