Week one - three

My IQ for news was amplified yesterday when I made my first appearance on international television. My 3 seconds of fame!!!

I know you must all be confused, so let me explain. Three weeks ago, I started an internship with a prestigious news channel (name with-held on legal grounds) that I've long looked forward to. The channel has been my home for the past weeks and for the next three weeks.

So, to further explain myself, here is a rundown in brief of my time there so far:

Week One

I can still remember my anticipation for my first day, I must have gone through every item of clothing I had managed to stuff into my overflowing luggage from Birmingham (thanks Jas and Atong). I finally go with the safe option a red/maroon shirt with black trousers and black heels. I had originally planned to wear the pink dress suit I'd never worn much to my friend, Suku's, shock horror.

So here I was an hour early getting a tour of the London bureau anticipating all the exciting jobs I will do that day, then I'm giving four VT to log. LOGGING!!! I spent my first day on the show logging.
OK, it wasn't that bad! Considering one of my numerous ambitions is to present one day, I saw another side to the tasking job of logging tapes. It gave me an opportunity to witness the presenting technique of the legendary Pierce Browne (not real name), and believe me, I was impressed.
The next couple of days of my first week was spent on getting familiarized with the various software applications, and logging those four, one hour, tapes. A learning week I would call it, with the most exciting moment being when the people on the news desk mistook me for a news intern, and sent me off with a driver to Downing street. OK, OK, I admit, I just went to drop off an umbrella, but who cares eh!!


Week Two

I finally went on my first shoot, and believe me watching PB at work was even more impressive than on those tapes I'd logged. The best of the shoot, apart from watching PB live at work, was when I had to act a little scene with the interviewee. I'll see you all at the Oscars!

In my first week I'd set myself the task of making as much contacts as possible. That is one thing we're taught with TV the importance of 'contacts'. So, this week my hard work - I say hard work because of the effort I put into each and every email I sent off to my selected few - paid off. All but one of the contacts I sought had sent me a positive response. Yippee!!!

Fate brought me in contact with the producers of an African show I'd always admired, talk about being in the right place at the right time. I was once again battling another logging session when the legendary producers of this African show came along, they needed to copy a VT onto a DVD, and I was happy to oblige. The problem was, three days later, I was still at it, trying to figure out why the DVD had no audio. I did finally deliver though, 'never start a job you can't finish', that's my motto, well, actually it's not, but it works!

Week Three

Sophie Mackintosh (not real name) you are a star and true anchor. What's the reason for my praise? I shadowed 'Sophie' in my third week, and I gained from her more than I was expecting. She is truly fantastic, honest, no arse kissing going on here. We finished about 11pm, but my head was still buzzing, and I had to hold myself from begging her to let me go home with her so I could ask more questions. Fascinating woman, with a lovely and resilient personality.

Can't remember much else for this week. Oh yeah, I got told off!!! I lost, no, misplaced two tapes I was logging, oops, found them but not after a lovely lecture on their importance, sorry Sarah (not real name)!!!
It was definitely not good timing especially when I'd just been told I had missed a huge chunk of dialogue in one of the tapes I'd logged, which meant my lovely producer had had to spend her Sunday afternoon in the bureau...oops again!!!

My week ended sadly without the chance of witnessing the final edit of the show airing over the weekend. Yep, I had to wait to watch like everyone else in the world, and therefore didn't get a chance to inform my family, and half of my countrymen and women, that my TV debut, which was at least 30 seconds, had been cut down to a measly 5, OK 4 ... OK 3 seconds!!! Oh the Shame!!!! Never mind.

OK everyone. That's the low down for the last three weeks. Next week will go pretty quick, I'm in for only three days...