The Next Step...

Now it's time to take the next step in my capstone class as the semester draws to a close. This past Thursday, my fellow classmates and I had to present our final senior projects to the rest of the broadcast department. We had been discussing possible projects with one of our professors for weeks, but now each of us needed to have our final projects approved by the rest of the department's professors.

It was serious...and the department heads meant business. I can't blame them...I mean, this is what we will all spend our entire semester working on next fall. And really...I liked how the broadcast department faculty were critical, because it helped all of us to focus our topics...plus that's how it is in the broadcast business, anyways.

To be honest, I had one idea in mind, but while listening to other people present and to the professors' responses, I changed my topic slightly before I went up to pitch my project. Originally, I wanted to focus on the growing phenomenon of "infotainment" in broadcast reporting (especially since I will be working with a news and entertainment show for my internship at Newschannel 5 this summer...), but I really wasn't sure what value I would gain from doing a project on that...besides I think that topic lent itself towards doing a research paper.

Instead I decided to focus on the art of feature storytelling...what elements make up a good feature story, how do reporters seek to capture the human interest, what kind of subjects make the most interesting feature stories, etc. In addition, feature stories are non-dated, making one done well, a great addition to my resume tape!

After much deliberation, I decided that I would explore this area of reporting for my senior project, and at the same time, I would create a collection of feature stories revolving around Lawrence and Mercer Counties to be aired on the County Line. One professor, Mr. Corso, said I should develop a theme...right now I'm considering surrounding the stories around historical landmarks and facts about these two counties or have my own "Made in Lawrence/Mercer County..." segment, which features the different products made in this area...or maybe I will come up with something different. My working title right now is "Recapturing Human Interest through Feature Storytelling."

Basically, I want to create my own feature TV segment on the County Line and brand it...make it my own, with an open and everything! Plus, I can re-purpose my project for the web (by creating my own Web site for the segment, posting it in conjunction with the County Line, or posting the stories on my blog) and for the radio by creating a special audio version of my stories for Dr. B's Sunday morning shows on Titan Radio.

That may sound like a lot already...but I don't want to forget my love for TV producing with this project. At the end of the semester, I plan to compile my stories to make one longer video about Lawrence/Mercer Counties (maybe even debut it somewhere like the Lawrence County Historical Society?) Right now, I'm caught between reporting and producing (actually, I still like a lot of other aspects of broadcasting, but this project intrigues me the most...), but this project will allow me the opportunity to expand my skills in both areas. Next semester will be a busy one, but I'm up for the challenge!!

Under Pressure...

"Pressure pushing down on me. Pressing down on you no man ask for. Under pressure..."

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines...it's the nature of the broadcast business. Reporters, producers, and anchors are always under this kind of unnerving pressure to get the story out fast...before anyone else leaks out the details. Each station wants to be first and to be the best. While this is kind of sad...it's the reality of the media world today...as viewers and listeners expect immediacy.

I felt the pressure of the deadline this week when I completed my deadline project for my BC 312 TV Reporting class. One of the assignments for this class required every student to find a TV story, shoot the cover video and the interview, to capture the footage, to write the script, to edit the package, and to dub the story onto an air tape....all in one day (actually in approximately 10 to 12 hours I think...)

The idea behind the assignment was to have each student experience the pressure of the deadline like any reporter would in a real TV market. Needless to say...I felt the stress and the pressure (partially because the computers decided to act up)...but overall I was happy with how my story turned out in the end.

I chose to do my TV package on the IRS Criminal Division. A group of their special agents came to my school this past Wednesday for the "Westminster College Project," a simulation day which allowed 18 students to take on the role of a special agent for the day.

I called the head IRS special agent Andrew Hromoko the day before the event to set up an interview time. He was very helpful...Mr. Hromoko gave me a tentative agenda for the day and told me what to expect throughout day.

I woke up early that morning and got to the campus center at 8:30. First, Mr. Hromoko showed me the three different cases the students would be working on and where to get the best video. Then, I interviewed Mr. Hromoko. I learned later he was rather impressed with the questions I asked him. The filming went extremely well...the agents even set up a fake drug bust on campus which was the best part of the day. I loved filming this because it made me feel like I was on the scene filming breaking news. In fact, one of the Youngstown TV stations, WFMJ, was there to film for that part of the day.

I also got to film the F.A.T.S. training simulator, where the students were put in a variety of hostile situations and had to decide whether to shoot with their fake gun or not. This device is used to train federal law enforcement officers.

