Final Reflection

I thought the process for the fourth package went fairly well. Dan and I were very fortunate to have the support of Mrs. Hunt when she let us into her home for a couple of hours and shared her experiences involving a controversial subject. At the same time she's the only medical cannabis patient I know personally and felt she provided some great insight that I hadn't heard on any of the major news networks. Since it was dark outside we had to rely solely on the light inside her house; so that was a new experience and provided some challenges (having to deal with shadows, etc..). We also had some sound problems with our initial standup so we had to redo it elsewhere. Other than those I thought we could have used more B-roll but I liked the photos she allowed us to use.

As for the class itself, it was definitely a huge learning experience all around. Editing, shooting, and writing news packages were all new things that I had never done before. I'll admit I was a bit nervous at first going out into the field with a camera and having a bunch of people stare at me, but that got easier the more I did it. Having to do all of these though not only gave me mental fortitude but obviously a lot of practical knowledge as well that I can take with me and improve upon wherever I end up going. I enjoyed watching/critiquing others' work as well. I definitely got some good ideas from other students.

Fourth Package-Kyle H.

Host Lead: Medical marijuana has been the subject of controversy in recent years. But how does it help those who say they need it? QU news’ Daniel Keith talks to one of these patients. 

 

 

TRACK: KYLE HUNT WAS WORKING AS A VIDEO PRODUCER WHEN SHE RECEIVED THE NEWS THAT WOULD CHANGE HER LIFE FOREVER.  

 

SOT (K. HUNT): I HAD STAGE 3 LUNG CANCER. SOT-BUTT: I WAS DIAGNOSED IN 2009.  

 

TRACK: HUNT BEGAN GOING THROUGH CHEMOTHERAPY AND WAS PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN CANCER-FREE, BUT NOT FOR LONG. ONLY THREE YEARS AFTER HER INITIAL DIAGNOSIS, DOCTORS TOLD HER THAT THE CANCER HAD SPREAD TO HER BRAIN.

 

SOT (K. HUNT): IN THE FALL OF 2012, I FIND OUT THAT I HAVE 5 OR 6 BRAINTUMORS—I THINK IT WAS 5 BRAIN TUMORS—BUT THEN IT WAS ULTIMATELY 6. 

 

STAND-UP: AFTER GOING THROUGH TRADITIONAL TREATMENTS FOR ALMOST 4 YEARS, KYLE WAS THEN RECOMMENDED BY A FRIEND TO TRY AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD. THIS INCLUDED TRYING MANY MEDICAL MARIJUANA PRODUCTS INCLUDING THESE RIGHT HERE.  

 

SOT (K. HUNT): A FRIEND OF MINE—JOANNE—HAD SWORN BY MEDICAL MARIJUANA. NUMBER ONE: IT HELPED HER. IT HELPED HER SEIZURES, SHE ALSO HAD BRAIN TUMORS

 

TRACK: MEDICINAL MARIJUANA HAS BEEN THE OBJECT OF CONTROVERY AMONG THE MEDICAL AND POLITICAL COMMUNITIES. KYLE’S HUSBAND GARLAND BELIEVES THAT MARIJUANA DOES, IN FACT, HAVE VERY BENEFICIAL MEDICAL EFFECTS, AND HE SEES IT HELP HIS WIFE ON A DAILY BASIS. 

 

SOT (G. HUNT): CHRONIC PAIN IS A TERRIBLE THING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH. IT’S VERY DEHABILITATING. SOT—BUTT (G. HUNT) SOME PEOPLE ARE GETTING GREAT BENEFITS FROM USING MEDICINAL MARIJUANA.  BUT IT ALWAYS HAS THE STIGMA—THE STONER STIGMA—ATTACHED TO IT. 

 

TRACK: KYLE HAS THIS TO SAY TO THE PEOPLE WHO STILL BELIEVE IN THIS STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH MEDICINAL MARIJUANA. 

 

SOT (K. HUNT): IF IT DIDN’T HELP ME (THEN) I WOULDN’T USE IT. 

 

TRACK: HUNT STILL SUFFERS FROM STAGE 4 CANCER BUT LOOKS  TO A BIGGER AND BRIGHTER FUTURE WITH GARLAND- HER HUSBAND SINCE APRIL. KYLE HOPES TO ONE DAY OVERCOME THE SICKNESS AND EVENTUALLY BECOME AN ADVOCATE FOR LUNG CANCER, BRAIN CANCER AND MEDICINAL MARIJUANA. FOR NOW, KYLE FOCUSES ON FUTURE BUSINESS VENTURES AND ARTISTIC PROJECTS. 

 

SOT (K. HUNT): NOW, I DON’T CARE. I’M DOING EVERYTHING. I’M MAKING MOCCASINS, I’M DESIGNING A LINE OF CLOTHING. 

 

TRACK: IN MEDFIELD, DANIEL KEITH, QUINNIPIAC NEWS. 

