How Leia Sees It

Bio-Energy Healing (VJ story)

2010-02-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

Now this story made a buzz immediately. Is it for real? Did it really feel like that? How much is it? Can it work for anything? Would you see him again? It is after all, rather intriguing.
This story shows practitioner Michael D'Alton perform the unusual Bio-energy healing on one of his clients. I also did my first live hit afterward which was fun! Take a look.

Thank you to Michael D'Alton and Jennifer Jordan for their time.

Ravishing Beasts (VJ Story)

2010-02-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

What a great title! But it is not mine. Instead it is the title of an unusual exhibit at the Museum of Vancouver for their collection of taxidermied animals. Rachel Poliquin, the guest curator of the exhibit, has revived the animals (so to speak) from a 'life' of 50-year abandonment in the basement of the museum. Intriguing, uncomfortable...and, perhaps necessary. Take a look.

There were definitely challenges in shooting this story...it was one of those instances when one thing after another kept coming up. Firstly, even though I tested the camera before hand, the sun gun decided not to work at all. Of course, as with all news stories, time is of the essence, so I had to just go ahead and shoot in the *dimly lit* museum!
Secondly, I get back and there is something wrong with the camera and I had to capture the footage several times over. Once the footage was captured, yes it is very dark. So now I have learned how to colour correct! The editing took several hours, but, so it goes. It's a cliche, but that's how we learn! I'm happy with the end result considering how it all went down!

Thank you to the Museum of Vancouver and Rachel Poliquin for their time.

Winter Plants (VJ story)

2010-01-28T18:27:00.000-08:00

Back in the saddle!

After months of internships peppered with work, I am back at BCIT working on BCIT Magazine. I want more practice shooting and editing. I have requested to do only VJ shoots (which means I produce, shoot, write and edit my own stories) and here's the first one of 2010:

Winter Plants

Intro:

During the dreary winter months, most people see nothing but grey. But Leia Hutchings went through the UBC Botanical Garden with a plant enthusiast who can show west coasters there are plenty of plants to take the grey out of your winter "blandscape".

Thanks to Daniel Mosquin and the UBC Botanical Garden for an afternoon of botany.

The Eyes & Discovery Channel

2010-01-28T17:09:00.000-08:00

The new year started off with an internship at The Eyes production company with the very successful and experienced producer Mark Miller. When we got the posting from our program head (the subject line read "Internship with Discovery Channel") my heart skipped and I was immediately on it. Thankfully, I got in on the first rotation of the year, at a time when the company was very busy (mind you, I don't know if they ever slow down there!). Mark is a very busy guy- he produces stories for Discovery's Daily Planet, he is working on 2 different documentaries and has 2 new TV shows in the works...! He is also supported by an awesome team...one of the many reasons why I want to work there.

It was an excellent place to learn the aspects of TV and documentary film making. Beyond John Lovelace Corp., I didn't really have a whole lot of production experience, seeing as my background is media-based. But I had entered the journalism program to get into documentary and educational programming, so this really was perfect for me.

After 3 weeks there, I have started to get the feel for the biz and realize just how much work goes into the shows we flick through with the remote.

It's amazing the time, effort and money that is spent on our entertainment. I'll give you an example. For a story that runs about 2 minutes long, one of the associate producers/researchers had to track down footage he saw on You Tube to an eastern European TV station. Once he managed to find and contact them, the station kept hanging up on him because he was speaking English. The producer then had to locate a translator who explained to the station who he was and what he needed. Next, he found a shooter in the country to get some "after" shots of the man featured in the story. In the following weeks, there were communication breakdowns, Skype calls at 4am, people getting drunk and wanting more money, camera operators not getting the shot and overall mayhem. And yet, after WEEKS of perseverance (and stress that he might lose his job) the associate producer got the story...and we will watch it for 2 minutes --enthralled-- but for 2 minutes. Incredible! So next time you see something unusual, don't be so quick to change the channel!

While I was at The Eyes I did all sorts of tasks. I researched for their documentary Scared of My Shadow (working title), assisted on shoots for Daily Planet and did a variety of post production work for their new pilot series, Is It Possible? Pretty much, their projects and the team can be explained like this: TOTALLY UP MY ALLEY. It was great. I hope to work with them again in the future!

Photos courtesy of The Eyes and Discovery Channel

CCCF Commercial Voice Overs

2009-12-13T16:33:00.000-08:00

T-minus 20 days until the national broadcast of the Cross Canada Century Flight documentary! (January 2, 2010 at 8:00pm on Global).

During the broadcast, there will also be 8 30-second commercials that JLC productions has made, 4 of which I voiced.

Take a look:

CHEK News VJ story and Voice Overs

2009-12-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

for more info on the story and voice overs, please go here

Victoria Entrepreneurs (VJ shoot)

Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame promos (voice overs)

m/v/5ZX_6xMirhY&hl=en_US&fs=1&">

CHEK News

2009-12-08T21:22:00.000-08:00

In October/November I was a happy intern at CHEK News. Despite the fact that I have been all over the world, I have only been to Victoria twice and the last time was 7 years ago! I know, it's shameful- it is so beautiful! In fact, I have been thinking about moving there for some time. That's precisely why I jumped at the chance to intern at CHEK- it killed two birds with one stone: see how a totally unique, recently-employee-owned-TV-station operates AND get a feel for our province's capital. Done and done.

CHEK was an excellent place to intern- I highly recommend it. They made it a very interesting, hands-on experience. Hell, the first day I was there, I shot a story! You can imagine how happy I was about that...!

I also wrote, researched and voiced 8 promos for The Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame that aired for a few weeks, here's one:

I went out with shooters every day. I was there for the torch run and Prince Charles & Camilla's royal visit! I really couldn't have picked a better time to be there.

As part of my internship, they had me produce and report my own story which aired on their popular TV show, Island 30. Seeing as I am a video journalist, I asked if I could shoot it as well, which they happily agreed to. I knew what my story was going to be right away. Before leaving for Victoria, everyone said that finding work in the city was next to impossible if you didn't work for the government. But when I got there, I found there was a thriving community of young people and I thought "they must be making a living somehow!", so I found out. It turns out that making employment for yourself (as opposed to finding it) is a popular way to go with the young professionals...and it is in fact a bit of a trend amongst the late-twenties-to-mid-thirties generation (Y? X? Z? I can never get those right).

So here it is, my very first publicly televised Video Journalist's shoot (is a drum roll too much?):

Thanks to everyone at CHEK for an excellent internship!

Photo of the torch bearer in Saanich, Victoria by me.

The Cross Canada Century Flight

2009-12-03T22:36:00.000-08:00

The Cross Canada Century Flight was the closest I have ever come to winning a lottery! I was chosen out of 86 applicants for the 3-month internship and I will never forget the day when John called me to say I was his first choice. I jumped up and down when I hung up and I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face for days!

The CCCF is the brainchild of John Lovelace, veteran TV host & creator of the popular series Wings Over Canada. At the end of first year at BCIT, we received an email from our program head for the CCCF internship with the title "Once in a Lifetime Opportunity"...and that turned out to be an understatement! The event itself was a whirlwind saturated in great people, places, beautiful landscapes, gorgeous aerial views, adventure and FUN. I have always had a deep love of Canada, but traveling across it at altitudes less that 12,000 ft made my heart burst. There is just nothing quite like it.

