Thuuursdayyy :)

Jenny:

I've always been a visual person. But today, we got a glimpse into what it might take to be more of an audio person. We took a tour of the radio department within SCETV's TCC building. We got to see the master control panel which basically transfers all the audio out to the different transmitter stations. We met with David Kiser who was preparing for his new program which will include classical piano. We met with Cathy Bradberry who showed us around the whole place and gave us the basic run down of what they do and how it works. It's all so interesting and the more things I'm exposed to the harder it is to narrow down what I want to do. On top of all that we learned that the radio version of Final Cut Pro is a software called Audition. Also, since radio and television function from reaching to the right demographic, there are networks that are made specifically to find out who the programs are reaching. For radio, they use Arbitron, and for television they use Neilson. It's the little terms like this that I keep picking up from day to day that expands my knowledge in this field.


Other than our Radio tour, we edited some of the Shorts, E-mailed chambers, and attempted to contact the places for our shoots.

Meagan:

You know the song, “Video Killed the Radio Star”? Whether that be the case or not… … I have to say I’m kind of digging the radio scene now. Today, Tabitha scheduled a meeting for us over in SCETV radio with Cathy Bradberry. When we got there, Cathy took us for a little tour and explained all of the operations, equipment, etc. Everything is so up to date and just an awesome work environment. Cathy demonstrated how to record promos and radio segments on audio software called Adobe Audition. Although I hate the sound of my voice, I really want to get in and try it one day myself. Maybe I’ll even give Ryan Seacrest a run for his money. In the meantime I’ll just stick to asking tons of questions.

Cathy had no trouble answering everything! We learned the difference in public v. commercially owned radio stations, how ETV’s radio is transmitted out to other satellite stations in SC, how she programs each day’s segments and so much more. Also, just in case you didn’t know (because I didn’t), ETV’s radio stations stream online too. I think I’ll give Pandora a break and take a listen! … Another cool tid bit of information we learned is about HD radio. HD radio just gives a radio station the opportunity to broadcast more stations on their frequency. The only real issue is the cost of converting to HD and the fact that HD radio hasn’t caught on like HD – TV has.  The conversion may be in the works for ETV but not anytime soon.

While there we met with radio intern, David Kiser. David has a pretty awesome job! He is producing his own radio program featuring classical piano music. Tomorrow he is hosting about 5 classical pianists tomorrow to come and record live audio for his show. Lucky for us (and David of course), we’re dropping by! His program fits in perfectly with the classical music station ETV runs. I was really curious why ETV plays only classic music and news feeds from NPR and other news outlets. I didn’t know if they were under some kind of contract or if they had a grant for classical music. Turns out those are both wrong and ETV chooses to broadcast what they do based on audience demographics and other aspects of the business. What the audience wants is what the audience gets! And speaking of “wants,” just when I thought I could narrow down what avenue I want to take in this wide world of media… radio rocked my world. I love the feeling of being in the studio behind the mic. It seems so secluded and so personal, yet hundreds of thousands of people are listening. After talking to Cathy about it I’m going to volunteer at UGA’s student radio station this year and try to gain experience at the Georgia Public Radio station too! I’ve definitely got my plate full but I’m hungry for more!

After our radio adventure, it was back to editing the Dorchestor County/Summerville “shorts”. Jenny and I divvied up the work. She edited the Coach McKissick piece, I did the “Birthplace of Sweet Tea” story, and we are both working on the Coastal Coffee Roasters project together.  We both finished our individual “shorts”. After laying down music, adding in the ETV intro/outro, perfecting the b-roll to the audio, and cutting out some “ums” and “ahhs”… the “Birthplace of Sweet Tea” is finito! We did run into 2 minor glitches today. First, it turns out we were saving our video sequences to the external hard drive but not our wav forms and render files. This is actually a big deal because of how much space it was using on Jenny’s Mac and because we kept running out of memory space. Once we figured out this issue, we realized another one. The format we were editing our stories as was not correct. After fixing them and rendering all of the projects we were able to finally get back on track. The only thing is every time we edit a sequence now we have to render every tiny change. Because of this we’re just going to start the coffee roaster story over from scratch.  I’m not complaining though. It’s really good to learn this all now, even if we learn it the hard way. I’m a firm believer in learning from your mistakes. Looking on the bright side, now I know all of this editing information for the future! Jenny and I will complete the third story tomorrow and I’m hoping we can take all of the editing lessons we learned from the first projects and create nothing short of a masterpiece. 

Greenwood County Shoot!

Jenny:

I have started to love Tuesdays! This is the day of the week that I most look forward too! I'm sure Meagan feels the same! Today's shoot was in Greenwood SC, and what better way to start off the morning than with a great couple hours on a golf course?! Not to mention we got to take the Golf Carts around the links to different holes that the Complex was known for. Kevin Whitehead, Pro Golfer, took us around and I drove behind him and Meagan as they led the way. The place was gorgeous! Our second stop was The Mill House Pizza restaurant. The people were very laid back and the environment was inviting! We were able to shoot the B-roll by ourselves again and Tabitha allowed Meagan and I to pretty much take over the interview. I'm pretty excited for when we are able to do our stories!! The next and final stop for the day was the Veteran's Center, where we had the pleasure of meeting a guy who really wants to see things build to their potential. 

The one thing that is irreplaceable with this internship is the fact that I am learning new things everyday- and I don't mean that in the cliche college way, where of course you learn new things every day. I mean... I am gaining true insight to facets of our community that I would never have taken into consideration until meeting some of these people. These entrepreneurs who sacrifice their previous lives to move down here to SC to try and start up a business are inspiring. Not only does it take intelligence in a market that is currently down, but it takes a significant amount of faith that the business will begin to grow. The people we've met who are doing so much for others and the community in which they live in is truly eye opening because growing up in a technologically fancy generation, we are used to seeing only the wealthy and intelligent succeed. But what I've been blinded from is the pure happiness in helping others, and that in itself is its own success and wealth. 

