It was 9:30 p.m. and I was still editing the ATVN show. As the video producer on our first Wednesday newscast after spring break, I was in charge of compiling all the anchor introductions, packages, interviews, and video clips into a single Premiere timeline. The coronavirus forced Annenberg to shut its doors the week before and everyone, from the executive producers (EPs) to the multimedia journalists (MJs), was stuck in their homes.
That show was particularly tough for me. During the day, I felt like our team was creating the wheel while driving a car. We were all working with new programs, teaching MJs to film themselves correctly, and restructuring everyone’s roles all through Zoom and Slack. A new obstacle was thrown at my team every hour, whether it was an MJ having trouble uploading his or her video or a Zoom interview that had a shaky internet connection. Though uploading the show at 11 p.m. defeats the purpose of getting our viewers fast news, we were just happy to have it done.
My time as the video producer made me aware of smaller technical aspects I took for granted in the newsroom. The ATVN bug at the bottom right, the transition wipes, and the fonts for graphics were just some of the basic elements I had to learn since I never handled those details myself before. Working from home tested my mechanical knowledge of producing and I felt like I was rewiring the ATVN breaker box on my desktop.
Technical errors are quick fixes, but I also became more cognizant of our workflow. Our first newscast was relatively inefficient. We didn’t want people to feel like their hands were tied as the show was edited by a single person, so we decided to split editing between the video producer and the EP. Granted the following show was a shorter newscast, we shaved off a few editing hours and it was uploaded by 9 p.m., a dramatic improvement.
I realized that the reason we also had trouble with our workflow was communication. Without the Media Center, the dynamic of our flow disintegrated. We lost key social elements because the very design of the Media Center is tailored for fluid news production. I couldn’t swing my chair around to ask my EP a question or walk 10 feet to check in with the director about the rundown.
However, these past few weeks, my team and I have adapted quickly. An ongoing, all-day Zoom call has virtually replaced the halo in the Media Center and Slack is the space for sending graphics. It’s not perfect by any means, but we’ve learned to function surprisingly well with it.
Even before the coronavirus hit USC, the semester was already hectic with Kobe Bryant’s death, the impeachment trial, and the democratic primaries. March didn’t feel normal in the slightest. For the last ATVN show my team did in the studio, I had to anchor it myself, knowing I had no real experience on camera. Now, with everyone remotely producing, my team has hit another bump in the road towards graduation, at least for us seniors. The past few weeks have tested my producers and me on how to adapt, operate, and function in a new environment. It’s not easy, but we’re journalists at heart and our job is to visualize information. With every ATVN show, we’re slowly becoming comfortable with uncertainty.