The time of year has arrived when everyone has begun counting down the number of days until summer break is official. I have 4 major projects to finish before the year is up.
1. Capstone: The most important project that I need to finish is my Capstone. I've some footage shot, but I need to go do more. That is my goal this week. I also need to get in contact with the people that are in charge of the mission conference to try and get pictures to put in my video. I have all the ideas I need to get this project done, I just need to sit down and get it finished. I only have 2 weeks until my presentation and I need to have a run-through before then. So the big goal for this week is to make BIG progress on my video.
2. Documentary: The next project that needs to be completed is my documentary for my Mass Communications class. This is a group project; we went and interviewed our family last weekend and things went really well!! We have one more interview to do and I think that is being shot this week. Then we have a whole week of class time to work on putting this together. So we will use that time to edit everything together.
3. Resume Tape: I need to do this not only for a class, but also to have it for job hunting purposes. I'm really not sure what I want to do with my life, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. I have all of the stand ups I want I just need to find the right stories to use.
4. E-portfolio: This is another thing that needs to get done for class, but also for job hunting purposes. I have most of the material I need to complete it I just need to get things organized and put together.
Now that Quilters is finished and with golf wrapping up this week I will have much more time to concentrate on getting all of my work completed. I only wish this would haven happened about 2 weeks prior.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Deadline Pressure
This week for my BC Journalism 2 class I had to complete a deadline project. This was a package that had to be shot, edited and dubbed to tape in one day. I decided to do my package on Relay for Life. I knew this was going to be an emotional day before I got down there, but the day didn't go nearly as well as I had hoped. I had a vision of this package before I went to shoot it and it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to.
I got down to the track about an hour later than I wanted to, so by the time I got down there I had missed the Survivor's Lap and there was only one survivor we could find. I asked her if she would be willing to do a TV interview and she seemed a little hesitant. She did the interview but it wasn't anything spectacular. It was hard to do because I knew she wasn't very comfortable talking about things. But I do have to give her respect for doing the interview.
The next challenge I came across was what kind of B roll to get. There wasn't a whole lot going on while we were down there so I got a lot of shots of people walking. I got them from different angles and such but I just wish I would have had more time. I really wanted to get the luminaries and the fireworks to put in the package, but because the package had to be complete by 6 pm I couldn't get it.
The package isn't what I expected it to be, but I think it's alright. It wasn't the time pressure that I was worried about, it was the expectation for myself to make a great package and I'm not sure I fulfilled it.
I got down to the track about an hour later than I wanted to, so by the time I got down there I had missed the Survivor's Lap and there was only one survivor we could find. I asked her if she would be willing to do a TV interview and she seemed a little hesitant. She did the interview but it wasn't anything spectacular. It was hard to do because I knew she wasn't very comfortable talking about things. But I do have to give her respect for doing the interview.
The next challenge I came across was what kind of B roll to get. There wasn't a whole lot going on while we were down there so I got a lot of shots of people walking. I got them from different angles and such but I just wish I would have had more time. I really wanted to get the luminaries and the fireworks to put in the package, but because the package had to be complete by 6 pm I couldn't get it.
The package isn't what I expected it to be, but I think it's alright. It wasn't the time pressure that I was worried about, it was the expectation for myself to make a great package and I'm not sure I fulfilled it.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Finally Making Progress
This week was super busy for me, but I feel like I got a lot of things accomplished. There were three major things that happened this week.
First, I got to interview Emmy award winning media critic and author, Eric Burns. He is a 1967 Westminster alum who came to speak for the Bleasby Colloquium. I was a little nervous at first because this was a big deal! Mr. Weaver came to me and asked me to do the interview because he wanted someone who was experienced and well-spoken (thanks for the ego-boost). The interview went very well and it also gives me another "celebrity" interview to put on my resume.