The Cross Canada Century Flight was created and organized by John (with the help of many wonderful volunteers) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of powered flight in Canada. 100 planes for 100 years! 250 civilian pilots from all walks of life and all over Canada flew from Boundary Bay, BC to Sydney, NS (Baddeck Bay), the birthplace of flight in our country.

John. A McCurdy was the lucky pilot who flew Alexander Graham Bell's powered plane, called the Silver Dart one hundred years ago. An absolute milestone for travel in Canada, and one that I am personally very thankful for.

As the intern, I had many roles. The original idea was to have me help with coordination pre-flight, be apart of the documentary film crew of the event and help in post production afterward.
As it turns out, I did those things and so much more.
I was the official photographer for the flight (including some pictures that made it to the CBC website); field producer; additional camera for the documentary; the French media spokesperson across the country; logger; coordinator and general go-to gal. Every skill I have garnered in my life, from my creativity to my travels to my sales background was put to good use during the flight. I was in my element.

The flight has to be broken down into several parts: the production, the people, the places, the flying. Flying was our down time (well sort of, because we were always shooting, but at least we were sitting down). But as soon as we landed we hit the ground running!

The days were long, but it didn't matter because it was such an amazing experience. We were greeted with overwhelming receptions in all the towns we visited: banquets, balloons, ceremonies, open arms and even a lobster dinner in Sydney! We went to small towns across Canada and my heart will be forever warmed by the hospitality we received.

It was quite an accomplishment! Of the myriad of things I have managed to do in my life, there is nothing to compare this flight to. Our crew, the pilots, the hosts, the volunteers, the organization, the centennial, the weather...nothing could ever be duplicated again. I am so thankful.

The documentary of the flight will air on Global, Jan.2, 2010 at 8:00pm
Watch for my name in the credits :)

...And Guess what? We're doing it again!!! The Century Flight Club is flying to the Yukon!!!

photo of John A. McCurdy courtesy of pixdaus.com (found through google images). All other photos are property of me!

Stories from October 2009

2009-11-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

Street Paper Vendor
(VJ shoot)
click here for more info

War Resister
click here for more info

Housing Homeless
click here for more info

Abolition Coalition
click here for more info

Street Paper Vendor...the VJ shoot

2009-11-02T23:17:00.000-08:00

My most rewarding shoot was my VJ shoot. It was an excellent combination of hard work and things falling into place. I am proud of my camera work, and this was my first time editing an entire story on Final Cut. Final Cut is my new best friend. It is such an intuitive program...but I digress. So, about the story....

While shooting War Resister, I met a man named Garvin Snider. Garvin is a vendor for a street paper called Megaphone Magazine. Megaphone offers employment for low-income and homeless community members of the Downtown Eastside. Vendors buy the paper for 50 cents and then re-sell it at a bartered price (usually 2 dollars). Megaphone offers vendors the chance to make a living in a low-threshold job, while interacting with the greater Vancouver community. It also gives buyers the chance to support low-income people in a meaningful way. The magazine contains articles about the community, some written by the members themselves.

Garvin was very well-spoken and easy to work with. Since this was a feature, there was a lot of shooting involved; repeated action, repeated action, repeated action. I had so much more I could've used...it was hard for me to pair it down. I am happy with the end product and can't wait to do more. Thank you to everyone at Megaphone!

BCIT Magazine

2009-10-28T23:43:00.001-07:00

At BCIT we produce a half-hour news program that airs on Shaw cable: BCIT Magazine, also referred to as "the Mag".

Unfortunately, I hit quite a few snags during the three week Mag rotation. On two separate shoots the cameras broke down!! Both times the colour chips came loose so that the camera would only register a yellow/green tone! What are the chances of that?!

Much to my dismay, I lost an entire story because of it. But thankfully on the other shoot, we got the most important elements before the breakdown. In the end, the shooter/editor and I managed to make a half-decent story out of it (phew). Both incidents were excellent exercises in patience and learning when to just roll with the punches....

The Abolition Coalition

My first assignment was breaking news. A shooter and I went to cover a press conference for the Abolition Coalition. The AC is a coalition of various women's groups who have joined forces to abolish the criminalization of prostitution for prostitutes, but are in favor of strong punishment for buyers of sex. The coalition was formed ahead of two Canadian court cases the group says will use the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to argue for the decriminalization of the sex trade. The decriminalization of prostitution is a common argument, so sex trade workers can do their work safely. But the Abolition Coalition maintains that prostitution itself is violence against women- we can not make violence safer; decriminalization does nothing for the equality of women.

From a story-telling perspective, press conferences can be tricky to shoot. You need a lot of cutaways to make something visually interesting out of a bunch of people sitting at a table talking...! To make my story better, I approached one of the members after the conference, Trisha Baptie, and asked if she would be interested in talking to us some more. Baptie is a former sex trade worker who is now speaking out against the trade. She also covered the Pickton trial as a "citizen correspondent" for Orato.com

Baptie was very generous with her time. She took me down to the area she used to work and spoke to us some more about how much the abolition of prostitution means to her. It was very interesting meeting such a passionate person who is proof that anyone can turn their lives around if they choose to.

Housing Homeless

In the Downtown Eastside there are several old hotels being converted into single occupancy residences for homeless and low-income community members. We visited the Pender Hotel, which had just started renovations that week (beginning of October). It is amazing the work that goes into a project like this...and for such an important cause.

This was the day of all days. We had countless technical struggles, from the sungun not working to the camera breaking down completely. Despite the challenges, many things fell into place that made the story...most importantly, Victoria Majeski. Majeski is a formerly homeless woman who came on camera to tell us how important housing like this is.

War Resister

This was the story where I finally felt like I had left my Mag curse behind (no broken down cameras!). I had a great shooter, Natalie Collins. She had never shot a press conference before, but she took direction extremely well... whatever I asked for she got, and she did it with a technically and artistically keen eye (insert sigh of relief here). I co-edited it with Greg Stoddart, who did a great job too. The story itself is very interesting (and by that, I mean intrinsically, not my version of the story per se!).

Rodney Watson is a US Iraq war deserter who has been given sanctuary in a church; he is the first American soldier to have this distinction in Canada. He's been safely behind the Downtown Eastside church walls since September, to avoid deportation and imprisonment in the US. Watson has been living in Canada for 3 years, and left the US to avoid a second stint to Iraq. Watson says he fulfilled his contract with the US army and fundamentally does not agree with the war. He cites the fact that there were no weapons of mass destruction found in the middle eastern country, and didn't agree with the racial hatred toward Iraqis. Since living in Canada, Watson has had a son, and is engaged to be married.

The First United Church has the backing of several denominations and churches in the Vancouver area and they are prepared to house him for as long as it takes.

The shooter and editor for Abolition Coalition was Tyler Stockli.
My shooter and editor for Housing Homeless was Kris Wosnesensky.
My shooter for War Resister was Natalie Collins, and I co-edited with Greg Stoddart.

The Webster Awards

2009-10-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

Thrilled. Honoured. Surprised. Proud.