Everyday further into this internship I'm trying to challenge myself and dig deeper into specific areas that I could enjoy and find a comfortable living out of. Whenever I start to get discouraged, I find myself just pulling out of the possibility realm and reminding myself that I am only going to be a Junior next year and I need to take it one day at a time. Then, from the futuristic part of me, I keep reminding myself that every decision I choose now will effect some aspect of my future, and that pushes me right back to where I start my thought process. The thing is, like Meagan, there are so many different things to do now a days that I don't want to confine myself to just one aspect. But I also don't want to experiment in too many areas to where I can function a broad range of different media's but never really excel in one in particular. 

I'm still looking for my niche, but I'll continue to take it one day at a time and enjoy and take in all that I can learn from meeting with different people and observing the field in which I've been immersed in. 

Meagan:

To “tee off” today’s shoot in Greenwood, SC we headed to Stoney Point golf club. There we covered a story on retirement in the community with an emphasis on golf and Lake Greenwood. The golf course was a gorgeous sea of green as far as the eye could see. So naturally everything was running smoothly and then… dun dun dunnnnn… I opened the sound equipment backpack and pulled out the headphones to find one earphone dangling. I’m not really sure how it happened but it was nothing a little duct tape couldn’t fix. But back to the shoot… the b-roll was a hole in one! We had a variety of shots when people were practicing on the putting green. We even had the opportunity to ride around the golf course in a golf cart! I had the pleasure of riding with the golf pro as he guided us to all the cool golf holes. The only difficulty with filming the shoot was a lack of b-roll of the lake and the wind. My goodness the wind… There is nothing worse for an interview then wind blowing into the microphone. Even the slightest breeze sounds like a hurricane through the mic. Our only option was to shoot the interview inside the golf store instead of on the green. The interview still looked nice though and Jenny and I shot some extra b-roll on our own afterwards.

Our second shoot was at the Mill House Pizza restaurant. Jenny and I had the chance to film all the b-roll for this shoot! We learned a few pointers along the way too. For example, if a business such as a restaurant is a little empty during filming, avoid shots with empty tables and chairs. We filmed people eating too so we just asked for permission to use them in our footage. Everyone was more than willing and excited to possibly make it in the “short”. So like I said, we were at a pizza restaurant and I L-O-V-E pizza… but I learned I L-O-V-E filming at brick oven pizza restaurant even more. Why? Well thanks for asking. At the Mill House we used the regular lens to shoot the wide shots of customers and interactions with their waitresses. Then we used the amazingly awesome 70-200mm lens that zooms like a champ! I got a shot of inside the brick oven, the dough masters tossing dough in the air, and tight shots of the cheesy ooey-gooey pizzas ready to be devoured! I worked audio for the interview and helped set up the interview shot too. After enjoying some pizza pie on the house, it was time to head to our last shoot.

Our last story was at the Greenwood’s Veteran Center. I really didn’t know what to expect when we first got there. It turns out the man who opened the Center turned an abandoned library into a new fully functioning center for Veterans and the community at large. He is a very passionate man and showed us every nook and cranny of the place. The center is still in the works so b-roll was limited to just a reception area but I think his interview will definitely make up for it. We ran into another learning opportunity too. The issue: recessed lighting. Recessed lighting is not a fimographer’s friend. Recessed lighting reflecting off of glass in almost every shot is a filmographer’s nightmare. We made it work though. Tabitha used the bigger zoom lens to try and get tighter shots and avoid the light.  We also turned off the lights when that worked better. Other than that, the day went pretty smoothly. I always love learning new tricks and tidbits of advice. In this industry it’s crucial to continue to learn on every shoot and I definitely want to take full advantage of that.  

Summerville Shoot

Jenny:

If it weren't for having to put the date at the top, I honestly don't think I would have known just how fast this summer is flying by. We are already halfway into the internship and it feels like just yesterday we were walking in the front doors waiting to get out ID's made. Nonetheless, we are still going. Today we went to Summerville for another shoot. Our first stop was to visit a place not as foreign to me as some, Summerville High School- one of Beaufort's rival's. We went to interview Coach McKissick, the most winningest high school football coach in the nation! It was news to me that he had that title because I hadn't heard anything like that when I was in High School. But I wish I had, he was a sweet man and really down to earth. We went to the football field to shoot some B-roll and it really made me miss home. Good thing I'm going home this weekend. :) Our second stop was at the Summerville Chamber, where we learned why Summerville has become the birthplace of Sweet Tea. Their setup for us was so pretty and they had the whole spread laid out for us to get some B-roll. Our third interview was at Coastal Coffee Roasters, which is, up to date, one of my favorite shoots. The owners were so nice!! Their space reminded me of a cozy, laid back, family atmosphere, because it was. It is family ran, and they support the small entrepreneurial businesses. While we were shooting, people were in and out and I swear the owners must have known each customers life story. It was a really eye opening experience- makes you realize not every business out there is in it for the pure sake of making money. This was also a great shoot because it was the first one where Tabitha let loose of the reigns and let me and Meagan shoot all the B-roll. We loved it! We were experimenting with the focus, zooming, the slider, asking the owners to participate, and just having fun with it. 
About half way through, Tabitha came in and informed us of some uncomforting news. Our car had been taken over by ANTS!! And seeing how I was sitting shotgun- I became the designated ant killer on the way home. They were coming out of the air conditioning vents, cup holder, dashboard, and the side of the doors. But, after a good slaughtering, they went away and we were able to sit comfortably for the rest of the ride. 

