A Bad (But Good) Day at the “Job”
As a graduate student at Syracuse University in the most prestigious communications school in the country, Newhouse, you get access to some cool stuff — like this Canon XF705 in the photograph above. I had no clue how to use this piece of work before I came to Newhouse. After practicing for weeks, in what may be the toughest class I have taken as a student, I am feeling confident in my ability to shoot good looking footage. About time.
Back to that ‘the toughest class I have ever taken as a student’ bit. BDJ 664 News Reporting with Professor Simon Perez has taught me more in 5 weeks than any other class ever has. From working the camera to writing in broadcast style (Perez has coined the phrase “write as you talk” as one of his Perez-isms), to editing TV packages in Adobe Premiere Pro. Not to mention, Professor Perez will mirror the things you will encounter once you step foot in the real world, whether that means being on time to class or what news directors and other employers are looking for in up-and-coming journalists.
The photo at the top of this article is more than just me finding an excuse to talk about Newhouse and the great equipment it provides us with. As a student in 664, a huge component of the class is to practice what you preach. Every Tuesday, the students go out in the real world and execute a full TV package before the deadline the next day (Wednesday, 10 am). That means shooting b-roll, (along with doing interviews, a stand-up, writing and recording voice tracks, editing in Premiere, and finally uploading the package to YouTube) for which you need a camera.
The river in the photo above is in the city of Oswego. I was there with the Canon camera and recorded some sweet footage, I was in a great spot to get b-roll. For reasons that I am still struggling to comprehend, I thought I could be in a better spot. The perfect spot.
On my way back, with the tripod in one hand and XF075 in the other, I did the inevitable. I slipped on the gravel, and the only thing on mind was the camera. Trying to manage both the tripod and the camera as I slipped and fell proved to be too much, too fast. I pulled the camera back out from under the water as I had a firm grip on it. But the damage was done, damage that can cost me over $7,000.
As one can imagine, I was distraught in that moment. After getting out of the water, walking back to my car and informing the Newhouse cage (from where all Newhouse students check out equipment) I called Professor Perez. I dolefully told him everything that had happened. He was very calm about it all. “The camera is shot,” he said (I chuckled at this looking back on it). But more importantly, he told me to not worry about the things you cannot control. As hard as it is, the story needs to be finished, with all its elements. Luckily, I had my interviews done, I had all the b-roll I needed, and had some decent NAT sound. The only thing I was missing was a stand-up.
Hello, iPhone 10. I went back to the mark where I interviewed some folks earlier, and did my seven second stand-up with a couple fishing in the background. Good enough. Back to the car I went and drove off.
Although it was not an ideal day because of the circumstances, I learned a lot. Things happen. It’s how you react to those situations which makes all the difference, as Perez has preached to his students all semester.