I have to admit that I wrote my last entry purely to satiate my own excitement. I was keeping a secret *for weeks* that I was dying to reveal (but now I can): I won a Webster Award for Student Journalism!

The Jack Webster Foundation recognizes BC journalists in honour of Jack Webster- a 40 year journalist, radio and TV personality who passed away in 1999. He was known for his candid, hard-hitting style... I have obviously never met him, but by the way he is remembered, I gather he was the kind of man that would make your life more interesting if you knew him.

Student applicants must be in their graduating year of a journalism program and able to demonstrate their pursuit and interest in journalism. We had to submit a 500-word essay about what we think the role of journalism plays in the world today, why we chose journalism as a career and what our career goals are. Only seven are given out each year.

The Hospital Employee's Unio n were the very generous donors of the award, which goes directly to my tuition. I am so INCREDIBLY grateful that they believe there is merit in what we do...! We had a video of ourselves expressing our career goals and what the award means to us. It was played at the awards ceremony, which was both exciting and slightly scary. Check it out here.

The HEU also hosted us for the awards dinner which was a LOT of fun. Chris Gailus was the emcee and he was just fantastic! Everyone laughed and had a genuinely good time.

I'm still a little in shock that this happened. It was so inspirational to receive this award and to feel reaffirmed that I am on the right path.

CONGRATULATIONS to the other student award winners:

HEU award recipients: Myself, Leasa Hachey from Langara College and Jenny Fremlin from Thompson Rivers University.

BC Hydro award recipients: My friend and classmate, Jacob Barker, Trevor Crawley from Langara College, Cecilia Greyson from UBC School of Journalism, and Christopher Sun from Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Photos courtesy of the Jack Webster Foundation Website.
Video shot by Fred Cawsey.

Awards videos are my friends

2009-10-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been far too long since I blogged. But I have some really good excuses!

At the end of school, I took on a phenomenally large project. I co-created a 45 minute video for the Canadian Association of Journalists awards ceremony with two other classmates. The CAJ is an organization of professional journalists across Canada, with a focus on investigative journalism. A great place to meet some very skilled people indeed.

I was chosen to do the video for my work on my Campus Dogs story, which I found, shot and edited. It was an honour to be chosen because of my work! (Side bar: After I did my Campus Dogs story, BCIT talked about implementing the rule of no dogs on campus. My teacher, Mary-Kay Thurston, asked all of us to write letters if we were against the policy in an attempt to stop it from passing. In addition to that, she posted my Campus Dog story on You Tube as a means to demonstrate how important it is to her and the other teachers to be able to bring their dogs on campus. In the end, the policy "went away", most likely because of us pesky journalism students!).

I have to say that the workload to make the CAJ video was overwhelming at the end of first year...we didn't know what we had gotten ourselves into. Nevertheless, through perseverance and A LOT of hard work, we managed to get er' did. We were told it was the best video they have ever had, which is an excellent compliment seeing as the videos are usually produced by news outlets (!). So I'd say we hit it out of the park for first year students!

For the video we had to compile finalist's submissions- Print, Radio, TV and Online categories- into one final package. We had to take photos of all the print categories and capture TV submissions. We all compiled, edited and designed the final product. I did the voice overs for the entire video and also took some creative pictures for visuals during the radio category. It was a huge undertaking, but we learned a lot!

We were given passes to the CAJ conference and awards dinner. I attended quite a few lectures- very interesting. I learned a lot about how journalism has changed with technology and how we must work harder than ever to hold on to journalistic integrity in this technological age. Something I hadn't contemplated too much was the trauma journalists can go through. This became very real after Karen Pauls' emotional acceptance speech for her work covering the Greyhound Bus beheading...an eye-opener to say the least.

...I also learned the importance of a really well-written cover letter, which served me very well this summer (more to come on that). Most of all, I enjoyed meeting other journalists and just listening to their insights during the various discussions. Overall, the CAJ was a great experience and as hoped, led to other opportunities....

I'm not even sure if school had officially started yet, but within the first week, our Program Head, Connie Monk, asked me to do some work for her. It was for the Jack Webster Foundation; another awards video. This time it was only me, and it was only shooting. I was thrilled that she asked me...exactly what I want: people to think of me when it comes to work!! I shot the Print and Online categories. It was much easier this time, and a nice way to make an extra couple of bucks :)

The Jack Webster Foundation honours journalists based in BC, so it's a fun evening to get all the "yocals" together. I went last year, and will be going again this year. It's a great opportunity to meet people who will one day be our peers. Last year, Peter Mansbridge was the guest speaker. He made a very interesting and thought-provoking speech about the role the media plays in politics. He was addressing in particular the low voter turnout for our last federal election and he carefully said the media must beware of the part they played in that pitiful display of democracy.

This year will be even more exciting as I played a role in making it happen. I look forward to it!

For the Record

2009-05-29T11:27:00.001-07:00

A I explained in my last entry, "For the Record" is a segment on Evolution 107.9 FM, BCIT's radio station. On FTR, we interview a person about a topic of interest for 15 minutes.

For the Record was good for me. I have always been more interested in topics that require research and go a little more in-depth than the average news story. My favorite thing is when my interviewee says "that's a great question". Complete satisfaction when that happens.

During our practicum, the segment ran twice a day, Monday to Friday= 2 students do For the Record 5 times each in a week. So I have 5 interviews to share with you. Scratch that. I should have 5 interviews, but my live interview never got recorded because something went awry with the stations' recordings that week (normally everything that goes to air has to be logged for 4 months). It's too bad because that interview was with the director of the provincial government's Electoral Reform Information Office. Neil Reimer spoke about the BC-STV and how it works. It was good interview, if I do say so myself (which I will have to since no one will ever be able to hear it again!).

All of these interviews aired the week of May 4th-8th, 2009.

So here's some information about the interviews:

Jody Robertson, Director of Corporate Communications for Ecomm- Ecomm is the regional emergency communications centre for Southwest B.C. and the answer point for 9-1-1 calls. We talked about the challenges Ecomm faces with accidental calls; large events like the Celebration of Light and the pending 2010 Olympics; how the Vancouver Canucks tie into Ecomm's history.

Dr. Bill Rees- environmentalist, author and professor at UBC in the school of Community Regional Planning. He has lectured around the world and has recently turned his focus toward urban sustainability and asks the question: Are humans inherently unsustainable by nature? We talked about sustainability in Vancouver; technology and sustainability; what B.C. voters should be looking for in environmental policy from our political parties; ecodensity; what youth need to do to incite environmental change.

Garth Astles, Manager of Direction Youth Services Centre in Vancouver. We talk about homeless and at-risk youth; the centre and the services it provides to homeless and at-risk youth in Vancouver; the difference between housing and services and how they must work together; funding.

Allyson Grant- Clown Doctor for Jest for Joy. We talk about what a clown doctor is and how they differ from regular clowns; clown doctoring for children and adults; how the medical profession reacts/views clown doctors; her experiences as a clown doctor; clown doctoring and healing.

To listen to any/all of these interviews, click here.

Hope you enjoy!

Holy catch-up Batman!

2009-05-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

Sooo...as you can plainly see from the last entry date, I have been BU-SY!

