[originaltext] I was recently working with some sixth form comprehensive sch

I was recently working with some sixth form comprehensive school students, when a television company asked for permission to come in and make a short film of our activities. The arrival of the cameras and crew was a major event. The setting up of the equipment, the conversion of the classroom into a mini-studio, and the sheer presence of so many television personnel (10 in all) all made this into a special occasion. On the day of filming I was better prepared than usual, and chose to wear clothes which I fancied might have some visual appeal. So did the students.
    The session itself was disappointing. The camera and lights were frightening to us all and even normally active students were reluctant to attempt an opinion. Every time one of them spoke, every pieced available equipment was turned towards her.
    Fortunately, this was part of a program about interesting developments in education, so the director intervened in order to encourage the kind of lively responses she was looking for. "If you don’t speak up and get involved." she told the students, "then you won’t be on television." The effect was immediate. The students began to go over-the-top in their attempts to attract attention. When someone said something of interest the director stopped the discussion, focused the camera and lights on her and asked her to repeat it. All of my contributions to the discussion were reshot at the end, after the students had left, and cut into the final film. Nothing could have been further removed from our normal way of working.