Blog 8:The Late Blog on the Future

"In the future there will be robots" an advertisement once said. While that in some capacities is true, I don't think we have to worry about a cyborg takeover in the world similar to the one we see in "The Terminator" series. Needless to say though technology I believe can be our friend if utilized correctly. I believe in the future that every child would have used a computer at least once whether it be at home or in school by the age of 8 and the technology they'll be using will be on a smaller screen similar to the tablets. I believe in a future where storage data will be at a ridiculous number and that people will be able to buy simple DVDs of films cheap and you have the ability to fit a TB of data onto a disc. I believe there will be an operating system inside of cars, inside of planes, inside of almost every mechanical device. It is happening now but it will grow to a larger rate will people will be able to drive places without actually driving, the cars will do it for them by simply setting a destination. The technology will have it's glitches but eventually will work to perfection using Google Maps or whatever is around by that stage. I believe airflight travel will be a lot quicker and that crashes will be significantly lessen, if not gone forever. Unfortunately I also believe movie theaters themselves will fade away and that the money will be made by films via digital downloading which you can store on either your hard drive or on USB technology, which will have even faster transfer rates. I believe that all programs will have the option to either be voice operated or manually operated by its user and that hacking will become tougher and tougher as years go on to the point where it'll slowly become a thing of the past. Social networking will still exist but whether or not its Facebook is unknown. E-mail and Instant Messaging will be merged into one. Your cell phone will resemble a computer moreso than an actual phone with stronger graphics and memory. My biggest fear of the future is communication getting worse than ever. I don't mean just online or via text, those will always remain, I speak of personal communication, the kind of thing that makes us human being, human. Being able to speak and understand with one another on a personal level. I fear that will vanish as technology continues to grow and we'll resemble more or less zombies with little to no emotion than people. Its quite terrifying but I see the signs already in my own generation. I tried to speak with a friend a while back at their place but they always insist on just messaging them on AIM (yes that still exists). I only see more of his type with each passing day and I don't see a way to counter this. People have forgotten that communication involves more than just speaking to someone, its relating to them on a personal level and communicating moreso than with just written words but with gestures and faces and such. Its a scary future if we ever do lose that.

Comm 352 Blog 7: Reading Rainbow as an App

I think when it comes to the news article, I get the feeling the internet is the future for cancelled program such as "Reading Rainbow" and such. This isn't just for shows that are on PBS, I'm talking about the Big Four Networks (FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS) as well. Because of the need for a certain number in ratings networks tend to be very trigger happy with killing their shows often before the shows have a real chance to establish an audience. A very recent example of this happening is the show "Arrested Development". It aired in the mid-2000s from 2003 until 2006 and was ultimately cancelled by the FOX Network for low ratings in spite of its fanbase. The result is that the show is now being revived on Netflix as a series and will ultimately lead to a feature fillm. I'm not the first say but I ultimately think the internet as it currently is will not go away. I don't really see an end to this, in fact I see all of this as just the beginning of television programming going to the web rather than television. You especially read articles these days about how school districts are giving I-Pad computers to children, shows like the Reading Rainbow and such would be easily accesible to any child and with the older generation starting to fade out, and younger more tech savvy people of the upcoming generation being born, you are practically guaranteed to see this more and more. I actually envision a future where television as we know it would no longer exist and there will be a system where networks and programming packages are in the form of applications that you can download and watch programming at any time with the "set times" only being when the show is available for downloading. The way they will determine ratings will not be with the Nielson Rating System but rather the number of views and downloads each show receives. I don't see this happening to a full extent for at least another 30-40 years however. It is a shame to envision a future without television but at the same time, I feel that this could ultimately be the best thing to happen in programming as far too often TV shows are simply cancelled due to low ratings when they are really good critically and do have a small fanbase. I say this as a fan of the TV Show "Titus", a great show cancelled by FOX in 2002 for a combination of low ratings (created by Network sabotage) and suggestive content. In the idea I thought of, things will cancellation may ultimately end up being a thing of the past.

