When I first signed up for Comm. 465, I had limited knowledge of what the class entailed. I had taken Comm. 360 the previous Spring semester and that generated my interest in the Broadcast Journalism field, whether that be in actual live production, writing, or any avenue within the extremely broad field. The radio reporting class led me to my Summer 2016 internship where I was able to work alongside talented individuals who helped me to understand the many functions of the business. My first experience with a professional camera actually came during the internship. My task was centered around our coverage of San Diego Chargers training camp and MLB All-Star week where I was briefly introduced to the many functions of the camera and expected to record interviews and spot pieces along with what I now know is b-roll. At the end of the day, I felt like I did a great job given the fact I never had prior experience with professional camera equipment before and I knew I would be taking a class later in the upcoming school year that would expand my knowledge and help me greatly moving forward.
With the very first couple of classes, I was admittedly a bit intimidated by the camera and everything that went into making one project… let along four of them. The camera workshop came and was a bit fast. Working with a professional camera with many different functions, that if any are incorrectly placed in the wrong mode can mess up your entire recording can be a bit frustrating. I had a learning curve with the camera and most of the people were very helpful the few times I came in and had a simple question about a setting. The one complaint I would have is that at the end of the day, we are students taking numerous classes as well as working with high-tech equipment and sometimes do not know all the ins and outs of the technology. I for one do not wake up every morning and read the camera manual inside and out so coming back to ask a question regarding an error and being told that I should know how to fully operate my equipment and should have checked every single setting is a bit unrealistic in my opinion. Other than that, I think I eventually got the hang of the important settings on the camera and was able to film without too many issues.
The first project I thought went smoothly. I liked that it was a simple task and that the script was already provided. It laid the groundwork for me to visualize the shots I wanted in my head and plan everything out where and when I wanted it to happen. This was also my first time with using Adobe Premiere Pro as an editing tool and it was admittedly challenging. Zach who taught us how to use Premiere Pro was extremely helpful and walked me through certain steps in order to adjust the volume in key points or simply fix a lighting issue. He helped me become a lot more comfortable using the software for every future project we had.
The second project, I struggled to find a person to profile. This was very frustrating because I had a couple people who initially committed and either couldn’t follow through or had something come up. Also, this was right before Spring Break and I was able to drive home to film as I live in Southern California. When we got back from Spring Break, I scrambled and was able to profile Derek Basser, a manager at the Tavern restaurant locally in downtown State College. The “meat” of the story really was not that interesting in my opinion and in hind sight, I probably should have made the story into a profile of the Tavern and its history, rather than a staffer. This was the toughest project for me as it was hard to get around during two days of snowstorms and the final product was not something I was extremely proud about.
The third project, I wanted to drastically improve on my mistakes and issues from project two. I was watching CNN one day and it was right when Hillary Clinton was making one of her first public speaking engagements post election. She was being asked why she thought her side lost the election and her responses turned into breaking news on CNN. That gave me the idea of going out and interviewing the local Democratic Chairman of State College, Greg Stewart, and the local Republican Chairman of State College, Steve Miller. I asked them questions regarding the 2016 Presidential Election and why they thought Trump was victorious as well as why the thought Clinton lost. Also, questions regarding some of Trump’s controversial actions and the state of each party were asked. Editing was simple and my stand-up in front of the Bellefonte court house played into how my script and story flowed. I was very pleased with the final copy of project three.
For the fourth and final project, I wanted to continue off the momentum from the previous project. I had gotten my story idea weeks prior from my barber who was talking about the locals who always came in for a haircut and complained about how the skyline of State College was changing. I was set to fly off to Boston for a couple days so rented the camera out prior and went recording shots of downtown. I was able to get shots of construction from the top of a nearby parking garage and I was very pleased with the amount of “action shots” I was able to record. Also, I was able to get the opinion of a local, Mike Miller, who was uneasy about more student apartments, as well as the Sales Manager of the new Hyatt Place hotel who explained the impact her building brought locally. My stand-up was also unique as I was able to record next to construction dump trucks. The editing process went smoothly and after completion, I felt as if project four was by far my best piece of work.
In conclusion, Comm. 465 taught me a lot more than how to simply use a professional camera. It taught me how to deal with people and be more patient as well as understanding when asking for an individual’s time to record. The entire process from renting out the camera, to shooting b-roll, to interviewing, to editing and finally submitting was long and stressful at times but at the end of the day, I believe I learned valuable tools that will benefit me going forward into whatever field within Broadcast Journalism I pursue. One thing that I personally enjoyed was that Dr. Z also took time to bring modern day and current events into our discussions in class. There aren’t enough teachers who like to have active discussions daily about current events happening in and around our country so I appreciated Dr. Z doing so. Also, I enjoyed getting his perspective as someone from a different country who came to the United States and had to learn the culture and way of life. It was fascinating listening to the examples he shared and trying to imagine myself moving to a country like China and trying to assimilate. Overall, Comm. 465 was both a learning curve and a success story. I came out of the class pleased with my growth and definitely am excited to see the doors that will open as a result.