My first year of convergence is over! It has been a very exciting year, and I have learned quite a few new skills and strategies throughout this year.
In terms of technology...
I have continued to improve my skills in Final Cut. For example, when I created the basketball player intros, it was the first time using the green screen. I taught myself how to use the keyer, fine tuning the clips to create the most realistic background.
I also taught myself how to do simple animations in After Effects, which was helpful in designing the ticker for ONW Now and the lower thirds for the show. I have also created other simple animations throughout my videos to make them look more professional.
I also learned how to use the Daktronics software for the new video board. I created graphics for live stats, which I updated throughout the home basketball games, and I imported the player intros to show during the games, as well as stat screens for each player.
I also continued to enhance my skills in my favorite program, Illustrator, and used it in many of my projects to design any needed graphics.
In terms of collaboration...
I have collaborated on several projects with other people. For example, I have worked with Ben Blades on three different projects for Community for Coaches, including one video project and two other events in which we filmed. Every home basketball and football game has been a collaborative effort with several different people doing many different jobs. I've learned through these experiences that it is important to listen to other people, otherwise the entire project will go downhill. Often times I have had more experience than the other people I'm working with, and I still need to work on being more patient with those individuals, as everyone has a different set of skills and their own skill levels. Usually, if I am able to do a project by myself, I will opt to do that. I have found that it is much easier to take on a project by yourself, as you are in control of everything that happens in that project rather than relying on teammates to produce their own parts of the final product. In several instances, my partner or partners have not carried their own load or their work was insufficient for the final product. In those cases, I ended up doing or redoing their work, which can be very frustrating.
In terms of communication...
Communication has been an interesting part of this year's class. I learned very quickly that communication within this class was not strong, and that poor communication can ultimately doom the entire class. There have been many instances where individuals have not had their packages completed in a timely manner for ONW Now filming, and it really gets on my nerves. Next year, I hope we will have strict deadlines. For example, one of my hopes is that if people do not have their packages completed and on the drive by a certain time, it will automatically be taken off of the show, no questions asked. Having this kind of a strict policy would hopefully encourage people to complete their packages on time and would reduce stressful filming days when we have to go down to the end of the hour or even after school all because someone didn't have their package done on time. Another instance that frustrated me was people's inability to read simple instructions. I created a tutorial outlining step-by-step instructions for creating lower thirds, but people were so against making them. People would whine and complain about having to do them when in reality it was a very simple process. Furthermore, some people never even learned how to do them by the end of the year. Some people would ask for me or someone else to make lower thirds for them, which was extremely irritating. I hope that next year we can streamline the process and that people will have a simple willingness to actually learn how to do them. In some of these instances, I got very frustrated, but next year I'll need to remember to have patience and let it go rather than blowing up on someone.
In terms of project management...
I did several client projects over the year as well as my projects in e-Comm. For example, I created a video for CFC (Community for Coaches), filmed and produced videos for multiple PRT Theatre shows, and created a banquet video for SMNW Baseball, along with several other videos.
I was able to finish all of these projects on time, although several projects had quick turnarounds. I also did many packages for ONW Now throughout the year, and I was also able to finish those in time for filming. I also learned throughout the year that it's important to know your limits. I turned down several projects just because I knew it would be extremely difficult for me to complete a high-quality finished product along with everything else I was doing at the time. Working with clients can be difficult sometimes. I had to work with a couple of people who did not give me everything I needed to begin with, and would frequently ask to make changes in the videos. These instances would be frustrating, but that's just how client projects work sometimes.
In terms of leadership...
There was really no official leadership positions in this class, but I often had important roles for filming ONW Now and filming sports. I learned over the year that as someone who often takes on leadership roles in the class, it is important to set a good example for the rest of the class. There were many instances where I became very frustrated with people and was not as kind as I should have been. That is something I will need to be very mindful of next year.
My greatest strengths and weaknesses...
In this class, my greatest strengths are my technical abilities. I know how to do pretty much anything I want to do when it comes to video, and that has definitely been a huge jump from my skills freshman year. I have learned how to conduct interviews, set up shots, color correction, audio adjusting, and even other programs such as After Effects and Daktronics Content & Display Studio to further improve my skills.
My biggest weakness is patience. I need to learn to be more respectful and kind toward people that may not have as many skills as I do. If people are unwilling to do work or learn a new skill, I should move on and continue my own work rather than worrying about what they're doing and becoming frustrated with them.
With what I've learned this year...
I will bring my experiences in to this next year. I will use my skills and abilities to try to make ONW Now the best it can possibly be. Instead of being concerned with others' shortcomings, I must be focused on my own skills and my own personal improvement in this class. Unfortunately, there will be times when we will need to rely on each other in this class, and in those situations, I must remember to be kind and thoughtful toward people who do not have the same set of skills I have. Being patient and kind toward people will result in positive progress for them rather than looking down on them. With all of these skills and experiences, I hope to have a great senior year in e-Comm!
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