Blog 6:Tablets Tablets Tablets

One of the biggest advances in computer technology over the last couple of years has been the creation and popularization of the tablets, a medium sized device designed to browse the internet, communicate, take photos, and run various apps. It is my personal opinion that tablets such as the I-Pad, the Microsoft Tablet and the Amazon Kindle are just the beginning of a future where tablet PCs become the norm over the traditional laptop and desktop computers. Now that isn't to say that they will lead to the extinction of these as I believe desktops are forever due to the popularity of them, but I feel that the tablet is here to stay and will be even more widely used as time goes on. I mean you look at the tablet; it is light, easy to carry, easy to use once you get the hang of it and the quality that which it runs currently is remarkable all things considered to how young the device is compared to the laptop or desktop and it can only go up from here. There are public schools even that are issuing tablets out to students as young as Kindergarten and it is catching on like wild fire. I would not be surprised to see them implemented into public schools just like the PC was back in the mid-90's and just like how laptops have slowly been implemented in public schools on a “borrow from the library” basis over the last 10 years. Tablets by this logic will only continue to gain popularity and grow on terms of how they're designed, how well they sell, and how much you see them. They've already caught on to the mainstream public, its just a matter of time before it becomes a permanent fixture with the desktop and the laptop. It's light; it can be used for a lot of things (including as said, video, pictures, recording audio, and even just browsing the internet). I believe in the tablet, I see it everywhere I go. At work I see customers on Sundays watching NFL games on there tablet and the quality is just as good, if not better than what you would see on TV. Just being light enough alone makes it a popular choice for the people. It isn't something to be playing high end video games on but for now given its current technology it works perfectly.

Blog 5: Annoying Tech

Out of all of the annoying technology I feel the most obnoxious one is the use of radar detectors by drivers. I say this because I know of a group of people in my own area that own them as a way to "evade the police". Its weird to say this...but just don't speed. You do not need to go on a road at 100 mph when the speed limit is 45, it is what is for a reason and if you get caught its your own damn fault. Using a radar detector is like wearing a ski mask to a bank in my opinion, it is just as wrong and illegal and provides a hazard to anyone else on the road due to the high speeds these drivers hit. You don't like cops using radar guns to detect how fast you're going? Get over it oh and as Jim Carrey said in "Liar Liar" simply, Is it really that hard to not go over the speed limit? I mean seriously, if you can't drive the speed limit then don't drive on the road, I understand having to drive fast to get somewhere very important but if you're going 25 over on your way to McDonalds to get a Big Mac, Fries, and a soda, then you're out of your head and unqualified to drive let alone make a rational decision. Personally, I like the Virginia law on this, no driver should have a radar detector they really don't need one. On top of that, its a distraction to the driver, I have been in a car

Comm 352 Blog 4: The Growth of Technology

In the last 50 or so years technology has evolved and it is truely remarkable when you look at it. The picture above displays one of the very first supercomputers ever created, a computer whose power is nowhere near as strong as the very MAC and Windows computers we use today. A computer whose strength isn't even as great as the mobile devices we use and whose capabilities have skyrocketed in such a ridiculous amount of time. Its funny when you look at how 50 years ago bigger schools would have computers like these kept on campus for maybe one student to access, and that one student having to be someone exceptionally trained in that department. Nowadays we take a room like that and can fit 22 computers inside of it for better efficient use by all students. The evolution of the technology has lead to such great creations as e-mail that can be used on a simple computer and the ability to process so much data at once when the concept of memory in Gigabites wasn't even possible 30 years ago, we've now hit the age where you the concept of "too much data" and "too much memory" don't exist. You even look at things like Video Games. Things for the Super Nintendo that were considered "high end" as recent as 1994 can now be played with ease on a cell phone or even a low-end graphics card. Overall, the growth of technology has been impressive and a beautiful thing to behold especially when you consider just how people viewed computers as recent as even 20 years ago. Here is a video from 1995 that discusses the future of the computers and Internet that we use in our every day life.

Comm 352 Blog 3: Social Media - Tool or Menace?

