Semester update

I've forgotten how to blog! It's been far too long. But these rusty digits are back in action as the transitions of my personal and professional life unfold before my very tired eyes.

I want to brag about this semester. Dr. B. is running a sweet solo show as the only prof for the usually team taught Newscasting/VCU InSight content producing and on-set anchoring class. When once it was 2 profs, plus an instructor for TV Studio Production PLUS the added bonus of yours truly as graduate teaching assistant, our team of 4 faculty/producers is down to just Dr. B and I. Promoted to Senior Editor and Instructor of the 466 Production class in January, it was me and Dr. B and Prof Lysak and it was tough then, though quality nonetheless. Now it's us, just me and Dr. B, the lonely two gunslingers in an always challenging terrain of software mishaps, crazy deadlines and learning curves. Next show tapes 11/18 and airs 11/20.

This semester is student-produced news gold! How they shine! It's a dream team in the newsroom and a super competent team in the studio, despite any green-ness or inexperience. Everyone seems to just work so well together. We completed our third show last week and it is quite likely the tightest, most polished show I've worked on in my 5 semesters at various positions on the VCU InSight team. I too am becoming a more efficient and thoughtful editor of the full show. I assemble all the packages, VO's, VO/SOT's, OSI's and all the on-set anchor materials and I put the show together. I make the graphics, lower thirds and cut the video for the VO's and VO/SOT's. It's a 28:00 show and takes me about 20 hours to cut together for air once all the computer crashes, editorial changes and snafu's are put to bed. And I have 48 hours from studio taping to the time it better be over at WCVW or I get surly emails from the station!

And my documentary class is blowing me away. Today was our first day devoted to post-production meetings in the large edit bay. The footage so far is excellent, though some of the interviews they've presented have some visual issues I think we can mostly fix in post. B-Roll and Actualities are stellar. There's four groups doing four very different pieces. There's a doc on graffiti and street artists in Richmond, one on the lifestyle and performances of Drag Queens, one on the controversial VCU Pep Band and the last is on social networking and the military. While the angles might need to be sharpened, I have no doubt from what I viewed tonight that their stories will develop into compelling and captivating narratives, complete with beautiful footage, visuals, graphics and sound. I'm so looking forward to next week to see how these pieces progress. Doc due date 12/08. And they're required to submit to festivals or some kind of competition. I'm hoping for a CTA.