A couple of miles left to go…
My whole life I’ve been running. Whether it is on the field, through the halls, out with my friends. I love to run. It wasn’t until this semester that I felt my mind running. Sprinting actually. I had so many ideas, questions, thoughts and concerns. I spent approximately four months constantly running.
I’m a student athlete. My Wednesdays were hardest. I woke up at 5 am to a morning lift and conditioning till 7 am with our team trainer, Boston Alverson. Then I would go home to prepare myself for a busy day ahead; a full schedule of deadlines and things needed to be done. So after I was done running with my teammates, I continued to run the rest of the day with my classmates to create a worthy rundown. And right when I thought I was done at 4 pm, I was back on the field for practice for about two hours. 7 pm rolled around and I could finally gather my thoughts until it was back home when I tried to comprehend chemistry with my two wild roommates, Sophie and Allison.
When I think about everything I have learned, I’m almost baffled. The broadcast emphasis is hard to explain to others. I try to break down what b-roll is, a VO-SOT, and even a package; not many people understand or realize what WE do. Then I’m left thinking who is “we?” This is my future. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life…AM I CRAZY? Sometimes you can’t help but laugh. Every anchor we have watched in the newsroom day by day, those we have analyzed on local stations, previous super semester students. I am not alone. That is the most comforting part. Despite all of the chaos and constant “running” I then remember…I love to run. This is what I’m doing for the rest of my life because I LOVE it. During it I think to myself what am I thinking, but once a product; something I have written or created… it is then when I realize how talented I have become and will continue to be.
I think the most rewarding part about Super Semester is battling through mistakes. I interviewed Richard Reighard, a communications law professor here at Lindenwood about the Melissa Click sandal. It was about a fifteen-minute interview for a VO-SOT. Reighard is a stickler sometimes so when I asked him if we could do the interview a second time considering I cut off half of his head during the interview, my frustration within myself kicked in. I told myself, “Savannah, you’ve been working for weeks on double checking your framing, white balance, EVERYTHING. What are you thinking?” But hey- I interviewed Reighard again and got what I needed in time. Moral of the story, I battled through a reporters mistake and made sure I did what I needed to do in order to succeed.
In the last week I also got to sit down with a profound and well-respected author, Jon Meacham and talk about his newest book about George Bush Senior. My P2 card was about to be full and I was worried I wouldn’t have everything I needed. Safe to say I was able to work through it get what I needed. It’s a learning block though because you learn to be more prepared through all of the madness. Time management, responsibility, and patience come along with the completion of Super Semester.
There are going to be so many obstacles to overcome in years to come in my life, but over coming one of the most difficult semesters in my college career seems like a pretty big accomplishment to me. I think what is also important during Super Semester is to constantly remind yourself what you are “learning.” Not only am I learning how to use a camera or how to work with AVID, but also I’m learning how to be poised and calm, how to speak clearly and slowly. How to write for someone to understand, not read — there are so many things that I can put on a personal resume for myself. I may not have a job producing at a local station (yet), but I know for sure that not only have I become a better student and broadcaster, but also a stronger person in something I love to do.
Anyways, I still have lots to do before Friday.
Gotta “run.”
