Work Examples

To see some of the work I have been creating, visit my Youtube Page.

It features KOMU work and class work. I am in the process of creating my own web page so keep an eye out for that.

Everynone: Journalism Shots

Everynone is a video making group from Redwood Forest in California. Three men form the group and they specialize in short video segments for commercials, films, and television segments. The group does international segments in Canada and the UK and are looking to expand their work.

The group films and uses already filmed videos to create parodies and snippets of video technique. They take odd moments and combine them with humor and sequences that tell an interesting story. Even though they are not necessarily broadcast journalists, they are good story tellers with just video alone.

My favorite videos they have done are "Words" and "Symmetry." Words focuses on sequences of events and continuity of editing images together that may not even be related. Symmetry is just as it sounds. It creates symmetry between everyday objects. Why is this important to broadcast? Well I will explain each in depth and include the videos.



Words



My filming skills can take some work from this film. The angles are creative and catchy but the editing of a sequence is what makes this movie cool.

Each shot is carefully considered and reviewed and has a purpose. It's a planned moment and anticipated action. So how does this match journalism? A journalistic story needs purpose and sequence. It needs to tell a story. While you would never intentionally edit these types of sequences together, it is a good video because it is unique and makes you think about it. I want people to remember and think about my story as this one has done for myself. Images should by themselves give enough information for someone to write a script.

Catching unique actions can mean looking for simple daily tasks, reactions to actions, and looking for things people have never seen or glance over. It sounds easy but you have to be constantly aware of the surroundings to create a good piece.


Symmetry 

Symmetry


This one is not necessarily as relevant to broadcast as the first video was but understanding symmetry is part of video / picture taking. Broadcast is a multi-media field. Newspapers do not typically produce a broadcast but broadcast journalists produce their online version like a newspaper. Symmetry can help tell a story and look for things to shoot. You don't obviously stage a story or even try to find things that have symmetry for the sake of shooting. But I do believe the idea that looking for ordinary patterns, similar shapes, and differences can help better tell a story and offer insight on the event.

Military Wife: Seperated by Love for All

I am a proud military wife. I have been married to Naval Officer Daniel Ewing for a little over a year. We decided to get married young because of his duty. We spent months discussing the decision but we were ultimately bonded by commitment and love. Many of our college peers think we are crazy and we even had parents refuse our marriage. Grandparents did not show up at the wedding because they did not support the move. Luckily, tensions have lowered once people saw we were serious and are working hard at making it work. 

Even though I love my sailor to death, there are times that are not easy. I get angry because I have to share my husband for a greater good. It is one thing I want to be selfish about but at the same time, he longs to have me when he is home while I am stuck to a career that could care less about bonding time. After our first deployment, I have composed some lessons that I think every military service family should try to abide by. It helped us get through the rough time.

1. I never realized how expensive communicating with my husband would be while he was gone. Phone bills are ridiculously expensive when you can talk forever at an expensive, pocket draining rate. While a phone call is nice every once in awhile, make sure Skype is always your first option.

2. Compromise. Unfortunately, I get the short end of the stick with the government controlling where my family moves. Where they want us, we follow. But life in the military is about compromise. Make sure the spouse gets to accomplish what they want to do. Wherever you move, make sure they are happy and doing what they love. Because if the spouse has something to keep them busy while you are away that they love, the pain of separation does not feel that bad.

3. Expenses will increase. The government loves to try to pay you extra money to make up for the distance. But that money is going to be used. It never fails. Something goes wrong while your significant other is away. A car breaks, a washer leaks, the house needs a new roof... Or the treats that the loved one sends to their soldier. They are extra expenses. To complicate matters, if you have kids with a one parent household, you will probably be paying extra for that babysitter to help out. Save before and save as much as you can. And any major appliances, buy that warranty because if you can have a simple phone call to fix it, life will seem so much easier.

4. Infidelity. I worry about this so much, even though I know that it will not likely happen. The reason why it will not likely happen is because my husband and I set some guidelines before he left. No hanging out with members of the opposite sex alone (even if it is a good friend). Hang out with people within your demographic. Hanging out with people of the opposite sex is asking for problems. When you are deprived of a loved one, you will be surprised what your mind can think. We love hanging out with married friends that we know are also married and are likely not to cheat. Discuss also what happens to the relationship if infidelity does happen. Does it mean that the relationship is over? Or is it something to talk through? Setting guidelines always helps you think through things. And yes it is weird talking about infidelity with a happy marriage but always prepare for the worst.

