Philip Merrill College of Journalism | University of Maryland

Two Terps Rock!

Fellows from Vietnam and Kenya produce a documentary on Testudo

See The Spirit of Testudo video

**Hoa Nguyen**

When the two Fellows arrived on campus in August, one from Vietnam, one from Kenya, they had no experience as American-style television reporters who shoot, edit and produce a story.

By the time the two left, they had created a 20-minute video documentary so good that it was selected by the dean to represent the College’s best work.

**Collins Wagumba**

Entitled, “Testudo,” the video documents the history and loyal following of the university’s mighty Maryland terrapin turtle mascot.

Collins Wagumba, who teaches multimedia university courses in Kenya, served as director for the project. Hoa Nguyen, deputy editor of Ho Chi Minh City Television, where he supervises 80 employees, was the more technically experienced of the two and acted as director of photography. Both edited the film, calling themselves the “Two Terps Production Company,” after the nickname for university students.

College of Journalism Interim Dean Dr. Lee Thornton gives the two Humphrey “Terps” high marks: “The documentary rates high in storytelling narrative, visual effects and creativity,” she said. “There's more than ample evidence of solid interviewing skills. And the filmmakers really knew a great bit of sound when they heard it.”

**Dr. Lee Thornton**

Hoa and Collins (Class of 2007-2008) had studied under Dr. Thornton in her long-form broadcast documentary class. Of all the student documentaries she could have chosen, she picked “Testudo,” to run on a continuous loop in an October exhibit that showcased the University’s colleges and departments. Dr. Thornton ordered several dozen DVD copies of “Testudo” to hand out as promotions.

The production shows off the skills that Humphrey Fellows acquire while on campus. During their first semester, Hoa and Collins enrolled in an intensive independent study with Albert Calogero, an adjunct professor who is producer/media editing supervisor for WUSA-TV, Channel 9.

Calogero taught them how to shoot and edit field television packages. The class was arduous and they really had to want it, as it met at night, from 7 to 10 p.m. “In the beginning we spent a lot of time on cultural differences,” recalls Calogero.
“Both of them had a hard time getting used to the freedom that the press has in America. It’s a different approach to just go out and start shooting.”

Calogero’s course got them ready for Dr. Thornton’s documentary class. The two Fellows considered several ideas before settling on Testudo. They chose the turtle in part because of their fascination with the campus symbol, in part for entirely practical reasons: unlike most of their classmates, Hoa and Collins didn’t have a car, so they needed to stick close to campus.

“I had heard everyone at Maryland talk about the Terrapin with enthusiasm,” remembers Hoa. “I saw the university campaigns that featured the turtle, and I began to understand what the mascot means to the life of the students.” He also was intrigued by the subject of branding, and how the university had adopted it for fundraising campaigns, athletic teams, and so on.

“At first I looked at Testudo as a symbol of leadership,” Hoa said. “Later, I discovered many layers of meaning underneath. It is history, it has some charisma and deep attachment to the university. I love this idea.”

While Hoa did much of the shooting, they two Fellows formed a close team, with mutual respect. “What I learned from Collins is persistence and single-mindedness,” says Hoa.

The documentary tells us how Testudo was the brainstorm of the Class of 1933. No one knows anymore the derivation of the name “Testudo,” though it is thought to be a variation on the turtle family’s Latin nomenclature, testudine, or a reference to testudo gigantia, a species native to the African nation of Seychelles. A 300-pound bronze statue of a giant Chesapeake Bay diamondback terrapin turtle sits in front of McKeldin Library, where students traditionally rub its shiny nose for good luck before final exams.

Hoa and Collins used special effects, sparingly: Testudo’s signature diamond back shell is eerily screened over opening shots. Thanks to the University marketing department, aerial shots of campus were spliced in to give an overview of campus.

The enterprise consumed an enormous number of hours. Shooting took about two weeks. “We took the camera out any break or moment we had between classes,” says Collins. For two weekends they practically lived at the editing rooms, leaving at least twice at midnight.

While the two worked alone, they received encouragement from their professors, Thornton and Calogero. Collins relates: “Hoa and I would get stuck with the editing, and we’d call Al Calogero at the office and he’d direct us what to do.” Professor Thornton inspired them at crucial moments. “There were moments when we doubted whether we could pull out something worthwhile,” says Collins. “Dr. T sent emails, or would ask us how it was going. Those moments would reenergize us to push on.”

Although impressed by the two Fellows’ technical skills, Professor Thornton also praised how “the filmmakers ‘got’ both the American culture and the culture of the campus and the meaning of the mascot.”

It’s often said that you don’t really understand your own country until you spend time abroad. Perhaps it’s also true that it takes some out-of-towners to tell us about our own.

by Lucinda Fleeson, January 2009