March 28, 2012

Memorabilia and Au Revoir

by: Jayvee

You’ve heard enough from me. Here are some of the finalists with their greatest memories from Newsday 2012!

After I finished my interview and story on CBC Radio One's NXNW, Sheryl MacKay asked me if I felt relieved, and I realized I wasn't. I didn't want my air time to end.
-Allie Graham

Seeing all of our faces drop after watching our audition tapes for the first time and realizing that boy we were lucky that they picked us anyways even though we were far from perfect in our auditions ! :)
-Danica Llaneta

Doing an intense phone interview with the vsb and realizing I was being taken seriously as a real journalist.
-Brynn Shaffer

Seeing the look on people's faces when they realize that I, a teenager, am a CBC reporter is a great feeling.
-Jason Deo

That moment where I sat down to do my first interview and thought, "I have no clue what I'm doing”... or that moment when we got our red jackets.
-Andrew Chang

The day I worked at CBC and missed school for it ...YEAH!
-Lucy Lin

Being proud of myself because I am the only deaf guy who is a CBC student reporter and excited to get a chance! It's a really great feeling! Can't believe that I made it to one of 30 finalists! :)
-Amar Mangat

Wearing our flashy red jackets downtown! Or anywhere for that matter :)
-Brandon Olidan

Being able to show how us teens are anything but apathetic by presenting relevant stories that matter to us :).
-Hyunsoo Kanyamuna

The times my cheeks hurt from smiling while being with my fellow reporters! :)
-Taryn Audet

I was actually eager to express my views and just ENJOY WRITING - something that is not in my vocabulary most of the time :P
-Fay Al-Hakim

Getting the red jackets part. And seeing my piece being edited and put together was a really cool experience. But I think we had alot of fun at the pizza lunch!
-Ajax Wong

I think the most memorable part of this whole experience has to be getting a migraine from staring at the computer for almost three hours while my mentor and I edited my piece and then having that sense of accomplishment. But I'm sure after tomorrow, getting the $1000 will be up there :P
-Brandon Brock

Well, this is it guys, the FINAL post. The weeks really flew by! This is me officially signing out… so, see ya!

PS. To hear more of me, visit my blog www.stilodorito.com.

 

 

March 27, 2012

This One for Gratitude

by: Jayvee

I’m really quite thankful for what I have gone through.

To Linda and Theresa - Oh my main mentors. thank you so much. You have both been very patient with me. The countless emails and DM's (and even a text) that we’ve exchanged through the past few weeks have guided me through my blogging here. Tirelessly, you have replied to my queries and requests to really further spruce up my blog posts. Thank you so much for the guidance!

PS. Linda, I cannot show enough of my gratitude for your editing. You have saved my butt from misleading sentences, and too much information!

29 Finalists- Oh my comrades, how I've feared your presence... during the first 10 seconds. I never expected all of you to be so warm and nice! Conversations are very easy to make with you guys. I'm being very gutsy here, but could I say that I've made 29 new friends? Hopefully we keep in touch!

Everyone involved: All of your efforts have been very much appreciated by me, and I'm sure the other finalists. You have all given us experiences of a lifetime that we shall never forget. Especially, I would like to thank Sylvan Learning; the scholarships will really help us out in the future...maybe to become journalists!

I have a special mention to my two friends, Jody and Micah. Without the simple fact of being friends with them, I would have never known about CBC Newsday, and completely missed this wonderful opportunity. You guys should audition again!

 

 

March 27, 2012

5 Things I Learned and Discovered through Newsday

by: Jayvee

• Public transportation – I think I’ve talked about this quite often. Read my past posts and you will relate. I am confident to say now that I can take public transportation confidently and efficiently!
• Social Skills- Waddling Penguin is now a Social Butterfly. Well maybe I’m not that great yet, but I can talk to people! I can actually communicate and interact with people now! Woohoo
• Twitter – Oh dear Twitter used to be a place for my rants. I discovered how great of a planning/communication tool it was. I was given full details of an upcoming meeting in 150 words…
• Cameramen Drive - That’s it ‘nuff said. Oh, and they’re really cool guys too!
• Email – I’m a teenager, we use Facebook to communicate. What is e-mail?? LOL I remember my first few emails sent due to Newsday—so proper! I would read it 5 times like it’s an essay! Now I email Linda almost every day, and although not completely informal, it’s not so primp and proper. It’s efficient, I think.
• Don’t Trespass into the CBC studios- No, I did not trespass in anyway. This is just a little advice for those thinking of doing it. You see, entry into the CBC offices is by these robotic glass doors. THEY CAN KILL! They will suddenly close on you. So, I was very scared of those doors the last time I went to the studio, which was last Tuesday.

