Media Observation #2

             Coming into the meeting, I was confused as to what eagle vision actually does and where the production center is. I’ve been there a couple of times, but I always get lost. Luckily, as I was on my way to the production center, I saw a friend of mine, Elizabeth Mak. She is working with eagle vision this semester and was on her way to the meeting as well. We went together and I ended up not getting lost. We talked about how I was interested in what eagle vision does and how they make packages. We also talked about a package I saw on my favorite graffiti artist, Banksy.

            The meeting was in a mini theatre I never knew our school had. I walked in and met the director of eagle vision, Stewart Olsen. He was really friendly and really excited to show up what they had been working on. Instead of a “story” like the articles they have in print, in broadcasting they call it package. We got to review some packages and point out good things and bad things about them. This is when I learned that broadcasting is pretty similar to print. They go through different categories like weather, media, sports, world new, campus news, etc.

            After we reviewed a whole episode of news, the executive producer, Taelor Smith checked in with each person to remind them of which package they needed to work on. I didn’t know it took so much preparation for someone to record a small story. I also learned how flexible you need to be in order to do eagle vision. People aren’t assigned to a package on one certain subject and are stuck with that forever, but you must have variety in your packages and learn to do all different kinds of stories. Smith also went through questions people had on their assignments and wanted to know where everyone was so far.

            There was also a lot of enthusiasm in the room. Everyone loved to be at those meetings and really enjoyed each other’s company. They weren’t so strict on the outcome of the packages but would laugh at the little mistake that they made. There optimism really made the vibe of the room comfortable to be in.

            Coming in, I didn’t really do much. I just took a seat and really observed what we were doing and the different personalities that were in the room. There were very big personalities that were part of this broadcasting crew and I found it a little intimidating to talk. One thing I could see from them is there love for news and broadcast. They really live and breath eagle vision, and their hunger to go out and do this for the rest of their lives was very evident to me.

            My experience here really opened up something like this for me. I came into the major of visual journalism wanting to emphasis on photojournalism, but this definitely puts video journalism into perspective. There is even an interest in being involved with broadcasting as an anchorwoman. Maybe I will even consider doing my first practicum with eagle vision. There is so much I learned about broadcasting that I never knew. Now that I know, it puts me in this position of wanted to explore it a little but more.

            I don’t know if I feel as strongly about it as I do photojournalism, but something about telling the news and helping others with health issues sparks an interest inside my heart. I feel that for now, I will stick to conveying a message through images, but really making an effort to learn more about eagle vision will help me to really understand exactly what goes on behind the scenes. I’ve only touched upon what eagle visions is during this meeting, so I really have no idea what it takes. This was a really good experience and I hope to have more like this.

Why it is important to record tragic events.

               Having visuals connected to a story shows real emotion in what happened. When we read about 9/11 and the tragedy that happened on that day, we experience the actual destruction in little ways. But when we see videos of the Twin Towers actually crashing down, or photos of people running away from the building, we can see the fear and distraught of the whole thing. They are not fake emotions or just a building falling down. In videos, we see the planes crashing into the buildings, the smoke coming out of the building, the building falling with people inside, and all the people yelling and running away. It is America experiencing a disaster.
              These things need to be recorded in order to help us remember those lives that were lost and the hardship America went through together. So many people had passed away which can only mean so many other family members, friends, and loved ones were affected by this as well, whether they are from America or overseas.

               The 9/11 tragedy specifically could have been used as a source to find who did it all, and who helped out. It was video footage to prove to the world that there is someone who doesn’t like us and is against us. Certain events can lead up to the way America or the world is today, and other generations that are coming may not understand those things. This is also when the past events that have been recorded are useful. Younger generations can better understand why we are the way we are.

               Not only do they help younger generations understand what is going on, it also helps the average non-news reading American to easily understand what is going on with the world. With the detailed, straight-forward writing of journalists and the clear, emotion-based photos of photographers, readers can easily grasped the news and what is being recorded.

God's Creation and Photography

              After every day that God created this earth, he saw that it was good. When He created us, it was for His glory and it was all for Him, but do you ever wonder why He saw that it was good? Who it was good for? A friend of mine told me it was for me. God created this perfect world that caters to us daily for us. He wanted it to be perfect for us to live in. He wanted the sun to be a perfect distance away so we won’t burn or freeze to death. He thought of us as he made this universe. God is so sweet.

                As I look into photojournalism more and more, I become more passionate about everything God has created. I used to take things for granted all the time and let the little moment slip by like it was nothing. Through taking photos and experimenting with what I can do, God had truly shown me the beauty of Himself. His glory and face shines through every beautiful living thing on this planet.

                There is something about being able to convey a message through photos that can’t be done any other way. When we grab a newspaper, do our eyes look to the story first, or the photo? I'm sure the photo will catch our attention first. A photo needs to be able to capture the attention of the reader and tell a story on its own. An amazing war photographer and star of the documentary “The War Photographer,” James Nachtwey said, “We must look at it. We’re required to look at it. We’re required to do what we can about it. If we don’t, who will?” This is exactly what I want to portray in my photos. Things that people need to see to believe. Things the world are neglecting and ignoring because it's not happening in America. We as believers need to get the word out, and to show the corruption the enemy brings.