In the last 5 years, social media has become a norm in society. At first it was MySpace with there music pages, personal pages, and 1 billion dollar purchase by News Corp. in 2005. Now the two social media giants are Facebook and Twitter. The advent of both has brought many positives and many negatives to the world we live in. The question is, "Is it a tool or a menace?" Personally, I believe its a little bit of both. In the world that we live in, everything has its positives and its negatives and social media is no exception. What makes it great is that it can be a great communication tool between people. You're more likely to contact somneone and reach them via FB IM or a tweet than you would be to e-mail or even call them. At the same time, with that positive comes a negative as most people prefer talking via these two websites than any other method, which causes damage to interpersonal communication. Another big positive to Facebook and Twitter is it can be a great way to promote yourself, your brand, and anything you want promoted on your page. At the same time, you can get negative press from Facebook as well with just a simple incorrect post or even a misuse of your page whether it be not responding to people or using it as a forum to make "controversial" remarks or insulting someone just because they disagree with you. It can be great PR or bad PR to have one. Another problem with communication is that there is such a thing as too much communication. This happens easily and accidentally. Most times you don't know you're doing it because you think that you're just doing service to someone by communicating with them. This is what is referred to as "Spamming" and it is a big reason people avoid social media. They don't want 20 messages a day from someone over the same basic thing over and over. It just gives a bad reputation to the user and causes migraines to the people who suffer from it. Overall however, if you were to ask if I would use social media for my webpage, I would say yes. A Facebook page allows the site to be promoted through people seeing a link the page and "liking it". The same for Twitter, sending out small, 140 character messages can go a long ways as it is quick, efficient, and an easy way to promote. But in general, I'm neutral in the whole "Good vs Bad" debate. I feel that Social Media has it positives and its negatives, and personally I prefer "Grey" over "Black and White" in this situation.

Comm 352 Blog 2: The Real Victim of Technology

In the technology world, there are two things consistent: risk and money. Everyone involved in the technology world knows this. For the company who makes the product, they take a risk with every product made and the product will either make money or lose money depending on the consumer. For the consumer they take a risk each time they purchase a product as it is a large investment to make for the hundreds of dollars it will cost. But there is a third group who seems to take a bigger risk and financial loss/gain for the technology the company makes and we buy--the worker. A little under a week ago it was found at 6 different Samsung factories that there were cases of worker abuse that included: unpaid labor, forced and excessive overtime hours, and physical and verbal abuse that featured workers having to be forced to stand up for 12 hours at a time. This isn't the first case of this at Samsung either as there was another report of similar allegations months ago at another Samsung factory in China. To make matters worse, Samsung isn't eh only company that has allegations of such like these. Apple's Foxconn factories in China have also come under similar allegations as was detailed in an article written in March by The Guardian in the U.K. Allegations included: more than 43% of workers reporting that they experienced or witnessed an accident at the three plants, blocked exits, faulty equipment, 46 percent of employees clocking in at 70 hours a week in December 2011 (when the max is 49 by Chinese law), unpaid over time hours, and most alarmingly, 15 suicides by there own workers since the beginning of 2010. This being a risk much more higher than the ones taken by the consumer and the company itself, as life is on the line and at the same time its for little pay. My personal opinion on how I feel toward the product is that while I do like the stuff they make, the cost of it is just too high. No one should have to suffer just to make an I-Phone and at the same time the workers should be awarded for all the effort they put into making the product that is Apple's biggest revenue driver, the same said for Samsung. There is no excuse for this, this is something that the companies need to have more control over. As cheap as it is to outsource jobs overseas, its ultimate cost of someone else' life just doesn't seem worth it. It isn't a matter of "these things happen", it can be controlled and it can be prevented, it just takes some effort to reform and rebuild these places with new, more sophisticated management. No life is worth taking over a phone people. That should be a risk that should never be taken and a cost that no one should have to pay.

Comm 352 Blog 1: Samsung vs Apple

It was a roughly 2 weeks ago the United States courts ruled in favor of Apple in there suit against Samsung. In the lawsuit, Apple claimed that Samsung violated there copyrighted patents on certain apps and features on Samsung IOS phones. The amount of damage estimated by Apple was proected to be 450,000,000 dollars claiming such Samsung phones as the Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II Skyrocket, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II Epic 4G, Droid Charge, Galaxy Prevail, and Galaxy S Showcase violated there patents on certain features and thus should be removed from the market in the United States. The issue has me split on the topic. While I do feel a man's invention and right to use that invention for profit should be protected, I feel that Apple has gone to an extreme here where they're using it as an excuse to kill Samsung. I say this because of the whole notion that this has damaged Apple's finances somehow. I can get where it damaged it in the sense of that Apple has likely spent 450,000,000 dollars on lawyers but the honest question I raise here is, "Will a consumer really mistaken Samsung products for Apple's?" It isn't as if Samsung blantantly copied and pasted everything from the iPhone onto there phone and called it some b.s. name like the iFone or even iOS, they took the premise of the apps and modified them to try and make something with a difference, which is something that has been going on in computer technology since at least the 70's. That is sorta the idea with patents, you have a copyright on something you created but at some point people are allowed to take the premise behind them and make there own, even if its a similar interface and everything. I see this as somewhat of a setback for the iOS Phone industry as it forces people to either create from scratch or be deathly afraid of Apple throwing its weight around and suing people left and right. Either way, its a win for Apple on terms of there profit, a major loss for Samsung and likely an even bigger loss for any developer or consumer out there. I can only hope that this doesn't discourage progress in the computer world and doesn't lead to more things like this down the road where Apple tries to continue its obsession with ruling the world in technology. Scary times be ahead in this case.