Just thought I’d make this one a nice light-hearted little post. My Newsday project is ending soon! Of course, I have a few more posts…

 

 

March 27, 2012

Security and Keeping Chill

by: Jayvee

So smooth, you know they’ve done it many times!

Once again, this happened during my time with Andrew and the CBC crew, working on his story.

Short and quick, the security were all over us when we came to the second location, which is a Medical Research Centre.

If there was something overly dramatic throughout the entire day I spent with Andrew and the crew, it would be the security. The moment we got into the building, they were on us like hawks! They got the walkie talkies out, called this person, and that person.

I found it quite awesome how Brett and Theresa handled it VERY WELL. I mean, yes it’s part of their job, but it was really cool seeing it in action anyway. Brett was especially chill, he almost didn’t give any attention to the security, and reasoned that the cameras were turned off.

Of course, they had no business with our agenda whatsoever, and everything went out fine in the end. Like Theresa said, maybe they were bored so they had to find something to do.

 

 

March 22, 2012

That’s a BROLL !

by: Jayvee

Anyone know what a b-roll is? Is it like a California roll?

I'm just following up on my thoughts when I went with Andrew and the CBC team to work on his TV story. I’m really excited to see the final product by the way.

We spent most of our time with an interviewee doing a B-roll. There were multiple re-shoots, multiple scenes, and different angles. Before that day, I didn’t even know what a B-roll was, much less that we would be spending the majority of our time shooting it.

Well, a B-roll is basically those slick sequences of video being shown while there is usually a voice-over of a narrator, in this case the reporter himself, Andrew. Quite honestly, it’s the thing that makes the news exciting, and stimulating. It keeps you watching and distracted from changing the channel…

While shooting for this particular B-roll, it was Brett, the cameraman, who was once again being very pro-active, and essentially “directing” the interviewee. He knew which shots to do, which angles, and the creative input he would be adding to make the clip visually stimulating. From my post before this, I have told you how I didn’t expect the cameraman to be as involved as this, but really, in their own right, a cameraman is a producer and should be given more credit than what I’ve seen.

Also, I realized how willing and cooperative the interviewee was in shooting. Take note, these guys aren’t really paid for the interviews and for them to do as much as I saw and actually give some of their time to these shoots deserves quite the remark.

In essence, shooting a B-roll takes time (in one part, more than the actual interview), and producing it wasn’t as “organic” as I thought. The scenes had to really be “made” and directed, which took a lot of cooperation from the interviewee.

 

 

March 21, 2012

Glamour? Say what?

by: Jayvee

This post simply follows my train of thought from the last post.

First impressions stick. My first impression of the news-world from TV shows and CBC offices has painted a world of glamour and “sparkle” in my head. The portrayal of news has always been primp and proper. Reporters with full on make-up and two assistants handing out tissue and fetching coffee, telling the cameraman what to do, where to shoot and all. Of course, that’s just my dramatized scenario, but I can’t say I haven’t seen it in television shows and movies.

This was all very far from the truth, I quickly realized. Glamour was non-existent and it was just like any other job. It was... normal and you had to work. Maybe the spontaneity was an added bonus. I was a bit surprised to see that Brett, the cameraman, was also the driver for that day and Theresa had no assistant! In the van were Theresa, Brett and a chock full of equipment. It was everywhere!

While working on the stories, Brett the cameraman also did a lot more than what I expected. I thought, “Oh, he’d just point the camera right in front of the subject and call it a day”. No, that was not the case. Once we got into the location, it was automatic. He quickly scouted for spots, checked lights, and noticed the mirror that could ruin shots. He was very much a producer in his own right. He shot a lot more than just the subject. (I’ll talk more about this later on)

Basically, to sum up my babble, being a journalist is just like any other normal job. It doesn’t put you on a pedestal. It does have the added bonus of spontaneity something that will forever make journalism an attractive career option for me.

 

 

March 20, 2012

Re-porter: A rite of passage

by: Jayvee

If I haven’t updated you much through this blog or through my twitter @stilodorito, then you should know that I went with Andrew last Monday (first day of Spring break and we’re working!) to help with his story.

Do you know what sticks are? I didn’t know what they were at first. Basically it’s another name for a tripod. I disagree with that name though. They should be called stones or boulders. That baby was heavy! Not really, that’s just for dramatic effect - quite weighty though.

Basically, I had the privilege of hauling that thing around to the different shooting locations. The story is really as simple as that, but it opened my eyes. Up until that day, I used to think that journalism was a “glamorous” job, and more of an indoors occupation. I guess not. Basically if I wasn’t there, the actual working reporter of that story would be carrying the equipment and other paraphernalia.

