With another week of filming and a show under our belts, I would say this past week I learned the art of being adaptable! We had a shorter turnaround time for our show, so we all had to adapt to that compared to our first show, when we had more time to gather content. I also learned the importance of being adaptable in the moment when out filming because sometimes our reporters rely on us when things get stressful, so it’s important as an ENG to have a level head.
I started the week out by helping Parker film and collect b-roll at the renaming of the Coliseum press conference. This is where being adaptable really started for me, as I had never been to a press conference before or filmed at one. Parker wanted one of us to film the entire press conference and the other person to collect b-roll. Since he had to listen to the press conference, we decided it would be better for him to record that while I collect footage of the event. Prior to the event starting, it was very easy to collect different clips. I got some of the entire space, some close-ups of the Hope Gas mascot, as well as the new basketball court design, along with footage of just people talking. Once it started, though, I was unsure if I was able to freely move around and get footage or if I had to stay in place. I just didn’t want to disturb anyone and got as much as I could from the one spot. Going back to the last blog where I spoke on confidence, I wish I had moved around and gotten more after the fact, but we live and we learn, and now I know for next time!
My next task for the week was helping Vincent film his stand-up and SOT Tz’s for his package at the WVU football Hall of Traditions. He walked into us filming knowing exactly what he wanted to do, all the way to the background. But once we got to the field and saw the football field was locked, we had to pivot and adapt to that and go to plan B. Looking for a new filming location, we tried in front of all of the bowl trophies in the hall, but they were in front of the windows, so the lighting was just off. We walked around the hall and tried to scope out different locations we could use that would make sense for his story and we finally found something we liked enough. After we filmed, we still had to go to a second location to film the second part of his stand-up. He wanted to football field in the background so we first attempted Law School Hill, but the sun was in his face, and he would’ve had to squint the whole time. It was defeating at one point because we were like, ‘We can’t control the weather!’ Running out of ideas, and filming a lot longer than planned, we reached out to our professors for help and packed up, heading to another recommended location. We finished up filming in front of the football stadium by the box offices. It wasn’t what we wanted, but it was the best we could have done given the circumstances. Sometimes things don’t go as perfectly as planned but in my opinion it's more important how you react to that than anything.
Another example of having to adapt came from filming with Riley at Cooper’s Rock. She went in there with a very laid out plan of what she needed from me, which was so helpful as an ENG. Even though I thrive off of a plan and direction, I still almost expect one thing to go wrong that way I’m not blindsided when it does. We got to Coopers Rock and began filming her SOT Tz’s on a trail near the stargazing cabins where we were going to film our b-roll. We got a lot of curious stares from hikers, but everyone was very friendly! After filming those, we relocated to the stargazing cabins, which is what her story was about. Once we got there and began filming outside, we were asked for a permit, which we didn’t have (oops), and were then sent to acquire one. We were told where to find the Superintendent of the park and began heading that way. When we got to his office, we were disappointed to find that it said he was closed. I decided to knock on the door anyway, because why not? And was shocked when, as we walked away, he came and opened the door! Riley chatted with him about whether we could film at the cabins as well as if she could interview him. He told us yes to the cabins, and regarding an interview, he was waiting for clearance from his boss. Coincidentally, as we were talking to him, he got an email that said he could speak on the topic and give us an interview! We began filming inside his office but then employees kept coming in and out as well as the phone kept ringing. So, with all of that commotion, we relocated him outside for a more professional interview. After acquiring the interview, we went back to the cabins where we began filming the rest of our content for the day. Brad, the Superintendent we interviewed, even gave us permission to film inside the cabins which was pretty cool!
I helped a few other classmates this week as well, but these were the few that stood out to me. I could definitely see an improvement in my content from week 1 to week 2, and I think a lot of that is coming from feeling more confident with my camera and equipment, as well as making professional relationships with my classmates. We are all able to bounce ideas off of each other and give helpful criticism if needed and advice. If you want a sneak peek into my next blog, I will be going to Bridge Day this week and am so excited for the opportunity to go as well as learn how to film and gather content at such a well-known event!