Quiz 1: Discussions

I like the idea of a news show that combines that aspects of Shepherd News, Local News and Student News. It can help reach out to people both on campus and in the community about current events that are happening in the area, on campus, and with other students. The first segment can be the Local News as it helps give exposure to the whole area. The second segment can be the Shepherd News portion where it talks about upcoming events on campus and gives students reminders of important events such as Finals schedules, advising and perhaps some tips on certain things on campus. The final segment of Student News can be a short segment where a different student organizations are able to go on and promote events they're doing or even help promote their fraternities or sororities. I also would like a quiz show idea that is similar to Jeopardy on terms of categories, with points substituting for dollars. There would be 5 categories with 5 questions each. The easiest question would be worth 2 points, then a slightly difficult question for 4, even more difficult for 6, another even more difficult question worth 8, and the hardest question would be worth 10 points. The 5 categories would be 5 different academic topics (ex:Mathematics, Chemistry, Sociology, Psychology, and History) and the way it would work is that each team would have to "win" categories by gaining the most points from that category and whoever wins 3 categories first would win the game. Here is a catch though that I like, while the teams are together, they are also competing against their own team mates to get points for themselves. Because the winning team gets prizes, but the person who scored the most points on the winning team would get the primary prize which can be something like a PS3 or something similar that would be considered a "high priority" prize for any player to win. The secondary scorer would get something that's below it, although I'm not very sure what that would be while the 3rd place player would get the smallest prize which can be a gift card or a DVD or something. A music show would be brilliant. I feel that the time constraint of 14:30 could be a little bothersome but I think there is enough time to do at least 3 songs and an interview with the performer afterward whether it be a local rock band, a classical music player, or perhaps even a beat poet (which I know is rare but they still exist). It can help give local musicians exposure in this area and help them promote their music. I know a band from my old High School who I know would love the opportunity.

Blog 6: TV Production

In the last month or so of class since our return from Spring Break, we have been split into three different groups to work on our own television production. One of the biggest things I learned during this process is how much work goes into the production of a TV show. In TV Productions, there are 3 different stages to it. The first of the stage is the planning stage. This involves meeting with the television production team, discussing who will do which job, the theme of the show, how the set should looks, and who the speakers shall be. The second stage of this process is the actual filming of the production itself. What this involves is the camera being set up so that the right focus and white balance is there, the floor manager making sure that everything is okay on the set, and the camera on-stage being connected with the monitors so that the show is being recorded. Finally once the production is filmed, we move onto post-production where the show is edited so that the introduction and the credits are added, mistakes are corrected, and the show is completely produced for all to watch. Throughout this process there were a few things I did like and a few things I didn't like. What I did like was being able to meet up with the production crew. It may just be the writer in me but I do like being able to interact with the group prior to filming. I feel that it helps build group chemistry and allows all of us to express our ideas. I also enjoyed being able to work behind the camera. I like having the ability to frame my own shots and put together art in the form of film. I do wish to do more camera work in the future as it is something I very much enjoy doing. What I did not like about the process was that while I did enjoy camera work I would have much preferred to have been directing or hosting. I say this mainly because I feel that I need some practice in both of those fields. When I did both jobs in this semester I struggled with them. On terms of hosting I had a hard time trying to stick as just the "host" and not try make myself a guest on my own show. I feel that is something I need to work on in the future. On terms of directing I had struggled earlier this semester with it as I had become very nervous due to not having directing a live show before. As mentioned in earlier blogs it is an entirely different process than film or stage due to the fact its all rapid fire and has to be done on the go rather than planned in advance. I would have liked an opportunity to do either of these but I trust the group's decision in letting me just do camera work and I did enjoy it. Another thing I didn't like was how short our show ended up being. I feel that because of how vast our topic was (2012 and other end of the world theories) that we needed to go 30 minutes instead of 15. In spite of that the show did work but at the same time I felt it could have been longer and more detailed in what we were discussing. Overall, it was a very good experience that gave me the insight of what it takes to work on a television program and has been one of my better experiences in college. Going forward I look ahead in anticipation of working on other programs in the future.

