I will add a video version of this post for #CCCWrite once I recover from a heavy cold. : )
For a year after college, I worked at the PBS television station in St. Louis as the assistant to the Production Manager. I was surrounded by the latest technology but, aside from running the teleprompter on occasion, the equipment was mostly off limits to me. I sat at a desk outside the studio most days, scheduling production crews and feeling stymied as a budding journalist.
It was the year 2000. I had recently graduated from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism where I had learned to produce professional-quality TV and radio news stories. I graduated with a fair amount of confidence in my writing and technical abilities, but I saw no clear path to a more challenging technical or creative position at PBS or beyond. Cameramen (who were, in fact, all men) worked on contract and struggled to make ends meet. More stable positions such as Video Editor or Producer required extensive professional experience, which I was not acquiring as an assistant. I felt stuck and soon went to grad school to study History, another passion.
Now, I wonder why I didn’t make low-tech stories of my own in my off-time. I assumed that there was no audience for the sorts of interview subjects that I knew, and I didn’t know how to go about selling my work as a freelancer or how to fully manage a website of my own. If easy blogging tools existed at the time, I didn’t know about them. In any case, I would have feared seeming amateurish without professional equipment and some sort of institution behind me.
In retrospect, the people I knew best in my hometown of Vandalia, Missouri, two hours outside of the city, needed someone to tell their stories. In 2001, the region was hit especially hard by the recession and still hasn’t fully recovered. I now observe the breakdown of civil discourse among hometown friends and family, mostly from a distance on Facebook. I wish I could make more of an impact, but I haven’t lived there for 23 years.
Now I feel more comfortable posting online and appreciate the value of showcasing the ideas of the people around me. As part of my job as the Instructional Designer at Santa Rosa Junior College, I interview faculty about their online teaching strategies and post the videos on my department’s DE Blog. I still get a little nervous that my quickly-made videos may seem unpolished, but I am trying to let go of my urge to edit out all imperfections. The more I strive for perfection, the fewer interviews I post. And perfection can backfire by intimidating others who might otherwise join the conversation.
Multimedia technology and online publishing have gotten so much easier and affordable in the past 20 years. Many of today’s students participate in online forums using multimedia, but I wonder if they – or their potential audiences – fully recognize the value of the stories around them.
“I still get a little nervous that my quickly-made videos may seem unpolished, but I am trying to let go of my urge to edit out all imperfections. The more I strive for perfection, the fewer interviews I post. And perfection can backfire by intimidating others who might otherwise join the conversation.”
There is a time and place for polished and for the “less so.” When working with faculty, this is an especially challenging concept to work through as they often hope for the perfection too.
Basic communication between people, be it in person or video is best when done with things that are usually not perfect. “Passion” for example is not something you can make look pretty with a better camera or fancier lighting equipment.
Ha, yes, passion and perfection are often in tension. When I get passionate my eyebrows fly up and I find myself repressing that habit on camera.
I couldn’t agree more with this line: “And perfection can backfire by intimidating others who might otherwise join the conversation.” I recently co-facilitated a video workshop with a panel of faculty who use video in their courses. When trying to recruit panel members, so many faculty told me that they didn’t think their videos were good enough or their skills developed enough to participate on the panel. They didn’t realize that they were exactly who I was looking for–someone a novice could relate to, who wouldn’t intimidate a faculty member who’s never created a video.
I’m guessing that the “younger generation” won’t have this hang up as much, since they’re more used to informally posting media. I do think it helps the rest of us to think of recordings as conversations on video rather than as presentations.
Liz, What a great story of challenge and struggle — and of knowing the value of the stories around you. Perhaps you’ll find a way for you and your students to reach out to your Missouri communities and get those stories out there. And you have a wealth of knowledge in many fields to share. I hope you have continued success this role! ~ Sheri
Sheri,
It would be fun to do a pen pal or other type of exchange with communities across the country. Now you’ve got me thinking..! I don’t know college-age students in MO personally but I do have younger nieces and nephews there. (I’ve tried to get my boys to be pen pals with their cousins but that hasn’t taken off yet.) They have fun together in visits, though, so maybe in the future. Thanks for your thoughts.
Liz
Liz, it’s fascinating to hear your story — and how your career changed course for you. I started wanting to be a commercial photographer. That is, until I interned as one and almost blew up the studio after using equipment nobody trained me on. Ugh.
I hope you will continue to write after this “Club” is over. I really enjoy reading your posts and I know you have much more to say.
By the way, I love your faculty interview/course tour videos! I was really excited about adding them to the @ONE YouTube playlist but it looks like they aren’t hosted on YouTube (drats!).
Michelle,
I feel better knowing you almost blew up a studio – I remember being scolded a time or two for improperly rolling up extension cords in the studio. Strange that such a minor thing is etched in my memory. I do hope to keep writing. Thank you so much for the encouragement.
I’ve been meaning to put our DE Blog videos on YouTube – I need to figure out if I can bring over the captioning from 3C Media somehow. (Our department is pretty hardcore about captions.)
Best wishes, Liz