Secondly, I FINALLY met with Tom McKinley, the president of the New Wilmington Chamber of Commerce about my capstone project! Our meeting went extremely well and I feel so much better about things. This meeting lifted a HUGE weight off my shoulders. Tom gave me numerous ideas for things he wants in this video and that was very encouraging. He also gave me the names of some other people I might want to get in contact with to get more video or pictures from past events. I now have direction for my whole project and I feel a thousand times better about things. I'm really excited to get started on the whole process. Tom seemed really excited about the whole thing as well so that's encouraging!
Finally, I was also responsible for putting together a package for The County Line this week. To be completely honest I kind of forgot about it until about Wednesday night because of the whole Eric Burns thing. After my meeting with Tom on Thursday I was still without a package and it was 2 pm; TCL starts at 7:30. I was going to do a package about the blood drive, but when I walked down there no one was there! So I decided to take things into my own hands and donate blood myself and take the camera along and try to make a package out of that. It wasn't the best package in the least, but it was shot, edited, and dubbed to tape in 2 1/2 hours. The whole experience of trying to put something together out of nothing made me realize that I do have what it takes to survive in this business. It may be EXTREMELY stressful at times, but in the end it really is rewarding.
I still don't know what I want to do when I leave WC. I have 42 days left to figure it out.
First, I got to interview Emmy award winning media critic and author, Eric Burns. He is a 1967 Westminster alum who came to speak for the Bleasby Colloquium. I was a little nervous at first because this was a big deal! Mr. Weaver came to me and asked me to do the interview because he wanted someone who was experienced and well-spoken (thanks for the ego-boost). The interview went very well and it also gives me another "celebrity" interview to put on my resume.
Secondly, I FINALLY met with Tom McKinley, the president of the New Wilmington Chamber of Commerce about my capstone project! Our meeting went extremely well and I feel so much better about things. This meeting lifted a HUGE weight off my shoulders. Tom gave me numerous ideas for things he wants in this video and that was very encouraging. He also gave me the names of some other people I might want to get in contact with to get more video or pictures from past events. I now have direction for my whole project and I feel a thousand times better about things. I'm really excited to get started on the whole process. Tom seemed really excited about the whole thing as well so that's encouraging!
Finally, I was also responsible for putting together a package for The County Line this week. To be completely honest I kind of forgot about it until about Wednesday night because of the whole Eric Burns thing. After my meeting with Tom on Thursday I was still without a package and it was 2 pm; TCL starts at 7:30. I was going to do a package about the blood drive, but when I walked down there no one was there! So I decided to take things into my own hands and donate blood myself and take the camera along and try to make a package out of that. It wasn't the best package in the least, but it was shot, edited, and dubbed to tape in 2 1/2 hours. The whole experience of trying to put something together out of nothing made me realize that I do have what it takes to survive in this business. It may be EXTREMELY stressful at times, but in the end it really is rewarding.
I still don't know what I want to do when I leave WC. I have 42 days left to figure it out.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Am I really ready for this?
As the semester is racing to a close and graduation is creeping closer and closer I've been doing a lot of soul searching. I have to stop and ask myself, "Am I really ready to graduate?" Sure, Westminster has given me opportunities I never would have had before, but I'm still not sure I'm ready to leave and go out into the real world. I feel like everyone around me has such definite plans for their future and I'm just struggling in the wind. There's Chris Norris who had an amazing internship last summer with the Cleveland Indians and has another one lined up for this summer with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Clarissa Hunter and TJ Renninger both work for WYTV/WKBN now. And then there's me; no internship and no potential job. I don't even know what I want to do!
Over spring break I did decide that I would stay at home this summer and use that time to do my job searching because there's no way I would be able to do that now. I am involved in too many things on campus plus trying to get everything done for the semester I would drive myself crazy. But maybe that's just my problem. I'm involved in too many things. The more I think about it if I could go back and do this year over I think I would do a lot of things differently.
