Sunday, December 9, 2012

A letter to the next group

Dear Capstone class of 2013,

Congratulations on making it this far!  You are about to embark on a process which will require more time and effort than any other class or project with which you have involved yourself in the past.  Capstone is no joke and I have a couple of pointers which I hope will help in the year to come.

First, pick a subject which you are interested in.  You will become an expert on the subject and if you are passionate about it, it will make the project that much easier.  To make the best capstone, you must completely immerse yourself into the subject matter.

Second, DO. NOT. PROCRASTINATE.  A capstone documentary cannot be done last minute if you want to shine at the showcase in December.  Just think of how much time and effort you have put into your previous classes in BC.  Make sure you contact the people you want to feature in your documentary ASAP.  They are all busy and you don't want to have to cut a reliable source just because you did not make time to send one email.  You have one final project next year, so why not give it your all and make something that will truly WOW the department, the audience, and perhaps most importantly, yourself. 

Third, ask for help.  I needed to travel to Raleigh, NC twice on a starving-student income.  So, I went down to the Drinko Center this past summer.  I probably spent a total of a half an hour with them and was awarded a $450.00 travel grant on the spot.  The Drinko Center is wonderful in helping students accomplish their goals, so take a trip down and embrace their help.  In help for the documentary production, Mr. Weaver, Andy, and your classmates are your best friends.  Sometimes it is easy to make simple audio mistakes or perhaps let a jump cut go simply because you have watched your footage so much.  Ask another person to watch your documentary to fix these little mistakes.  The week before Capstone presentations, the wonderful Jarred Treshok spent countless hours helping me go clip by clip fixing details in my documentary.

Last but certainly not least, do not take this last year for granted.  While this is going to truly test every thing you have learned in broadcasting, it is the most rewarding class I have ever had.  If you put in the right amount of time, you will surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.  Yes, there will be tears and plenty of all nighters, but this is when your class goes from friends to family and Mr. Weaver goes from professor to father-figure.  I would not trade a day of capstone.  I learned so much, not only about my subject, but about myself.  So, go out there, find your subject matter, and work to the best of your ability!  I am extremely proud of each of you and I wish success in absolutely everything you want to do from here on out.

Love,
Courtney



 From freshman Today Show wannabees...
...to seniors about to take on the real-life broadcasting world. You guys can do it!

and that's all folks!

On Saturday, December 1, all of the tears, laughs, and capstone struggles came to an end as I, with my classmates Adam and Hannah, presented our final documentaries to a room full of people.  I was really nervous to see how the audience would react to my presentation because, as we can surely all agree, you are your biggest critic and I just was not sure of myself. 
As the ending credits were rolling, and the applause started, I was overwhelmed with joy to see people wiping tears from their cheeks as they clapped.  My story had touched their hearts, just as I had hoped!  Mr. Weaver looked thrilled as Hannah and I stood up to receive questions from the audience.  I was so happy when hands were shooting up to ask us about different details of our projects as it seemed that everyone was really interested in what we were showing them. 
Upon receiving my final statements from my consultants, it has really made me feel good.  They have been so supportive and seem to be genuinely surprised with the finished product.  I was also happy to see that they appreciated that I let the Boyd family tell their own story instead of narrating it. 
The icing on the cake was when Mr. Weaver congratulated Hannah and I on our documentaries.  He has been with us every step of the way since we were just freshman.  There is something so rewarding in giving back to a person who helped you establish the person you are.  I know he was worried with how our documentaries would turn out as he definitely does not hold our hands through the process, so it was awesome being able to show him what we accomplished and make him proud.

 
The feedback I received makes me so elated.  I poured my heart and soul into the subject of my documentary, from making two trips to Raleigh, NC to meet the family and to film to going over every last detail in post-production.  This was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and it is such a bittersweet feeling that it is finally complete!