On your mark, get set.....GO!

The beginning of a new semester and the new year does wonders to erase the past, start anew and motivate us to begin with a clean slate. Whether it's because you have a New Year's Resolution or you just promise yourself that you'll do better....here's your chance!

Our video production semester promises to be a busy one. You'll have 4 news packages to produce, 5 outside projects, a short documentary, a presentation on one of your news stories, a senior video segment, weekly blogging, bi-monthly news stories and other assignments as they come up. You only have 18 weeks to complete this, on deadline, with a high level of mastery.

Whoa!...you say? How on Earth will I be able to accomplish this? You can do this! I promise. I'll walk you through it all. I have made a new resolution myself and that is to spend more instructional time with you. You'll just have to hold up your end of the bargain to keep yourself motivated and in pursuit of excellence for yourself. Everything you put your name on should be the best you can do. Always.

So...on your mark, get set, let's go! Tell me what will keep you motivated this semester to stay on track, on deadline, and on target. What will you ask of yourself? How will you improve every package, every blog, every story idea, every interview and every editing session every time?

Can't wait to hear your responses. The race is on!

Family

If you look up the definition of "family" on the internet or in a dictionary, you will get numerous definitions. It's because there is not one single way to describe what a family is or what family means to each of us. Families are formed in many, many different ways. I am learning that through my journey in adoption.....and have learned that from you, my students.

Family, to me, could be biological, but it can also be a collection of people, who spend time under the same roof for a regular period of time, who experience happiness, joy, pain, rejection, depression, laughter, feelings, tears, successes and failures...together. People who support and love one another, even though our differences are as great as our similarities.

DeAndre came to me yesterday and asked if he could read out loud his poem that he wrote about the class, to the class. In all the finals, cleaning, picture-taking, etc. I forgot. I deeply regret that because what he had to say to me, you, and all of us needs to be heard. If you ever believe that you don't make impressions on people in your life, think again.

Below is the poem he wrote for all of us. Enjoy. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and if you're moving on, please keep in touch with me, your friends, your family.

Love to all,

Mrs. Watson

BVP-CCP
Lights… Camera… Action… for all the world’s a stage and we… we are its mere actors… but what use is a stage… the lights… the camera… or any action… without friends…no… dare I say... I do dare… without family

I’m gonna miss it… for you see this semester… will be my last… So I have no choice… but to miss… miss it all… from the bro’s that have my back… to the sisters I could never replace… from Cody’s unique joy to bring happiness on a cloudy day… or Pricilla’s strict attitude to keep us all in line… but still it’s with love… or Malike’s Swagnificent Hustler’s attitude… or Tyrell’s cinematic happy go lucky attitude… to the little argument’s we all have had… I will miss it all dearly… but even still… hands at each other’s throat’s… and even through the blood sweat and tears… we made it… to see each other one last time in this room…

But what I will truly miss… more than anything… more than my experience…. Is my 2nd mother… Ms Watson… Watson… You actually did it… you actually sparked the creativity in me… and awoke the outgoing young man who lied dormant in my soul… you kept me going when I thought there was nothing left… even on your worst days you were the shelter to me in my great storm of depression… You showed me I’m not as worthless as I was told to be… or as worthless as I thought I was… You made me a better person…and turned me into a better man… a man that I can be proud of…and doing all this and watching over me with great love… and for that I thank you.

So you see I couldn’t let you all leave… I couldn’t let you go… not without saying this… you all to have helped me grow… grow for the better… and not for the worst… I can never repay you all… or really let you all know how much you all mean to me… I could spend an eternity writing s novel and still… it would be inadequate… but I digress… I will sincerely miss you all… and I hope you all won’t forget skateboarder kid… grim… Dre… or sprite man… because these are the names I will always remember and cherish as well… so stay in touch… for I could not have prayed for a better family… because I Closely Cherish Peoples (CCP)

Love Grim (Deandre)

Your choice.....

Hi all,

As we wind down the semester, let's reflect on how much about the business of video production you've learned this semester.

I think that some of you understand the importance of lighting a little more than you did before. Most of the time when I help you light your interviews, you are somewhat impressed and surprised how much it improves your video. Lighting is key! Learning how to use it for special effects will be your next trick.

The importance of writing your script BEFORE you edit can't be understated. It helps to put your thoughts in perspective, it helps draw a picture in your mind of how your story will develop and it gives you an opportunity to get creative with your words.

The credibility that an outside source adds to your story is important. You haven't done very well with this aspect of this class and we need to work more on that skill.