The last two months of school were absolute mayhem.

The final four weeks of school is our practicum. We are divided into 2 groups that rotate between running the radio station, Evolution 107.9FM, and TV News program, BCIT Magazine.

In TV, we have to find, shoot and edit 3 news stories. For the first time, we worked with people from the TV program--which means we worked with shooters and editors. It was a lot of fun. I had GREAT people from TV. In fact, it was a real eye-opener for me. I came into this program totally focused on becoming a video journalist (FYI- a VJ is a reporter that finds, writes and shoots their own stories). But there has been mounting evidence that wanting to be a VJ is the equivalent of being insane! When I job-shadowed Alan Waterman at CBC, all the other reporters looked at me like I had two heads when I said I wanted to be a VJ. I have been told by other reporters who did stints as VJs not to do it. So, needless to say, I've been wondering if maybe I should re-assess my plan...!
Working with the TV students kinda reinforced that point. It is a lot easier to work with a shooter than doing it all yourself. But I'm caught between a rock and a hard place! I love to shoot! I love to write! I love to set up the story and interact with people! I'm sure I'll find my way... I always do.

For the radio rotation, I did one week of "For the Record". This is a segment in which we interview a person for 15 minutes. Sometimes it's live, sometimes it's pre-recorded. Since I'm more of a feature-type person (as opposed to quick, to-the-point news), I really enjoyed these in-depth interviews. At first I thought it was going to be challenging to fill 15 minutes, but in the end, I always wished I'd had more time.

I learned that it's better to have people who can talk about current and controversial issues; I had thought it would be a good segment for listeners to learn something new--but you have to be careful that people will still care to listen. I'll post some so you can have a listen.

In the last week of radio, I had the 4:30am radio shift!!! Somehow I KNEW I was going to get that shift. I kept trying to will those thoughts away, in an attempt to deflect the law of attraction and send those early mornings elsewhere...but alas, to no avail. Actually, it wasn't so bad. After all, I was done at 8:15 am!

In amongst all the end-of-school madness, I had another GINORMOUS project on my plate: the Canadian Association of Journalists awards video. This mother-of-a-video (45 minutes to be exact!) took up every waking moment I had outside of practicum. Basically I didn't get any sleep in May. Tara-lee and Birdie (my cohorts in Stressville) and I worked tirelessly on this project. I should probably leave a whole entry to this experience alone... suffice to say that we put our hearts and souls into that baby.

Over all, this past academic year has been one helluva ride! I can not believe how far along we have come. I have learned so much and done so much, it's sometimes hard to take it all in. The journalism 2010 grads are a seriously talented group! I have learned just as much from my fellow BJ's as I have from the teachers and assignments. It's weird not seeing them everyday...I think we are all going through withdrawl!

School's out for summer! (must sing this last line).

And now onto my next line of work: job hunting!

photo of Grad 2010 courtesy of Leanne Yu, capturer-of-moments extraordinaire

Best Job Unfair

2009-04-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

"The Best Job in the World has been touted as a dream come true. However, there is some controversy about the coveted position. Members of an online social network dedicated solely to the job say Tourism Queensland was not straightforward with their 34,000 applicants. Leia Hutchings has more."

This was the intro to my 40-second radio story a few weeks ago. I could've talked about this for hours.

I interviewed fellow "Ninger" Zellie Berraine. Ning is an on-line community for people who applied/are obsessed by The Best Job in the World. Zellie is an extremely active member and has one of the most popular threads on the site.

Understandably, after the top 50 for The Best Job in the World were announced, there were thousands of broken hearts. Applicants and Ningers alike poured over the videos of the lucky finalists with much scrutiny. Many of the hopefuls were astonished at Tourism Queensland's choices. It was obvious they were looking for geographical representation and, according to some, not necessarily the best person for the job. That remains to be seen.

In any case, it was cool to actually talk to someone who shared in my experience and the emotional roller coaster of the application process. No one but an applicant can truly understand how it takes over your life.

Thanks Zellie for taking the time!!!

To hear the interview, click here.

***UPDATE*** In actual fact, my first version of the story was 45 seconds long- which is over the maximum allowed time for a story. I edited it down and then it was still over time. So all I could do after that was say it really fast!! Now I've uploaded the more relaxed version, which is 45 seconds...enjoy!

Funny Business

2009-03-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Over 40 hours of work. Trapped in a 4 by 4 room with my project partner. In front of a screen working with Adobe Audition. During spring "break".
And I survived to tell the story.

This is our first radio documentary project. 3 interviews, hours of audio narrowed down to a 7 minute final product. My partner, Sonia, and I worked tirelessly. I was at the helm and physically edited the project; Sonia did the voice-overs. It was most certainly a collaboration. We were literally stuck in a tiny booth for days hammering this thing out. I won't lie: there was frustration; there was a feeling of being overwhelmed; there were times we wanted to kill the software. But thankfully we had a funny subject that kept us laughing the whole time...!

We had some great feedback. It made us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The other students also created some amazing work. I was so impressed by everyone's projects.

Toby Hargrave is a local comedian who has made it to the point in his career that he works solely as a comedian. He has a very interesting life story and a refreshing attitude. There's a reason he's 'made it'.

Please CLICK HERE to listen to our hard work and to get a good laugh. It's 7 minutes long.

***Also, some of the material in the story may be offensive to some listeners, so please be advised!***

Toby's headshot coutesy of http://www.seetobylive.com/

Campus Dogs

2009-03-04T22:22:00.001-08:00

Our most significant project so far this term was our most recent- the campus story. We find, shoot and edit our own stories with a 2-minute time frame for the final product.

I'm just gonna say it: I'm very proud of this one.

I thought of the story and coordinated everything. I was very lucky- my group let me do all the shooting (yay!) but Birdie shot the student streeters.

We each edited our stories individually. We had to use--THANKFULLY FOR THE LAST TIME!!!-- the linear decks. This was a real challenge because all of the decks at school are not functioning in some capacity (they suffer from a keen case of over-use). I had to re-do many of my soft edits and voice overs because the audio was off.

In the end, my stickler-ness was warranted. My teacher said I should submit my story for BCIT Magazine. That's the school's news program that is run by second year students and shown on cable TV. I did get it on the program, but I think it is only the practice run (not what will be shown on Shaw cable) but that's just fine with me. This is my best work so far, and I'm very happy that I'm improving quickly.

I was totally surprised and happy at the response I received when the story was shown in class- from both of my teachers and the students. Affirmation that I'm on the right track is ALWAYS good! And it helps that the story is about dogs...people love animals :)

Take a look:

photo of the linear deck courtesy Viewpoint Production Services Inc.

Streeters

2009-03-04T21:33:00.001-08:00

OK, so this was a project we did at the beginning of the term (January).
'Streeters' is a news term for when you get the opinions of random people "on the street" to add to your story.
The goal of our project was to come up with an interesting, timely topic, choose a good busy spot and APPROACH people.
Streeters was easy-peasy lemon squeezy for me. My sales background was the perfect training ground.
However, I have to admit I wasn't completely prepared for this project on one account: me introducing my topic. I had somehow forgotten that I would have to do a stand-up before cutting to the streeters. I thought of what I was going to say literally 5 seconds before we shot it. That also explains why my hair needs to be brushed. Oh well.