Third Package Reflection

Out of all the packages I've worked on this was definitely my favorite one. Not only was the story of Mr. Cordes himself compelling, but he also had a personal effect on me after I had the chance to spend time with him. You could definitely still see aspects of his personality especially after hearing some anecdotes from those around him. His mother Gloria provided a lot of support to our project with his old photographs despite wanting to have some controlling input on how we put it together in some instances. Once again, we could have obtained a lot more B-roll than we originally had, such as of Huntington High School or the outside of Mr. Cordes's home (not to mention we could have done more to fix the lack of lighting inside the home itself). The VOs were a bit long, but at the same time I felt this might be necessary considering the descriptive, in-depth nature of the piece. 

Overall I think we captured the essence of David Cordes's story. This could have been a much longer piece delving into more aspects of life but the gist of it is there.

Third Package-David Cordes Profile

ANCHOR INTRO:

ON CAMERA

TONIGHT WE CHECK
IN WITH SUFFOLK COUNTY’S OWN DAVID CORDES NEARLY 23 YEARS AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT
LEFT HIM WITH A DEBILITATING BRAIN INJURY.

QUINNIPIAC
NEWS’S DANIEL KEITH HAS MORE FROM HUNTINGTON.

PKG

TRACK 1

*shot of car
tires in intersection IN: 0:19* IT WAS FEBRUARY 1^ST, 1993. DAVID
CORTES WAS HEADING TO A NATIONAL HONORS SOCIETY MEETING AT HUNTINGTON HIGH
SCHOOL, WHEN (*shot of street signs*) AT THE INTERSECTION OF HOLDSWORTH DR. AND
OAKWOOD, HIS LIFE CHANGED IN AN INSTANT.

*pan of
intersection IN 0:04 OUT 0:08*

WHILE MAKING A LEFT
TURN ONTO OAKWOOD, ANOTHER STUDENT COLLIDED INTO CORDES’S STATION WAGON, NEARLY
SPLITTING IT IN HALF.

*video of two-shot
of Dan and Gloria sitting IN 0:15 OUT 0:19*

AT FIRST, HIS
MOTHER—GLORIA—WAS TOLD BY SCHOOL OFFICIALS THAT HE WAS FINE. IT TURNS OUT THAT
IT WAS MUCH MORE SERIOUS.

SOT: GLORIA CORDES, MOTHER VIDEO AND
AUDIO IN 6:48 OUT 6:56

“He didn’t have
a mark on him, not a broken bone, not a cut, nothing.  But he had massive head trauma.”

AUDIO ONLY IN 7:15 OUT 7:23

 *picture of individual news clippings* “Basically,
umm, frontal lobes, everything was damaged”

AUDIO ONLY IN 11:38 OUT 11:40

“He has no motor
control whatsoever”

TRACK 2

*picture of group photo with tennis team* BEFORE THE
ACCIDENT, CORDES WAS THE CAPTAIN OF HIS TENNIS TEAM AT HUNTINGTON HIGH SCHOOL AND
*picture of Dave serving* WAS RANKED 2^ND ON LONG ISLAND IN THE US
TENNIS ASSOCIATION. HE RECEIVED AN EARLY ACCEPTANCE LETTER *picture of letter*
TO GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY ON AN ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP AND BECAUSE HE WAS FLUENT
IN GERMAN, DAVID PLANNED TO STUDY LINGUISTICS. NOW, HE FACES HIS TOUGHEST MATCH
EVERY DAY.

DAN STANDUP VIDEO AND AUDIO IN 0:08 OUT
0:15

“Even the
simplest tasks for David seem to be very difficult, from getting out of bed in
the morning to going to bed at night.”

SOT: LAURA SWETZ, NURSE VIDEO AND AUDIO
IN 0:57 OUT 1:08

“He needs us to
bathe him and feed him and…he has a G-Tube in his stomach cuz he can’t swallow
liquids very well so he has to have liquids that way.”

TRACK 3

*VIDEO ONLY OF LAURA PUTTING ON
PROSTHESIS IN 0:09 OUT 0:16/0:17*

ONLY MONTHS
AFTER THE NEAR-FATAL ACCIDENT, DAVID WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A FORM OF BONE CANCER THAT
REQUIRED AN AMPUTATION OF HIS LEFT LEG. NOW DAVID REQUIRES A PROSTHETIC LEG
THAT HIS NURSE—LAURA—PUTS ON HIM DAILY.

VIDEO OF
LAURA SHOWING US AROUND DAVE’S ROOM IN 1:46 (NO AUDIO IN UNTIL 1:49 AUDIO OUT
1:54) VIDEO OUT 1:56

HIS LOVE OF
SPORTS HASN’T CHANGED THOUGH.

“This is his
favorite towel. Davey’s a Met fan.”

