#S23E02 : The Being Mary Jane Syndrome Episode (Snippet)

Men/Boys will become infatuated by the successful woman. A woman who has her ish together, they find it sexy that she's been through so much and still managed to come out strong it's beautiful to them, she's flawless and can do no wrong. The more the woman tells them about her success the more and more excited they become. They feel like she deserves to be treated like a queen. However some men/boys forget what that means. They also forget the qualities that a successful woman holds. If you date her you will probably find that she's BUSY, she likes consistency, seems controlling or demanding, and is strong. However it's no longer sexy when you see it on a daily basis, now she's tarnishing your manhood. I call it the "Being Mary Jane Syndrome"

All of these strong women are always battling something no matter how strong they are. They are seeking love or acceptance from one SPECIFIC man. A man that they do not even know exists because they've created this fictional being in their heads. Needless to say, these women could be financially stable and deal with self esteem issues, they could be confident but deal with letting go, they could be bold but deal with daddy issues. All women are different and no man will ever be able to love all women, you can only love the one whose flaws aren't stabs at your manhood but are strengths to your manhood. Challenge yourself to love a strong woman and you will see that you too come out stronger.

#S23E01 The Recent Graduate Episode

I am a sponge in this world! Ready to absorb and soak up the knowledge and expertise in the world of entertainment, film, television, higher education, and student personnel services. My sponge is dripping with passion, creativity and  loyalty, but lacks the essentials of much needed experience. I can ring out views from a black female (whose voice is often shushed) from my sponge. I'm just asking for an opportunity and your support to soak my sponge.

My sponge will not only absorb knowledge but it will clean up past mistakes as I offer newly innovative ideas and challenge old ineffective ones. I've been twisted and turned, squeezed and laid out to dry in my past, and I'm sure it will happen to me at some point again. However, while I wait, I will work on strengthening the things that I have to offer and making you believe in me just as much as I believe in myself.  So if you're wondering why I'm still unemployed just know that I'm soaking.
-The Black Female Recent Graduate

#S22E22 The Double Standard Episode

Currently in my Advanced Television Production class were were assigned to produce a small show. My group and I created our show called "The Double Standard" where my co-host, Raven, and I talked about Double Standards between men and women. 

This assignment was very fun as we were able to switch roles. Usually I am the one behind the scenes however as you can tell I finally decided to be on the big screen. Being in front of the camera is entertaining but also requires a lot of hard work as you have to watch what you say, follow a script, listen to the AD, know which camera to talk to while also being aware of your surroundings. For other class assignments I was able to sit in the control room and switch roles as the camera woman, AD, director, and producer. This job requires extensive training as its important to know how to work the program you are using to record. For me it was TriCaster. TriCaster was very fun however if you do not understand how it functions then it is up to you to study and learn so that your production can run as smoothly as possible. 

#S22E21 The Sophomore Jinx Episode

Below is episode two of Inside SC State. We listened to some of the feedback from the first episode and would love to hear ideas, critiques, and comments on how to improve the show and make it more enjoyable to watch. Did we follow through with a better episode, or was it a sophomore jinx? Check it out below and let us know what you think! 

#S22E20 The Lightening Episode

As the primary element of an image light is a necessary source that can control the mood, clarity, quality, and detail of any image. Below I used lighting in three different ways to effectively showcase how light can adjust and change the mood or clarity of an image. 

In the first photo I used a main light, fill light, and back light. With the main light I turned it at about a 45 degree angle, I then positioned the fill light at a downward angle towards the right of me, lastly I placed the back light behind myself adjusting it towards my right side a little more therefore you can see the light being shown on the wall on the left corner of the photo. With the three lights positioned this way this lighting is known as Rembrandt lighting or 45 degree lighting.  In this one my face is softened and you can see things more clearly. 

Rembrandt Lighting 

After that I used only two lights which added details to one side of my face and gave the other side a bit of a shadow. With this specific photo I used a main light and a fill light. The main light was positioned to the right of me and added details to the right side of my face (left side in picture). I then used the fill light which had an umbrella and it darkened the left side of my face in the picture (right side in picture). By adjusting the two lights I was able to accomplish the split lighting effect. 

Split Lighting 

Lastly I cut off all of the lights and put a flashlight up under my chin. This created a different mood than the first two pictures that I took. With this picture the outsides of my body are shadowed and you can see the details mainly of my jacket and face. My hair and dark eyes are shadowed out of the picture giving the image more suspense. By using the flashlight I was able to illuminate the background with a softer light therefore this would be the background light effect. 

Flashlight

#S22E19 The Reflector Episode

In photography the key source is light. Without light there is no image, light helps to determine the mood and quality of photos as well. Below I took three photos. A photo of a student at South Carolina State University outside on a very sunny day. In the photo you are able to see that he face seems a bit dark and you cannot see the details of her face. However in the picture up under you can see that the reflector bounced the suns light unto the subjects face and we are able to see her eyes, teeth, and brighten up her face. The wide-shot at the bottom shows just where the reflector was placed to get such a better quality photo. 

Student without reflector 

Student with reflector 

Wide-shot of student with reflector 

#S22E18 THE WORLD PREMIERE EPISODE

As I have reached my senior year at the illustrious South Carolina State University I have realized that I have not contributed to the school in which a way that I would have wanted. The creative development behind out first web series titled "Inside SC State" is what I think I have been missing in my contributions to the transformation of lives and inspiring greatness to by fellow and future bulldogs.

