I remember as a kid that I was always terrified of graduating high school because I did not know what would come next. I would be worried that after high school I would not have anything to do and be stuck and confused. As time went on in high school, I knew I had to do something and fast…that is when I decided to go to Penta to pursue Digital Video Production.
This helped me to understand what I wanted to do. Being at Penta definitely helped me prepare for Owens. Going to Penta, I learned about editing, camera work, and audio work. So when starting Owens, I feel I was a step ahead, as I already did this kind of work prior to coming. There were techniques I did not think of before, which helped me expand my knowledge. Being able to learn how to create a sequence was very helpful, because before, I was not taught how. I was even confused about where to store files. So, after coming to Owens, I finally understood how to store those files properly.
Besides becoming proficient in Broadcast Media Technology, I have also made a lot of great friends at Owens and broke out of my shell, as I tend to stay to myself.
On the first day I attended Owens, I chose to sit away from people. But, I could not see the screen that well, so I asked two individuals, Kass and Justin, if I could sit in the seat in between them. At the time, I was so worried about doing it because I did not want to bother them. It ultimately became a great decision because we became very close.
We all built a great friendship and did some great film challenges together for the Oregon Road Film Series Film Challenge. Me and Kass did our first film together, our first semester, which was called, Harris Who?
I was very proud of this film. It was our first; we did not expect it to win the best film award.
Then, came next semester. We were all taking TV Production I. What was great about this semester was the Film Challenge and going to Fifth Third Field for Owens Baseball to broadcast. It was my first time being there in a while; pretty sure it had been years since I was last there.
All of these also really helped me break out of my shell, since our task was to capture the B-roll of the event and conduct interviews. It was a little difficult getting interviews, because sometimes people we would go up to would have already been interviewed; we tried our best to capture as many interviews as we could. Overall, the event was fun; it felt like a big sporting event, which, well, it was.
Heading into the fall semester, which I would say was the weird part of College, both of my friends I was close with were not in Broadcast Media Technology anymore, so I had to adjust and reach out more. TV Production II helped and was important. We learned more about the controls in the control room, and it helped me iron out where I was more interested–sports verse news type broadcasting.
In the following spring, I was really still getting used to things. I just started driving, which was handy, and I started my BMT writing class. I was doing scripts prior to this, so in a way, like when I started at Owens, I felt I was a step ahead. But, each day felt so fast, and I honestly had some days where I questioned if I could keep up with it. As the days went on, though, I was able to keep a grasp on it.
Moving to this semester, my final semester, was stressful. At times I felt exhausted mentally and felt I would come up short. Overtime, when finally cracking down on assignments, it turned out to be okay.
Overall college went fast, and I still have more to learn, which will be scary. I do, however, feel better knowing that I did stuff I originally would not do…now, off to find a job.
Advisor Note: Russell Gronbach graduated in December with a degree in Broadcast Media Technology.