Meagan:

Today is the day! I am sOoOo excited about our Summerville shoot today the uppercase and lowercase “o’s” are absolutely necessary! Why so excited? Well, the Summerville shoot is like my baby. Tabitha gave me the opportunity to contact the Chamber of Commerce and completely book all of the interviews, set up interview times, etc. by myself. I worked with Tabitha to decide which stories to do and followed through with all the contacts to make it happen… and after today, I feel like a proud mama. Our first shoot was with the all time most winningest football coach, Coach McKissick! Touch down! After coaching 60 seasons at Summerville High School and with almost 600 wins under his belt, it was an honor to interview him. Not to mention he also coached UGA’s legendary A.J. Green (GO DAWGS!). I’m just thanking my lucky stars the interview worked out because he almost couldn’t make it. But man… what an experience. Tabitha always gives us a chance to ask questions during the interview too. Naturally, I’m as curious as a cat and a “Chatty Cathy” so I usually do have something to ask. I just had to know what he considered the highlight of his 60-year coaching career (check out the ETV “short” to find out the answer!).   While we were there, Tabitha discussed the possibility of a follow up interview for a SC Hall of Fame documentary. She is trying to book the interview soon, so I just hope Jenny and I are still here so we can help with that as well. SC Hall of Fame pieces are filmed and edited on a much larger scale, so it would be awesome to be a part of the project. After we shot b-roll of all of his honors, awards, and the football field named after him, we left for our next interview.

Our second story highlights Summerville as the “Birthplace for Sweet Tea.” Sweet Tea is the staple drink of the south so what a claim to fame that is! Now all southern sweet tea lovers might want to put earmuffs on when I admit this: …I am NOT a huge fan of the notorious southern beverage… at all.  However I did enjoy learning about sweet tea’s SC history. Even though b-roll was somewhat limited, we put our thinking caps on and came up with some pretty “suh-weet” shots. (You’ll have to check out the ETV shorts page to see!) I ran audio while Jenny served as the “looking point” for the interviewee, and Tabitha asked questions while filming. It’s important for the interviewee to have a focal point to look at if the interviewer is behind the lens. Therefore Jenny’s job was pretty crucial.  After leaving the very hospitable visitor’s center, it was off to Coastal Coffee Roasters for our third story and a cup of joe!

Coastal Coffee Roasters not only sells coffee but they also roast coffee in-house! The coffee house, or shall I say coffee “warehouse” is heaven for any coffee feigns like myself. They sell all types of coffee beans, fresh brewed coffee, and tons of local treats from other sellers. Jenny and I had free reign to film ALL of the b-roll for this shoot. We must have inhaled too much caffeine because we filmed just about every angle of the roasting house we could. We varied from tight shots to wide shots and even practiced using the “slider” (a metal piece you can add to the tripod to slide the camera across). I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE filming so I can’t wait to film more b-roll in the future. After filming all the cool shots we could think of and enjoying a nice espresso, it was time to head back to ETV. Well we weren’t alone when we situated ourselves back in the van. Before we could even buckle our seatbelts we realized there were a few pesky visitors in the van with us. Few as in a few hundred, and pesky visitors as in ANTS!!! Tabitha killed most of them before we got in the car and Jenny acted as the exterminator the rest of the way home.  Luckily for me, the ants were only in the front. (Sorry guys!) Sometimes there are perks to not riding “shot-gun”.

*PS. I would like to give a shout out to Summerville’s Tourism Coordinator, Tina Zimmerman, for such great stories and working so closely with me in booking my first shoot. :)

Office Day

Jenny:

Well, we started today off in the office just finishing up the last of the PTSD editing and putting in the templates for the text. Meagan worked on that pretty much all morning. While I was going down the checklist of things to do. I had to call the Abbeville and Cherokee Chambers to find stories. That worked out pretty well, it was just a matter of finding the people to book the stories with. I called several places to try and book some interviews for July 5th (not really thinking that the day before is a national holiday). So, booking didn't go as smoothly as I had wanted it to. But, tomorrow I will keep trying. Tabitha also wants us to find a county with some stories that are of interest to us and so far I think I have mine picked out. Just need to do a little more digging. 

Around 3:30 Meagan and I ventured off to the Sumter studio to help them this week on Making it Grow. This is the part of the week that I look forward to- next to when we go out and do the shoots. The crew there is so inviting and fun. We showed up just in time for the snack sesh! We had substation with Greenbrier Farm's homemade bread and pesto! It was sooo good! The guest for the week so nice!! After the show we pretty much went shopping with all that she had brought. I took home a loaf of bread, pesto sauce, some italian chorizo sausage, and some peaches and plums! Next week is Rowland's last show so the studio is getting ready for that and I hope to come back next week!!

Meagan:

I think I can say I am becoming a pro at Final Cut Pro now. I worked on the PTSD interview project pretty much all day. We cut the interviewee’s answers and replaced the questions with wrapping text on a full screen graphic. I went back and checked all the sound levels to make sure they were peeking around -12 and transitioning smoothly. Now the sound flows “smooth as butta” (in a Boston accent).  The next task is to add in music and make sure it is… well… perfect! The perfectionist in me is definitely taking over in editing this week, which has its pros and cons. Pros: the interviews will all be cohesive and flow the same with flawless transitions (if I must say so myself). Cons: spending painstaking time making this happen. But I’d say the Pros outweigh the Cons in this situation, so painstaking editing it is! (*Please acknowledge the hint of sarcasm and keep in mind that I really do love editing anything and everything.)

Well before we knew it, the clock struck 3:30. What’s so special about 3:30 on a Tuesday afternoon? Making It Grow! Jenny and I jumped in “Ranger the 2^nd”, my car, and set out for our road trip to Sumter. Over the river and through the woods, to Making it Grow we go! When we got there we met up with Destinee, the summer intern in Sumter, and watched how she is logging tapes to make a special show for retiring host, Rowland Alston. It was really cool to watch old footage and see the set then versus now and the range of guests that were featured on the show. I can’t wait to see the final product and record his final episode on a VHS, considering the fact that I still do not have DVR like the rest of the modern world.  After asking Destinee some questions about her project and the editing software she was using (that I can’t remember the name of), it was dinnertime! Man oh man… walking onto the set never smelt so yummy. If only there was a such thing as “smell-o-vision”, the audience would have had the pleasure of inhaling the smell of fresh sour dough bread and pesto. The guest today ran a CSA and made her own products fresh from Greenbrier Farms. She brought in pestos, loaves of bread, and so much more.

