Eva Hendershot's blog
Audio/Video Storytelling - Lessons Learned
Audio and Video Storytelling from Afar: Lessons Learned
When working with audio and video elements, planning is critical. The equipment and very specific tasks involved in shooting video and gathering audio simply require more planning than is necessary when setting out with just a pen and a notepad. Planning ahead of time becomes even more important when reporting on a story that is not located in your backyard. Not having the luxury to re-shoot and re-gather audio elements at a moment's (or even day's) notice requires that you do everything possible to be successful the first time around and to build in extra time and appointments with your subject to get the best possible material.
Story Posted -- Now on to Lessons Learned
I have posted my story on the site, audio and photos included. The whole process went rather smoothly for me -- as far as I can tell so far. I have not written an article all semester, and I must say, it felt good. After all of my audio and video work this semester, it was very nice to be able to write and tell a story without worrying about any equipment except my laptop. However, it's also clear to me that the audio and visual elements are key to filling out the story and giving Nikki a voice.
More questions about daughter's education
Submitted by Eva Hendershot on April 13, 2009 - 10:40pmWow! As others in my class have already noted, this semester is quickly wrapping up. This, of course, means that my project must be finished soon. I'm not too worried about getting what I need, although I did not make as many contacts as I had planned last week. This week, I am going to do a follow-up phone interview with my subject, Nikki. When I told my classmates about Nikki, one of the first things they wanted to know was what Nikki thinks about her own daughter's future education. For some reason, I did not ask Nikki about that in my first interview with her. This is the advantage to being in continuous contact with a subject, though. I am interested in hearing Nikki's thoughts on this.
Back from Bessemer City
I'm back from Bessemer City after meeting Nikki, the subject of my story.
I met Nikki in the mobile home she shares with her husband and 18 month old daugther, Katelyn Michelle. Katelyn had just woken up from a nap when I arrived, but Nikki proved to be adept at multi-tasking as she entertained Katelyn while answering my questions. A little bit about Nikki:
Getting the Story
Submitted by Eva Hendershot on March 31, 2009 - 7:50amToday I am heading to Bessemer City, a town approximately 10 miles from Gastonia. I am making this small trek to interview Nikki McDonald, the subject of my story. McDonald lives with her husband and baby in Bessemer City while she takes classes at Gaston College. She dropped out of high school when she learned she was pregnant and then got her GED at Gaston College. She is now taking classes to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.
Reflections from Home
Submitted by Eva Hendershot on March 16, 2009 - 8:59pmLast week was Spring Break, and while I made a point to take some time off from all school related projects, I couldn't help but have the dropout issue in the back of my mind. I spent the break in Monroe County, Tennessee, my home county. Monroe County is a rural county in eastern Tennessee and faces similar issues as the western mountain regions of North Carolina -- including a high dropout rate.
Finding the Stories
Submitted by Eva Hendershot on March 3, 2009 - 8:06amI have submitted my final project plan - now it's time to get to work on it! I plan to do two stories, each on someone who fits into the category of a "typical" student in Gastonia at risk for dropping out of high school. While every student has a unique story, there are certain demographic and social factors that are associated with higher dropout rates (take a look at this site's FAQ section for more information.)
Surprises behind the numbers
Submitted by Eva Hendershot on February 24, 2009 - 12:45amAs I compiled information about the geographic distribution of the state's dropout rate, I was struck by several things.
First of all, I was amazed by the number of schools with dropout rates of 0.00. Wow! A closer look pretty quickly revealed that all of these schools were either private or charter schools. I am now curious about charter schools - what kind of students go to charter schools? How do their curriculum, instruction style and goals differ from non-charter schools?
A New Way to Engage
Submitted by Eva Hendershot on February 16, 2009 - 11:36pmAs a fledgling journalist, everything about the reporting process is new to me. However, this feeling of newness is certainly not limited to those of us just entering the field. I, along with my professional peers around the globe, must learn how to adapt to the new media landscape and to use all the tools at our disposal to enhance our reporting. As I've learned in the past month, the possibilities are endless.