5. Always prepare for the worst. Do not be pessimistic but know the answers to difficult questions. Do you know what to do if something bad happens? You become ill or even worse, one of you dies? If you know these answers, you can fulfill your spouses wants in life and know how to handle difficult times. Know the likelihood of death is slim so you have no reason to worry but slim chances happen to everyone.

6. Friends are important. A much needed a hug, a glimpse of laughter, an invite to the movies... All a distraction from the raging battle in your mind and heart. Military friends are especially important as they can feel the emotions with you.

These are a few things I feel are important to know. It is not easy. And there are tons more steps to take but these are the few things I learned that may offer a peace of mind. I want to help people in similar positions like me as I love helping people out.

Here are some great resources for help also:
- www.usaa.com (Military bank who understands the military. They offer free support, counseling,
         discounts, and banking services.)
- I recommend this Book. It is made for new military people and not necessarily people who have
          gone through deployments before.

Skunk in the House

While my husband was gone to San Diego for a business meeting with the US Navy for a week, it was ironically nice here in Mid-Missouri for January. I decided I would leave the back door to our house open to catch the breeze and let our two dogs, Niblet and George, go outside. The three of them are pictured above in our old apartment taking an afternoon nap.

I was upstairs in our office completing work when whiffed a smell of a skunk. I decided to head downstairs to turn the corner to find the skunk in my house my two dogs chasing it around my kitchen and causing it to spray everything. I would taken a picture but I was gagging from skunk scent. I tried to call my dogs over to get them to leave it alone but it made them more excited.

I grabbed a bucket and broom and hailed the skunk into the bucket successfully without getting sprayed. But as for kitchen and my dogs, it was going to be a long evening of cleaning up. It was mess without my husband but I got used to doing things alone during his first deployment.

I have become an expert at skunk scent removal from my dad who thought it was always fun to hunt them and came home smelling like a skunk farm. Although I had never had to replace all the kitchen cabinets and figure out how to get a dog to not smell like skunk. The cabinets protected my dishes but the wood just soaked up the skunk scent and it was not worth keeping them so I ran to Home Depot to choose new ones. I ended up with upgraded kitchen cabinets so skunk scent just helped me do a little home remodeling.

As for the dogs, I had new worries. Washing them with tomato paste was my first option but it did not work and left my bathroom looking like a crime scene of tomato blood and my dogs fur red for a few weeks. I finally found a remedy going to a vet store who thankfully said I was not the first to deal with skunked animals. They had a skunk shampoo removing kit that worked miracles.

As for my house, I used a recipe I found online. I soon learned that it was explosive despite no warnings so discard any unused mixture or else the bottle will explode. 
1 quart of  3% hydrogen peroxide
¼ cup baking soda
1 teaspoon of strong liquid soap such as dish washing detergent


The lesson of the night. Animals are sneaking and always have a screen door.

Journalism Like a Catchy Tune

      Tuesday nights, I rehearse with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. I have played the violin for 12 years and the stand up bass for 6 years. We were having one of our last rehearsals leading up to the concert at the Missouri Theater at the end of February.
      I often get done with rehearsals with music stuck in my head and I begin humming the tunes aloud. And then I thought, I aspire to have my journalism be like a catchy tune.
     When I hear a good piece of music, I find it memorable. It sticks with me and I often talk about it or sing about it. And while I literally don't want people singing my journalism, I want the concept of it being memorable. I have a feeling if people sang Poker Face by Lady Gaga after viewing my piece I might become untrustworthy because poker faces are deceptive or if they suddenly thought of Rockstar by Nickelback I might think I was over jazzing the performance a little. You get the idea. A little humor and pop culture in this seriousness.
      I want them to get done seeing my piece then remember it like that catchy tune. I want them to think about it without realizing it and share it as if it's a natural conversation topic. People humming tunes don't even realize they do it sometimes. We have been behind the lady at the supermarket singing a tune. And I want that sharing to be like a good piece of music. People come up as a conversation stater and say, "Hey did you see that report on the news?" And everyone knows which one they are talking about.
      You might think I have a big goal. Now what? Well it is a big goal but dreaming big is better than dreaming small. And we need the work of good journalists in a field that loses more trust everyday. My work now may be very entry level but as I begin to analyze and learn lessons, I can become one step further each story, each day, and as I advance to the top. It is my goal to use this blog as a reflection.


