We just finished taping the first show of the semester! I will say I'm proud of this accomplishment, I'm grateful for the position I'm in, and I'm enjoying getting to learn and work with my fellow classmates. With that being said, there is some stuff I need to work on. I think we did a good job as a group of finding unique stories for our audience to watch.
The thing I've struggled with the most is finding stories that not only apply to me and my job, but also have a strong newsworthy focus. Outside of the studio, I want to build more self-confidence, and I know as time goes on that will happen. I think I struggled because my plan was all over the place, and I was not confident in what I was doing, which reflected on the level of my final product.
Through the filming of my beat and having self-reflection, I underestimated the level of work for even a story about bikes. I knew what I had planned in my mind, but I was not prepared and did not have a solid plan in place for the unexpected. Following a group of bikers in my car made for some cool b-roll, but it's all I was able to do. Aside from very few nats and incorrect framing, I was at their mercy. I also realized that not being on camera meant I had to ask questions differently to explain the importance of the story through their voices instead of mine.
But going forward, I have better story ideas in my head, better questions to ask, and more discipline. My time management, work ethic, and confidence will have to improve, and I know they will. I think everyone feels similar to me. We are all proud of each other, but we know mistakes were made, and they will have to be fixed for future shows. I am proud of how everyone took accountability for themselves and was very supportive to those who needed it. It definitely showed today that, though we have a lot to work on, we are a family that wants to help each other succeed.
So, having completed taping for our first show, I know what I need to fix and do better. From the standpoint of the studio, I feel very confident in my role and can hold my own without immediate guidance from others. I also have strong faith in my partner, Luke. Now that it's done and the jitters are out of the way, I'm very confident that the show will continue to improve. I think our communication skills in the studio were okay; we made some mistakes, but we were able to support one another, and we made it through the toughest part of this journey.