First of all, I would have had a more definite idea of my capstone project before the year even began. This is the thing that's causing me the most stress because I don't have a lot of things done and the end is coming quickly. I've had such a hard time trying to get in contact with my client that all of this phone-tag nonsense I'm doing now would have been much easier to deal with in September (instead of the end of March with my capstone presentation about a month away).
Secondly, I don't think I would cut down on the number of things I'm involved in on campus because I love them all, but I would definitely have managed my time better. I've realized that I'm the kind of person that gets wrapped up in the moment and forgets about the other things that need to get done that day. It's only recently that I've become so rigid with my schedule because I know that's the only way I'll get things done.
Finally, I would have made better decisions in what classes I'm taking this semester. There is one class in particular that I really regret taking. I feel like the only thing that class has done for me this semester is add to the stress of my schedule. I haven't really learned anything I didn't know before and I really feel like it's a waste of my time to sit through it when I have so many other things to be doing. Who knows, maybe five years from now I'll realize how much I did learn in that class but right now I'm hating every minute of it.
So I have 48 days until I graduate. I've contacted one guy about a job. He said because they are a new company they weren't sure when they were going to expand, but he'd definitely keep me in mind. That's what I'm working with. Maybe in the next 48 days something miraculous will happen and I'll have a solid job lined up...but I'm not counting on it.
Over spring break I did decide that I would stay at home this summer and use that time to do my job searching because there's no way I would be able to do that now. I am involved in too many things on campus plus trying to get everything done for the semester I would drive myself crazy. But maybe that's just my problem. I'm involved in too many things. The more I think about it if I could go back and do this year over I think I would do a lot of things differently.
First of all, I would have had a more definite idea of my capstone project before the year even began. This is the thing that's causing me the most stress because I don't have a lot of things done and the end is coming quickly. I've had such a hard time trying to get in contact with my client that all of this phone-tag nonsense I'm doing now would have been much easier to deal with in September (instead of the end of March with my capstone presentation about a month away).
Secondly, I don't think I would cut down on the number of things I'm involved in on campus because I love them all, but I would definitely have managed my time better. I've realized that I'm the kind of person that gets wrapped up in the moment and forgets about the other things that need to get done that day. It's only recently that I've become so rigid with my schedule because I know that's the only way I'll get things done.
Finally, I would have made better decisions in what classes I'm taking this semester. There is one class in particular that I really regret taking. I feel like the only thing that class has done for me this semester is add to the stress of my schedule. I haven't really learned anything I didn't know before and I really feel like it's a waste of my time to sit through it when I have so many other things to be doing. Who knows, maybe five years from now I'll realize how much I did learn in that class but right now I'm hating every minute of it.
So I have 48 days until I graduate. I've contacted one guy about a job. He said because they are a new company they weren't sure when they were going to expand, but he'd definitely keep me in mind. That's what I'm working with. Maybe in the next 48 days something miraculous will happen and I'll have a solid job lined up...but I'm not counting on it.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Resume Material...finally
I've forgotten the feeling you get when you know you've created something worthwhile. I finally put together a package this week that is truly resume material! It's not anything hard-hitting; it's just a fun little package about sledding. But I love all the nat-sound I was able to catch just from standing at the top of the hill and listening. The interview I got was probably one of my better ones simply because I didn't make it real formal. I just talked to him and casually put the camera up to his face. I like that approach so much better than the formal interview. You can capture more candid shots, people in their natural state of being and that creates more interesting video which in turn will give you a better package.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Stage Directing vs. Screen Directing
Last week, Westminster College put on "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and I was honored to be the Student Director as well as the Stage Manager for this show. It was an unbelievable amount of work to take on both jobs, but very well worth it! The show was a complete success! As a broadcast major and theatre minor I often find myself comparing the two fields because of their similarities.
