Meg Schell on wed 17 apr 96
It all depends on where you are, professionaly I have been in the Video
Producer/Computer Geek/Presentation/Stageing biz for twenty years. Lots
of risk taking, a mix of awards/this is the best thing/and flat
out "you are a no talent" reactions to me and my work. There are times
when I have said I'll never work in video again ( a variation on "You'll
never work in this business again) but I get on with it and work in a
field that I love.
I have been lurking along the Talent thread, agreeing and thinking and
disagreeing. when about a month ago,I had a group senior engineering
students who claimed not to know video, but wanted to make one showcasing
thier senior project, converting a car to electric from gas.
A coworker and I gave two, two hour talks to the class, and set them loose
expecting not much and a desprate call for help about now,
Yesterday they came over with thier script (very well written),
video footage (excellant),and the edit list. Knocked the edits out
in no time,(editing is a skills intense part) and the end project is one
that is a credit to the institution, and primarily the work of the
students.
Yes we did warn them of the traps, steer them toward the goals, help
with the technology.
If not talent, what got them thru the project in such a short time?
I'll give hard work and an ability to learn credit, desire to do and
determination play a large role. But I watch RTV majors struggle for
semesters to grasp concepts and fail, while these students picked it up
very fast, very well and were able to ask and work out higher order
questions in less than a month. It baffles me, truely that anything but a
native eye for images and talent could have steered them along.
Sorry for the ramble, but talent remains enigmatic hard to define but"I
know it when I see it"
I always love working with clay, sometimes a shape or idea fasinates me
and i throw until back kills me to get it right. It is enduring
quality of clay that gives me great pleasure and stress releif from
working in a very temporary media (video is only viewable for 5 years if
your lucky, after that the tech changes and it relearn and equip) but i
don't think I have a talent for it just a love of working in it. and yes
I actually like blue pots, through red is always my favorite color in
anything.
Meg Schell
Office of Instructional Resources
Univ. of Central Florida
mschell@skynet.oir.ucf.edu
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