Final Summary

Last semester was my first real exposure to any time of news production. I went into the class with very little background knowledge. Since then I have learned a substantial amount about what it takes to produce a news show. Last semester I learned how to interview people and how to work with equipment in the field. This semester I spent much more time in the actual studio. This semester in Practicum was much smoother than last year. I learned much more, especially with the new studio. Last semester I worked more on Wellness, rather than the news show. This year I got to do multiple tasks in the studio. One of my favorite things to do is run the teleprompter. You have to run it at the perfect speed to not go too fast, but not too slow either. I also got to work with the camera a bit. Finding a good shot in the studio was somewhat difficult with the strange shaped desk and decals on the back wall, but we did it. With the new studio setup, lighting was also an issue. If there was too much light the reporter or anchor would appear overexposed, and visa versa. Finding a good balance of the light was necessary for a successful shot. 

One of my favorite parts this semester was the entertainment panel Ashley, TJ, Olivia, and Dion did. It was a great experience because Rachel showed me how to work the switcher. This is not something we get to do regularly on FSC Today.

This semester I also got to polish up on writing readers. I learned they only have to be about 10-15 seconds each and should have the most important information in a quick and snappy delivery. Writing readers also let me practice what I learned in Broadcast Writing. Writing readers for a news show is very different than writing anything for a newspaper, because it must be in Broadcast Style. Writing readers also taught me that deadlines are very important. Writing for FSC Today also showed me the importance in connecting and transitioning stories properly. You can’t go from a story about a new homeless shelter opening for the holidays to a story about a child being murdered. Making some kind of connection is necessary. 

Teamwork during production is vital. Team work is key because one person cannot be anchoring, recording, working the camera, and doing the teleprompter. It’s just not possible. Ironically enough, communication is key in the communications department. Everyone must be on the same page with what the end result should be. Having strong leaders like Rachel and Olivia producing the news show makes all the difference. 

I really enjoyed Practicum this semester because of the variety in the show. This semester we had sports, entertainment, wellness, and general news. I anticipate what is to come for the Communication Department within the next semester.

12/05/2013

Today I assisted Rachel in filming for video short by the water dome. 1 Hour

12/02/2013

Today I went to an editor meeting for The Southern. I was shown how the Entertainment Editor lays out her pages. 1 Hour

12/01/13

I wrote a story for The Southern this past weekend. The story talked about Circle K International's Toys for Tots toy drive. I spent about two hours total writing the story and doing research and interviews. 2 Hours

11/24/13

Today I wrote a national and local reader for FSC Today. The national reader talked about lower gas prices for Thanksgiving. The other talked about how The Ledger is collecting donations for people in need through a program the do every year.

2 hours 

11/18/13

Today I went to the filming of FSC Today. I helped with various tasks in the studio including cleaning the news desk, helping to get a good shot of Olivia and Dion, helping with lighting, and more.
1 hour

11/11/13

Today I attended a recording of FSC Today. I found this particular recording very interesting because it was the first time I got to work with some of the new equipment. It was also very entertaining because Dion's entertainment segment had a panel with Ashley, TJ, and Olivia. They all discussed Britney Spear's new song "Perfume." Rachel also showed me a few of the features on the tri-caster.
1 Practicum Hour

11/10/13

Today I wrote 3 national readers for FSC Today. The first story was about a woman in Oregon getting attacked by a wildcat. The second was about a burglar getting stuck in a chimney. The third was about a european satellite falling into earth's atmosphere.

