October 21, 2024
This was by far the most logistically complex story I have ever done. I tried reaching out to a press contact as soon as I heard that the event was happening. It was a Saturday event, so I wasn’t sure that it would make it in the Monday night Newsource show, but I decided I had to go cover it regardless. When else was I going to have an opportunity like this? So, I borrowed lots of equipment from Grady, not sure exactly what the press set-up would be, and I hauled it all over to Atlanta. After waiting in line for hours and then running into a couple of bag and credential issues, I managed to squeeze myself into the press area– sandwiched between Fox5 and The Associated Press.
I tried my best to report as I would normally, avoiding being too intimidated to move. Everyone else on the broadcast bleachers were still. They got there early, set up and waited. I realized I was the only MMJ there (at least, from what I could tell). I was the only one responsible for gathering video, reporting on-camera, taking notes and getting digital content. The reporters around me were specialists– photogs, anchors, writers.
I was there from about noon to 9pm. Whether wandering around the complex to find good b-roll shots, asking attendees for interviews or recording the speakers, I was truly reporting non-stop that entire time. It was absolutely exilerating.
My only wish for this PKG is that I were able to adjust the audio more precisely. This was the most complicated footage I’d ever had audio-wise because I was dealing with multiple channels. I wasn’t able to focus on the audio editing when making the PKG on Monday for the show, but I planned to readjust later. Unfortunately, about a week after this, my computer completely crashed, and all the data and footage (from almost the entire semester) was wiped. I’m grateful I have the video from the actual newscast, but I wish I could have gone back and fixed those tech issues.