If you remember, Prince Harry was in the news because of a video that surfaced of him using a racial slur as a nickname for a an army buddy. The official response from Buckingham Palace was that although they didn't condone this, Harry's friend was supposedly totally fine with it.
I asked people at Metrotown Centre what they thought of using racial slurs as nicknames. This is what they had to say:

I didn't make the cut (insert sad face here)

2009-03-04T20:50:00.000-08:00

Lost dreams. Disappointment. And yes, a tear was shed. It would seem that out of 35,000 hopefuls for the Best Job in the World, my application video was not enough to get me noticed. boo hoo hoo.

Making the video was a lot of fun for me. In retrospect, it was my first attempt at being a video journalist--conceptualization, shooting and editing all done by little ol' me (mind you, my other half was a big help when I needed it). In any case, I am proud of my first attempt. It also introduced me to a community of like-minded people who have inspired me immensely.

I thought being out of the running would mean my obsession for TBJITW would end, but I was sadly mistaken!

I have been very active on the Ning site talking with my fellow fanatics and even went as far as compiling my own thoughts about every single one of the top fifty applicants. Can anyone say sleep-deprived? I'm sure there's a self-help group for addictions to online social networks. May have to look that up.

Anyhow, I figure since it doesn't matter anymore if you check out my video on the website, I should post it here. It certainly was a learning experience. I'm on board with what I could've done better...so IF there's a next time, watch out! Cause I'll be back (must say in Arnold accent).

The sequence is God in TV news

2009-02-25T23:27:00.001-08:00

When telling a story on-screen, you have to write to the pictures. The pictures must follow a sequence. Without a sequence, your story will not be visually appealing.

This was a group project to practice sequencing. I took turns shooting with one of my group members. Then we each had to edit and write our stories alone. We did this in LINEAR editing (including voice overs). This was a bit tricky because the school's linear decks are getting OLD. They slip. They freeze. They're fussy. In my case- one of the speakers stopped working (hence the audio issues).

I tried to clean it up today in Avid. But now that I've looked at it with a fresh pair of eyes (I had been shooting and editing something else all day before I tackled this) I can see that there's clearly a jump cut that I missed. I'll clean that up later. Then you can see the before and after.

Nevertheless, for a first attempt at a "real" TV news story- this isn't so bad, if I do say so myself. I managed some good soft edits (when the audio is overlapping visuals). We didn't shoot enough so the sequencing itself was tricky (TIP: You can NEVER shoot enough!). Also, I ended on a clip- which you're not supposed to do in "real life". The story could only be a max of 1 minute.

It's hard not to be critical of your own work. In the end, I'm in school to learn anyhow, so these mistakes are a part of the process!

Check it out:

BUSY BUSY BUSY!

2009-02-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

School has been a mess of group projects and story-making; but it's been a good mess. Like finger-painting or playing in the mud with sticks.
I have gotten behind on my blog because of it. But fear not! This week I'm going to dub some of our work and upload it onto the site so you can see what we get up to in the world of ENG (Electronic News Gathering).
We've done some cool stories: a local treasure hunter; the robotics and mechatronics department at school; streeters' opinions...and this week I'm working on a story about teachers who bring their dogs to school.

Stay tuned!

Behaviours and Slices and Flash- oh my!

2009-02-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

I'm making my own website!

In school we have a 'New Media' course. Our final project will be to create our own website which I'm very excited about! I have wanted to learn how to create websites for some time now. We're using Adobe Fireworks and Dreamweaver. However, I won't sugar-coat it: it takes a lot of practice to learn new software. Right now the course is only once a week. I will definitely be doing some after-hours action to get this truly on the go. The website will be showcasing my work as a journalist- video, audio, writing and photos.

There are so many things to consider about the design. I want it to be "me" but it also has to be easy to scan (people don't read websites like they do newspapers) AND showcase my photos. The reason this poses a challenge is because it's easiest to read dark text on a white background, but photos look better on a dark background. I've already come up with a solution that I think looks appealing and will allow for both needs.

It should be up and running in about a month and a half...not to worry- I'll be posting the link!

MY VIDEO'S UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-11T20:28:00.000-08:00

I yelped when I got the email from Tourism Queensland that my video was up on the website!!!

My stomach is FULL of butterflies!! This is the best end of the day EVER!!

Please go see my application: http://www.islandreefjob.com/#/applicants/watch/x08_HIW-HTk

** Don't forget to rate it - 5 stars please...if you like it that is! ;)**

*Thank you!*

Also, it's totally NOT creepy in this case if you watch it hundreds of times, in fact I encourage it!
Please feel free to pass it on!

YAY!

photo courtesy of Tourism Queensland...duh!

I am one with AVID

2009-02-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

In creating my video for Th e Bes t Job in the World, I tackled the industry-standard editing software Avid. I managed well on my own, considering I only had a quick intro with one of our teachers. Avid and other software like Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premier have changed editing forever. Their flexibility and options greatly surpass the old linear style, and man oh man what a difference! For those of you who do not know, linear editing is the old-school style with Beta tape decks and actual buttons you press ;)

I do have to admit that I still kind of like linear editing- it's strangely organic...I guess it's the whole grass-roots thing. I suppose if I really wanted to go back, I would be physically splicing the tape and gluing the clips back together!
But I digress. I like being in the linear edit suite, finessing the buttons and shuttle so that I find exactly the right frame. When the equipment isn't up to par though, it can be super frustrating. The great thing about the older technology, however, is that if you do encounter a problem, all you have to do is turn it off and back on. Certainly not the case with computer software! A computer shutdown usually results in bloodshed, heartbreak and slamming of heads into walls with frustration!

Editing is where the magic happens.

As much as I love being behind the lens, it all comes together in the editing process. It is an art form all to itself. I enjoy hammering it out, shaving bits and creatively weaving picture and sound. Once you learn how something as "simple" as a news story is put together, you just can't look at any production the same afterward. So much effort for such a great personal reward.

I'm hooked. I love all this stuff. Technology is great- especially when used for creative purposes!

photos courtesy Viewpoint Production Services Inc. & Wikipedia

Australian Wildfires

2009-02-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

Truly unbelievable.
Since Saturday, hundreds of fires have shredded across the state of Victoria (south-east Australia). They have been described as a "wall of flames". I heard one freelance reporter, Roger Maynard, say that the wall of fire was 100 km in length and travelled at 130 km per hour! Apparently the smoke can be seen from outer space!

173 people have died. Entire towns have been destroyed. People have lost their livelihoods... absolutely everything they've spent their lives working for is gone. I can't begin to imagine the loss and utter heartbreak these people must feel. Because the fires were moving so fast, many people died in their cars as they tried to flee. I can only hope they were knocked unconscious by smoke inhalation before....

Thousands of volunteer firefighters have come from all over Australia and New Zealand. I hope that they are kept safe in their honourable work.

Authorities suspect arson may have had a role. ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I don't know if words can describe how sad and troubling that thought is.

Our thoughts and hearts go out to all of those affected by the wildfires. We send our love.

photo courtesy of NASA images

THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD!!!!