3 hours

11/3/13

Today I submitted 2 readers for the news show. The first was about Southern Cinema presenting Monster's University this week in the Badcock Gardens. The other talked about the Los Angeles Airport shooter. 2 Hours

10/07/13

I recently wrote an article for The Southern. The article was about a used musical instrument store called "Music Go Round." I went to the store and took pictures. I also interviewed the store owners. 4 Practicum Hours

10/07/13

Today I attended the FSC Today news show. I helped to run the tri-caster and the teleprompter. The show ran smoothly today with little issues. 1 Practicum Hour

10/6/13

Today I wrote 3 readers for FSC Today. The first was about the rebuilding of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. The second was about gas prices coming down. The third was about a man who set himself on fire at the National Mall. I also helped Rachel edit other readers. She explained to me how readers should be written and connected together. 4 Practicum Hours

9/30/13

Today I helped run the teleprompter. We had some difficulties with getting the TV in the studio to be in color. At the time we could not figure it out. Later, Dr. Bradford explained how to change the setting on the tri-caster to prevent that from happening. 1 Practicum Hour

9/29/13

Today I wrote two national readers for the news show. The first was about a new recruiting campaign for the Girl Scouts. The second was about a Good Will worker in California that found $10,500 in a donated book. 2 Practicum Hours

9/23/13

Today I went to the news show and learned how to run the camera with Bree. We took some time learning how to get the perfect shot of the anchor. We also learned how to leave some space for the graphic on the right. 1 Practicum Hour

9/16/13

I did a reader for the news show today. I announced past Greek events and upcoming ones. I also helped Rachel edit some other readers to prepare for the news show.

2 Practicum Hours

9/9/13

Today I worked on the first FSC Today show of the school year. We got to learn about the new studio equipment. I got to run the teleprompter for Olivia, Dion, and Tori. We hooked up the SLR cable and microphone. Then turned up the microphone and ran through the script a few times. I got to learn the correct speed to run the teleprompter.
1 Hour

9/8/13

Today I sent in a reader for FSC Today. I wrote about On the Razzle, a Florida Southern Theater Department production. In this reader I stated the days and time the show will be performed. I also informed viewers of ticket prices and gave a short description of the type of show it is. Today I also helped Rachel organize other readers for the news show the next day.
2 Practicum Hours

Final Essay

     Going into Broadcast Practicum, I was not exactly sure what to expect. Of course I knew I would be learning about Broadcast Journalism, but I had no idea of the expectations of me. After a few classes I seemed to catch on. My first semester of Broadcast Practicum has taught me teamwork, how to interview people, how to use equipment, and exposed me to a real news show.

     A big part of getting so much out of this class is working with others. If it had not been for other students and learning from them, I would not have learned half of what I did. Working in teams was really helpful because of all the steps required in putting together a package. First you need to find people to interview, usually an expert and someone with personal experience on the topic. Next you need to schedule an interview and get the equipment together. Then you need to have questions ready to ask and then edit the footage after. All of these steps would be a lot to handle for one amateur, like me.

     Another thing I learned during this class is how to interview people. I can be shy at times so this was an area that definitely needed improvement. Going to interviews with other, more experienced, people was a big help. I learned to always have some questions prepared and then, based on their responses, to continue asking more questions. Other students, like Rachel and Tracy, taught me to never put the person being interviewed directly in the middle of the frame, but off the the side. They also taught me to not have the person looking directly into the camera, but off to the side as well.

     Knowing how to use the equipment is a big part of broadcast. Although I am still learning, I now know a lot more than I originally did. With the help of other students I learned how to set a tri-pod, a microphone, the camera itself, and more. Before this class I had no clue how to do any of these things.

     Going to the news show recordings every couple of weeks was another thing I had never experienced before. I learned so much from just sitting there and observing what was going on around me. I learned how to use the teleprompter, and how to adjust the soundboard. I also got to see the anchor, Austen Snodgrass, gathering some last minute details before filming. 

     In terms of improvement, I think this class could use just a little. For older and more experienced students I think it is an outstanding class. But I think that for newer students, like me, it would be helpful to get some kind of packet or book with equipment information in it. Just some pictures of equipment with instructions and their purpose would be extremely helpful. Although I did learn a lot from other students, I think this method would be useful for new students with less knowledge of the subject.

     This class was my first real look at Broadcast Journalism. Beyond any doubt, it exposed me to people, experiences, and equipment I had never encountered before.