Blog 5: Production Blog Group B

Over the last couple of weeks in Studio Production, the class has been divided into three different groups with the task of putting together our own studio show. It was 2 weeks ago that we first met up to discuss the plans for our shoot. During the process we decided that a great topic for us to discuss was 2012 and other Apocalyptic theories that are going around. The reason we selected this is because the 2012 phenomenon is a very popular one that has been going around the last couple of years and now that we are eight months away from that date, December 21, 2012 it is more than appropriate that we discuss this now to help inform and educate the viewer. Within that first meeting we decided that the 2012/Apocalyptic topics we wanted to discuss were: past predictions, climate change, man-caused apocalypse (World War III scenarios for example), the Sun exploding, Mayan predictions and others.

We originally intended on bringing in a Science and History professor to give us insight on the scientific and historical aspects of end of the world scenarios and the possibility of any of the words discussed coming to fruition. The issue we came across was that we could not find a history Professor to volunteer in our time slot (12:25-1:40) and so as a result we decided instead to have another member of our group speak alongside our host and the science professor. After some discussion we worked out who was going to do what and while I did want to be either a director or at least the host, I ended up working on Camera Number 2, a position I accepted as I feel learning the proper camera work in the studio is just as important as working on my hosting and directing abilities. On Tuesday, April 3rd we finally met in the studio to film the show with Dr. Conley, a Biology professor at Shepherd University as our science expert. The actual shoot itself went incredibly well and from my own personal prospective was well shot and well performed by our host and guests. I look forward to the editing process of the production once we get to work on it.

Blog 4: The Writing Center

Over the last two class sessions (Thursday, February 23rd and Tuesday, February 28th) we have successfully filmed an advertisement for the campus' academic support center, where students can get help for classes. Coming into the shoot I was quite nervous as I knew how important this shoot was but my anxiety eased as production went on. The first day I had been debating trying to step up as a director but I still am not confident in my ability to do such in an important circumstance like this. I feel after a few more weeks of practice I'll be ready but on that day I was not. Instead I worked as the tape operator.

The job normally calls for I to capture the footage onto the computer. There was a problem, however where the computer for some reason was not capturing the footage. As a result of this, we instead just used the VCR technology we had to record the tape (by holding record and pressing play) and just capturing the footage later on. Day 2 however I was a bit more active. After sitting out the first two takes, I got up and started working as the Floor manager, making sure everything on stage was just as it should be and getting commands from the director to command everyone on the set.

As the shoot went on I gained more confidence in my ability to work closely to the set and so I switched jobs with a fellow classmate and began working on the main camera. I adjusted each shot as instructed by the director and made sure that the white balance and the lighting looked about correct on terms of how it appeared on the camera. Overall I felt that this shoot was the best thing that could've happened to me on terms of this course. While working as the tape operator I got a good look through the screen on terms of how the lighting should look on camera and while working as Floor Manager and Camera Person I gained a bit of confidence in myself on terms of ability to do these jobs. I feel at the end of this shoot the chemistry between all members of this class is much better and I, myself feel more confident that when we shoot the next major production that I can step up and do "higher end" jobs such as directing, lighting, and audio, with a few more weeks of practice of course.

Blog 3:Writing Center

The first thing would be to set up the set for the shoot itself. The idea behind the set-up would be to set it up so that there are two cameras on both actors. Actor 1 is the Student, who is listening to Actor 2, the Tutor. The Student would be sitting at a 45 degree angle from where The Tutor is standing. This is how I envision it looking from a bird's eye view.


(Allow me to note that gender does not matter in this scene, I just used whichever stand ins for people available. Above image is courtesy of the program Celtx.)

The background itself I thought about going with a green screen that shows the Academic Support Center but decided that it may just come off as too fake and unprofessional. Ultimately I would go with a black curtain in the background all the way though. The first shot I would go with would be from Camera 2, a wide shot of the Student sitting down and observing the Tutor, who would be writing on the board, but what is seen isn't clear as I feel that it should reflect that the Academic Support Center is a place to go for help in all subjects, not just one. The Student should appear very focused at what the Tutor is writing, the Tutor should be focused as well on what they're doing as it shows the effective-ness of the Tutor's tutoring and how it can show the Student is learning. After about a few seconds we cut to Camera 1 where the Tutor turns their head back toward Camera 1 and directly says to the camera and viewer, "Hello."