Andrew, Nisha, and probably all the other kids working on television segments, got the chance to carry the wonderful “sticks”.

PS. They were not like your ordinary home tripod for your little DSLR. No. This was like the big gun of tripods!

 

 

March 12, 2012

A Story On Transportation

by: Jayvee

You’re in for a laugh with this one!

Since day 1 of my CBC Newsday adventures, I knew transportation would be an issue. It really isn’t supposed to be an issue as most people my age are quite comfortable with public transportation. What more can I say - I’m special?

My personal meeting with my mentor, Linda Kaye of Sylvan Learning, was on a Friday at their White Rock location and I was VERY much unaware of the bus routes in the area. I was driven to the location, but had to bus back. My sister had vaguely told me which bus to ride to get back home. Of course it still wasn’t that clear, but I had an iPhone so I thought I’d be fine and able to find my way home.

After our meeting, with the phone in my hands, I confidently started walking. I continued on for a few minutes thinking I was on the right track. I saw a station where the Number 375 bus would stop and it would only take about 15 minutes of waiting for the bus to arrive. Well, the 375 bus arrived 5 minutes early. I got in, paid my fare and took a seat, while letting out a sigh of relief. I thought I was on my way home.

A few stops later, it started to get weird for me. We seemed to be going farther from civilization. There were fewer buildings along the road, and the stations started getting farther and farther from each other. It finally hit me that I probably was on the wrong bus when we started getting near the US border! My family crosses the border often so I know what it looks like.

I was the ONLY passenger left on the bus so I decided to talk to the driver. Well, it turns out I DID ride the proper bus…going the opposite direction! I was supposed to go to the bus stop on the other side of the road. I didn’t know. . . I had never been to the place at all, but really, I guess it was just a moment of stupidity! (I’m laughing at myself as I write this).

Thankfully, the bus driver was nice. I told him that I was getting off at the next stop which looked like an empty patch of land so I realized that was a bad idea. He told me to stay on as he was driving my way north now. Now I thought I was back on track.

About 15 minutes later, while still riding the bus, Mother Nature decided to strike! I started feeling the urge at 16th Ave. I was supposed to get off at 105th Ave., but I just couldn’t hold it. I hesitantly left the bus at 76th Ave. There was a park. . .

After that I thought to myself, “Okay this is it. I am DONE with public transit”. I called my mom so she could pick me up from wherever I was.

What a day huh?!

 

 

March 6, 2012

An Interview with Andrew, a TV reporter for CBC Newsday

by: Jayvee

From day 1 it seemed Andrew had a lot to say. My theory was proven when I saw his audition reel. This guy talks a lot and moves his hands a lot while he does! I caught up with him for some quick questions regarding Newsday.

Q1. What is your story/topic about, and through which medium will you report?

Andrew: I'm investigating the rules, regulations, benefits and especially dangers, of exercise supplements for teenagers. It'll be through TV.

Q2. What is an interesting thing you didn't know or expect from your medium?

Andrew: I didn't expect that a story that is only going to be 1:30 'minutes' on air would take so long to develop. Each of the interviews are half an hour, not to mention all the time spent researching the issue, phoning possible people to interview, emailing my mentor/Theresa Lalonde, and following up on everything. I also didn't expect all the issues that come with being a student reporter - everything from people not taking you seriously when you phone to teachers giving you a bunch of homework you missed to do CBC stuff. It's been crazy, especially all the phone tag ' because' people that I talk to, like the dietitians, work 9-3, or 9-5, and I don't get home to make phone calls until 4, so I spend a lot of my lunch times phoning people to try to arrange interviews. Thankfully, a lot of them are very accommodating and we try to work around their schedule and mine.

Q3. I've been told that I'll be shadowing you as you work on a story. Well, what have you got up your sleeves that day? What are your plans that day, any interviews, or cool locations?

Andrew: Yeah, I heard that you're shadowing me...hope you're not too disappointed. I've actually been freaking out a lot more now that I know that you're going to be there. I'm plan to interview two people that day: a student who uses supplements, like a protein drink, and a registered dietitian who specializes in sports nutrition. I was supposed to interview a manufacturer the same day, but he ended up having to go to a conference so I'm interviewing him later on. Hopefully the day works out well. I'm very nervous and excited about it!

Q4. Well, with all the shooting, editing and writing, are you feeling stressed or worn out? Would you say Newsday is challenging?