Okay so aside from getting sidetracked with the food, Jenny and I had the chance to work camera 2 again! I was more confident this time around and really feel like I’m getting the hang of it. We worked the camera for the full hour of the live show while taking turns sitting in the control room as well. After the show we had the chance to honor Rowland with the rest of the volunteers and interns. We recorded a special message that he will see next week! Rowland is a fantastic host and I wish him the best in his retirement. I know Amanda McNulty will do great in taking over in this new chapter of the show.

Final Cut Pro's?

Jenny:

Our external hard drive is up and running! Don gave us some PTSD film footage to edit and put together and I definitely had a tricky time with the text, but it was a learning experience for sure. I forgot to view the text within the window it was supposed to be in, so I had to go back and resize and reposition the text to fit the window. Other than that, we got it done. Meagan definitely helped me out and taught me a lot of things with FCP.


Around 2 o'clock we went to the control room for rehearsal for Saturday's show. It doesn't seem like it will be too hard, but I'm still a little nervous for it. I learned how to use the DDR (digital data recorder) and we were able to figure out how tomorrow was going to go. I'm pretty excited for the show!

Meagan:

So this morning Jenny and I thought we had a magnificent plan. We are currently editing interviews for a PTSD program on our external hard drive. Well today was also supposed to be the day we buckle up and put our Final Cut Pro skills to the test. The original plan was to edit the Anderson footage into 3 “Shorts” while also editing the PTSD footage. Then came the problem… we can’t edit using two different computers and one external hard drive. Awwww shucks, yah killin me smalls! Tabitha said the PTSD editing took precedence, so Jenny worked on that until problem number two.  For about 2 or so hours we could not figure out how to “wrap the text” on the full screen graphics to make the project cohesive. After youtubing and googling… we were still lost puppies. The search and trial and error was pain staking work, but hey no pain no gain. Even though we still never figured it out until the next day, we did learn more about FCP with all the research we had done. So looks like it was a win-win in the end! Tick tock, tick tock, 2’oclock… and off to the TCC! Weeeeee.  Many of the interns volunteered to work at the live recording of a program called “America’s Armed Forces: Time for a Checkup” tomorrow.  I am assigned to work with the great Richard Jablonski running teleprompter for CNN’s JOHN KING (no big deal…), while Jenny is working with the equally great Don Godish as DDR operator.  Today was easy breezy but I’m nervous/excited about tomorrow. I practiced working the teleprompter a bit and my only other job is recording time. I’ve worked teleprompter before at UGA’s NewSource but this is a little different, and a much bigger deal. Fingers crossed tomorrow will go off without a hitch! Pressures on and I couldn’t be more excited! 8:30 am call time… bring it on. 

June 16, 2012

Jenny:

While my friends were up and getting ready to go on the river, I was putting on the business clothes for this morning's shoot. I came early just to make sure I knew exactly what I was to do and to see if they needed any extra help. I was able to meet John King and the crew that was working the cameras/audio. It was really cool being able to experience the behind the scenes aspect of the show and I look forward to more opportunities like this. The show went smoothly and there weren't any problems. I sat next to Don in the control room and observed how directing goes and it could definitely be something I'd be interested in! We were able to take pictures after the show was over and mingle with some of the guests.

Meagan:

Lights, camera, action... it's show time ladies and gentlemen! Today is the big day in the TCC main studio. When I arrived I went straight in to fire up my teleprompter, check my stop watches, oh... and get a glimpse of John King of course! The teleprompter was acting up a little but we smoothed out the issues rather quickly. At 9am we recorded the promos for the show and I was able to get a feel John King's prompter speed. Luckily, it was much easier than I anticipated! I loved being in the control room. There's something magic about being apart of how a show runs. I sat next to Richard Jablonski who was a huge part of the show's operations. He was so nice and laid back, that he made this awesome opportunity even better. By the end of the day we were pounding knuckles... now that's a sign of good teamwork! 

Well like I had hoped, the show went on without a hitch! The timing ended up being perfect and the panel answered each question in a concise and timely matter. I was planning for chaos but that definitely wasn't the case. After the show we went in the studio to take group pictures with John King. I'm glad I have the pictures to brag about my wonderful experience! I don't think many other internships give as many hands on opportunities like this, so I'm very grateful today. All I can think now is when we can do it again? 

It's funny that I know I am truly following my dreams when most people think I was "giving up" some of my weekend... but in my mind there is nothing else I'd rather be doing. 


June 18, 2012

Jenny:

So I don't think I've ever spent as much time behind a computer in one sitting than I had today. And I really hope I won't have to again. Meagan worked on my computer to do the PTSD interviews because we started the FCP version with my computer and hers didn't have the same version so they wouldn't be compatible to switch. So I was on a computer that didn't have Microsoft Word, so mainly today, I surfed the web going to random county sites to see if I could find any good or interesting story ideas. I jotted down a few and then would occasionally find myself wandering off. It was then that I'd take trips to the bathroom just to walk around. I was super tempted to run up and down the hallway a few times. Sitting down for long lengths of times is not exactly what I like to do. But, sometimes we have to do the boring stuff to get to the good stuff. Tomorrow we get to go to Sumter again and I can't wait!!