                I can’t wait to start my journey in being a photojournalist whether it be wedding photographer, or a war photographer, because I know God will be pleased and glorified by my photos of his creation. 

Should Christians explicitly state their faith when writing a publication?

         I think this depends on the publication you’re writing for and what the topic is. Personally, I would have a hard time not including God in the things that I write because He is such a huge impact in my life. When writing about everything he created how can I not admire and adore Him? Every ounce of me and every breath I take is only by his crazy grace upon grace. At the same time; I can understand why one would have to leave God out of the picture. Depending on the job that I get, I would have to deeply think about this issue. Would God be most glorified if I risked my job in writing about Him, or would he want me to build a stable career writing about other things first? There can be great power that comes out of a newspaper or magazine if they are internationally known first.

I don’t think I know an exact answer yet, because so much good can come out of both choices. I have a friend that is a co-editor in chief of a magazine in New York and that magazine is on men's fashion. I see her struggle through parties and dealing with non-Christians on a daily basis. It really takes a strong person to stand your ground and plant it firm on the Lord. She does a really good job of being calm and collected as well as rejoices in the Lord for everything in her life.

She is such a great example of someone I hope to be like. What a great ministry it would be to be out in the world with many unbelievers, but be able to work with them. Hopefully when my time comes, God will use my life as an example whether I work as a Christian writer or not.

A Calling that Couldn't be Ignored

Jose Anaya, a man so passionate about journalism and the world's actions, conveying so perfectly people's agonies and joy through writing, died on Thursday in La Mirada, CA at the age of 18.

Anaya was born in Colombia and lived there for 9 years. His family found refuge in the United States after the communist in Colombia threatened to kill his father. He lived in Downey, CA for the rest of his life leading him to Biola University as a freshman. Throughout his time here, God has put in his heart to go back to his native land and reunite his people.

Through Journalism, Anaya hoped to be a vessel and let God’s voice just flow out of him onto paper. He wanted to use his journalism skills as an impacting form into uniting Colombia. Through his hunger to rebuild his country, Anaya explored spiritual warfare and ways to bring the power of the Holy Spirit into play.

A woman after God's own heart

Deborah Lee(right) with two of her closest friends from The Church of Southland's 10th Anniversary Celebration: Tiffany Sun (left), and Jasmin Izumikawa (center)

(this is an exercise)

Deborah Lee, a woman who so clearly ran after the heart and will of God, died on Thursday at Biola University. 

Her roommate Sharon Kim said she had been struggling with too big of a heart (haha) for the past couple of months which led to her death at 10:45am. This has been a constant battle for Lee and was finally given to God.

Lee grew up in San Jose, CA and lived in the same house her entire life. She grew up with one older brother and both her parents. In high school, she found Christ and moved on to make a huge, drastic change in liker. She applied to Biola University; a private, small, Christian University in Southern California. Throughout the 2 years she attended, she found her calling into ministry through her passion of photojournalism. 

A woman, who served in many ministries, was passionate about serving God and his people. She was involved with children's ministry at The Church of Southland and was training to be a leader in her college ministry. She truly enjoyed the presence of people and was always amazed by the creation of each person's personality. She constantly talked about the ways God had revealed himself to her in life and continued until her death to minister to others.

A passion that Lee pursued as her career was photojournalism. She wanted to be able to tell a story behind her photos that others can relate to. She wanted her photos to pierce deep into a wounded or hardened heart. Emotions were how she captured people with her photos. A photo Mentor of hers, Hudson Lim and her photo class were really what taught her everything about photojournalism. An up and coming photojournalist longing to convey a message was also so grounded in her faith. There was an obvious sense of joy when Lee took a photo that captured God's great creation.

            

 

On March 11^th, 2011 there was a huge earthquake (9.0) on the coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that destroyed homes and killed thousands of people. This tsunami also set off a nuclear emergency that caused explosions and eventually radiation leaks as well. Such a huge event in our world cannot be avoided by the people of our country and our school.

Jane Yu, a graduating senior, lived in Japan for 4 years of her life as a Missionary kid. She left to attend Biola while the rest of her family stayed there. When asked about where her family was now she said her mother and sister are in Korea now, but her father is still there because of the many ministries he is in charge of. When asked about her initial reaction to Japan, she said, “It didn’t seem like a big deal because there are so many earthquake in Japan, and I’ve been a part of them. But when I began to see it on the news and media, and more people talked about it, I realized my family is in danger." Many of her friends and family members were forced to re-locate because of the dangers of the destruction around their homes. Yu couldn't believe what was happening. She was in shock because this was Japan. she said "It's really happening to Japan and not a country that is poor." 

Even through the overwhelming things going on in Japan, Yu says she has a bigger heart to pray for Japan. She said, "God is waking them up, and waking us up." This is reality and yu definitely feels the need for God in this situation.

Tim Ip, a sophomore, had a completely different reaction to Japan's earthquake than Yu did. For Ip, there was not a lot of personally reaction to it. It was tragic, and he felt sorry for them, but there was personal connection. Although he felt this way, he said, "I hope God would somehow work through this. One of the things that came across his mind was of a friend he knew that was going on a short-term missions trip in the summer to Japan. He wondered how that trip would be affected, and how it would play out.