Monday, March 31, 2008 Telling Your Story By Maria Flora S. Abril University of the Philippines Cebu College
INVESTIGATIVE Journalism. For most of today’s journalism students-slash-aspiring media practitioners, this is still uncharted territory; something many would imagine dabbling in but few have the grit (not to mention resources) to actually do it. But a forum held last March 8 at the Interactive Learning Center of the University of the Visayas Cebu College (UPVCC) gave the attendees a rare opportunity to tread the murky waters between theory and practice, with GMA 7 news reporter Sandra Aguinaldo as their guide.
With the theme “U Witness: Straight from Sandra Aguinaldo”, the afternoon activity aimed to give students and teachers a fresh look at documentary film making for television.
Aside from UPVCC studens, aspiring journalists from the Cebu Institute of Technology, Southwestern University and University of San Jose Recoletos (USJ-R) also attended the lecture and workshops. All four schools are members of the Cebu Alliance of Mass Communication Students (CAMS).
“A good story begins with a good story pitch,” said the award-winning journalist who recently bagged the Silver Medal in the Social Issues category at the New York Festival for her work entitled “Skul Ko Number 1.” And good story pitches would be nothing without good research, a process undertaken to find the most suitable case study or subject. She also stressed that even though they aim to shoot as spontaneously as possible, it is a must to have an outline of what you need to do on location even before you head outdoors.
Things got even more lively when the students started asking questions, ranging from the technical to the artistic and even the marketing aspect of television documentaries. An independent film is different because they have a full story instead of just a concept, the resource speaker shared. Art shots (suggestive shots) are used in portraying sensitive scenes. And yes, there are times when the documentaries shown do not rate, so that a need to make up for losses arises.
Aside from teaching the students the basics in documentary film making, Aguinaldo also shared tips on how to make a story come to life by finding effective sources. “Don’t ignore any possible or potential source,” she advised. To get he point across, she came up with an impromptu exercise where the participants had to determine possible sources for a story pitch. Here, she underlined the importance of being able to gauge the source’s response and have all sides of the issue covered. Culling from her experience of covering the Erap impeachment trial and EDSA 2, she shares: “Every detail of your report influences your viewers.”
But the highlight of the forum would be the workshop that commenced after the lecture. Having been divided into groups, the students were asked to come up with a story pitch and an answer to the usual question “How do you intend to do it?” Twenty minutes later, outputs and various ideas were presented–from smuggled cars to unemployment to the “ukay-ukay” trade–all of them showing the great talents of those present.
The activity was organized by the second year Mass Communication students of UPVCC.
