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.