Whenever I work the evening shows, I feel that I get a lot more experience into how things happen, since we get to know the actual tools that go into formatting and running the show as it’s on television. On this day, I got to attend the show. This meant that I got to sit in the studio as the show was on air. I saw how the camera crew works, how breaks work, how to make adjustments when things change in the show. I also got to see how the producers time-out the show and calculate changes in adjustment. Whenever something changed, I got to be the go-between, filling in the rest of the team on what the producers changed and how it affected their segments. Even though it was a small task in the greater realm of production, I felt trusted and efficient and kind of reluctant to leave for even a few days. I didn’t want to lose that credibility and consistency that I had built here. Tuesday and Wednesdays I work the early shift.
Sometimes it’s slower in the mornings, but this Tuesday we had a packaging class led by one of the show producers. This is the position right under the executive producer. So these guys really know what they are doing, and interns were allowed to attend! During the class we analyzed and learned the difference between great packages and mediocre ones, what stories catch attention and what maintains viewer interest, we also learned important tools such as how and when to interview, when to use a quote, how to elicit responses for the questions you want answered, and how to edit the package to where the flow of the video follows the flow of the story. This was a great meeting, and I think the notes really helped me in understanding broadcast story writing better than I ever had before. I’m more used to writing for print, and this class clarified for me the similarities and differences between broadcast script and print.
As Wednesday ended, I packed for my journey the next day. My flight for Dallas left at 7pm that day, and I made it there safely around 11pm heading straight to my cousin’s house for the Mehndi, henna application, ceremony. As I walked in, I felt a wave of elation as all my cousins, aunts, and uncles came running to me with hugs and kisses. I felt that same sort of belongingness the rest of the week as the wedding festivities continued. The passionate ambition of New York and the intimate familiarity of Texas began an inner battle within me that weekend. I returned on Monday hesitant to leave my family yet excited to get back to the news process.
