After what felt like the blink of an eye, Show 5 has come and gone, and my time with Mountaineer Playbook is officially over. Seeing how much I’ve learned and grown has been a remarkable experience, one I’m not quite ready to give up on yet.
I started the week by helping Korey shoot an interview for his package on NIL and Gold and Blue Enterprises with Don Robinson at the Coliseum. At this point in the semester, it’s clear how much the reporters have grown when it comes to asking strong, engaging questions. That made my job much smoother and allowed me to focus more on the technical side. Because of the relationships I’ve built with reporters throughout the semester, they trust me and my vision, which allows them to focus solely on communicating with their interview subject, not worrying about what their video will look like. To me, this really shows the importance of connecting with your team members. It not only makes things easier while working together but also makes the experience much more enjoyable.
The biggest learning moment I had this week was with Chelsea shooting her stand-up at the Gold-Blue Spring Festival. We ran into some issues with her camera recording audio properly. Even though the audio meter showed that sound was coming through, I couldn’t hear anything in my headphones. Instead of taking the risk, we made the decision to switch cameras entirely and use mine to be safe. Once we did that, everything worked perfectly. That moment showed how important it is to double-check and problem-solve rather than assuming things are working correctly. It’s always better to take a few extra minutes to fix a problem than to realize later that something didn’t record properly. If we had taken the risk and just trusted the audio meter, but no sound came through, her package would have been completely ruined. The event would have ended, and we wouldn’t have been able to go back. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!
I had a similar experience shooting Connor’s SOT-Tzs. The audio was recording properly, but on certain words, the microphone would make a subtle popping sound, which was why he needed to reshoot in the first place. On some takes, I could hear it directly through the headphones, but there were a few times it was only able to be heard when watching the footage back on his computer. We turned down the mic volume on the camera, and I recommended playing around with how close he was holding the microphone to his face. Through some trial and error, we found something that worked1 Once again, this experience reinforced how important it is to double-check everything and how to efficiently problem-solve in the field. It is okay to take your time and shoot multiple takes to ensure that the final product is as perfect as possible.
I feel like I’ve seen the most growth with myself in the control room. After Show 4, I gained a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities to take on challenging and uncomfortable situations, but coming into Show 5, those nerves I previously had were no longer there. I was confident not only in myself, but also in my team around me. I have always been the kind of person who would rather do things on my own. I always wanted things to be perfect, so putting my trust in others has always been difficult. This experience has completely changed my mindset and shown me the value in working with a team. Without the rest of the crew, nothing we accomplished this semester would have been possible. I learned how to “loosen the reins,” so to speak, and believe in others and their ambitions to be successful.
To the rest of the crew. Thank you for making this semester truly unforgettable. Whether it was in the field, long days in the edit lab, or in the studio, I have learned something important and valuable from each and every one of you. While we may have had our ups and downs, I am incredibly thankful that I was able to go on this journey with this group.
Finally, to Professor Scat and Professor Trinone, THANK YOU! Your help and guidance this semester have helped me learn and grow not only as a media professional but also as a person. Without you pushing me out of my comfort zone, I wouldn’t have enjoyed this process so much. You taught me it’s okay to take risks, it’s okay to fail, and that everything is a learning opportunity. Being able to learn from both of you has been a truly incredible experience, and I will carry the lessons you taught me with me through my career. You helped grow exponentially this semester, and I will be forever grateful!
Having this experience is something I will never forget. Growing so close with this group of people and seeing all our growth and success is something truly special. I can’t thank everyone enough for this incredible experience. I never got to be on camera to say this, but now is as good a time as any. Thank you for coming on this journey with the crew and me this semester. For Mountaineer Playbook, I’m Cameron Caretti.