Already, another one :) Oh good-ee. The way I see it one can not be too prepared for life on their own. Today's hint has to do with technology.
#2 Invest in a good computer
Yes, I know this one is completely cliche and everyone says it, but, my word, I have never been so reliant on my computer before. It holds my life within the confines of it's blue plastic shell.
First thing to know when looking for a computer: Price Range. There is no way you can start shopping unless you have a budget so you can see what you are working with. I endorse both Macintosh and PC computers, however here are a few little things to know about the two
Mac Pros Mac Cons
Beautiful picture quality Can't play well with other software
Reliable Expensive, it'll cost you an arm and a leg
Good for video and image editing Word processing is not very friendly
PC Pros PC Cons
Most prevalent in the market Not as reliable
There are great prices for decent machines Crashes are common
User friendly, can interface with most software Not as great graphics
Word Processing is a thumbs up
Next thing to know: how you're going to use the machine. For me, I'm a writer and a graphic designer type myself so I'm split down the middle. I like Macs for my graphics and PCs for my writing and homework. Homework is what will consume my life so I would like a computer to support me through that so I bought a Toshiba Satellite series. I got 500 GB of memory as well because I knew I would be filling it up with all sorts of stuff. Not to mention I also invested in an external hard drive to back up my life. By the way, get an external hard drive. For the student they can be INVALUABLE. Most today are pretty inexpensive, depending on how much space you want.
Well, I'm sure this is probably common knowledge, but I just thought I'd bring my personal touch to it. This is Megan, signing off.
IN CASUS PERGIT
Adventure is Out There!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
The Dream Job (for now)
Seeing as I have finished my first week of work, I thought I might share what I do with all of you (not that anybody reads this anyway). As many of you know I've always wanted to go into Film and Television production, it's been a dream of mine for quite some time. Here, in sunny Provo, lies the esteemed BYU Broadcasting team. BYU Broadcasting is responsible for television, radio, and other news/journalism related positions.
The BYU Broadcasting Building was opened in 2010 and housed 3 production studios, 2 control rooms, and enough equipment to wireless-ly broadcast 3 television shows at the same time. It is within this state of the art building that I work. The place is a spectacle in itself. If anyone out there is in any way interested in how tv shows are made, they give tours all the time. Trust me, I know, we see them walk through A LOT. It's a really cool place to be, in my humble opinion.
My official title as an employee is "Production Assistant", how to tell you the truth there are about 4 million ways this could be taken. You could be assistant to Engineering, Electrical, Cleaning, etc. I am an assistant in the Electrical/ Set Design department. For my first week I have been setting up sets and lights for next week's "Media Day" for ByuTv. I help make the stage look and appear on camera as perfect as possible. And let me tell you, what we see and what the camera sees are two very different things.
Due to my Stage Tech experience in high school I wasn't completely in the dark as to what to do, however, my experience had been for Stage Production only. Cameras had never been present, multi-million dollar franchises hadn't been involved either. So I had a lot of learning to do. For example: I was always taught that different colored lights create different moods and tones for a scene. In television, to an extent that could be considered true, however we're filming in very close proximity so the mood is being set by the actors and the content. The lighting serves another purpose: to make it seem as real as possible. I hate to break it to you guys but Rachel Ray's kitchen isn't a real kitchen. Sure it may have hook ups for an oven, a sink, and a stove, however they are missing an entire wall (The 4th wall... I think I'll be posting about that later, long story) where the audience can sit and see, and there are hundreds of lights trained at specific angles to create as much "Real Light" as possible. Not to mention you can't have too much or too little light or else the Talent is too dark or washed out.
Now that I have bored you with all of that, I'll show you what I have been working on!
This is Set #1 of Media Day 2012. We have two shows to do, this is the first one shot in the morning, then the second one will be shot in the afternoon. That set was already staged and everything before we set this one up so we can make a quick and easy transition between shows.
As you can see here, all the work lights are on in the above two shots. When we're ready to shoot, the house lights go out and we have between 35-40 lights all trained on this set. Not to mention the LED lights behind the polypropylene walls. If you can't guess what color they will be, just think BYU.
