One of the first stories I helped with was Megan’s women’s soccer game against the University of Connecticut on September 13. Unfortunately, we later found out the videos we shot had no sound. Even though that was frustrating, we still got good B-roll of the game, fans, the Mountaineers, and the atmosphere of the stadium. I also helped Megan get ESPN+ footage showing Sophia Nickel’s previous goal for her package. Since Megan would not be at the edit lab, I helped her put her package together the night before and figure out where different clips should go. During fix day, I also helped adjust the color of her Sophia Nickel interview and sync some of the sound that was messed up.
I also helped Jackson with his story about the self-serve kayak kiosk near the rail trail. We filmed an interview with a coworker and got B-roll of the kiosk and the area around it. It was cool to learn about something I probably would not have noticed before. I helped Matt with his wrestling story, as well. We filmed his interviews, SOTs, and B-roll of Peyton Hall and the wrestlers practicing. I also suggested that Matt wear the wrestling headgear for his standup, which I think made it more interesting. Later, I helped him film Hall at an actual practice inside the Wrestling Pavilion. I also helped Michela and Gabe reshoot their standups and helped Jonathan film his interview with Scott Bartlett and a Facebook Live. I liked Jonathan’s story because it focused on the play-by-play announcer and gave attention to someone behind the scenes, so it was a shame the rest of his package did not turn out.
The edit lab was also busy this week. I helped Megan with her package, Michela with her phone mic settings, and Matt with his audio. I like helping people in the edit lab because I am learning more about editing while also helping them fix problems. It also helped me understand the problems people run into when filming and how I can avoid them in the future.Directing Show 1 was another big part of the week. Before the show, Zoey and I went over the graphics and made sure everything was spelled correctly. Then I helped Dom make sure every picture and package was in the right place. During the first take, we realized part of Jackson’s story was missing. Next time, I know I need to go through all the videos with Dom and play them all the way through instead of only checking the VOs. By the beginning of the third take, I felt like everything was going much smoother. I accidentally told Johnny to take a graphic way too early, and at the end, the closing didn't work out as planned, but overall I felt like the first show went alright. I am hoping Show 2 goes more like the beginning of the third take. I feel like the more I direct and learn the rhythm of the scripts, the more assertive and confident I can become.
Overall, I am enjoying this class. I like working with different people and getting experience with different parts of production. This week showed me that mistakes will happen, but they also help me learn how to do better next time. I am excited to keep improving my shooting, editing, and directing skills and feel more comfortable taking charge during future shows.