Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Lights. Camera. Question!



Yesterday I gave my first national news interview on camera. The topic was fiction on Twitter, both stories I've written (see links at right for Nanoism & escarp) and other writers' stories I've edited/published on PicFic. My interview was part of a larger story--they've been talking to loads of people. I'll post details later if/when it will air. But the whole experience has been surreal.

Going in to it, I wondered whether or not I would freeze in front of the camera. I wondered whether or not the interviewer would constantly dig for dirt. I even wondered whether I would break into nervous, hysterical laughter and blow out someone's ears.

But I needn't have worried. Since the team in charge of the news story is based in DC, I drove into my local affiliate. Instead of being interviewed in a studio, I was tucked quietly into a conference room. Junior watched from the end of the table. Cameraman Mike took a shine to him, so showed him how to use his camera (see photo above) and gave him a tour of the newsroom.

After the 40 minute interview, I also had to re-read some of my stories while the camera rested on my shoulder to view my notebook and then repositioned to focus close-in on my face (SCARY). They also filmed me navigating to this blog, PicFic's Twitter stream, and PicFic's archive.

I hope it went well. I feel like it did. Of course I'm dying to know where and when the story will run, but I'm not super-anxious about whether any of my footage will make it in.

Most of all I'm JAZZED that fiction on Twitter is getting some national attention. It will be a real boost for all the contributors to PicFic (and Thaumatrope and Outshine and Nanoism and escarp and 7x20 and Tweet the Meat and...)

Cheers,
J.S.

8 comments:

Jessie Carty said...

and...you are made of awesome :)

j said...

:-D Thank you, thank you!

Mel Bosworth said...

Congrats again, Jessi. Bravo. And congrats to twitter fiction, and congrats to Junior, of course. He's becoming quite the traveler and student.

j said...

Three cheers all 'round!

And I'm seriously thinking about getting Junior a charm bracelet--he's too tender for tatoos of every place he's been and will go. Do boys wear charm bracelets?

Eric Burke said...

Congratualtions, Jessi. I would have been a nervous wreck. You and junior are way braver than me!

j said...

Thanks, Eric. But you might surprise yourself someday!

Teresa Houle said...

You are hella brave lady. I would have passed out during a close-up!

The second you know about when it's airing you call me. Well, tweet it or something.

j said...

Will do, T. Thanks!