Related to that, I think that we need to develop your skills for pre-interviewing. Figuring out who is the right person to add credibility to your packages is vital. Many times you guys give up before you even figure out who your expert is and that contributes to you losing steam.

I think that your writing has improved. Although there is plenty more to work on, I think you understand the nuances of writing to the pictures, creating a story that moves people along and creating interest through words and pictures.

You have been able to choose your own stories. That doesn't happen in a TV station. Stories are assigned. Very rarely, unless you can propose an amazing story, does a reporter, photographer or anchor get to choose their stories. This is where we differ. Next semester will probably be different. We'll see.

For now, talk about what you've gotten out of this semester of Eagle TV and what you would've liked to have done differently. What would you like ME to have done differently? How can we improve upon the daily class? I want to hear your opinion.

I want you to also know how much all of you mean to me. Advanced class gets me up every morning. You guys are my family, my kids and I love each and every one of you. Have a nice holiday break! :-)

Just tell me one thing....

Coming up with story ideas is easy; it's telling them that's hard.

After all the research and interviews are done with your news story, coming up with the script that will put all that information together in a cohesive tale that flows is difficult. But it's even harder to come up with an interesting story.

Here's how you know if your story is interesting or not...are you telling your viewers something they didn't already know? That's the key. Don't tell me the same old story with a teenage point of view...tell me a new story with interesting facts that I didn't already know, with a teenage point of view. Tell me through the eyes of someone who has experienced it, or give me a perspective I didn't experience before. Do something different!! Make it interesting, visual, engaging. Just tell me one thing I didn't already know. One thing.

Use all the storytelling tools I've taught you for this last story. Surprise, parallel parking, nat sound breaks, silence within the story, etc.

I'm going to ask you to propose your story to me. You will need to complete your story, a separate VO/SOT, a presentation on your best story and quite possibly a documentary. Three weeks is all we have. Get going.

For your response to this blog, I'm going to ask you to tell me what motivates you and what you want to get out of this class this semester. What are you going to improve upon or what do you want to know more about? Be your own advocate for your learning.

With three weeks left in the semester, I'm going to ask you to work harder than you've worked so far this semester. We have a lot to do.

In the meantime, check out this story by Steve Hartman about Unlikely Friends. Some of you have already seen it, but it illustrates what makes a story interesting. Watch it again.

Are you a Real Journalist?

I've always treated each one of you as a journalist. In my mind, there is very little difference in what you do and what employees of a news organization do except that you get a grade... and they get a paycheck.

I'd like to see more from you, but I've seen some really good stories. I've seen a lot of you take chances, ask tough questions, and get phenomenal video and write moving stories. I want more. I want you to not give up when it gets a little difficult; when someone doesn't call you back right away or when you don't get the answers you want. What ever happened to the corn maze story, for example? Did we give up because someone couldn't make it? Do it without them!

You stand a better chance of getting a job in the journalism industry if you show that you don't back down. You show that now, while you are in high school. You're building your resume as we speak. In fact, in college, you're expected to do daring interviews if you major in journalism...in high school, it's a surprise if you do. And, very impressive, I might add. Show what you got. You ARE real journalists...act like it!

See the short excerpt below from Advancing the Story Blog and let me know what you think about how you can be more driven. Take advantage of the unique opportunity you have right now. Don't let life's moments pass you by; you'll regret it later. Trust me.

Are J-school students really journalists?

Posted on November 10th, 2009 by Deborah Potter

If a journalism school offers real world experience, should the students who participate be protected by reporters’ privilege? That’s a key question in a case involving a professor and students at Northwestern’s Medill J-school.

David Protess runs the school’s “Innocence Project” in which students investigate old crimes looking for wrongful convictions. In the past decade, the school says, “[they] have uncovered evidence that freed 11 innocent men, five of them from death row.”

Protess and his students believe they’ve found another wrongful conviction and Northwestern’s legal clinic has filed a petition for a new trial. But local prosecutors are suggesting that the students may have been under pressure to prove the case in order to get a good grade in the class. As the Associated Press reports, the prosecutors have subpoenaed the students’ grades, private emails, notes, unpublished memos and expense claims. That kind of information would typically be protected by the state shield law but the prosecutors claim the students aren’t journalists, so they’re not covered.

The case raises concerns for all students who do “real world” journalism as part of their course work. And it underlines the need to bring shield laws up to date in today’s multimedia world when anyone can be a journalist. The latest draft of a federal shield law does just that, by covering anyone who does journalism, even if they don’t get paid for it.