I think that I've done a lot this year. I did my best to get stories out every other week and with many of my stories I had to stay after school or travel elsewhere to film B-Role.
STORIES
Brendan Dunwiddie Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN78pQwXfQw
This was a story over Brendan Dunwiddie and his decision to make the switch from Football to Cross Country. I covered this story because my partner Alex and I, during hallway committee, asked him what sports he was participating in and found out he was moving from one sport to another; the two sports (Cross Country and Football) are completely different. I went out and filmed this outside of school as well as edited it with the help of Alex. The story took us about 6 days, or possibly 5, from start to finish. The outcome of this story was a minute long news package that told a, in my opinion, decent story.While we were working on finishing this story, I learned that I need to figure out ahead of time the easiest way to film a sport's practice because I ended up running with the Cross Country team in jeans and a long sleeve shirt in the heat- this wasn't my best idea.
Concussions Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfq30NqejxA
This was a package over the Blue Valley Little League Football League and the concussions that often occur in Football. Me and Alex chose this story because we were interested in both Football and just how common concussions are in the sport. I went out to the League field and filmed this outside of class, as well as I edited most of the video. Creating this package was an experience in that we got to travel to a league we'd never heard of to watch 5th and 6th graders play football. This package took about a week to make since filming was a bit of a challenge to schedule because the league normally doesn't allow anyone to record the games; we also had to in and out point around 400 clips. The outcome was one of my favorite packages and a video full of great B-Role that includes numerous hard hits to emphasize injuries and concussions. After making this story I learned that the B-Role needs to help tell the story, just as much as the voice over.
Band Marching Festival Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEBPl3otGv4
This is a story over a marching festival our school's band participated in. We decided to cover this story because this was a big deal for the band, and many other school bands were going to be in it as well, so I went out and filmed this. This story took about 4 or 5 days to complete; the outcome of this story was a music filled package that told a great story of the band's stunning performance that they worked so hard to prepare for. After completing this story I learned to always white balance the camera before I start filming to avoid clips with very different lighting since. What makes lighting difficult is that it is always noticeable when you cut from one clip to another and that takes away from the quality of the package.
Plagiarism Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hem34XfkGc
This is a package over Plagiarism and how it is a problem in every school, as well as steps our school and many others, are taking to prevent it. We chose to to cover this story because our former teacher Mr. Allam suggested that we address the issue in a news package, and that's what got us going. I filmed B-Role for this.This package took a week to make because of all the interviews scheduled on different days and finding classes to film B-Role in; The library just wasn't cutting it when it came to quality B-Role. The outcome of this was a factual, informative package that I think enlightened students on plagiarism and its repercussions. I learned that I need to test the mic before going to film an interview because they may not always work and this took away from the quality of many the interviews Alex and I filmed.
Week of Giving Recap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbr7GpZysq4
This is a recap over the Week of Giving that took place at ONW. I ended up working on this project alone. I chose to work on this package because I had never done a recap before and this would be a new experience for me. This was a package I did by myself so I filmed all of the B-Role and edited it. This story took 2 days to complete; one day to film and the other to edit. This was pretty rushed since I was on a crunch for time. The outcome of this story was a short and to the point recap of the Week of Giving at ONW that told students what they might have missed. Overall, I think this package did what it needed to do, considering the time frame I had to finish it. After making this package I learned that when I'm short on time I really need to get to it since there is no time to waste. While I did finish this in time, it's a great lesson for future reference.
Groundbreaking Playground Ceremony Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbr7GpZysq4
This is a story over the groundbreaking ceremony on College and Lone Elm for a new park being made for special needs kids. We chose to cover this story because we thought it was great that they were creating a park accessible to special needs kids and wanted to find out more. I filmed B-Role for this and Alex did all of the editing since I was out sick the day we were going to edit it. This package only took two days to complete. The outcome was a heart-warming story over a new park soon to be built for special needs kids. After completing this package I learned that I need to dress appropriately for the weather conditions that I might be filming in. I learned this the hard way since it was most likely below 40 degrees and I only had on a thin jacket and no gloves.
STRENGTHS
One of my strengths in Convergence Journalism is editing. I am able to make precise cuts and organize B-Role in a way that helps tell the story. I can also balance audio pretty well and avoid having random clips that are extremely loud compared to the others. I maximized my strengths by volunteering to edit and doing the best editing I could when I was given the opportunity.
Another one of my strengths is knowing what types of shots I want to get before I film. Often times I'll imagine what shots would look good in whatever type of package I'm filming; 9 times out of 10 thinking about the shots beforehand and what would work is enough to lead me through the filming process. This is extremely helpful when I go out to film because it allows me to waste no time thinking about what my next shot will be.
WEAKNESSES
REFLECTION
Through-out this semester I've learned a lot. One of the biggest things I've learned is to white balance my camera before filming anything. The varying lighting that's always noticeable has plagued many of my shots and this needs to change. I've also learned to dress for weather conditions since I've payed the price for it twice. Lastly, I learned that I need to stay on task 24/7; this is imperative in order to have new stories out consistently, as is expected of me.
For next semester, I plan to utilize everything I've learned: White balancing the camera before filming, dressing for weather conditions, and staying on task.
I think I've grown as a student in that my work ethic has improved and so has my quality of work. I've also grown as a professional through the skills I've learned that I can take into the work force. What I've learned in e-Comm is what the professionals use in the media: Proper lighting, good audio, steady shots, B-Role matching with the voice-over. All of these will give me an edge when it comes time for me to apply to colleges and when I'm applying for jobs.
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