Chris Vlahos Last Blog Entry

YEAR IN REVIEW

Since this is my last blog entry of the year I thought I would reflect on the year. I just finished my first reporting shift and have two more on Monday and Tuesday, but I feel safe enough in reflecting on the year.
From standing on the field doing a stand-up after Mizzou eked out a win over Illinois to reporting Easter Egg Hunts for KOMU it was definitely an interesting year. I constantly think back to my first semester at Mizzou and how desperately I wanted to be a junior already in my sequence. Sitting through Spanish and Music classes seemed so high school, but I kept telling myself there was a light at the end of the tunnel, a means to an end. This is a major reason why I tried to do as many extracurricular activities as I could. I wanted to stay involved in sports broadcast; it was what I looked forward to after a long week. That’s why this year I tried to be as ambitious as ever. I was sports director for MUTV while being in my sequence, I have never hated 8am as much as I did last semester on Monday, Wednesday and Friday…but I survived. Not just survived I excelled. For the second time in my broadcast career I wrote, directed, produced and served as the talent (executive producer) of a television show. I went to Texas to cover one of the biggest road games in Missouri football history. Along the way I interviewed the likes of Chris Fowler and John Anderson.
Broadcast One taught me the basics of editing and shooting, which I was told would be a joke since I had done so much at MUTV. Rather than go in with a closed mind I took the course with an open mind and I’m happy I did. I learned multiple things I did not know about Avid, worked on my writing style and how to shoot good sequences.
Broadcast Two was a different story. I dropped the Sports Director gig, but decided to take 15 hours despite warnings form friends. I still don’t regret it by the way… Unlike Broadcast One, Broadcast Two taught me the details and intricacies of anchoring. I have said it before and I will say it again, no matter my grade (although a B- would be great.. : ) I have learned more in this class than any other class I have ever received an A in. I finally learned the correct posture to use when anchoring, how to frame an interview. I learned the importance of lighting, especially during an interview. Last semester I used to try and get basic shots, this semester I have learned the importance of unique angle shots. I do voice exercises and stretching everyday and I learned even more ways to train your voice in order to make it strong and effective.
The training I have gotten for stand-ups has been amazing. Aside from stand-ups in sports packages, I had never done a bridge stand-up. I learned the importance of doing a stand-up that adds to the story, instead of distract from it. Along with that I learned the importance of not making your stand-up the most important part of the story. After this year I understand why the Missouri Journalism School is referred to as one of the best in the country, and thanks to my experiences this year I feel ready to spend my summer in Bristol at the World Wide Leader in Sports………
GOOD JOURNALISM

A friend of mine sent me this clip because he thought I would enjoy the sports aspect of the story, but instead I enjoyed the journalistic aspect of the piece.
The story was about a basketball player known as the “Jewish Jordan”. From the title I expected the story to center around the boys faith and it did. The opening was strong due to the use of natural sound. The viewer sees a red headed boy singing and reading from the torah and the narration begins with the reporter giving background information on the boy. Then the reporter states, “Goodman was also driven by something else”, and with a box wipe and music the package is transformed and you see the boy as he’s known to his friends and others around him.
The reporter narrates as highlights run and the use of referencing is strong. He mentions that Goodman always plays with his Yamaka and you see him dribbling with his Yamaka on. I found the first sound bite interesting because it echoes the sentiment that he is a basketball player, but doesn’t mention his faith. This leads me to believe that the reporter may be focusing on the fact Goodman is Jewish to make a story, but Goodman doesn’t find his religion to be that important.
Once again the narration remains strong, the reporter mentions that Goodman has tried to be a regular student and uses shots of Goodman walking down the halls of his high school. The shots of the classroom continue with Goodman sitting in class looking through a book as the narration states the offers he received from Universities.
I think my favorite part of the story is when the reporter puts Goodman’s story in historical perspective. He calls Goodman the Jewish Jordan and says he is carrying the torch for an entire religion, mentioning that Goodman is trying to become the first ever Orthodox Jew to play college basketball. While mentioning these historical facts, shots of Goodman’s fans run underneath the narration, humanizing the story and showing that his quest is about more than just him playing college basketball.
I also liked that the reporter saved the best for last, he goes to a clip of Goodman now and shows that he is playing basketball in Israel and has a family, another humanizing element. I liked that a basketball hoop was over Goodman’s shoulder while he was being interviewed. Before the package ends the reporter makes sure the story goes full circle and has two sound bites where Goodman speaks of his faith and then a unique closing shot where Goodman launches a basketball from a running track and sinks it while the reporter says, “Goodman hasn’t lost his touch.
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/30505171#30505171