With stage directing you are responsible not only for making sure the actual performance runs smoothly but also for all the rehearsals. You are responsible for creating the composition of the actors, making sure the energy levels are appropriate, making sure the actors know all their lines, as well as the overall shape and design of the show. In other words, the success of the show depends a lot on you. While I was only the student director I did have a lot of responsibilities, but I was fortunate to have an amazing mentor in my director, Eileen Hendrickson. It is because of her guidance that I've seriously considered directing as a possible future career.
Directing for a television show may seem entirely different than stage directing, but there are similarities. In a TV show, a director is also responsible for the way a show turns out. You need to be able to communicate well with all the other people you are working with in order to have a successful show. I've only directed once, but I really enjoyed it. There's always pressure, but it's pressure that I thrive on. You are responsible for making sure all the graphics get put up in time, telling the cameras which shots to get and when, and telling the tapes when to run. So in the same sense the success of the show depends on you and your calls.
This year I've come to realize I really enjoy being in charge of things. I don't think I'm as focused on being in front of the camera as I was a year ago. I could picture myself working behind the scenes as well. I live for pressure and deadlines and I think being a director provides some of that pressure.
I'm still not entirely sure what I want to do after graduation, but no one says you have to pick just one thing. All I have to do is get my resume out there and see what comes my way.
With stage directing you are responsible not only for making sure the actual performance runs smoothly but also for all the rehearsals. You are responsible for creating the composition of the actors, making sure the energy levels are appropriate, making sure the actors know all their lines, as well as the overall shape and design of the show. In other words, the success of the show depends a lot on you. While I was only the student director I did have a lot of responsibilities, but I was fortunate to have an amazing mentor in my director, Eileen Hendrickson. It is because of her guidance that I've seriously considered directing as a possible future career.
Directing for a television show may seem entirely different than stage directing, but there are similarities. In a TV show, a director is also responsible for the way a show turns out. You need to be able to communicate well with all the other people you are working with in order to have a successful show. I've only directed once, but I really enjoyed it. There's always pressure, but it's pressure that I thrive on. You are responsible for making sure all the graphics get put up in time, telling the cameras which shots to get and when, and telling the tapes when to run. So in the same sense the success of the show depends on you and your calls.
This year I've come to realize I really enjoy being in charge of things. I don't think I'm as focused on being in front of the camera as I was a year ago. I could picture myself working behind the scenes as well. I live for pressure and deadlines and I think being a director provides some of that pressure.
I'm still not entirely sure what I want to do after graduation, but no one says you have to pick just one thing. All I have to do is get my resume out there and see what comes my way.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Finding stories...
As a reporter in a very small town I often find it difficult to find stories to report. Our news program, The County Line, is weekly which makes it hard to do spot news. I like doing features, but even that seems like a daunting task in such a small town. Either people never respond to your emails or phone calls or they just don't want to be on camera. Sometimes they've already been interviewed for another story and don't want to help out again.
Another problem is that I'm a full-time student on top of it all. My schedule is super busy so finding the time to go shoot is hard. In addition to finding the time to shoot, I think the title of "Student Journalist" gives people the impression that we're not serious. We've talked in class about different ways to combat that stereotype such as saying we are a legitimate news/radio station. But for some people that still isn't enough. "Student Journalist" implies we're just some college kids playing reporter. How do we convey that this is what we want to do with our lives and we need practice? The only way to get practice and gain experience is by doing. It's vicious never ending circle that I hope one day comes to an end.
Another problem is that I'm a full-time student on top of it all. My schedule is super busy so finding the time to go shoot is hard. In addition to finding the time to shoot, I think the title of "Student Journalist" gives people the impression that we're not serious. We've talked in class about different ways to combat that stereotype such as saying we are a legitimate news/radio station. But for some people that still isn't enough. "Student Journalist" implies we're just some college kids playing reporter. How do we convey that this is what we want to do with our lives and we need practice? The only way to get practice and gain experience is by doing. It's vicious never ending circle that I hope one day comes to an end.
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