Meagan:

Ouchie-wah-wah. After editing from 9am to 5pm, I think my right arm is going to fall off. And after leaving my lunch at home today... if my arm doesn't fall off, I may eat it off. Today it was my turn to edit the PTSD interviews. Jenny and I split the project in half, so I tried to start and finish my portion today. However that was just wishful thinking with the amount of film there was to watch, edit, and trim up. The format of the interviews is a Q&A with a full screen graphic with text as the question and the interviewee on camera as the answer. The editing wasn't hard, just time consuming. The task was extremely beneficial though! When Jenny and I couldn't figure out how to make the text wrap, I emailed my professor and discovered a new way of making text on FCP. Instead of using the regular text, you use the 3D title... and it gives you WAY more customized options. I was able to solve the text wrapping problem and fit the text in the wire frame with no problem. Then my second learning curve was inserting the full screen graphic and making it fit the widescreen. I figured it out eventually and now I feel like I've learned even more shortcuts in FCP which will definitely come in handy! 

Anderson Shoot

Jenny:

Well, third time is the charm I suppose. Meagan and I are starting to get the hang of the routine for the shoots and today we went to Anderson SC to interview people for their Downtown economic development, their newest addition of an ADA accessible water ramp, and an overall idea of their up and coming economic plans. Not only were the shoots a lot of fun and insightful, but I feel like the car ride held a lot of thought provoking conversation. Meagan and I know that this internship is definitely helping us experiment and try new things in a variety of fields, but that also makes it difficult to narrow down exactly what it is I want to do. Going to all of these different places keeps putting more and more ideas in my mind and now I just have a lot of research and planning to do. 

My favorite part about today, besides getting to kayak on the Saluda, was when we went into the Art Gallery. I don't know when I became so fascinated with art, but I suppose it all goes hand in hand with photography and film. Well, anyway, the building, architecturally was gorgeous in that it had brick walls, wooden floors, unique tidbits of art incorporated into the stairwell, and of course the walls were decorated with oil paintings, mixed media art, and more! 

Meagan pretty much sums up our excitement for the places we went today! Tabitha mentioned how she's about to let the reigns go and give us some freedom to choose where and what story we want to cover and do it completely by ourselves from start to finish. I'm sure I speak for Meagan as well when I say that I am so excited!! 

Meagan:

“On the road again, just can’t wait to get on the road again!” So today was shoot numero tres, in Anderson County. While riding in the ETV van on the way to our first destination Tabitha, Jenny, and I had a really eye opening conversation.  I personally want to get my own video camera to record packages, make commercials for small businesses, and even create my own mini documentary series. However, investing in equipment is so scary. With technology changing every few years, I really don’t know what to invest in without breaking the bank. Tabitha really helped sort this issue out though. I’m still not certain what direction to take in my purchases but she was very supportive in the overall idea of going out and working on our own projects. We also talked about the importance of experience in the field in terms of figuring out what career path Jenny and I really want to pursue. The most complicating thing for me is that I love EVERYTHING. I love being on camera, I love filming, I love photography, I love producing, I love shooting b-roll, I love interviewing people, and I love editing… ok so you get the point, I love it all. But with all that love comes confusion. Approaching my senior year is bittersweet. I find comfort in my certainty that journalism is the career path for me. However I am hoping by the end of this internship I will have a clearer idea as to what particular avenue suits my wants, dreams, and talents best.

But back to the shoot. Our first stop was City Hall to discuss the revitalization of downtown Anderson.  Every step we took we found some evidence of the revitalization project. From the various statues throughout the town, to the artistic fish project Anderson really impressed me in all of the future plans for the “Electric City.” My favorite part about the tour downtown was the new development called “Wise Walks.” Wise Walks is a project that puts inspirational, witty, or famous quotes on stone slabs in the downtown sidewalks.  My favorite stone is a quote from the late Dr. Seuss, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” Ahhh… so true, right??? After we wrapped up filming downtown, it was off to Powder Springs to try out our kayaking skills. Well sort of. Our second shoot was at a kayak send-off on the Saluda River. What’s so cool about that you may ask? Well, the launch point is wheel chair accessible and is the first of it’s kind in the state of South Carolina. Jenny and I even got the chance to test it out! We zipped up our life jackets, held on to our paddles, and launched into the fast flowing waters of the Saluda. Needless to say, we were “overflowed” with excitement. While on the shoot we also used the light reflector panel for the first time to balance out the light on the interviewees face. After learning about Anderson’s latest public recreational feature, we headed back to town to cover a story on the county’s economic development. Filming b-roll for this topic was very interesting. An economic development employee rode with us in the van to point out the various industries and manufacturing plants housed in Anderson. To film all of these places however we had to do our best to get the shots of the plants, even if that meant pulling off on the side of the road. Now that’s journalism for yah! You gotta do what you gotta do to get the shots that count! The Anderson trip turned out to be so much fun. Now I can’t wait to see all of the footage tomorrow and start editing the ETV shorts with Jenny. 

A lot of 'Vaultage'.

June 11, 2012

 Jenny:

We spent the day in the Vault again but the morning went by so fast because we were constantly doing something. They received a lot more boxes and our job was to go ahead and unpack them, sort them into the correct order, and place them on the shelves. We got done with this in about three hours. Afterward, we had lunch and began to input more into the system.

Meagan:

Hi ho, hi ho, back to the vault we go! Today was our second “team meeting” with the vault crew. During the meeting we discussed last week’s issues and accomplishments, as well as ideas for the upcoming week. Lydia, heading the vault project, announced the project is running on time and is half way through. That’s great news for the vault grant, congrats you guys! After the meeting, Jenny and I got into a good rhythm unloading, organizing and re-shelving news archive tapes. Time flew by and before we knew it half the day was done. After cataloging tapes for an hour or so, I worked on confirming interviews for our Dorchester/Summerville shoot. The calls were a success and we are booked to film and interview the most winningest football coach in history (Coach McKissick), the Coffee Coastal Roasters, and “The Birthplace of Sweet Tea.” The responsibility of finding stories from a county’s chamber of commerce and setting up the interviews is so much fun! Making these contacts and learning how to interact with them is essential in this business. 

