Broadcast:
This grant, much to our excitement, was approved! We received funding to purchase a collection of DSLR cameras to practice photojournalism as well as broadcast journalism. With this new funding, we have been working to integrate visual and broadcast journalism into our web publication over the past year by assigning it as a semester requirement. Additionally, I have made and contributed to the production of two videos published on our website: covering the re-opening of a local annual farmer's market as well as our school's 2023 prom. My current video projects include a feature on a ballet and academic extraordinaire at our school as well as a feature on a current teacher and administrative intern to share her experiences as a Black woman working to attain administrative credentials.
Port Orchard Farmer's Market
"Port Orchard Farmer's Market" was my very first video project. As many times as I had requested to interview people before, there was something entirely new and unexpectedly daunting about incorporating a visual aspect. Ultimately, I returned to the farmer's market three weekends in a row before I felt confident in my video interviewing skills and visual capturing abilities, as well as having sufficient quality material to include. Thankfully, all the subjects involved were extraordinarily kind and generous with their time and willingness to participate, and it made the process much easier and alleviated a lot of the stress I felt. Following the recording part of the process, I edited the video together using the CapCut platform and published it through my adviser on our website. This video instilled a new sense of discipline and exploration within me, providing insight into the importance of self-confidence and determination in any journalistic endeavor.
CKHS Prom 2023
Our prom coverage video was a blast to shoot. Surrounded by journalism peers and friends celebrating an end to high school, my co-host and I interviewed prom-goers about their attire, hopes for the night, and their dates. Due to an unfortunate microphone malfunction, many of the interviews I conducted in the check-in line did not capture much audio and therefore did not end up in the final cut. However, I greatly enjoyed the leadership aspect of this process: guiding other film crew to optimal shooting locations, providing suggestions on questions to ask to receive fruitful and fun responses, and engaging with the school community in an event coverage context were all opportunities for personal and journalistic growth. Applying the discipline and knowledge learned from my Farmer's Market video further aided in the lessening of interviewing anxiety and guided me towards positive contributions to this video.
I may or may not have cheered with excitement when I received this email!
All our gratitude for being able to film and produce video journalism goes towards the Linder Foundation.