Personal Lessons of the Week
        The biggest lesson I learned this week was simply to check the calendar. It sounds simple but I decided to run with a story idea about Columbia Public Schools and their lunch program receiving an award for improvement. I had set up a perfect interview with the head chef and even planned out my shots, how to incorporate parents and teachers into the story, and when I was going to accomplish these ideas.
           I had the interview with the chef during his prep time, which was planned so I could get some footage of him making the food. I got some images of the kitchen, the cafeteria, and even filmed my stand up during those 3 hours I had the camera.
          I had the plan of coming back the next day to film the students eating lunch but I asked the principal and he looked at me and said, "School is not in session. It's a teacher work day."
         It was time to think of a Plan B and shift my gears fast. As Wayne Freedman says in his book, "It Takes More than Good Looks to Succeed at Television News Reporting,"  I needed to be able to be felxible. I was not going to be able to get the footage I wanted but I had to think how to make what I had work.

Personal Praise of the Week
      Despite my trouble, I stuck through the story. Deadline was approaching and it was too late to do something else as I spent the other days of my time researching and trying to get of hold of people in the district by calling different people. I was able to still find interviews at the last second as I had perseverance to complete the story. I thought of alternative means. I began to realize the importance of networks. I could call someone if I knew who to talk to. Fortunately, my work had several thousand parents and students around Columbia that I stopped one on the streets to talk to them. I was even told I could not talk tot the head chef at Columbia Public Schools but I used a network at the University of Missouri I knew to persuade him to talk to me. I contacted the Campus Dining Services head chef who knew me from working at the old Eva J's. He knew Bradley Faith and put me in contact with him. Faith had a new willingness to allow me to interview him.

News Lessons of the Week
     I got a call from my mom telling me the news anchor who inspired me to become part of news in the first place was in the hospital due to something she did as a reporter. I knew Kyle Dyer from 9news in Denver as she was a personal mentor in high school. I had shadowed her on her daily tasks, talked with her about the field on the weekly basis, and went with reporters to their stories.
     She was doing a story about a dog who was rescued from a pond. They had a studio interview with the dog and owner and Kyle Dyer always loved dogs and jumped on animal stories. Despite some warning signs from the dog that he was uncomfortable in the studio, Kyle Dyer still reached down to pet him and he bit her in the face. This was on live television. I don't want to show this clip as 9News is trying to not show it (you can find it on the Internet on your own). She later admitted that she did not check with the people to make sure this dog was friendly and assumed because it was in the studio, he was fine. It posed how to handle emergency situations in the newsroom. They had to pitch to the second anchor who was overcome by the situation to speak and it was a dead newscast for a brief moment.
     I learned to not assume in any situation. Personal safety is more important than a news story and just because something looks safe, it is always better to ask. My favorite journalism quote says, "Don't judge a man by his answers but the questions he dares to ask."- Voltaire François-Marie Arouet


News Praise of the Week
       http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6490509n
      This is the link to the 60 Minutes episode I watched awhile back ago that still sticks with me today. I watched a segment 60 minutes about the BP Oil Spill, Deep Water Horizon. While 60 minutes versus 60 seconds gives you more freedom to expand, you can still learn the tactics they used to make your everyday news package compelling. When I watched this show, I did exactly what I aspire to have happen. I went and showed several other people.
  


What Makes this Memorable:
              - People tell the story; not the newscaster (The people who felt, experienced, and
                worked all told their accounts)
             - They combine details with images that make you feel
             - Central Compelling Character: Mike Williams - Chief Electrician Aboard Rig
             - Ask Compelling Follow Up Questions and Don't Settle for No
             - Huge Issue taken Behind the Scenes (Not the same News Report) 
             - Explain Technical Terms with Made Images (Know what they are Talking About)
             - It is very one sided but they did mention they tried to interview BP management with a
                declined interview (So they tried to make it fair)