I chose to become a print journalist for a reason.
I’ve never been comfortable having all eyes on me, so the thought of being in front of a camera for a living wasn’t appealing.
Then along came the Catholic Courier’s new Advent project.
Beginning Nov. 28, our website will feature a multimedia Advent calendar with daily "treats" to open as we count down the days to Christmas. These treats will include such things as seasonal music, Scripture readings, photo slideshows and videos.
We needed Courier staff to help create some of the content, so I volunteered to star in baking and crafting videos. Even though I’m not thrilled with the way I look and sound on camera, I was actually looking forward to doing something new and different.
Then the day to shoot my first video came.
I was OK during the time it took Photo Editor Mike Crupi and me to set up the conference room in which we were recording. I enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes for Mike to make a video — and believe me, it’s more involved than you would expect!
After he took still photos of the supplies, adjusted the lighting, checked the audio and set up the camera angle, he gave me the go ahead to begin.
I was definitely nervous. I stumbled over my words and forgot my lines. Mike graciously gave me additional chances to get things right and guided me through what I needed to do to help him get the shots he needed. In all, it took almost three hours to record making three simple craft projects.
In the end, it was worth going out of my comfort zone to make these videos. Check out my first one on Nov. 28 and see if you agree!
