Reflection
I think my work itself shows just how far I’ve come in this class. I’ve always been passionate about it, but I wasn’t really pushing myself at first in terms of content. In my first story, I think I knew I found a good subject, a young girl who took extra care of her community, but I did not know how to tell her story. By the time I got to my last project, I believe I understood how to do that.
To this day, I am most proud of project 4 more than any other project. I think there were a lot of factors that went into this. First, I was finally using equipment I felt comfortable with. I have been using a DSLR for many years, and now that I am finally comfortable in using it for video, I think it enhances the overall quality of my project exponentially. I am also able to do more interesting shots such as playing with the focus and being able to control the white balance better. Next, as I have been saying, I am very interested in sports journalism. Not only did this story include sports (track especially considering that was the sport I was best at), but also an incredibly heartwarming story. Coach Spence is a very inspiring character, and because of this and through my storytelling practice, I believe I was able to finally put the two together and be able to capture who he is. I was able to let him speak and tell his story. I also learned the importance of multiple visits through this project. In total, I had visited the track four times. Once for the event, twice for a separate interview with a coach, and a final time to redo the standup. In the end, it was all well worth it.
In closing, I believe that if you wanted to gage my progress in this class, you simply have to go back and look at my first project, and then my last project. There is a world of difference. What’s interesting with this class is that you don’t necessarily feel like you’re constantly learning. But when you actually go back and reflect on the work that you’ve completed, you think to yourself “Wow, I’ve come a LONG way.” I find that to be very inspiring and very encouraging. Storytelling isn’t easy, but I think this class has taught me what to look for, and how to appropriately tell the stories of those who have the ability to inspire others. I learned quite a bit about the media industry, as well as being able to market myself as a reporter. I am looking forward to the Centre County Report next semester, and being able to create content for them that will hopefully only continue to improve my abilities, just like I was able to in this class. Thank you so much Dr. Z for an amazing semester. You were very encouraging and I think once I finally had office hours with you and was able to discuss my progress and what I am able to do, I blossomed as a student. I will keep in touch and see you around! Happy holidays!