Bring me my money

Broadcasting is a powerful way of telling stories. You can control the story and tell the story how you see fit. The power to praise or destroy a person. Quite powerful honestly. I learned a lot of lessons in this class. I learned that I may be good at one thing but I have to be better at everything else. So what have I learned you may ask? Well, do I have something for you!

1. I learned how to become a better editor. Basically I learned how to know what to include in my stories and what not. Many people that I interviewed repeated themselves over and over in there statements and I learned how to take the most important sound bite from them.
2. I learned how to write a script. The script writing is important because it tells the story of what the reporter is trying to portray to a viewer.
3. I learned the importance of shooting people away from walls and windows. Walls make the video banal and not as amusing to look at and windows can darken out a subject and make them hard to see.

I think I have grown as a storyteller by me being able to know what makes a good story. To dig deeper and find those emotional and connecting stories that people would want to see. It took me awhile to figure it out but it was worth it in the long run. Another thing that made me a better storyteller was watching how other people got creative when telling their stories. I think this helped me gain another perspective on how to make a compelling story.

Broadcasting has also enhance what I already felt towards it. I love the feeling of getting to know people and tell their stories. I think that is extremely powerful and noteworthy to do. I have a greater appreciation on figuring out the story and how to tell it in the most exciting way. There is definitely a bigger respect toward all the little things like editing, setting up the interview, creating the right questions, and being sociable. I think that’s super important components of being in broadcast.

What I learned this semester will take me a long way. I learned how to think outside the box and create different experiences that could be more enjoyable and valued by viewers. I plan to grow as a video content creator so that my level of shooting and portraying better visuals of the story are seen as something outstanding. I know I have a long way to go but the journey will be worth it one day.

What can we use and what can’t we use? Well that’s a complicated question that many people should know the answer to. Unfortunately, for everyone, I only know of the Fair Use Doctrine and the recording laws of GA and SC. The Fair Use Doctrine is used for four things:

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

Pretty simple rules if I say so myself. The tricky thing resides in the recording laws. In SC, the recording law is “it is a criminal offense to use any device to record or share use communications, whether they are wire, oral or electronic, without the consent of at least one person taking part in the communication” (South Carolina Recording Laws). This law could affect my storytelling by some people not wanting to be on the record or give their accounts on something. It could potentially weaken the story. There have been times I needed to record a professor giving a lecture so I can go back and listen to what he’s saying but I didn’t get the consent from him to record so I didn’t record him.

GA has a very similar law, however, if it is a phone call you are allowed to record the conversation because you are a part of the conversation. There is also a law about using hidden camera devices to record people. You can’t do that without consent. GA recording laws also say you can record court hearings and public meetings. An example I can think of me using this law at home was recording the BLM protest during the Summer. These laws would affect my stories by not being able to catch certain things I would have caught if the camera wasn’t rolling and by being able to record public gatherings or court hearings, it’ll add more depth to whatever story I am looking to tell.

I could use the laws in GA to my advantage by making phone calls if I need to get big information.That way I still have my source’s voice and a first hand account of what’s going on. In SC I probably wouldn’t benefit much because I would be stuck asking people for permission often.

Goals drive a successful human being every day. How do we use our goals to become great? Well, the answer relies with you and your goals. Now most people reading this may say “It’s not that simple”. This is not true because it is that simple. We can be great as we want to be if we strive to complete our goals. I, myself, have a long-tern goal to be the best sports broadcaster to ever do it. In order to do that, I have to continue to grow by working on the short-term goals needed to elevate me towards greatness.

What can I do better?

After watching some of the videos I have done in broadcasting, I realized I still have a long way to go. In order to get there I have to continue to get better at being creative with the story I want to portray, and becoming a better editor. I have to tell the story better by going to other sources that can give what I’m reporting about more of a truth. In some of my videos, I only used a primary source for my packages. In my Devin Wynn package. I should have interviewed his position coach or the head coach of the football team to further the angle of what brought Devin here to Furman. Also in the package the sound wasn’t as good as it could be.

The skills I picked up

With the things I know I have to get better at, there are also some skills I have learned along the way. I have learned how to make graphics of athletes and their stats like this:

I also have made a graphic on upcoming games:

I have also gotten better at speaking on camera. I think that has definitely been my favorite skill that I have begun to refine.

What new style have I developed?

Well, I think my style is centered around sports because I feel like I can tell a great story with athletes due to me being one and that I understand what it is like to be one. I think that the things I have learned so far like stand ups can be incorporated in my future packages and in my career. I also feel that editing videos will also benefit me down the line.

What are my goals that will propel me to greatness?

1. Become a better editor. In order to become a better editor I have to be open to learn more about the process. I have to learn how to take out background noise in my videos, make my scenes pop out more visually, and maybe add a little music in the background to create a next level product.

2. Make creative content.The things I film have to be more creative. I have seen multiple reels on Twitter of different people trying to get into the sports broadcast world like myself and I have to make content that exceeds theirs. In order to do that I have to start thinking outside of the box on my packages and my anchoring. That can include stand-ups or writing better lines

3. Writing. One thing I think will further my ability to tell stories and anchor is my writing. I think I have improved some in that aspect since I started broadcasting but I still have a long way to go and I look forward to doing that. Better writing will lead me to more compelling stories.

4. Shooting. I have to do a better job shooting different people to illustrate the story I want to tell. When I am covering a player, I need to get a teammate or a coach to go with the package. It’ll add more depth to my story so it won’t feel bland or weak. I also need to shoot live B-roll when I can. I think live B-roll will make the story better instead of me getting from another source.

5. Learn every thing. This is a really important goal for me because it will add more value to myself. I have to learn things that would make myself a complete one man band. Learn new editing skills, new writing skills, new anchoring skills, and new reporting skills. I also need to learn about more shooting techniques to create distinctive content. There is so much to learn, I just have to make sure I take every opportunity to learn a new skill when it is presented to me.