Eagle Vision

Eagle Vision is Biola’s on campus news that covers news on and off campus. On Tuesday, April 5, I sat in on their weekly class meeting. It is only a 50-minute meeting every Tuesday, which gives them a short amount of time to plan for the week’s stories and review the previous weeks news. Taelor Smith delegated different stories to each person including news, heath, weather, and different events going on at Biola’s campus. This class is a one-unit practicum that most broadcast emphasis students take, but other emphasis can choose to take as well. The team films on Thursdays and all of the individual stories that were covered have to be turned in by Friday so they can be edited and put together with the other stories. Eagle Vision is launched online on the Eagle Vision website, but is mostly viewed through their Facebook website when they upload it over the weekend. Watching last week’s news coverage allowed me to see what Eagle Vision does and the teacher chimed in sharing what could be improved which helped me understand the process of putting all of the footage together.

Last weeks live footage was filmed outside of the library because the construction prevented them from shooting in their first location. The teacher mentioned that it gave a cool effect and in journalism you “improvise or die.” He told the students to make sure that there is good lighting when filming and when they do voice over, to make sure that the mic. is 6 inches away. He strongly advised the students to not slur and pronounce clearly so that the audience does not tune out, keep your chin parallel to the floor, and have a strong finish. The type of room that the students are supposed to record in is a room that does not have ambient sound but a room that has dead sound. There are a lot of little details that tie all of the filming together and make it more professional and intriguing for the audience.

I learned many technical terms that are used commonly in production. Terms like stand ups, cut away, and sound bites. A stand up is when the spokesperson is explaining the story that is being covered, but what is important about a stand up is to make it interactive, showing something else rather then just talking. For instance, last week they were talking about Japan and Biola’s earthquake preparedness. The reporter went into a room and explained the different supplies that are kept in there if a disaster were to happen. It helps the audience visualize what they are talking about and leave them with a memorable mental picture. “Cut away” is a term used when shooting film style. When there is one camera to shoot an interview, it is hard to capture close shots so after the interview the cameraman takes about 60 minutes of head nods and other expressions to edit into the footage. A sound bite is used to get the audience thinking or relate to what the person is saying. The sound bites that were used in the Eagle Vision’s clips seemed to capture a person representing the general population and saying something of importance. It’s important that every week there is good coverage and content taking your audience to the actual place, making them feel apart of the news. Last week one of the reporters went to the Nascar race showing clips of food, the crowd, and the race allowing the viewers to envision what it is like to be there.

There are many ways to make the audience feel like they are there. Using graphics and showing film footage of the event being talked about help the story move along. Each week they include a “package” which includes stand up reporting, interviews, and B-roll, which is shots with voice over. Having a wide variety of news coverage is also important so that it pertains to a large audience and informs the viewer on all types of different news. I thought it was interesting how much of a variety they had to keep the viewer tuned in and it made the show run smoothly. Eagle Vision has a lot of work to produce every week including coming up with the stories, writing them, filming them, and then getting it in on time for editing. Although they have a hard time making the deadline, Eagle Vision still keeps their viewers watching by making their final product worth watching. 

Some History Will Never Be Forgotten

On September 11, 2001, tragedy swept over America. The World Trade Centers were struck by highjacked airplanes killing thousands of people. The ash from the buildings covered the city miles away from the Trade Centers. Hearts ached from family members as they watched the breaking news in their homes because of their loved ones in New York. The country was in shock and frantic to insure safety to those in New York and other potential terrorist attacks. After that day, America would never be the same.

As I sat in class watching a video of still image shots, video, and powerful music, goosebumps filled my whole body. The thought that people were in those buildings, terrified, crying horrifically, in pain from the heat, and considering jumping to escape the terrible situation, makes me view the buildings collapsing differently.

Since this horrific event happened when I was about 8 years old, last year I decided to go on YouTube and watch videos that were shot from that day. My eyes starred at the screen and I kept clicking video after video. Some of the videos I watched that day still haunt me to this day, but I think that it was important for me to not water down what took place and understand what really happened. Videos were taken from bystanders and people in the building. One of the videos I watched was taken from the first floor of one of the Trade Centers and I watched the firefighters cringe when they heard a loud thud. That thud was a person taking their own life to get away from the death they faced up near the top of the building. Fear was a dominant emotion that day. I cannot even fathom being in one of the Trade Centers, facing death.

The whole country was effected by September 11. Emotions were stirred wondering how this could happen and who would do such a thing. It is a day that will be remembered for the rest of history.