My First Report

As a television major, I am required to produce two reports this term. As chance would have it, my pair was for the second and third shows. This would require finding a story, shooting the footage, editing a completed report and uploading it to the computer server. Fortunately, for my first story at least, an idea presented itself that was easily obtainable and gave me the opportunity to show diversity in the media.

Sisters in Spirit is an annual event that honours missing and murdered aboriginal women. I was given a flyer at an early Thanksgiving dinner at the Micmac daycare. It turned out I knew one of the organizers and was able to shoot it without any objections. When I arrived, CTV, Global and ATPN were there and through my previous experience I knew them all.
The first thing I noticed was that Halifax MP Megan Leslie was there. I knew her from a few previous interviews and I figured she may not be able to stay for the entire event. I approached her and she was happy to oblige. Along with CTV, we asked her a few questions and I got some easy clips.

I then proceeded to get a variety of shots and a few more clips. In particular, a woman was there whose sister was a recent victim of violence. I had met her before and when it was over I thought I’d ask her if she would comment on the event. She turned out to be the key to the story and I knew I could “book-end” the story with her. It was the emotional connection I needed for a great story.

I was somewhat uneasy about editing the report because I had never written a script and done voice over before. However, once I got started it came together nicely. I was proud of my completed piece and I gained a great deal of confidence with regards to my future reports. I feel I can be a successful videographer now.