2009-02-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official! I've FINALLY uploaded my video to Tourism Queensland and it will hopefully be on the site in about 10 days! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've spent the last week sleep deprived, all in preparation for my submission to get The Best Job in the World! For those of you who do not know about this, Tourism Queensland wants an "Island Caretaker" who will live on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for six months. The Chosen One -AKA me- (insert smiley face here) will write a weekly blog about their experiences discovering the amazing wildlife and activities on the GBR.

I think this job and I were made for each other.

They want a person to keep an updated blog, make videos, take photos, talk to the media, and be all around adventurous. Hmmm, let's see...
-I have a blog
-I'm training to be a video journalist and have all the skills necessary
-I've been a hobbyist photographer since I was 15 years old and studied it at college for 2 1/2 years
-I'm in broadcast journalism and train every day in writing and announcing techniques for radio, TV and online news
-I know what island life is like! I spend my summers on a small island off the coast of British Columbia that has no electricity and runs on a septic system. It is teeming with wildlife and it's gorgeous. I ADORE the water- I go swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and I know how to operate a boat.
-I've lived across Canada, in Japan and am well-travelled-- including some challenging places like Kyrgyzstan, Western China and Pakistan
-I always do what I set my mind to

See what I mean? This opportunity would be mutually beneficial!

HOW I MADE THE VIDEO

During my intensive full-time program (8 classes), I decided this opportunity was way too good to pass up and took on the added challenge of creating a video to submit.
I conceptualized, story-boarded, shot and edited the entire video myself. I shot it in about a day and 1/4 (I had to re-shoot one part). I used a Panasonic DVX-100 camera with a shotgun mic and sun gun. To shoot myself, I would frame the shot, flip the viewing screen, hit record and position myself within the frame and say my spiel. The editing took me more time because I had to learn the software Avid and do it after school hours. On Tuesday I spent 20 hours at school; on Thursday I was there for about 18 hours! But it will be SO WORTH IT!

It was a challenge creating a one minute video that had all the necessary requirements. The criteria was: for it to be creative; to demonstrate a knowledge of the Great Barrier Reef; to explain why you're the best person for the job.
I would have liked to have put more information about the GBR and included the fact that I have island life experience- but I opted for the creativity and laugh factor, since that's what they said mattered the most. The majority of the videos have been PowerPoint style, and I haven't seen one yet that has a storyline. I sincerely hope I made the right choice and managed to catch their attention!!!!

The deadline is February 22nd. They will make a shortlist of 50 people. Then the voting/rating begins. They will whittle it down to 10 people who will go to the GBR for an interview process. There will also be one "wild card" candidate who was the most popular on the website.

When my video is up, I will post the link so that you can all go and VOTE for me!

Fingers crossed...

Photos courtesy of Tourism Queensland (from The Best Job In The World Website)

I'm a born again audiophile!

2009-02-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Like Alice, I tumbled down a magical tunnel... into the wonder(ful) land of high quality sound! Serendipity paid me a visit and the universe brought me a new Zoom H4- and I'm in LOVE!
I don't mean for this to be an advertisement for the fancy-pants device, but it's the best toy I've had since my first Transformer, and I just can't seem to get enough of it!

I hummed and hawed at paying a tidy sum of cash for the pricey little ditty, but man were my qualms squashed as soon as I heard the quality. It kicked my little pocket recorder's arse within the first 10 seconds. This thing is so sensitive that if you move your hand quickly, you'll hear the wind of the motion.

Since my acquisition, I've had hearts for ears. I've enjoyed collecting any sounds that happen to tickle my fancy (which is pretty much everything, seeing as it all sounds cool on this puppy!). From friends' ramblings at parties, to fog horns at the beach and bustling airports, I can't stop myself from pressing record.

Take a listen to my recordings (the airport was a collaboration with Jacob Barker, another student):

http://www.box.net/files#0:f:23764218

photo courtesy Zoom Japan

Robert Dziekanski

2009-01-22T21:21:00.000-08:00

I have been on the beat the last couple of days, following the Braidwood inquiry into Robert Dziekanski's death. He was the Polish immigrant that was tasered to death by RCMP officers at Vancouver airport in October 2007. It's been extremely interesting learning details we wouldn't normally hear... and very sad. I find the proceedings compelling; I am absorbed by the witnesses' accounts. Being at the inquiry is far more personal than the short clips we see on the news.

On Wednesday, Richard Hutchinson, a friend of Zofia Cisowski (Dziekanski's mother) who accompanied her to the airport took the stand. He told the court that the employees at the airport made him feel "disregarded and unimportant". They asked several employees for help and were consistently told to wait at the international arrivals door. Hutchinson finally found (on his own) a direct phone line to immigration. He spoke to an officer there who said Dziekanski probably didn't make it on the flight and that they should call Poland to see if he even got on the plane. The immigration Officer was restricted in what she could say because of confidentiality issues, but in the end she told Hutchinson that there was no Polish immigrant in the area and that they should just go home. They drove back to Kamloops that night after spending 10 hours at the airport. After his testimony Hutchinson got choked up when asked how he felt when he heard the news of Dziekanski's death. I can't even imagine the guilt.

Today a Customs officer told his story. Kal Bahrya helped Dziekanski when he was in the customs area. There was video footage-from inside the customs hall- throughout his testimony. Dziekanski was sent to the secondary search in Customs, where Bahrya attempted to find his immigration documents. Bahrya said it was clear that Dziekanski was frustrated at the language barrier, but that he complied with all of the officer's requests that were mostly done through sign language. The officer noticed that Dziekanski was missing the baggage indicated on his plane ticket. He thought the documents were probably in there. Since Dziekanski didn't speak a word of English, the officer escorted him to immigration, which is rarely done by Customs officers. Bahrya collected Dziekanski's baggage which is also an unusual action for an Officer. During his time with Dziekanski, the only words he understood him say were "mother" and "Kamloops". Bahrya never requested a translator because immigration is supposed take care of that. Bahrya said that there was nothing about Dziekanski's appearance, actions or motor skills that would suggest anything unusual.

The most heartbreaking thing about sitting in that room was watching Zofia Cisowski's reactions to the videos. She had a look of shock and deep, deep sadness; she repeatedly put her head in her hands and cried. Seeing those videos of the hours before her son's death...knowing he was just meters away from her the entire time...they were told he wasn't in the building...the guilt, the sadness, the emptiness she must feel. What a sad story. What a senseless reality.

photo courtesy CBC.ca

The rise of Obama

2009-01-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

Well, it finally happened. Obama is president. The world is still reeling. I think everything that happened yesterday can be summed up in one word: WOW.

Absolutely everyone in the world who could, was watching. My jaw hit the floor when I saw all the people gathered at the Mall in Washington. Millions flocked to the monument; it didn't matter how far away they were or that they couldn't see a thing- all that mattered was they were there to witness the historic moment.

I was in the gym! I had been at home glued to the TV & didn't want to go. But I've made a commitment to get physical, so I went directly to the treadmill and plugged in. What a ceremony! Musicians, singers, poets....what a CELEBRATION! Those who were there told stories of the joy felt in the air. Spirits were raised. Desperation started to evaporate. People for the first time in a while actually listened with their hearts. Everyone left feeling at once light and fulfilled. The hope, the hope, the hope...it is still palpable.