This picture is on of the checks we did. We'd set a some lights, then check it in the camera to see what it looked like on screen. What looked normal to us in the studio looked incredibly blue in the camera. Steven Enfield, the head of lighting, knows what he is doing. It never ceases to amaze me how he can look at something in the camera, tweak a light here, scrim a light there, and viola! It's suddenly just right. That bright white light above Mr. Enfield's head is the ESPN logo we were trying to fix. It's a little bright as you can see.
Well, hopefully I'll have better pictures for you next week from the shoot. I'm so blessed to have gotten this job. It's a step towards my future and I'm so very excited to take it. Hope you guys learned something new, I know I have. This is Megan, signing off.
IN CASUS PERGIT
 |
| The Northwest view of the BYUB |
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| Control Room for Media Day 2011, that set in those images on his screen is the set I've been putting together this week. |
Due to my Stage Tech experience in high school I wasn't completely in the dark as to what to do, however, my experience had been for Stage Production only. Cameras had never been present, multi-million dollar franchises hadn't been involved either. So I had a lot of learning to do. For example: I was always taught that different colored lights create different moods and tones for a scene. In television, to an extent that could be considered true, however we're filming in very close proximity so the mood is being set by the actors and the content. The lighting serves another purpose: to make it seem as real as possible. I hate to break it to you guys but Rachel Ray's kitchen isn't a real kitchen. Sure it may have hook ups for an oven, a sink, and a stove, however they are missing an entire wall (The 4th wall... I think I'll be posting about that later, long story) where the audience can sit and see, and there are hundreds of lights trained at specific angles to create as much "Real Light" as possible. Not to mention you can't have too much or too little light or else the Talent is too dark or washed out.
Now that I have bored you with all of that, I'll show you what I have been working on!
This is Set #1 of Media Day 2012. We have two shows to do, this is the first one shot in the morning, then the second one will be shot in the afternoon. That set was already staged and everything before we set this one up so we can make a quick and easy transition between shows.
As you can see here, all the work lights are on in the above two shots. When we're ready to shoot, the house lights go out and we have between 35-40 lights all trained on this set. Not to mention the LED lights behind the polypropylene walls. If you can't guess what color they will be, just think BYU.
This is one of the cameras we were using to check lights. Sorry for the reduced quality, I took the pictures on my iPod. If you look at the upper left picture you'll see the Fiber Optic Cable that transmits its information via light received. Fiber Optic Cables are VERY delicate and we are sure to give lots of respect to these. The upper right picture is an image of the lens of the camera with its teleprompter screen on it. Words are projected onto a pane of glass right in front of the camera lens so anchors and other acting talent can read their lines and still look at the camera.
This picture here is the back side of the camera where the operator stands. I can not tell you how smoothly this thing moves. It seems to glide both across the floor and going up and down. There are so many buttons to push on this machine it can be very overwhelming. I have a lot of respect for these HD cameras and their operators.
This picture is the set of the Latino television show NEXOS. BYU International has a slew of shows in Spanish, and many other nationalities make appearances as well. Nexos is filmed weekly throughout the school year. The red lights are LEDs and can be changed to any color. Travis, one of my senior colleagues, turned them to Red, White, and Green for some pictures in honor of Mexico. It's truly crazy how this thing looks in person as compared to on screen.
This picture is on of the checks we did. We'd set a some lights, then check it in the camera to see what it looked like on screen. What looked normal to us in the studio looked incredibly blue in the camera. Steven Enfield, the head of lighting, knows what he is doing. It never ceases to amaze me how he can look at something in the camera, tweak a light here, scrim a light there, and viola! It's suddenly just right. That bright white light above Mr. Enfield's head is the ESPN logo we were trying to fix. It's a little bright as you can see.
Well, hopefully I'll have better pictures for you next week from the shoot. I'm so blessed to have gotten this job. It's a step towards my future and I'm so very excited to take it. Hope you guys learned something new, I know I have. This is Megan, signing off.
IN CASUS PERGIT
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Helpful College Hints #1
Hello again!