June 12, 2012

 Jenny:

We had a late start to the day because we went to the ETV studio in Sumter to help them on their Live Making It Grow Segment. We left around 1:30 and got there at 2:30ish. We were introduced to Sean (the producer/director), Lacey (the head intern), Destinee (another intern), Tom (camera man/audio/editor), Kevin (another behind the scenes man), and the whole crew along with some special guests. We had a lot of time to mess around with the cameras and get the hang of the different shots and focusing and zooming in smoothly. We also got to go in the control room and play director for a little while. Today has definitely been one of my favorite days so far. At 5 we broke for dinner (Substation and snacks) and got to socialize with the crew and guests. The guests they featured were called “Blue Moon” and its new types of spices, sauces, and spreads. They brought some of their products that we were able to try and test out and it was so good!! I really enjoyed the environment and got a feel for how the equipment was operated. I love the hands on experience and hope we can continue to come to the shows on Tuesdays to help!

Meagan:

Jenny covered the day perfectly... today was SUH-WEEEEET! Jenny chaffered us to the set in Sumter where our adventures began. Upon arriving, the friendly environment was contagious. Mr.T (Tom), Sean, Distinee, Lacey, and well.. everyone was just so helpful and energetic. As Sean put it in the first 5 minutes, "we already put your names in the credits so be prepared to work." Prepared we were, and work we did. We couldn't wait to help in any way, shape of form. Mr. T showed Jenny, Destinee, and I how to operate the studio cameras. We learned how to zoom in quickly and smoothly, focus on the subject, and correctly frame a shot. The crew told us we might be working the cameras that night and sure enough Jenny and I were assigned camera 2 for a LIVE show! SCORE! Aside from working with cameras, we practiced directing cameras in the control room and controlling programming. Over our yummy sub dinner, we had the opportunity to meet the unbelievably intelligent hosts Rowland Alston and Amanda McNulty, and the guest for the night with Blue Moon. And speaking of Blue Moon, we had the pleasure of digging into some of their very own pimento cheese, deviled eggs, and chicken wings after the show. Even after loosening my belt, I still wanted more! Thank goodness they let us take some treats home (you're welcome mom!). Working at Making It Grow allowed us to have hands on experience even our first time there. I think Jenny can agree that we could have stayed there all night. I feel like there is still so much to learn about production by volunteering at Making It Grow and I hope we can go back as many Tuesdays as possible. Especially because Rowland is retiring after the next show, and it would be an honor to wish him farewell, while also welcoming Amanda in as the new host. I could honestly write 5 more paragraphs about the amazing experience we gained today but I will refrain and sum it up in a quote by C.S Lewis, "Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn." (In no way was today "brutal" but boy did we learn!)

Oh hey, no big deal. Just working at ETV for the next 10 weeks. :)

May 29, 2012

 Jenny:

We met with our supervisor, Tabitha Safdi and were placed in a cubicle across from her office. We were able to get our ID’s made with another intern (Kala). We took a tour of both the building we are working in for the summer (the old building) and the TCC (telecommunication center). We were able to sit in on two live news feeds. One was broadcasted to MSNBC and the other was on CNN. It was really fascinating to me to watch everything behind the scenes and it’s definitely something I think I would be interested in. We also were able to help test out microphones on one of the sets they were prepping for a show later that day.

 Meagan:

“IT’S FINALLY HERE!” My exact thoughts as I jumped out of bed this morning at 6:30am. Yes… I said it, 6:30am! I must admit I am not a morning person but I have a feeling that’ll change this summer. So as I arrive at the ETV building in Columbia all bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to meet our supervisor Tabitha Safdi, I realize I’m in the wrong building. #Rookie mistake.  When I finally get where I am supposed to be across the street, I met my fellow intern Jenny and toured what will be our home for 10 weeks.  From then on, the first day couldn’t have been better! We toured the new etv studios (the TCC), met some of the nicest staff members, sat in on live news feeds to CNN and MSNBC (what-a-dream!), and saving the best for last… we got our intern badges and our own cubicle space making us official.  We each have our own computers and desks, our own phone line, and office supplies galore! What else could an intern ask for? Literally. Later in the day we helped with mic checks for a production the next day. It was pretty cool being behind the scenes and seeing everything that goes into producing a show. Overall day 1 was a success and I can’t wait for our first day in the field tomorrow. Greenville here we come!

May 30, 2012

 Jenny:

I feel like this internship has already started out on such a good note. Everything we did today is exactly what I would love to continue to do. We traveled to Greenville for three different interviews. The first was with SCIO Diamonds, which is a new industry which grows diamonds. I have no doubt that this business will begin to boom soon. I was so interested in the science behind it too because I usually shrug off things that deal with chemistry or science. This company was located in the Next Innovation Center which is a large modern designed building that houses office space and we interviewed the CEO of Gnoso in order to get more details on the space and how it’s impacted the city of Greenville. Our third stop was at Zike Bikes- a new type of hybrid scooter/bike. We were able to talk to the brains behind the operation and hear all about his story. We rode the bikes around the shop and take some fun B-roll footage. In all three places we got a feel for how to set up the scenes, what questions to ask, how to stage the set for B-roll and how to work the audio portion. Going around the state and traveling to meet other people and talk about their stories or passions is definitely something that I couldn’t get from another job and being able to video it and bring it back and perfect it to share with everyone is just like me giving back something to them for their time.

