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!)