Advice for Future Broadcasters

As one capstone year comes to an end, another one is very close to beginning. The class of 2014 is getting set to start their first semester of capstone in January. There are a lot of people that I know and am friends with so I would like to give them Connor Kobis' 3 helpful tips for capstone.

1.) Start thinking of topics ASAP!:  The first semester is all about hammering out an idea. The sooner the better! Once you can pick out a topic you can start doing research and getting prepared for the URAC poster presentation.

2.) Use your classmates to your advantage: I couldn't stress how useful it was get my classmates' take on my documentary while I was shooting and editing it. I would constantly ask how this shot looked or if I should use a transition here or there. This really helped me fine tune the production process and editing.

3.) Shoot, Shoot and Shoot some more:  Let me make this simple.....YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH VIDEO. The more the better; go for different types of shots (close ups, wide shots, steady zooms). Try and shoot early on in the semester so that you can go through your footage and log what you have. 

Good Luck Class of 2014! I know you guys are capable of great things.  

So How Did I Do?

The broadcasting communications' capstone showcase has come and gone. It is a great relief and satisfaction to me that the journey has finally come to an end. My documentary presentation went over great with my audience. The Coy's were in attendance and told me that they really appreciated my work and we're tearing up at certain parts. That meant a lot to me as I was very concerned on how their reaction would me. Even my Dad said that he was getting a little emotional during the documentary.

My consultants and instructor reacted positively to my documentary. My capstone professor Brad Weaver and my other consultant Jonathan Joy said that they really enjoyed my storytelling ability that I was able to give to the audience. Mr. Weaver said he liked how I dug deep especially with interviewing President Dorman to provide that extra conflict. As far as negatives are concerned, Mr. Joy said that some production values could have been improved and corrected such as interviews looking different almost as if they were shot with different cameras. Also some different lighting issues such as video being a little dark at times. I understood this criticism as I had to deal with different backgrounds and outdoor/indoor elements while shooting the documentary.

I feel that the feedback given on my capstone is justified and fair. I was proud of my performance but always know that there is something that I could have done better. Having a crew to help out could definitely have helped along the way but all in all for producing the documentary by myself I think I did a good job.

Thanks again to everyone's help with the production of my capstone documentary. Here's the link to the finished product. 

https://vimeo.com/54554915