Well, I thought I would start out with a Helpful College Hint today. I'm sure I'll be discovering a lot in the next few months. These are not going to be in any particular order, they'll just come as I think of them.
Hint #1
Invest in a comfy wardrobe.
As a newly initiated "working girl", I have found that I'm a lot more active than the days of high school. Granted, I'm paying for my own gas so I refuse to use my car unless absolutely necessary, thus compelling me to walk and bike everywhere. Nothing is worse, however, than not being comfortable throughout the day.
I was recently hired at the BYU Broadcasting service and my days include a fair amount of physical work. While I'd like to show up in grubbies and my dirty sneakers, that is in no way professional. My problem: finding a wardrobe that fits my needs. Everyone will be different, but my advice is to take into consideration how long you work, how much work you do, and how you look while working. For example, when having to bend over and pick up large and heavy objects many times I would not recommend those cute jeans that squeeze and hug you in all the right curves and makes your rear look quite fine. You'll be clawing to get out of them by lunch.
Shoes are another matter entirely. I've always had a soft spot for adorable shoes, but Honey, those aren't going to cut it after an eight hour day. With my work I like support and comfort. I've recently acquired a pair of Sketcher's Shape Ups. They work miracles in the department of footwear. They advertise that they help tone and use more muscles, however after having mine I've never experienced a comfier (is that a word? It is now.) tennis shoe. I'm sure I am committing fashion suicide, but I'd like to take care of my feet and legs so I can have them for a long time.
Another good thing to have (though not in the "wardrobe" category, strictly speaking) is a lanyard for your keys. For me, at least, it makes it 10 times easier to find my keys when trying to fish them out of my purse or wherever I seem to have left them.
There you have it, my first of many college helpful hints. This is Megan, signing off.
IN CASUS PERGIT
Well, I thought I would start out with a Helpful College Hint today. I'm sure I'll be discovering a lot in the next few months. These are not going to be in any particular order, they'll just come as I think of them.
Hint #1
Invest in a comfy wardrobe.
As a newly initiated "working girl", I have found that I'm a lot more active than the days of high school. Granted, I'm paying for my own gas so I refuse to use my car unless absolutely necessary, thus compelling me to walk and bike everywhere. Nothing is worse, however, than not being comfortable throughout the day.
I was recently hired at the BYU Broadcasting service and my days include a fair amount of physical work. While I'd like to show up in grubbies and my dirty sneakers, that is in no way professional. My problem: finding a wardrobe that fits my needs. Everyone will be different, but my advice is to take into consideration how long you work, how much work you do, and how you look while working. For example, when having to bend over and pick up large and heavy objects many times I would not recommend those cute jeans that squeeze and hug you in all the right curves and makes your rear look quite fine. You'll be clawing to get out of them by lunch.
Shoes are another matter entirely. I've always had a soft spot for adorable shoes, but Honey, those aren't going to cut it after an eight hour day. With my work I like support and comfort. I've recently acquired a pair of Sketcher's Shape Ups. They work miracles in the department of footwear. They advertise that they help tone and use more muscles, however after having mine I've never experienced a comfier (is that a word? It is now.) tennis shoe. I'm sure I am committing fashion suicide, but I'd like to take care of my feet and legs so I can have them for a long time.
Another good thing to have (though not in the "wardrobe" category, strictly speaking) is a lanyard for your keys. For me, at least, it makes it 10 times easier to find my keys when trying to fish them out of my purse or wherever I seem to have left them.
There you have it, my first of many college helpful hints. This is Megan, signing off.
IN CASUS PERGIT
Monday, June 18, 2012
Independent vs. Living at home
Introductions are in order, I believe. My name is Megan Williams and I am now officially a college student. I am in the greater Provo, Utah area and I'm loving it thus far. For my first post I'm going to kind of delve into my opinion of Independence and its definition.
Today was my first day all by myself. Pretty crazy, right? For a while I was really emotional and wandered around like a lost puppy, unsure of what to do. I always thought that I would know exactly what to do when I got out on my own, as if it would just naturally occur to me what to do and when. But alas, the knowledge has not stricken me yet and I don't believe it will anytime soon. You know what, though? I know more than I thought I did. I survived just fine for the first day at least.