Andrew: Stressed? Yes. Worn out? Definitely. Challenging? For sure. But I don't think that it would be as much fun unless it was really challenging. I got into it because I really wanted to see what real journalism was all about, and I recognize it's challenging. To have my story be challenging means that I'm really experiencing all the problems and obstacles that reporters encounter on a daily basis. Plus the end result, I hope, will be worth it. I'm excited to see my finished product and have it go on air, so to have that end goal in mind really helps keep me motivated. I haven't done any shooting or editing or writing yet, but I'm sure that it will be difficult! However, I don't think I could have survived without the help of my mentors, Alan Waterman and Theresa Lalonde. Every time I have a question, they have an answer. Sometimes I feel bad, emailing and DMing them so often. I even had to text Theresa Lalonde on the weekend. They must hate me by now. Haha. But in all seriousness, they've been a HUGE help. They've really helped me figure out what my next steps are, and how to proceed. They've been a major resource for me. So, Newsday is hard, but it's a fun hard because I'm really excited for when it all goes live!

 

Seems like Andrew is quite anxious about the upcoming events and I can't wait till I (er…we) see him in action!

 

 

March 1, 2012

CBC Workshop Part 2|Then Came the Jackets

by: Jayvee

After a slightly fun, but awkward lunch break that didn’t include much eating on my part, we went back to the boardroom. We didn’t stay there for long...

We were made to wait a few hours before we got what we were really waiting for: our individual assignments. Personally, I was hoping for TV. Who wasn’t?! Apart from that, I was hoping for a web job; at least, I was slightly familiar with that. I didn’t know that there was a Sylvan/Newsday blogger position available. I actually have my own blog so I was pleased when that became my job appointment and it’s the reason you are reading my weekly posts. Along with my position they selected a social media person. Brandon Olidan is my “partner in crime” in terms of what we do for Newsday.

After the excitement of learning our positions, we were given more excitement when we received our bright red CBC jackets! All thirty of us had smiles on our faces and were quite proud to be wearing it. I was quite happy to wear it myself.

Then, we were off to the streets where we got to interview people about a recent string of bank robberies. I didn’t get to do one, as I was too occupied taking pictures. Danica was interviewing people left and right like her life depended on it! She was quite good. I think we learned that not everyone will be the same during interviews. We came across really accommodating people and some very standoffish personalities. I guess that’s all in a day’s work.

Close to the end of our workshop, we shot promos for Newsday. I thought that was really fun too, as everyone was getting quite comfortable and becoming friends with each other.

At 4 pm, it was time to go and my second time to ride the skyrain alone. (It’s a big deal!)

 

 

February 23, 2012

CBC Workshop Day One: Talks and Education

by: Jayvee

This is the first part of the Workshop Day, before lunch. I can’t decide which one I liked the most. This first part, or the second part I’ll write about next. You tell me! Tweet your opinion with a #cbcnewsday hashtag!

Just a few minutes after having taken my seat, the workshop started. You’ve all seen the video of our audition tapes. Well, the first thing Theresa did on the workshop was show that to the thirty of us. Man, we were all (slightly?) embarrassed! Well, at least I was. After that came our first speaker.

Linda Kaye, from Sylvan learning, and my personal CBC mentor, was the first to run a “workshop” with us. She taught us about journalistic writing and keeping it Clear, Concise and Correct. The most exciting part of her workshop were the interviews we had with our partners. First, she had us conduct an easy straight-forward interview with our seatmates, just to get everybody introduced basically. The last activity after her “lecture” was a bit lot tougher. Now, we had to right about the interview and fit in the opening part of our article in 90 words! Also, we had about ten minutes to conduct the interview and write about it. Luckily, I didn’t have to read mine out loud; although the little article I wrote wasn’t too bad. Everyone in the group reached a learning curve in journalistic writing and I thought the exercise was great. For a whole article on journalistic writing, click HERE for Sylvan’s tips.

The following speaker was a producer from CBC radio. First, she discussed about CBC, its values, what it stands for, and how things worked out for them basically. Next, she discussed on points from where stories came from. I found this very insightful as I have never thought of some of the points. It also made me think of how impersonal yet personal journalistic writing can be. So journalistic writing is like being free with restriction? It doesn’t make quite a sense to me, neither. We had a group activity which resulted in getting to know each other more. During this lecture, I gained the moniker as the “who-cares-guy” (I might just talk more about this in a separate post.)

Next thing we knew, it was time for lunch.

 

 

February 20, 2012

First Impressions on the First Day

by: Jayvee

Is this a blog post or a chapter of my upcoming novel? This is a narration of my first few minutes on CBC Workshop Day 1.

"I finally get to meet everyone else!" I thought to myself on my way to the workshop, which was also my FIRST time riding the skytrain alone (That’s a big deal!)