Meagan:

It’s the second day of the internship and we are already going in the field and filming. We went upstate to Greenville, SC to film 3 genuinely awesome stories. My genius TELE professor, David Hazinksi, always preaches that a good story must be “new, interesting, and different.” After today’s shoot, I can say we definitely met those requirements. Our first story was about SCIO Diamond Technology Corp, a company that actually “grows” their own manmade diamonds. Of course some people try to grow their own tomatoes, try to grow as an intellectual, and even try to grow their own hair…. but DIAMONDS??? Like I said, new, interesting and different. SCIO Diamonds is actually housed in the NEXT Innovation Center, which was our next story idea.  The NEXT Innovation Center is pretty indescribable. It is a huge state of the art technology center created to help entrepreneurial industries collaborate ideas and brainpower to take their businesses to new heights. Even the design of the innovation center seemed… well “innovative”. The building walls were lined with dry erase boards filled with ideas and the interaction amongst companies definitely seemed like a great business environment. The third story was on Zikes! Zikes are a hybrid between a bike and a scooter and come in 4 different types. While we were there test-drove the Zikes with the CEO and inventor himself! It was pretty tricky to learn at first but such a cool experience. 

Even though it was exciting just visiting and touring all of these cool places, the best part of the whole day was filming, setting up shots, and interviewing the interviewees. From a technical aspect we learned how to film with a DSLR Canon 7d, how to use the audio recorder, how to interview someone for the "shorts," and what makes for a great b-roll shot.  However, not everything we learned on the trip was technical knowledge. I personally discovered how much our work meant to these companies. Everyone really seemed to appreciate the  time we spent highlighting their growing successes and their connection to Greenville County. Now, I can't wait to get back and learn how to edit the ETV "shorts" for the website. The experience I have gotten in just one day is EXACTLY what I was looking for in an internship.

May 31, 2012

  Jenny:

We went to the Senate house this morning to control the different camera feeds for the ETV live segment. In the beginning everything seemed overwhelming with all the buttons and screens and lights, but as we observed and got the run down on everything, it really wasn’t too difficult- just really time consuming. Afterwards we went back to the office and researched things for Pickens County. We also got a glimpse at how Tabitha edited the interviews on FCP.

 Meagan:

Good Morning SC State House! Today we sat in on the taping of a live House of Representatives meeting. We sat in a private control room where we learned as much as we could about what goes into filming a House meeting and how to work the different cameras. Luckily Tabitha is a champ, because it seemed pretty challenging to us. There were 3 different cameras with multiple presets to punch throughout the meeting. In some circumstances Tabitha had to zoom, pan, and tilt to create new shots for the segment while finding the correct lower thirds for every speaker at the same time! Whew, what a morning. Just being in the state house made me feel important and in actuality we were. Even if politics may seem dry, filming the meeting was quite interesting! It was hard for us to just sit there and watch because we wanted to dive in and help, but learning how it wall worked was awesome too. After the meeting adjourned we headed back to ETV and researched story ideas for Pickens County, our next stop! We also had the opportunity to see how Tabitha edits the “shorts” using FCP (Final Cut Pro). This knowledge will come in handy when our external hard drive comes in and we can edit packages ourselves. 

June 1, 2012

Jenny:

After having watched Tabitha work with FCP I was really excited at the possibility that we would be able to edit. However, our external hard drive has not come in yet so we were given other jobs. My duty today was to transcribe an interview. I jumped on the opportunity- not knowing what exactly “transcribing” entailed. What I quickly learned was that I had no idea what I had signed up for. Transcribing is typing up everything- word for word that is said in an interview. So I had to play and pause every few milliseconds in order to accurately do the job. I now know the childhood, career, and motives of Jasper Johns, a local artist who now resides in Connecticut. It was definitely time consuming, but not difficult. The story was interesting so it was neat being able to write on it.

Meagan:

Our external hard drive is still on its way, so in the mean time we filled our first Friday up with other tasks. Oh, and a PIZZA PARTAYYY! While Jenny transcribed an interview on local artist, Jasper Johns, I worked on finishing tweets for the ETV “Shorts.” My job was to watch about 45 “Shorts” already posted on the ETV website and then create intriguing tweets to entice twitter follows to watch the videos. Now I must say I haven’t jumped on board the twitter train yet, but I am one of those obnoxious people who #hashtag on facebook status’, so I do have some previous experience. I realized creating tweets for the “Shorts” is actually a pretty beneficial skill to develop for today’s social media frenzy. With twitter taking over as a main social media site, learning how to attract followers and popularity through twitter is essential. By the time I was almost done with the wittiest tweets I could muster up, it was pizza party time in the office! OM NOM NOM. We were lucky to share the spoils with the content division for winning the college basketball bracket as a team building exercise. Village Idiot pizza sure made this rainy Friday a brighter day. Jenny, Kala, and I sat on what we dubbed the “intern couch” and met many staff members we haven’t seen before. #makin’themcontacts! (ß See so useful!) After pulling ourselves away from the gooey cheesy goodness, it was time to get back on the grind. After I finished my tweets, it was time for task number two, calling a few Chambers of Commerce for story ideas. Calling the Chambers of Commerce in different counties is the main way we get our story ideas for the “Shorts.” We really want to give the county the chance to highlight their community the way they want to. It’s also important to keep a relationship with the Chambers across the state for future projects and connections. Tabitha created a general guideline of how to speak to the Chambers to create a relationship with them, and ultimately get interesting story ideas. I was assigned to call Berkeley, Myrtle Beach, and the Commerce Chamber. I was a tad rusty my first go around but Tabitha gave me some tips to sound more personable. I originally thought it was best to be overly business-like and serious, but I soon realized it is best to just be genuine and relaxed. So with the tweets under my belt, the pizza making me loosen my belt, and learning how to find story ideas, I’d say it was a great first Friday on the job! 

June 4, 2012

  Jenny & Meagan:

The day was mostly filled with observing Tabitha work on the Greenville videos and we were also able to make more Tweets for the newest Shorts online. We found it really helpful to see the process she uses to make the Shorts. We learned to match up the interview's audio and video first, cut the sound-bites we want to use, then go back in and add the b-roll. Later in the day we researched and called around to different chambers in order to find story ideas for Anderson. 

