We’re back at it with news this week and I have been super excited to get back going and helping people with their packages. I really like coming in and being able to guide people in the right direction from all the experiences that I have had over the past year and being able to pass down what I can to all the new people taking news this semester.
I will say that I really appreciate how experienced everyone is this semester. We have a good bit of people that took news a year ago, and they all seem to know pretty well what they’re doing. We’re getting that same thing from the many people coming over from Mountaineer Playbook last semester. But what really surprised me is that all of the new people who haven’t taken a class like this have already settled in and done a great job with whatever they have been working on. Granted we are still hitting those bumps that come with the beginning of the semester, but, all in all, I think that everyone is rolling with the punches like pros.
This week I worked a good bit with Claudia for her package on the WVU mine rescue team, and I think that everything we shot turned out really well. We went over to their facility which is just a short drive out of Morgantown, and we spent a few hours early one morning shooting them running through their drills and using their impromptu mine shaft.
I was really impressed with how everything turned out. Claudia came to the shoot very prepared with what she wanted her standups and SOT TZs to look like, and while shooting, I helped provide ideas on how to elevate them. I pitched the idea that for her standup, instead of her just standing in front of the equipment that she references, she splices in video of the equipment. What I have learned is that while that suggestion seems small, it just makes the shot so much better.
I also helped come up with an idea for Claudia’s SOT Tz that I think really worked and ended up looking great. We sequenced a shot together where she delivers the first part of her line, and then she turns on the lamp on the hard hat she’s wearing, cut to a close-up of the lamp, and cut back to her standing in the faux mine at the facility. Like I said, it turned out really well, which is always a great feeling when you have an out-of-the-box or risky idea for a shot that pays off and looks great in the end.
I also helped James shoot an interview this week which went well. We ended up having Professor Marra there to help us which was a tremendous aide. Interviews oftentimes go pretty smoothly, and James was well prepared but Professor Marra was there to help fill in the gaps.
Later in the week I also helped Reagan reshoot her SOT Tzs and atandup. Reagan did a great job, and we managed to fix her minor framing issues. They turned out pretty well.
All in all, it was a pretty great week. I think that the class is already well ahead of where my previous classes have been, and I think that everyone has been super professional. I am looking forward to what everyone brings to the table.