Broadcast Journalism

Throughout my four years on InFocus, I’ve developed a profound sense of pride in representing the field of broadcast journalism. As we are the only video publication in Palo Alto High’s journalism program, I’ve been determined to help the publication and the medium itself carve out a larger place for itself on our campus. At the forefront of our operations are our video shows. Running for five minutes, two times a week, the broadcasts include relevant announcements regarding school events, sports games, policies, etc. delivered by two anchors, and a video package: a 2-3 minute story produced by members of our staff. As an executive producer, I’ve been responsible for producing and editing the show for the past three years.

I use a website called Rundown Creator to produce our video shows. Here, I’m able to script banter between anchors, find and concisely write announcements, and craft tosses to video stories. Although the script is written beforehand, I’m always in the studio during filming to assist with other show roles and make changes to the show if needed.

In addition to writing the script, I frequently direct the show and scroll the teleprompter. These roles involve communicating directly with the anchors and working the device that displays their script.

After the show is filmed, it’s time for editing. Using Premiere Pro, I compile the show’s intro, outro, graphics, video package, and of course the raw recording itself. Then, I drag my clips to the timeline and cut, move, color correct, and make audio adjustments, among a few other minor steps. A process that once was lengthy and frustrating has become second nature (but never mundane since each show is different!). With every new show, I look to find new adjustments to make or new effects to use, always aiming to improve and expand my creativity. My substantial editing experience has also helped me efficiently teach the process to others on staff.

While I’ve always loved working behind the camera, this year, I decided to try sitting in front of it, anchoring for the first time in Fall 2023. I’m glad I was able to step outside of my comfort zone and gain experience in this key role. Now, I regularly anchor for the video show and our PA Announcements, which run over the PA system on the days that we don’t have a traditional broadcast.

Aside from producing our video shows, I’ve also had the opportunity to livestream various school events through InFocus. For the past few years, InFocus has partnered with the Palo Alto High School Theatre and Choral programs to livestream drama productions and concerts. Through these livestreams, I’ve developed my technical skills of using video cameras along with a switcher, which controls the livestream feed by switching between cameras. This past year, I’ve also worked with our Live Stream Managers to broadcast Paly’s sports games.  On one occasion earlier this basketball season, I was initially at the game just to operate the cameras, but halfway through the game, my peers asked me if wanted to put on a microphone and commentate. Using my knowledge of the cadence and terminology of professional play-by-play broadcasters, I tried my hand at sports commentary for the first time. As I’ve always been an avid sports fan, being able to film and even commentate for my school’s games has been an incredible experience. Below, I have compiled a few clips of my commmentary.

Out of all the content I've produced for InFocus, one piece I am most proud of is a recap I made containing footage from all the shows from 1st semester. In this video, I employed precise editing techniques to piece together moments from dozens of different shows and packages, even matching the clips to the beat of the song.