June 5, 2012

Jenny:

It rained a lot today and we were supposed to go to Pickens, but since its raining it ended up getting rescheduled to Thursday so Tabitha gave us a lot of different documentaries that were made by ETV and some that were international. I learned a lot, and not just educationally, but also the different angles and styles of documentary filming. Dave Adams made a bunch of the documentaries we watched that were made from ETV, so we were able to talk to him about it afterward. We were also introduced to the possibility of talking with Amy Shumaker, a woman who works at ETV but also represents the INPUT team for the United States.

Meagan:

The rhymes I used to sing as a child on rainy days popped into my head this morning as I nearly hydroplaned my way to the office … “Rain rain go away, come again another day,” “It’s raining it’s pouring, the old man is snoring…” Originally we planned to head to Pickens County today for our second shoot, but simply put we had a rain delay. There weren’t many alternative tasks to accomplish since we thought we would be trekking back to the upstate so Tabitha suggested a documentary day. She loaded us up with all different types of documentaries to watch. From ETV Carolina Stories by Dave Adams, to documentary series like “Women, War, and Peace,” we were fully equipped with videos to view, critique and learn from. Jenny and I watched them on the Mac Book ETV is letting us use. We ventured to one of the frigid meeting rooms and made ourselves as comfortable as possible in the refrigerator temperature. Bundled up in blankets, coffee in one hand and a pen to take notes in the other… we were ready for documentary day! We started with the Carolina Stories. The segments we watched covered mass murderer “Pee Wee,” homelessness in Columbia, the rise and fall of detective Melvin Purvis, and photographer Richard Roberts. All of the stories were quite captivating. They each had there own style and format so it was interesting to get a sense of making documentaries. The other documentaries were powerful as well. I highly recommend “Patriot Guard Riders” by Ellen Frick, “Fire Storm” by Julie Winkokur, and the PBS series “Women, War, and Peace.”  So even with numb fingers and sniffling noses, it was nice to just take the time and appreciate the different stories and the work that went into them. In retrospect, it’s incredible to think of all the research, filming, and postproduction involved in making a documentary. I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of making documentaries of my own. Watching the documentaries inspired me to pursue that goal. I want nothing more than to bring certain issues to the light and hopefully expose that issue to the public. Exposure and awareness can bring change, and with positive change comes progress. What did I learn at our internship today? With a camera, a cause, and passion, you can make a difference in the world. 

June 6, 2012

 Jenny & Meagan:

Today we were introduced to the Vault. It’s where ETV houses the majority of their film on tapes. Well they are currently organizing the tapes and putting them in a logical order and inputting them into the system. We got the hang of the system after a while and was able to enter in a good bit of tapes. We started to tackle certain jobs together toward the end of the day. We’re probably going to be in here a lot more in the upcoming weeks because they have a deadline to finish the project. 

June 7, 2012

Jenny:

We went on our second shoot today in Pickens and it was a more historical aspect of things than Greenville was. We went to the Sassafras Mountains, The Hagood Mill, and Andrew Pickens House. We were able to stand at the highest point of SC and be in two places at once, we were able to visit an area that’s history exceeds other places and we were able to walk in and around the house of a major political figure in the county of Pickens. I really enjoy the experience to do this and the opportunity to showcase these places that people wouldn’t otherwise know about.

Meagan:

“Oh, play me some mountain music… like grandma and grandpa used to play!” Alabama may sing the song but today we’re off to Pickens, South Carolina to Sassafras Mountain! After pushing putting the pedal to the metal, the van finally made it to the top. Sassafras Mountain was breath taking. I haven’t been to the mountains in so long, it was great to be back. The highlights of the mountain: standing in NC and SC at the same time, the beautiful back drop of the interview, almost stepping on a snake without knowing, and managing not to get car sick on the way down. Ok so the fourth one is a joke… kinda. After we ate at a gas station/restaurant/museum we were off to the 2^nd location, Hagood Mill. Hagood Mill is a historic gristmill that continues to produce grains today. It is also home to the largest wooden water wheel in SC! The Mill had so many options for shooting b-roll, and Jenny and I made sure to snap pictures the whole time we were there. Then it was time to head to the last stop, the Hopewell Home. The Hopewell Home is the former home of general Andrew Pickens! The white wooden house is currently going through renovations but it’s still a site to see. Oh, and if your last name is Pickens, you may want to attend the Pickens’ family reunion at the Hopewell Home next summer for the chance to meet some long lost relatives!

June 8, 2012

  Jenny:

Today I went straight into the vault and since I kind of knew better what I was to do I was able to go ahead and jump-start into the cataloguing and organizing of the films. We worked on that until around 12 when we took a lunch break with the other girls and we went to Yesterday’s and enjoyed the meal and just socialized. I feel like I can really learn a lot of from them by listening and asking them questions based on their experience. We went back to work and instead of continuing the cataloguing, I was able to watch some of the blank tapes and make descriptions of what were on them in order to better organize. 

Meagan:

We were summoned back to the vault this morning. Apparently we rock at cataloging so back to the warehouse of tapes it is! Jenny and I added random collections into the system until the clock struck noon. The vault crew made lunch reservations for us all at Yesterday’s in 5 points. My stomach was growling and my mouth was watering until I heard the words, “let’s eat!” Jenny and I hopped into Gypsy’s convertible, a fellow vault worker, and we were off. With the wind blowing through our hair we set out to our first “business lunch”! The head of the vault project met us all there. It was a great opportunity to get to know everyone on a more personal level and enjoy some delicious food at the same time! When we realized how late it had gotten, we wiped the crums off our faces, paid our bills, and headed back to ETV. For the rest of the day we continued cataloging tapes until it was time to go home. Cataloging tapes into a new system may not seem like a dream job, but it is fascinating to see the work that goes into such a necessary project. Everyone in the vault continues to thank us for our work so it’s great to know how helpful we have been so far!