I've wanted to move out on my own since the 6th grade, never satisfied with what was right in front of me. I've wanted to be independent and be able to rely on myself. Not because I had a bad home life, I defy someone to say they had a better childhood, but because I wanted to prove myself to the world "I'm ready to do my part and add something to this place." We grow up thinking that once we're on our own, we're completely independent, cut all ties to all guardians and caregivers. The way I see it, that's not it at all. Independence itself is learning to take your place among those guardians and caregivers. Dependence is not being ruled over or told what to do, it's a learning experience. Independence is the work experience, where you can put all the knowledge and tricks you learned with your parents and actually put them into use. Independence is not leaving an old life behind, but rather starting your next level upon the foundation you've been building for so long.
So many children and teens today rely so much on their parents for both academic and normal life experience. They don't get the feeling of discouragement after doing poorly on a test they didn't study for or the piece of humble pie served from being beat in a championship game by a team that was better. There are no longer winners and losers, just equal. "Everyone's a winner," is probably one of the biggest lies kids hear today. Getting out on my own I've already noticed that life is not fair, everyone is NOT a winner, and X never ever marks the spot. Being on your own you have to deal with it. I'm sure there are many different ways to "deal with it" and I have no room to talk as I have only been out alone for a day, however I know that if not for the experiences of loss, failure, and catastrophe I would not be the person I am. Being independent is all about figuring out your place. How to do you find where you belong if you don't know where you've been?
That all being said, I'll wrap it up with this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinions; it is easy in solitude to live after your own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude”
I believe we were all sent here by our Heavenly Father to learn and grow not just from ourselves but from others as well. Independence is not throwing away everything you've known for emotional solitude, it's becoming a part of a whole, a step in someone's ladder, a well cultured and learned person.
Thanks and watch for the next adventure!
MEG
Today was my first day all by myself. Pretty crazy, right? For a while I was really emotional and wandered around like a lost puppy, unsure of what to do. I always thought that I would know exactly what to do when I got out on my own, as if it would just naturally occur to me what to do and when. But alas, the knowledge has not stricken me yet and I don't believe it will anytime soon. You know what, though? I know more than I thought I did. I survived just fine for the first day at least.
I've wanted to move out on my own since the 6th grade, never satisfied with what was right in front of me. I've wanted to be independent and be able to rely on myself. Not because I had a bad home life, I defy someone to say they had a better childhood, but because I wanted to prove myself to the world "I'm ready to do my part and add something to this place." We grow up thinking that once we're on our own, we're completely independent, cut all ties to all guardians and caregivers. The way I see it, that's not it at all. Independence itself is learning to take your place among those guardians and caregivers. Dependence is not being ruled over or told what to do, it's a learning experience. Independence is the work experience, where you can put all the knowledge and tricks you learned with your parents and actually put them into use. Independence is not leaving an old life behind, but rather starting your next level upon the foundation you've been building for so long.
So many children and teens today rely so much on their parents for both academic and normal life experience. They don't get the feeling of discouragement after doing poorly on a test they didn't study for or the piece of humble pie served from being beat in a championship game by a team that was better. There are no longer winners and losers, just equal. "Everyone's a winner," is probably one of the biggest lies kids hear today. Getting out on my own I've already noticed that life is not fair, everyone is NOT a winner, and X never ever marks the spot. Being on your own you have to deal with it. I'm sure there are many different ways to "deal with it" and I have no room to talk as I have only been out alone for a day, however I know that if not for the experiences of loss, failure, and catastrophe I would not be the person I am. Being independent is all about figuring out your place. How to do you find where you belong if you don't know where you've been?
That all being said, I'll wrap it up with this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinions; it is easy in solitude to live after your own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude”
I believe we were all sent here by our Heavenly Father to learn and grow not just from ourselves but from others as well. Independence is not throwing away everything you've known for emotional solitude, it's becoming a part of a whole, a step in someone's ladder, a well cultured and learned person.
Thanks and watch for the next adventure!
MEG
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