I would be lying if I didn't say I feel it too. I had a smile on my face the entire time; my eyes were fixated on the screen... and I am not American. But that's just it- on January 20th, 2009 people of the world united. Obama is American, Kenyan, Irish. But his skin colour means more than his blood. He represents every race on the planet; everyone who has felt struggle. His campaign, his mantra is CHANGE...on so many fundamental levels. He gives a real-life example of an ethnic person in a position of real power. He unites us all by being the underdog. But beyond that, he is a symbol. He represents so much more than he could ever be.

He is not Jesus. Watching the news coverage of people EVERYWHERE celebrating his arrival on the scene, made me think he is our modern-day messiah. But he is just a man. We would do well to remember it. And he is a politician. I hope with all my heart he can affect the change he promised, but we cannot forget the tricky wheel he is running in.

A random guy in the crowd was interviewed and what he said struck a chord: "I realize that he can't do this on his own...we all have to help." Now that is the most thoughtful thing I have heard after a president spoke in a long, long time. I wonder what Bush was thinking that day....

So it's actually happened. The U S of A is ready to get back on the horse, and pull it's world-carriage along with it. I hope the road is a smooth one.

photo courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine, found through Google Images

CHECK OUT OUR FUN FEATURE!

2009-01-21T16:57:00.000-08:00

The project of the term (or 2008 for that matter) was our Fun Feature. We were put into groups and worked together to create from start to finish an 8 minute film. I have a whole new appreciation for film making now!! It was A LOT of work, but so, so rewarding!

We conceptualized, story boarded, shot and edited the entire thing. This was my first time behind industry-standard cameras, and I was lucky to be with a group that didn't mind me being behind the lens--I shot the majority of the film. I also sat in on the editing sessions, with Scott Cassidy, our editing guru. THANKFULLY I had an excellent, mature group that handled challenges in their stride, and worked together as a team (this is a real blessing because there were some horror stories).

Please be nice to us when you view the video-- it was a first attempt for us all and there are, of course, mistakes...! It always puts a smile on my face, and hopefully you'll get a laugh out of it too.

Enjoy!

Back at 'er!

2009-01-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

Over the Christmas break many of us had the opportunity to intern at CKNW. I have a high regard for Ian Koenigsfest, the News Director there. He was the one responsible for giving us this unique opportunity. In a December meeting, interested students went to CKNW and had a good chat with him. He talked to us about news worthiness and what it took to be in the biz. He was very generous at setting us up with producers and reporters alike so that we could get a solid sense of what life was like in the real world. One of the students asked at the end of our meeting why he was doing this for us. He responded that when he first arrived from South Africa, he had a very hard time getting his 'in'. Then one day, someone gave him a chance and this is his way of repaying that debt...and he is paying it tenfold! Radio was not my main focus when I entered the Broadcast Journalism program, but I left CKNW feeling like doors were opening and that Ian is the kinda guy I'd like to work for.

The experience at CKNW was great overall. I really enjoyed seeing behind the scenes of breaking news, creating stories and watching a show unfold in real time. I was told I had a great news sense, and put together interviews using my own contacts. It was rewarding to know that all the skills we are learning are TRULY industry standard (the tuition has merit!). Radio is new to me and more and more I am thinking it could be a great venue for me. It allows for more anonymity and perhaps there are opportunities for me to create stories for their websites using my skills at image-making...we'll see. The internship made me aware that there are far more opportunities than I had previously allowed myself.

I also had the privilege of job-shadowing Alan Waterman at CBC for a day. That was AWESOME. He is a Vancouver video journalist who files stories for The National (almost unheard of in the mother corp). It was kind of a slow news day, which actually ended up being a good thing for me. I was able to pepper him with questions and really learn from his years of experience. Also, as my dad is a retiree of the CBC -26 years with the corporation- I had known quite a few people there (I used to visit him frequently at work). It was a great to see some old faces, reconnect and hear them reminisce about my dad. I was very happy to relay to him the warm reception I had received and all the smiling faces there were at the mention of his name.

Before job-shadowing Alan, I was a little nervous at first. The possibility of my getting in his way or pissing him off was quite possible considering he's used to working alone! But it went very well and he invited me to come back again, so I guess I didn't do too much damage.
Every time I was introduced to people there and told them I wanted to be a video journalist, they recoiled and said something along the lines of "you're nuts!", immediately followed by a "well, you're learning from the best at least". As a result, I found myself leaving the building with a mixture of feelings. Notably, "Am I crazy??". Yet, at the same time, holding that camera felt SO right. In the edit suite, I made all the same choices as Alan and the editor and I had the same shots in mind before Alan took them when on location. My day with him only reaffirmed that I CAN DO THIS.

Overall, I am so thankful for those experiences so early on.

* * * * * * *

With holidays behind us, we all shuffled forward into our old stomping grounds- SE 10 (the main broadcast building). The time off was needed and deserved for the bulk of us, and it appears as though some of us decided to stay on permanent leave from BCIT. We lost two people in the program; one to New Zealand and her new fiancee; the second to pursue a career in fashion. A third student nearly took the plunge, but decided to stay and fumble through second term with the rest of us. One teacher returned 5 months pregnant!

The first week was a medley of assignment overload, quick tutorials and general freak out on behalf of the students. The first day back we did a tour of the Vancouver Police Department and court houses with Steve Lus (CBC radio reporter). Very informative. And they've wasted no time at putting that tour to good use, as we are already out in the field.

The second term is matching the first in the general feeling of "I have no idea what the he** I'm doing", but this time, we are in a much better position to humiliate ourselves. This term we are becoming full-on news gatherers --general assignment, courthouse, running the news room. All preparation for running the news room for Evolution 107.9 FM and BCIT Magazine. All in all, it's been a very exciting 2 weeks!

Bud Oracle

2008-11-30T17:14:00.000-08:00

On November 19th I interviewed a man named Bud Oracle, or Klaus Kaczor. I first met him in September. He was running for council in the civic election and was out campaigning for votes; I took his photo for my portrait assignment. He's a friendly, jovial guy with unconventional ideas. He rides around town on his bike wearing a hat adorned with huge woolen objects crafted to look like buds from a marijuana plant. Bud is a unique personality to say the least and interviewing him changed how I think about journalism. I realized the paradox of power we have in how we portray others and how they are perceived.

When I read my story out loud in class, everybody laughed. It was understandable because he is funny! That was why I wanted to do a story on him. He's engaging- who wouldn't stop changing channels to hear what a funny guy wearing a funny hat had to say? But their laughter left me with a strange feeling. Beyond his hat, I see a microcosm of issues that we struggle with and deserve more attention in Vancouver: people who are capable & intelligent, but lack certain skills required (or choose not to use) to function within our society; the democratic beauty and trouble with our electoral system. After I read my story to the class, I realized that most people wrote him off as a guy not to be taken seriously; but I thought his story was serious. For the scope of the assignment I had to choose a focus and I thought what I chose was the best angle, considering the time given and lack of resources. What I wanted was for people to be lured in by his funny hat and character but then look deeper and see themselves and our society. Sadly, very few of my classmates had the experience I had hoped for.