AND HE CAN STILL
NAME HIS FAVORITE TENNIS PLAYER

SOT: DAVE CORDES VIDEO AND AUDIO IN 4:11
OUT 4:21

“John…..McEnroe”

TRACK 4

VIDEO OF BRIAN TAKING RAMP OUT OF CAR,
PUTTING DAVID IN CAR

HOWEVER, DAVID’S
FAVORITE ACTIVITY REMAINS GOING OUTSIDE FOR A RIDE IN HIS SPECIALIZED VAN,
WHERE HE CAN FEEL A SENSE OF FREEDOM AND A CONNECTION TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

*Nat hit of
chair locking into place in van*

TRACK 5

VIDEO OF BRIAN PUSHING DAVE DOWN RAMP IN 0:09
OUT 0:16

DAVID IS A MAN
TRAPPED INSIDE OF HIS OWN BODY. DESPITE ALL OF THE DAILY CHALLENGES HE FACES, HE
REMINDS US OF A QUOTE FROM GHANDI THAT HAS INSPIRED HIM, AND HIS FAMILY, FROM
THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL.

*picture of
teenage David in dreads*: STRENGTH DOES NOT COME FROM PHYSICAL CAPACITY, BUT AN
INDOMITABLE WILL.

FROM HUNTINGTON,
DANIEL KEITH, QUNNIPIAC NEWS

Second Package: Reflection

I was very fortunate when it came to finding this marketplace and dealing with the coverage of it in general. For starters, Nancy and Robin (sponsors of the event) were very amicable and accommodating. They allowed me to film wherever I wanted without having to pay the admittance fee. Secondly, I was able to go there on a cloudy day, which eliminated some of the problems I had last time at MIT with shade/lighting.

Overall, this was a pretty simple event to cover. I did kind of strain to find a variety of shots besides just the myriad of items that were there. Not to mention the music was louder than it should have been (in my opinion), but this was obviously easily fixable in Premiere. There were a couple of shots I had out of focus as well but thought the package itself came together well as a whole.

Adams Farm Marketplace 10/24/15

ANCHOR INTRO:

ON CAMERA

A SMALL ANTIQUE COMPANY IS RELOCATING THEIR POPULAR MARKETPLACE. VINTAGE THYMES, KNOWN FOR THEIR MONTHLY FAIRES, IS SETTING UP SHOP FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS WEEKEND AT ADAMS FARM.

QUINNIPIAC NEWS’S IAN COSMAN REPORTS FROM WALPOLE

PKG

Wide shot of barn/farm area

TRACK 1

OF THE MANY FALL FESTIVITIES TAKING PLACE THROUGHOUT NEW ENGLAND,  THIS ONE HAS A UNIQUE FEEL.

 VINTAGE THYMES IS BRINGING THEIR RENONWED MARKETPLACE TO ADAMS FARM, WHERE VENDORS FROM ALL OVER THE REGION HAVE COME TO SELL THEIR ANTIQUE ITEMS.

SOT: NANCY, PART OWNER OF VINTAGE THYMES

“We have vintage and antique dealers. We have artisans that make things by hand. We have live music all day, and we have food available for purchase, so it’s a family event. We have something here for everyone.

TRACK 2

SURE ENOUGH, AMONG ALL THE JEWELRY AND VEGAN TREATS, ONE CAN FIND CUSTOMIZABLE PILLOWS, ORGANIC CANDLES, AND FRAMED INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES. NOT TO MENTION, A CERTAIN BLAST FROM THE PRESENT.

IAN STANDUP

“Adding a bit of a modern touch to all of the antiques present, Adams Farm has set up a selfie station for attendees to take pictures of themselves.”

TRACK 3

WHILE THE ITEMS THEMSELVES MAY OFFER SOME NOSTALGIA, IT’S STILL THE PEOPLE THAT REMAIN THE MAIN ATTRACTION.

SOT: ROBIN AND MARY BETH, PART OWNERS VINTAGE THYMES

“Honestly it’s not the collection of items I just love the energy

*continue audio, play crowd shots*

  from the all customers that get excited and all the customers, and how many customers that come and show up so we’re pretty excited about that.”

*cut back to interview of the two*

TRACK 4

FOR A SMALL ATTENDANCE OF $5 PER ADULT, THIS TWO DAY EVENT PROVIDES THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR A BIT OF FAMILY FUN.

FROM WALPOLE, MASS, IAN COSMAN, QUINNIPIAC NEWS

First Package: Reflection

Overall, I thought I did ok with this first news package. I wanted to choose an event that would give me some options on what I could cover (especially considering my hindered mobility). Hubweek provided a myriad of interesting exhibits and people. However there are definitely a couple things I would have done differently. On the most basic level, I would've gone at an earlier time of day. I think I arrived to the MIT campus around 2:30-3:00 in the afternoon. Considering sunset is around 6:30PM now I started to run out of adequate lighting in an hour or two.

Secondly, I wish I had gotten more diverse B-roll. I don't think I truly appreciated the amount of footage I needed for just a minute and a half of final product. I found myself straining trying to find some clips that could be inserted. However I was pleasantly surprised I was able to meet the minimum length requirement of 1:30.  Background noise in a city environment proved challenging as well-not to mention I had some kids try to stick their heads/ hands in front of the camera- but this was easily solved. Other than these problems I thought it was a success.