During my first show with West Virginia Today, I had a lot of good experiences. I have experience as a videographer from when I took Mountaineer Playbook in the spring semester, but I often received unexpected assignments, and I'm learning from them as I improve as a videographer throughout my time with West Virginia Today.
The first important thing I can focus on improving is sequencing my shots while I am in the field. Since these are longer stories than I have worked on before, it is important to make sure that reporters have as much footage as possible, and it is much better when this footage flows together more easily and makes sense why it is together. By sequencing through my shots, I can achieve this, which is something I did not do nearly enough throughout show 1. It is something that I made work a couple of times this show; for example, when I filmed with Justin, I had a couple of sequences for him, but there still needed to be more of it.
Another thing I need to be more conscious of is the small details in everything that I shoot. While filming in Buckhannon with Kierstyn, both of her interviews that we filmed went really well. But one interview subject was sitting in front of a window, and you could see Kierstyn in the reflection of the window. This is an important reminder to always be mindful of the small details of what I am filming. It is too easy to get caught up in getting everything filmed and to just have it work that the small details can get forgotten. But this is something that I have to be mindful of because small details, like seeing Kierstyn’s reflection in an interview, can either enhance a story or make it worse.
Despite needing to sequence my shots more, everything went relatively well while filming in the field during show 1. Although I had a busy schedule and was worried about being able to help enough reporters in the field, I was able to find the time and helped each of the TV reporters with their stories.
In the studio for this show, I was directing for the first time, and the one major thing I learned from the experience was that I need to not let myself get in my own head and just calmly execute. Everything went fine, but it is an important note for myself because I would often have something slip my mind or forget a cue, and everything needs to be called together tightly because time is essential for the show. We are supposed to make a set time, and making calls too late can waste time as well as making the show feel more slowed down and potentially more awkward. But during our final take, I started to get better and get more comfortable at the position.
Overall, I am happy with how everything went for me during show 1. Of course, it always could have been better, but it is important to have these experiences and learn from them, so I can continue to grow as a videographer and director.