Midterm

Midterm 

            During my early days in my News Media Practicum I class at Florida Southern College, I began to have an exciting revelation. The world of broadcast is constantly changing. This might seem to be obvious, due to the invention of a new portable informational device everyday, but I don’t think it ever really hit me until listening to the presentations my peers give every Wednesday afternoon. From the invention of a camera that shoots HD video, to a job that’s sole task is to constantly update information on Facebook, to Dalton’s daily insistence that eventually the only world will become so vast that there will be no need for television anymore, every Wednesday someone has come out with new information on an industry that is constantly in motion. As future reporters, news analysts, video editors, radio talk show hosts, writers, and sports anchors, this sort of research is essential to our survival. We are required to remain up to date on the latest technology, the newest job openings, what’s hot and what’s not, so that when we graduate from Florida Southern we will be the most desired, most experienced, most “can-do-it-all” bunch of broadcasters the world has yet to see.

           

Coming into the broadcast journalism department, I had absolutely no experience other than yearbook staff, making family videos and scrapbooking. I grew up in a small school in a small town, and we just didn’t have the technology to have multi-media programs like some of the bigger schools that feed Florida Southern’s student body. So when I signed up for Wellness TV, I will admit that I was nervous about whether or not I would be more of a nuisance than help. But what I found was a group of upperclassmen that were kind, understanding, and willing to allow me to peek over their shoulder as the frantically try to do their work. I found my hunger and enthusiasm to do the work has increased as I have slowly become more involved in Wellness TV. With Wellness TV, I have learned how to use and define terms such as b-roll, nat sound, and package. I have learned the basics of how to put together a package and I understand a specific timeline for the package to be completed. I understand that all deadlines are final. I have learned the importance of working together and making it known to the upperclassmen in charge of our package when I am available to work with them. In the real world, work will not come and find me; I will have to seek out job opportunities.

            

Working with Tosha on “The Word” staff is a very different experience than working on Wellness TV. Wellness TV is already well established; there have already been people who developed a system that works. The Word, however, is brand new show, and while this allows for a lot more creativity, figuring out what exactly to do can be a bit of challenge. Perhaps the biggest thing Tosha has taught me is how to use Final Cut Pro. I had never even seen the program before, let alone know how to use all the complex tools. But she showed me that using the program is easier than it looks, and there are a lot of great tools that will help maximize the quality of my video.

           

I am confident that the Communication department is the right place for me. My favorite classes and professors are all in the Communication department, and programs like Wellness TV and The Word will teach me the skills I need to succeed.