I now see how as journalists, we have to be very careful about how we portray people in our stories. It is difficult because we obviously can't change what a person says or does, but there is responsibility in how we guide our audiences' understanding of that person. The art of story telling has many layers.

To read my story about Bud Oracle and see pictures, follow the link below. The story was written for TV- so the left column is for visuals, and the right is for audio.
http://www.box.net/shared/d2petjhkvh

The moment

2008-11-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

I went to the Pop Culture Fair at the Croatian Cultural Centre yesterday to get a story for my Radio class. I had a great time. It's apparent to me that people are very kind and genuinely enjoy telling their stories. I learned so much in the hours I was there, and while interviewing one of the collectors I had an epiphany of sorts. I experienced one of life's gems, you know, when you realize the moment you are in; when you are truly in yourself. An overwhelming feeling came over me and in my heart I knew that I am on the right path- I've chosen the right profession. I've found something that I am very happy doing, which in my mind is sacred.

In creating this story I had some technical difficulties. I don't have the best recording device, so unfortunately the quality of my clips are not that great. Putting it together in Adobe Audition was also a learning curve, as I hadn't really had the chance to play with envelopes before. Envelopes are when you layer sound using multiple tracks, and control the level of the sound that you layer. This use of sound makes a story far more dynamic. I used the ambient sound in the room to illustrate the bustling atmosphere. I also had other sound effects I would have liked to use, but the story had to be under a minute- which was TOUGH to do! News stories are always so short, sometimes I marvel that I can actually get it done!! To listen to the story, follow this link:
http://www.box.net/shared/ug3edlsv37

We are now knee-deep in the rigors of the Program. We are all so staggeringly busy right now! There are a lot of stressed-out faces traipsing the Broadcast Centre halls these days. However, it should be noted that we are almost at the end of term. That is almost unbelievable! I think for the most part, we all still feel pretty wet behind the ears, and yet every day we are moving forward. BCIT has certainly lived up to its reputation of intense study! Everything we do is new and interesting, and most of all I am thankful that I get to be creative every day.

...and now what do I think about Blogging?

2008-10-09T21:23:00.001-07:00

OK, OK. I was skeptical at first- I admit it. But now I get it. It's ADDICTIVE! There was, of course, a bit of a learning curve but all the more reason to feel proud when the screen finally looks like you want it to! It's almost like therapy...pounding out your thoughts on a daily basis feels a little like going for a walk in the fresh air. Helps clear your head.
I think I may just be a convert.
Well, I'm a sucker for free expression anyhow, so it really wasn't all that much of a stretch.

Portrait Assignment

2008-10-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

I wrote this post a while ago (early October) but didn't yet know how to get my photos on the blog...As of today, mission accomplished! So, here you go:

Our most exciting assignment thus far has been to take portraits of strangers. This is what I was alluding to when I mentioned that getting out and shooting again was good for me. It was so much fun to force myself to get out there and interact with strangers. I know that my experience travelling helped me in this assignment. I must have approached over 20 people in the few hours I was out and about; most of my classmates only talked to a few. I know that's because I've done it in foreign locales and in different languages. I must admit, however, that I was genuinely surprised at how many people were more than willing to have me take their picture. I had doubts about Vancouverites - I mean, come on! We avoid each others' eyes when we pass on the street! - and yet everybody I asked was totally fine with it, flattered even. Once again, I was surprised at what I learned from an assignment...!
If you're interested in seeing the random people who caught my eye and let me steal their souls with my lens, please follow the link. Hope you like them!
http://www.box.net/shared/24gspm535a

School so far

2008-10-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

My friends and family keep asking me "how's school?". Up until recently my reply has been that it isn't as intense as I expected it to be. I knew that come October, the proverbial you-know-what was going to hit the fan, and guess what? I was right! I'm not exactly at the hair-pulling stage yet, but I am losing out on sleep and realizing that procrastination is no longer an option... it's only getting busier. We'll see if I'm still sane in December!

So far, I'd say the most challenging class is News Writing. Condensing an interesting and complex story to fit a 40 second slot is certainly an art form. I'm not sure that getting to the point is my forte, but I keep reminding myself: it just doesn't come naturally to me YET. I'm pretty sure this is a hurdle for everyone in the program. We are all conditioned to write ad nauseum for academia, or we just like to ramble in emails and blog posts. It's going to take a lot of practice to unlearn the essay style.

Announcing is also a challenge. I'm very concerned with over-dramatizing the news when I read that it ends up coming out flat. So I am learning to spice up my voice (without sounding too over the top). I also have to work on my projection. I have a deep, low voice and often people can't hear what I say, so this is a good exercise for me for life in general. I've always been interested in sounds a voice can make. That actually started with Vincent Price hosting The Hilarious House of Frightenstein (and also in the Thriller video). Vincent's voice is so engaging...it was a sad day for audiophiles everywhere when he passed on...but I digress (what was that I said about getting to the point?). I realized the qualities of my own voice when I worked as a flight attendant. I had to make the announcements on every flight in English and French, and so through trial and error I figured out what sounds to be careful of and how to make my voice sound pleasant enough. News, of course, is taking it to another level. I'd always thought it would be fun to do voice work in animated features...but that is definitely a long way off yet!

The most enjoyable class, and the one I care the most about is Visual Fundamentals. This is the class that I have been waiting for with baited breath. The reason I joined this program. I've wanted desperately to learn how to put together a story using moving images and sound. I also look forward to editing. We started off with photography, which was important for me. I needed to get out shooting again...it was a lot fun. It made me realize that photography is in my blood. But now we are moving on to all new things for me...this is very exciting! The creative process
awaits!

Update: In radio announcing we had to do a sports cast. Since I certainly don't know how to talk sports, this was a challenge...and a surprise! I had no idea how FUN it is! No wonder so many people want to do sports! It's less formal and you have a lot more leeway in the writing- there is even room to editorialize. I came out of the booth full of energy- it was an unexpected high! I still have to work on my projection- as per usual (I SWEAR when I was in the booth I felt like I was yelling!)- but all in all I think it's pretty good for a first attempt... and I may even go as far to say that I am proud of this one:
http://www.box.net/shared/lofqc1257o

Irasshai, Irasshai ('welcome' in Japanese)

2008-09-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my first blog ever!

Where to begin? I suppose I should start with why I have decided to start my first blog. Well, it's been my experience that it's best to be honest, so here goes: I started this blog because I had to. I'm a full-time student, and this is one of my many assignments. It's new to me-this whole blogging thing, however, I like to write and I'm fairly certain that I will learn something from it, as we usually do when we are open!

Why I'm wandering the path to Broadcast Journalism...

Broadcast Journalism is different from most jobs- hence, why I am here. It's CREATIVE, challenging, opportunistic, and is a great stepping-stone for idealists at heart (like myself) who have been searching for a way to make a difference in the world somehow, somehow, somehow. My goal is to become a video journalist so I can learn all aspects of story-telling. I've heard it's grueling, but I'm up for the challenge. It's the first step for me to gain oh-so-integral experience so I can work my way toward making documentaries. I may have a few more years under my belt than my contemporaries here, but I still have an intrinsic belief that I can affect change. I hope to carry that to my grave.