My first impression of convergent journalism wasn’t a good one. For starters, the class was held in a lab of mac computers – always a bad omen. Mac’s make me feel as though I have a disability. To me, a mac makes everything take twice as much brain power.
There were so many things to learn. Struggling with hardcore industry software was one thing, but there was also the problem of finding a story that was interesting aurally or visually. So many ideas that would work on paper just sounded boring as a radio piece, like someone was lecturing. I think I made that mistake in my first audio project – my interviewee just droned on a bit about internet service provider filtering. Not exactly compelling stuff.
Once that hurdle was jumped, I felt like I was getting a pretty good grip on convergence. I actually felt quite confident, instead of just pretending. And the next interview I did, at a local restaurant, went comparatively well (although this could have been because the bloke was so nice). This time, I actually had my questions planned out and even had a vague direction for the story.
There were so many things to learn. Struggling with hardcore industry software was one thing, but there was also the problem of finding a story that was interesting aurally or visually. So many ideas that would work on paper just sounded boring as a radio piece, like someone was lecturing. I think I made that mistake in my first audio project – my interviewee just droned on a bit about internet service provider filtering. Not exactly compelling stuff.
That first interview was a nightmare. I was trying to pretend I was all professional, and confident, but really tripping over my words and asking the same questions twice. Also, I was horrified when I listened back to the audio. It was full of me making ‘agreement noises’, in between his sentences, like ‘yeah’, and ‘uh huh’. I couldn’t find the delete button fast enough.
So I learned the hard way not to make a single noise when someone is answering my questions, and instead giving them big smiles and nodding to show that I’m listening. I even try not to laugh at their jokes.
When the photography component came around, I thought things might get better. How hard can it be to take a photograph? I’ve got loads of happy snaps on my camera phone which I’m pretty proud of. But before I could get really comfortable, I had obscure terms like aperture being thrown at me and was being asked to compose shots with framing, depth, light, and motion all mastered. No surprises that I struggled.
My first idea for a photo essay was multiple shots of my boyfriend eating. I love watching my boyfriend eat. Luckily, my classmates finally got me to realise that few other people would find such a photo essay as charming as I would, so I abandoned the idea.
My project ended up being a snapshot of a night at the local square. To be honest I was mildly concerned for my safety, which made me feel like a hard-hitting fear-nothing journalist. With a giant camera slung round my neck and a digital recorder that looks like a taser gun, I didn’t exactly look very approachable. It was also really uncomfortable sticking a camera in someone’s face, especially when they were just out for a night of shopping. But I got some good quotes and even some arty photos, and was pretty pleased with my project.
Once that hurdle was jumped, I felt like I was getting a pretty good grip on convergence. I actually felt quite confident, instead of just pretending. And the next interview I did, at a local restaurant, went comparatively well (although this could have been because the bloke was so nice). This time, I actually had my questions planned out and even had a vague direction for the story.I’ve learned that things don’t always go to plan. My interviewee was a really robust and colourful guy, and from the start was talking in full flow about his restaurant. We were there for a couple of hours, he was having a cigarette and we were both having coffees. The audio I got out of that interview was loads better than what I would have got if I stuck to my ten questions.
It’s been a roller coaster. At the beginning, I was sure that the tasks were way out of my league – projects that were completely beyond my abilities. And while it’s been difficult, I feel really accomplished, and I actually have projects to show for all my hard work. I’m really proud of my final project, and the chef has even asked to use some of my work on his website. And while I haven’t gotten over my disagreement with mac computers, I have really enjoyed discovering all the things I didn’t know I could do. (",)
