Confused

Mary Elizabeth Medawar, NBC5 Next

I finally shot the last of my interviews today, but alas, my work is just beginning. I bought a MacBook Pro a couple weeks ago because my PC crashed right before finals for the millionth time. I have wanted to get a new computer for a while and this gave me a valid excuse. So with this amazing new machine I was determined to do all my video editing from home, rather than spending endless hours in the editing lab. However, what I neglected to recognize at the time was that editing from my home computer would create a plethora of problems I wouldn’t have otherwise encountered. I first had to figure out how to transfer the video from the camera onto my computer. Okay, not so hard, buy a firewire. Then I realized there wasn’t enough room on my computer for the video files, which again, after a few calls my confidence was restored. Answer: buy an external hard-drive. Overcoming the first couple hurdles was simple.
But the predicament in which I am currently entangled is teaching myself Final Cut in the next few hours so I can successfully edit my package. I always heard it was user friendly, unlike the demonized Avid, so I assumed it would be a simple learning process and I would be editing in no time. I was wrong.
Never assume you can teach yourself the ins and outs of new software overnight without a tutorial or any guidance. Lesson learned.

Orientation

Mary Elizabeth Medawar, NBC5 Next

Yesterday was the intern luncheon and orientation. The grand event was kicked off with food, introductions and jokes about the hefty pay we receive. Basically, we filled out paperwork and went through the rules and policies for NBC employees (and interns). One thing that actually penetrated me was a story about the station manager. He acquired a weekend job of answering the phone for Channel 2, I believe it was, during his senior year of college. Every weekend he would show up to work nights (it was a third-shift job) dressed in a shirt and tie. Presumably, few people were at the station, if anyone. Yet he continually showed up for work with professional attire and did his best to pass along breaking stories or anything else he deemed important. This college student who answered phones all night became the station manager of NBC5 in Chicago.
Don’t dress for the job you have; dress for the job you want.

It Starts

Mary Elizabeth Medawar, NBC5 Next

This is so ridiculously confusing. It has officially taken me 50 times longer to maneuver through this site than it will to write this post. I have never blogged before and must admit, it is much more difficult than I ever imagined. So here it goes..

As of yesterday I am an NBC5 Next intern and am already anticipating the completion of my first story. I didn’t really have expectations as to what my first day would entail, but it was a lot like I expected. Brian (the other intern) and I pitched our stories at the morning meeting and received helpful feedback. By next week we each must complete one package and also write a print version for the Web. Realistically, one week is an extensive amount of time for a story, but I am used to being in school and having about two or three weeks. There is no time to squander. Welcome to the real world.