Week of April 13, 2014

Tuesday: April 15, 2014

Oh my gosh. These are the last promos I'll write for SFJ. I just had that realization and I'm not loving reality right now.

anddd...

I wrote these during the critique session and I couldn't believe that this was the last time I'd be part of SFJ before the last production of the show. Where did this semester go?

Before the end of the semester, I said that I wanted a picture of the Tuesday Mentoring group and I was able to snap one and add to Facebook!

During the in-class critique session, I had the chance to see Briana's final spot story for the semester. I've been working with her the entire semester through emails by making suggestions about how to better her stories. She has learned a ton. I can just see the determination she has for getting good and credible interviews too. She sent me a text message with a picture of each email she got from various commissioners and city workers about them denying interviews for her story because the topic is a current center for debate. Pension examinations and possible re-location of Delray Fire Rescue Squad are part of a heated debate currently, and that lead Briana to get 23 total denial emails. I felt her pain!!

Over Thanksgiving break last semester, I was assigned my last spot story for Broadcast and it dealt with Boca City Council. Well, Boca City Hall was closed up until the day before my story was due. I was never so stressed out in my life, and couldn't even enjoy my turkey on Thanksgiving. Instead, I was coming up with swift lines to make sure I could get interviews. So, seeing Briana panic made me realize that panicking over something means you really care; and in that moment, I saw myself in Briana. 

Once the spot presentations were finished, Shanea presented her two-way with Jadarius. Not only was she 30 minutes late to class, but her sound bites were not saved to her jump drive for presentation in class. Well, needless to say it was hard to critique her story content because I couldn't hear any of her soundbites from her laptop at the front of the room. Once we got into the studio, Kylie and I completely pulled apart her two-way and started from the beginning, mapping out exactly what she wanted to say. We didn't change a lot, but we wanted her to be comfortable before recording so it wouldn't take too long in the studio. After coaching and suggesting many things, Kylie realized Shanea wasn't writing anything down. Why? I still don't know. That set the tone for the rest of our time recording. 

Once the two-way recording was complete, Kylie and I spoke with Dr. Petrich after listening to Shanea's sound bites. At this point, we were half-way through editing her two-way. Dr. Petrich made the tough call that we should drop this from the program. I just felt an immediate pain for Shanea. Although she didn't seem too prepared for this task, I could just imagine what she felt like not being in this week's show. 

In a sense, this is a good point for future Broadcast students to learn. If you are not prepared, your story might not make it to the show. And being in the show is a top honor. That's how I look at it at least.