Mind. Blown.

Yes, I found myself mentally uttering these two words several times over the last two days.

Mind.
Blown.

Yesterday, my mind was blown by the lessons I learned as my team and I set out into the streets of Phoenix to shoot video.  I learned several lessons that I might have taken for granted without having this experience.  For one, it's not as easy to shoot video when your subjects have a job to do.  We serendipitously happened upon flashing lights and decided to interview the firefighters about the heat.  They had great information, but they were also trying to do a job, so while willing to talk, time was of the essence.  I was utterly frenzied as I tried to quickly adjust the tripod and acquire multiple shots and sound bites.  We also learned that as reporters with a video camera, we need to speak up and ask our subjects to wait just a moment while we start running the video.  Additionally, we learned that a great subject might become a very poor subject once he gets the mike in his hand.  The time crunch of an "emergency" situation made this a tough first assignment for an inexperienced team.  When it was all over and we were collecting our B-roll footage, we reflected that if we had more time before we saw the flashing lights, we would have served ourselves well to make sure we each had an assigned job. (Who's reporting? Who's doing still shots? Who's shooting video?)  I'll definitely keep this organizational tip in mind when I assign such a project to my students.

The editing process was just as mind-blowing, but in a great way.  I'm a perfectionist, and this can be frustrating as I develop new or unperfected skills like editing.  That being said, I was really excited to finally have a chance to work with the Final Cut Pro software, and once I got the hang of it, my mind was blown by all the cool things I learned to do!  I really enjoyed putting the clips together to create a cohesive product.

The heat was on as we worked to film our project at the Phoenix Convention Center.

One of the best, mind-blowing moments of my week happened this morning when we took our trip to the Arizona Republic.  It was my first time inside of a newsroom, and I've gotta say it was a rush to be in that vast space of cubicles.  I'm generally not a fan of cubicles, but it reminded me of those "Lou Grant," "Mary Tyler Moore," and All the President's Men episodes!  Except for the TVs.  Wow, those screens were everywhere!  (Remember in ATPM, there was just one television resting on the partition?)  I equated the environment to a hive, buzzing with constant activity and a sense of everyone working for a common goal.  When we went upstairs and entered the conference room to meet with the editors, I was really blown away!  I was really "digging" the fact that we were sitting in on an actual editors meeting at a major publication, and we were hearing what was going to be in the paper the next day.  I got something else out of it too.  It was a very organized meeting.  Everyone knew what they were expected to bring to the table, and they knew where it was going by the time it ended.  While high school kids are a different ball of wax, I'd like to try to develop the program to include a more efficient editors' meeting like the one I saw today.  It was also really exciting to speak with several people who highlighted just how much the field of journalism is changing regarding the technology and delivery of information, and how each person's role constantly evolves. At the same time, one thing remains the same: tell a story.

A preview of the next day's feature section of the Arizona Republic sums up the experience.

As I practically skipped back to my hotel room, my mind was simply blown by all the great opportunities and experiences of the week, and I can't see what week two has to offer. 

Marlo Spritzer
Southern Lehigh High School
Center Valley PA