South Carolina State University 2015

As a student and a woman who loves television I have been itching to develop quality content for our universities very on television show. Being that ,this is the first production I feel as though I have learned a lot and I am trying to get others involved in the production as well to continue on once myself and the current staff has graduated. Inside SC State offers anchoring, production, director, spotlight, graphic design, musical, and other opportunities to showcase the positive things being accomplished on campus. In this particular production, broadcasting students were able to work in front and behind the camera, musicians were able to show their craft, Public Service Announcements were made and more.


Inside SC State also is marekting tool for recruitment at the university. Once students see that they can produce, star, or feature in a television show and can see the many positive things the campus has to offer they would be more likely to want to continue their education at the university amidst to what other media outlets may say.

Below check out the World Premiere Episode One of Inside SC State directed and produced by yours truly.

#S22E18 The Lights, Camera, Action Episode

In photography trying to get the right pose or right angle is one thing however trying to get the best lighting is a whole different ball park. Lighting is important. Below you will see the different types of lighting techniques used in the same photo. Three-point-lighting method was taught in my Advanced Broadcasting Production course. It is used often in photography as well as cinematography as it helps to create imagery and illuminates the subject.

As you can see here this is natural lighting. It blocks out the details of my classmate Devante and you can barely tell what colors are in his shirt. The floor and the green wall seem to be the highlight in the photo.  

Key Lighting

With the key lighting the light source is dominated and highlights the shadows in the picture. As you can see in this photo the eye is able to detail the different colors in Devante's shirt and you can see his face more clearly.

Fill Light

 The fill light is used next to create depth and dimension to the subjects face. Even though a sleepy Devante can barely keep his eyes open you are able to see more dimensions in his face.

When using the backlight is provides more sheen to the subjects face. You can now see him more clearly when using the backlight. 

Backlight

Next time I take photos of Devante lets hope he can stay away when the lights are beaming at him.

#S22E16 The Out On The Streets Episode

In my Advanced Television Production course we were given an assignment to go around campus and ask students a question. I decided to ask students "If you could only listen to one album by your favorite artist for the rest of your life what would that album be and why." Even though I did not put all of the responses in the video majority of the students agreed that J. Cole was their favorite artist and they had a difficult time narrowing down their life to just one album by the artist. 

Post production for the project was fairly simple. Locating the video clips, adding the titles, and transitions were all pretty self explanatory however the actual filming of the video took some time and needs lots of work. 

Filming in the day time and having to know and understand how to adjust the camera's focus, lighting, and white balance is not as simple as it seems. With the sun constantly going in and out as a videographer you really have to know and understand how to operate a camera. 

I enjoyed this project and hope to redo it again with more knowledge of how to operate the camera. 

#S22E15 The Interview Episode

1. Interviews provide essential details to help bring life ad spontaneity to the story. The interview should include facts and reveal the person being interviewed while supporting the structure for the larger story.
3. The person being interviewed is usually at ease when they are in a familiar setting rather than with a blank wall and microphone stuck in his face. Instead give the person a wireless mic and let them feel comfortable. If the reporter makes conversation based on what they observe about the person's interest and environment which helps to give a more personal interview.
4. The most important question you can ask during an interview is "show me what you do." This makes the interviewee feel more at ease because they have an actual safe answer.
6. It is important not to reveal the intended questions before the interview because the person being interviewed will not give a truthful response, there is no spontaneity and the best responses address the feelings in that moment.
8. Research and planning is important that way even the unprepared interviewee will be prepared be you are asking questions based off of their interest and experiences. This also allows for the reporter to be able to focus more on listening rather than trying to come up with another question.
11. A dumb interview question is a closed ended question. Questions that responses are simply yes, no, or I don't know are less desirable because there is no story or meaning to the dialogue. When asking questions the reporter should always center the questions around a who, where, why, when, what, and how mindset to get details, emotions, and imagery to add to the story

#S22E14 The New Year New Me Episode

It is 2016 and this new year means 366 more days to remain the same, change, or grow and its all up to me. I'll start off this new year by saying for myself I am trying to re-brand myself. I have committed to constantly updating my Linkedin accounts, getting assistance with my resume, reading more, sleeping less, and being more optimistic. 

One of the first things I've done so far for this new year new me, is get a logo made for my video productions called Grounded Media. Because I grew up in a very strict household and was usually on some type of punishment to where I couldn't watch television, talk on the phone, or use the internet (later Wifi) connection I came up with the name Grounded Media. 

I reached out to students at HBCUs who were art and digital media majors to create my logo, and it just to happen that my match made in heaven was in the same Pitt as me, a new black owned company by the name of Hayze Designs where two female students who just so happen to be Bulldogs who attend the illustrious South Carolina State University just as I am. I gave them my concept and ideas and they were able to give me various logos to chose one and I fell in love with this one. 

Official Grounded Media Logo

As I've stated before this year is all about branding myself, networking, and socializing. I have also designed and printed by own personal business cards for myself so that potential employers can view what is like a "mini resume" and follow me on my social sites and view some of my work as well. Once I create a bigger brand for Grounded Media, I will create business cards for that as well. 

Personal Business Cards for potential employers

This year has just begun and I hope to make the best out of it by being myself and showcasing what I have to offer to the world in the most positive light. 

Official Grounded Media Watermark