4/18/13

Today Austen showed me, more in depth, how to edit the news show. He showed me how to use the chroma key for the backdrop. Austen also showed me how to put text and pictures on the screen to pop up when talking about a story. It also took about an hour to save and finalize the entire video.
 4 practicum hours

4/16/2013

Today I got to see FSC's News Show being edited by Austen Snodgrass. He taught me how to use some of the editing tools as well. Austen explained to me how to tie the entire show together with all the various segments like sports and wellness. 2 practicum hours.

4/8/13

Today I watched Tracy edit our package for Wellness TV on Pet Therapy. The computer took awhile to upload the videos but we finally managed to get to work on them. Tracy showed me how to select certain clips to use and how to transition from b-roll to interviews and voice overs. 3 Practicum hours.

4/7/13

Today I wrote a reader for the news show. The reader gave basic information on Fall 2012 Move-In applications. 1 practicum hour.

4/5/13

Today Jordan, Tracy, and I went to the FSC counseling center to get an interview with Riley the therapy dog's handler. We decided not to mic him because of the quiet setting and the possibility that Riley could ruin the cable. Riley's handler was very articulate and open to any questions we had. Tracy showed Jordan and I how to set up the camera and get it at a good angle (with the subject slightly off to the side). 2 practicum hours.

3/27/13

Today I attended one of the news show recordings. I got to gain more experience with preparation, such as putting together a script. I also gained more experience with using the teleprompter.
1 practicum hour.

4/4/2013

Today Tracy and I interviewed Alanna Tucker for Wellness TV's upcoming "Pet Therapy" package. Tracy showed me what wires to connect and how to ask Alanna valuable questions. 
2 practicum hour.

March 12

Today I helped Rachel edit a package on ADD for Wellness TV. Rachel had interviewed a girl named Haley who had ADD and who agreed to talk about her diagnosis and treatment. One problem that we ran into while editing was Haley's audio. Although Rachel used headphones when recording the interview, for some reason the microphone did not capture her voice correctly. Rachel showed me how to reduce noise. After spending some time adjusting it, we got the audio as good as it was going to get. I earned 3 hours for this.

2/17/13

Today Rachel showed me how to edit a package. She showed me how to choose what shots to use and what to cut out. I earned 3 practicum hours.

2/17/2013

Today I helped Rachel film for her Advanced Broadcast project. We walked around the lake, interviewing local residents and students and watching the wildlife in and around the lake. I got to learn how to interview people better and how to capture certain angles with the camera. I earned 4.5 practicum hours.

2/11/13

Today I went to another News Show taping. I got more familiar with the teleprompter and got to look around the studio. I earned 1 practicum hour.

2/5/13

Today Maria, Rachel, and I went to Wynee's Bistro and got more footage for the nutrition binder package. We did 30 mins for practicum.

2/4/13

Today I helped Rachel and Tracy edit for the nutrition binder package for Wellness TV. This was my first time editing so it was really interesting and slightly confusing. I learned how to do voice overs and write a script. I also learned how to edit interviews and fix a frame so it's level. I earned 3 hours.

2/4/2013

Today I attended my first news show recording. First I learned how to operate the teleprompter. This included how to speed up the copy and also how to slow it down. After, I got to see how the audio equipment worked. I also got to see how the various stories were delivered. I earned 1 hour.

1/29/13

Today I wrote my first reader for the news show about Florida Southern's first Scholar's Weekend of the year. I earned 1 practicum hour.

1/19/13

Today Rachel and I set up equipment in the Wellness Center to conduct an interview with Kayle, a personal trainer on campus. Rachel gave me some tips on proper interviews habits, as well as audio and lighting techniques. Later Maria joined us to interview Kayle. The interview and equipment set up took about 2.5 hours.

1/18/13

Rachel and I sat in on a Little Women rehearsal for 1.5 hours. Rachel helped teach me about using the HD camera.

New Blog

This is my new blog for my News Practicum class.