After I got some more cover video and shot my stand up with Chuck's help, I set off to edit...I screened my video and captured what I needed....then I sat down to write my story. This had to be the hardest part...I was already pretty tired, and I really wanted to use the diamond effect in this story. Thankfully, one of the students I interviewed was thinking of becoming an IRS special agent, so I worked that into my story.

The only main problem I encountered was when I went to add in my VO parts to the story, and the computer would not recognize my hard drive (or anybody else's, believe me I tried...) Chuck couldn't figure it out either, but thankfully after I restarted the computer a couple of times...it worked! I finished my editing...and called my professor to tell him my story was done.

I just felt good that I could do it...that maybe someday I will be able to make it in this broadcast world...plus Mr. Hromoko gave me his business card, and Chuck told me my package and the raw footage from my story is going to Washington, D.C., to the headquarters of the IRS! It's been a very exciting week...

Advice from the Field...

One of the best ways to learn about the broadcasting business is to do an internship and to gain experience in the field...and the next best thing is to hear advice from people who have been in the business for years.

Since the start of my internship is more than a month away, I'm still waiting on that personal experience, but last Friday my Broadcast Journalism II class had the opportunity to listen to a reporter in the business, plus get some feedback on the stories we've been working on for the County Line during this semester.

Reporter Amy Marcinkiewicz (from the Pittsburgh NBC affiliate, WPXI) stopped by for about an hour in between stories. She was up in the area that day because she had just covered a story at Slippery Rock University about Chelsea Clinton coming to the school to talk to students that afternoon. Then...Amy was heading back to work on at least one more story that day...maybe two. Needless to say, she was busy, so she was frank, honest, and to-the-point with her comments...but they all made sense.

I decided to show her my Mini-Horse Package...which you can watch in following post. I had cleaned up the story a little before showing it to her (and I will upload the better version soon), but overall, Amy liked the story...she felt I had all the important elements (compelling and well-shot video, nat sound, good writing, etc.), but she mentioned I could have done a better stand up to help show how short the mini-horses really are and stuck it in the middle somewhere. Also, Amy thought I needed more makeup...I am pretty fair-skinned to begin with, so that's something I'm going to need to work on for future stories. However, what made me happy was that she said the story was resume-worthy, especially since the story was non-dated.

Amy also had some helpful general advice from the field to share with the whole class. For example, some of the comments I benefited from included using the diamond effect when it comes to any story that involves some bigger issue. Showing how a situation affects one person can grab the audience's attention quicker and make them stay tuned in to the story. Also, the story has the potential for human-interest and appears non-dated, so it can be used on a resume tape. Amy also stressed the importance of using compelling video at the beginning of any story...plus good writing is a must.

Amy's visit I think reiterated to me that the broadcast business can be brutal...and you have to be a go-getter in this field to go anywhere. Her "advice from the field" was useful...and I plan to put her suggestions into action. Overall, I think Amy pointed out that the best stories are the ones that stand out and endure.

Building Character...

My experiences this semester have helped to build my character as a broadcaster and as a person. I have learned how to deal with extreme pressure, how to function on little sleep (if that's really possible), how to produce a good TV story, and how to approach a lot of difficult situations.

One of the accomplishments I'm most proud of, however, is how I've grown in my abilities as a storyteller...through the video medium. In particular, my Broadcast Journalism II class has allowed me the opportunity to create more TV packages to add to my resume...by doing this, I've had the time to develop my skills and to travel down new avenues in my stories.

For example, I've been experimenting with my stand ups. I try to make them more interesting by using props, by using appropriate movement, by looking at a particular subject from a different angle and much more. In addition, I've been using more close-up shots in my stories. I've been utilizing the tripod more to get better shots overall...and most importantly, I've really been writing to my video. However, I've realized it's best to start writing, or at least visualizing, your story in the field, so you can get the shots you need to write to your video.

Although, all of these considerations are important and essential to good storytelling...one piece of advice has helped me more than ever: the practice of building characters. Just like in any good novel or movie, characters make the story what it is; one can't tell a good story without good characters. Sometimes, I think news storytellers forget this element when producing a TV package. The may shoot compelling video or talk about a big event, but personally I think the stories that capture a person's attention the most are those of human interest...with characters that reach out to the soul and to the heart.

So far, this semester, I've produced three TV packages...with one more in the works. My third package was by far the best I've ever done. I visited a farm in West Middlesex...where one lady raises and breeds miniature horses. Not only did I have compelling and cute video, but Elaine Jones was a character. She was so devoted to her mini-horses, and all her other pets for that matter, that she considered them a part of her family. She was a true character...and that came across in the interview I did with her. Besides, I thought the name of her company was so cute: Jones' Mini-Whinnies! Check out my story on mini-horses and let me know what you think!