Fly-out-the-door assignments

by Marc DeRoberts

I have now completed two "fly-out-the-door assignments." What are they?

The assignment:

• You are given a topic
• You must interview members of the Elon community, at least one must not be a student or Elon University employee (this number has varied from three to five people)
• You must include three to five soundbites
• Write at a 350 word article
  
• Video and still images shot with a Flip camera must be incorporated into the article
• You have an hour

My professor will be the first to admit, it's a lot of work in a little amount of time. To be honest, I have yet to do all of this in an hour....but, I am improving. Along the way I have gained excellent experience from each to take into the working world. That's what counts.

My first assignment regarded a Wisconsin Judge's ruling, deeming National Day of Prayer Unconstitutional (article). The second was to seek the community's response to the legalization of marijuana (article).

Both were controversial topics. Asking people to talk on camera about religion and politics or their stance on drugs is no easy task. Here are some things that I learned during each of these assignments:

1. Be prepared and do your research.

It's very easy to become excited in trying to meet your deadline, but you cannot walk out the door without doing some preliminary reading about your subject matter. Not only does this help you develop your questions and sound educated, but your interviewee may not be familiar with the topic and request more information. Providing some facts helps build their comfort and confidence within you and themselves, leading to the best answers possible.

2. Hustle, but don't be in a panic.

If you are planning on staking out a location or seeking an expert interview in two different places, you need to move it as though your job depends on it. That being said, when you are approaching people to interview, explain that you are working on an assignment with a pressing deadline, but remain calm and relaxed. People will already be taken off guard when you approach them with a camera and ask a question out-of-the-blue, don't make it worse for them or yourself.

3. Plan ahead.

Whether you are familiar with the area or not. In the example of the National Day of Prayer video, after doing my research and selected who I intended to interview, I was planning shots for b-roll (the cutaway shots from the interviewee) along the way. Knowledge of the area helped.

4. Always be respectful.

In both cases I have approached people pleasantly, but received not-so-pleasant responses. Smile. Say thank you. Move along. Keep in mind you are a stranger with a camera...on a deadline.

5. Be adaptable.

Sometimes the places you expected to be a gold mine for interviews don't pan out. In the case of the marijuana story, I thought that going to the nearby gas station, which is a watering hole for students and community members, was a brilliant idea. There were lots of people there both affiliated and unaffiliated with the school...nobody wanted to talk to me. All of my interviews came from random passer-bys.

6. Be flexible.

This one is merely an extension of my previous lesson. If you have to interview five people, plan on asking at least 15-20 people. Ten to fifteen of them will likely say no. Don't take it personally.

These assignments have been of great value to me because they are practical and excellent experience. There will be more to come.

That hour deadline is mine.