For the image idea I have behind how it would appear, I would suggest something like this.



The only difference between the image and the shot itself would be that as stated, their head would face toward Camera 1. It would then cut to Camera 2 where on the left third (from the camera's point of view) there would be a tight shot of the Student sitting down and turning their head to the camera to say, "Hello!" From there, using the script, I would have it play out like this. The camera shots would be in Italics from this point on:

TITLE CARD: Hello.

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Tutor with their head turned toward the camera) Do you struggle with writing? (Idea of image demonstrated here:)



TITLE CARD: Um, yes.

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Student) Well, you’re not alone. The great news is that there is this fantastic FREE

(Camera 1: Shot of Tutor with head turned back toward Camera 1) Free

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Student) Free resource

(Camera 1: Tight shot of Tutor with head turned back toward Camera 1) Free resource on campus called the Academic Support Center

(Camera 2: Wide shot of both Student and Tutor with The Student saying the 1st line and the Tutor saying the 2nd.)The Academic Support Center

that is here to help.

TITLE CARD: Who?

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Student) You, silly! Here to help you!

TITLE CARD: Oh, how?

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Tutor with their head turned toward the camera) Well, I’m glad you asked! The Academic Support Center employs student writing tutors that are highly trained and specialized in their field. They can meet with you one-on-one during any stage of the writing process.

(Camera 1: Wide shot of the Student and the Tutor, both facing the camera with the the Student speaking the 1st, 3rd, and 5th line and Tutor speaking the 2nd and 4th) Your writing process

To help you brainstorm,

fine-tune a thesis,

work on grammar,

(They enter from the previous shot from the right side of the camera halfway between the camera and the Student) (a different person makes a face and sticks out their tongue)

narrow a topic, …(will add more)

TITLE CARD: Why?

(Camera 2: Wide shot of the Student and the Tutor, both facing the camera with the the Tutor speaking the 1st and 3rd line and Student speaking the 2nd and 4th) Tutoring can make a big difference in your essay grade,

not only on the essay you bring in,

but on future essays.

It helps you become a better writer.

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Tutor with their head turned toward the camera) A better writer

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Student with their head turned toward the camera) A better writer

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Tutor with their head turned toward the camera) And, it’s fun! 

TITLE CARD: Where?

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Student with their head turned toward the camera) The Tutoring Center is conveniently located on the lower level

(Camera 1: Tight shot of Tutor with head turned back toward Camera 1) the lower level

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Student with their head turned toward the camera)the first floor

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Tutor with their head turned toward the camera) On the lower level of the Scarborough Library.

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Student with their head turned toward the camera) the Scarborough Library

TITLE CARD: When?

(Camera 2: Wide shot of the Student and the Tutor, both facing the camera with the the Tutor speaking the 1st and 3rd line and Student speaking the 2nd and 4th) The Tutoring Center is open from 8 am to 6 pm

(Camera 1: Tight shot of Tutor with head turned back toward Camera 1) Monday through Friday

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Student with their head turned toward the camera) for face-to-face

(Camera 1: Tight shot of Tutor with head turned back toward Camera 1) one-on-one tutoring.

TITLE CARD: How?

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Student with their head turned toward the camera) To sign up, go to the Academic Support Center’s website

(Camera 1: Tight shot of Tutor with head turned back toward Camera 1) and click on “Sign up for a tutor.”

(Camera 2: Tight shot of the Student with their head turned toward the camera) Then, use our scheduling software to choose a date and time that fits your schedule.

TITLE CARD: Then what?

(Camera 2: Wide shot of the Student and the Tutor, both facing the camera with the the Tutor speaking the 1st and 3rd line and Student speaking the 2nd line) Just show up with your essay materials and meet your tutor!

It’s that simple.

You’ll be surprised

(Cut shot to someone) (a face with a very surprised look) WOW!

(Camera 1: Wide shot of the Student and the Tutor, both facing the camera with the the Student speaking the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th line and Student speaking the 2nd, 4th, and 6th line) how much you can accomplish one-on-one

in just a 30- or 60- minute session.

It’s important to note that writing is all about revision,

so if you don’t try it,

you may never know what a good writer

what a good writer you can be!

Remember, it’s free and it’s fun!

(Cut to several students and tutors at the Academic Support Center standing together (many voices; Many faces?): We’ll be waiting!