From the the Stadium-Chinatown station, it’s about a 3-5 minute walk to the CBC Offices. Now, it’s usually not an issue, but that day was quite special. I had just sprained my leg the day before. Man, I was working the streets of downtown with a limp!

Previously unknown, I was actually walking alongside two of the other 29 finalists, Amar & Nisha. I signed up on the guest list and made my way in through those super cool robotic glass doors! Then, I proceeded into the conference room where most of the other finalists have taken their seats.

I took the seat on the far corner, right in front of the tv, beside Jason Deo. Funny thing is we go to the same school, but we’ve never met each other before that day. I made some small talk. Everyone gave off such a mature and educated demeanor. They weren’t even talking that much yet! Of course being the Jayvee that I am, I felt slightly insecure. But all was fine through the rest of the day.

More posts about such a fun day coming up!

 

 

February 14, 2012

It’s Showtime!

by: Jayvee

Today I’ll be blogging about the ACTUAL audition process, sheer minutes before the audition, my 90 seconds of fame and my gut feeling right after.

See, I came in EARLY at 2:10 for my 3-5 PM auditions and the whole time, while everyone was trying to practice their parts, there I was on twitter or Facebook. (I even had a small feature twitter-ing on the first Newsday promo). I considered myself very relaxed at this point, but that quickly dissipated at around 2:59 PM when I realized I was part of the next batch to present their pitches. Now, I had a feeling of panic. Yes, I decided to practice and “perfect” my delivery only two minutes before I was on the spot. Like I’ve said on my last post, spontaneous and Ill-prepared.

I felt a change again, once I took my seat. I felt comfortable this time, mostly due to Theresa’s (main Newsday mentor) “comforting” words. She said something along the lines of “It’s not about being perfect; we just want to know who you are. “ That sure did it for me, and I just made sure that I let whatever personality I had really shine through during my pitch. I also didn’t forget to mention something that I felt was unique for me. Yes... that’s my “blogging experience”

As you can see in the video, my eyes were doing the tango during my pitch. I guess I really “relaxed” and let my personality shine through. It definitely showed, but my “practiced” presentation went down the garbage, figuratively speaking.

After my audition, I had the feeling of dissatisfaction. I was not the happiest camper out of the bunch. In truth, I didn’t even want to talk about it! I thought I should just forget about it and try next year. My philosophy: If I didn’t get in, I wasn’t expecting anything so no big deal, and if I did, then what a pleasant surprise.

Oh, what a pleasant surprise it was for me a week later!

 

 

February 14, 2012

I've Got Two Words for You! : Phase one of my Audition process

by: Jayvee

SPONTANEOUS and ILL-PREPARED, these two words best describe my audition process.

SPONTANEOUS: If fate hadn’t done so, I would never be in my spot as one of the 30 Finalists. The whole babble about Newsday was done in our school through the P.A system and I simply didn’t listen to it. At the end of the day, on the way to my locker, I saw two of my friends at my school’s career centre. Curious, I went to check out what they were doing. If I remember what one of my friends told me, it was something like this “Oh, the CBC thing. Weren’t you listening to the announcements?!” No, I definitely was not. In my head at the time, I was thinking “Hmm CBC, this is in Downtown; I don’t go there often. I might as well join in!” That’s how it all started.

ILL-PREPARED: Being ill-prepared isn’t exactly a bad thing for me. I guess it’s always worked out for me to just “wing-it” every time, but this was something more serious. During the workshops, they did not stress enough how much you needed to practice, repeat and revise your pitch. I definitely did all of those… 3 hours before my actual audition!

I was VERY nervous the few hours before my audition but, things changed afterwards; I’ll be posting about that next!

 

 

February 14, 2012

Musings of a Newsday Finalist

by: Jayvee

Hi, I’m Jayvee and here are my daily rants and musings about the world. No. I’m just kidding. This is my CBC Newsday blog.

Let’s start this wonderful relationship with an introduction. Like I’ve said, my name is Jayvee and I am 15 years old. I go to Johnston Heights Secondary School in Surrey as a Grade 10 student. A fan of the Arts, I’m currently in my school’s budding choir and band program. In my free time, I run my personal fashion blog, stilodorito.com, in which I discuss styling concepts and ideas, as well as other topics that completely catch my whimsy.

In the future, I intend to work in architecture, or as a writer for fashion and lifestyle publications. But in my perfect world, everyone knows I would LOVE to be a full-time blogger!

In the next few weeks leading up to March 29th, I will be blogging about my ENTIRE Newsday experience as well as checking up on how the others are doing with their stories. Stay tuned!