(Fade to Black)

Blog 2: Learning the Studio

Roughly a month ago I began working in the television studio located in the basement of Knutti Hall on campus as part of the first Communications 360, Studio Production class. Coming into the experience I found myself with a bit of anxiety as I had never really done any Television work before. I had worked in Theatre and Film but never in Television before. The first job I took on was Directing. It involved giving commands to Cameras 1 and 2 on which shots to go for whether it be a wide shot of everyone, a two shot of a host and guest, or an up close shot of someone speaking.

I was very nervous taking on this responsibility as it was different than framing a scene in a movie or in a stage play as I had to set up every shot and transition on the go rather than being able to plan it out based on a script that was written. I felt that I did quite bad before being saved by a power outage but cite that nerves got the best of me. The next class however is when I started feeling more "ease" into working in the studio. The next job I took was "Technical Director" calling for me to press the buttons to switch between Cameras 1 and 2 on command from the Director. I found it to be a simplistic job and doing that secondly helped me ease a lot more as I am not very familiar with the fellow students or even working on television as mentioned.

After that I worked as Floor Manager, which required I to make sure that the guests, camera people, lights and equipment were ready for filming. Despite some issue with the volume of the headset I used, I liked the role and had quite an easy time with it. The next job was Camera 1, located on the far side of the studio. Normally a cameraman sets up the white balance, the exposure, and back focus on the camera but it was already set up when I arrived to it. I took directions from the director adjusting each shot based on what they wanted.

I would do the same on Camera 2, my next job. I really do like doing camera work, it allows me to express my artistic side and learning how to use the cameras in the studio are a blessing, they really are top of the line. After working on the camera I took to it to work in the Audio booth. I had never done audio work before, so at first I wasn't very sure what sounded best, until learning of the levels of audio. After doing a Mic test with the host and guests, I was able to figure out what sounded too soft, too loud, and just right.

On the final day of Studio Production, I was able to appear on-camera for the first time. I find the host/guest dynamic to be an interesting one and as the host I had a bit of an issue with not knowing when not to speak. I realized while hosting the best way to go about was to ask questions only and to speak whenever it became warranted such as when it was time to start the show, take a break, change topics, respond to anything the guest had directly for me, and to end the show. The guest tended to be the easiest role opinion when it came to topics I was very knowledgeable on. I felt more at ease in that role likely because I tend to be better with answering questions rather than asking. I feel my overall favorite job working in the studio was as a Host incidentally enough on terms of on-screen work.

I would like to host a show of my own one day on TV or on the radio. I feel that it is a job that I can strive in due to my charisma and communication abilities which I feel are getting better. On terms of off-camera work, in spite of my lack of success, I liked directing the best and would like to try another chance at it. I feel with a couple more tries I can perfect my craft of directing.

Blog 1: Multi-Camera Shooting

Over the last week or so in our Communications 360 Studio Production class, we have been learning about multi-camera set-up in Production work. We have learned through videos of Hamish Hamilton and our own personal “feeling out” of the studio how to work in a multiple camera set-up. Some of the things I noticed on terms of the videos were how highly complex and difficult at places a multiple-camera set-up can be. A lot of planning and careful execution has to go in to each shot. It seems to be a little easier once you have the shots planned and worked out.

However, I feel picking out which shot to go with must be difficult, especially during a live broadcast where you want to keep the viewer interested by cutting to different shots but at the same time you don't want to rapid cut to the point where the viewer gets annoyed and you accidentally show something unexpected as with Live TV practically anything can go wrong. I had the benefit of being able to experience directing first hand on Tuesday when our class met. I must say experiencing it first hand I have a high appreciation for anyone who has to do the job, it is not an easy one to be thrown into. Especially for when we're directing in the case of the other day what would be a Live interview show. I had been slightly nervous when I tried working on it to the point where I should have tried pre-planning shots to see how they would look before going “live” with everything. I must say, I cannot imagine the pressure of trying to work so many cameras (say 14 or 15) at once, two in hindsight is rather simplistic as compared to the amount used to film a live concert.

In the end I feel that the Hamish Hamilton are very helpful in getting to know what to do when working in a multiple-camera production and getting the experience of it the other day provided me with the idea of how everything feels and looks in the “Live TV” situation. It also re-iterated the point of “Anything can happen on Live TV”.

For Clarity Purposes

This blog is now being used for my Communications 360 class. All posts from this point forward are for that class and that class only.