If there’s a will, there’s a way
Congratulations!
In my original post I mentioned how your CV is like your dating profile and in my previous blog I stated how going for an interview was like the first date. Well guess what? You’re now officially married. You have shook the hand of your new boss and you are now in a full time relationship with your job. You have secured the job that you have worried, stressed and desired over about obtaining all this time. It’s all uphill from here right? Right? Well, kind of but just like any long and prosperous marriage, the path is not always straight and narrow. There will be plenty of bumps along the road, you must problem solve and work at things when times get tough, just like with your new shiny job.
In this blog…
I will reflect upon my time working at the SSE Arena for the Belfast Giants. I will review some of the more challenging aspects to my placement, that I had to overcome and how I dealt with the situation and what I learnt from it for future life lessons. Gibbs’ Model of reflection (Fig 2) will once again help me to reflect the tricky period of my placement. Reflective training is mainly a technique used for assessing our own thoughts and feelings, for the main objective of personal understanding and growth.
Description
From early October to present day I have been on placement working at the SSE Arena as a camera operator for the Belfast Giants. (Fig 3) This process has been an unbelievable experience, being part of a winning team, I have learnt so much from my time here, in good ways and bad. My role as camera operator is to set up test and operate a camera during game that will be used as part of the live stream on Giants TV, in arena screens and for YouTube highlights. My biggest struggle so far with working in this environment was my own self-doubt.
Feelings
I did feel quite overwhelmed at the start of season, working with new cameras, figuring out where each wire connects to and of course learning the game of ice hockey and adjusting to the pace of the game. This was a fight or flight moment for me, (Fig 4) I could either knuckle down and work on my skills or run and join somewhere else making coffees. I was always backed from the first day by the Giants crew as they are used to working with students and volunteers. They understood how difficult it can be for a new member of crew to grasp all the information immediately. There is a group of 4 camera operators working at the Giants and in the first few weeks, they were able to be patient with me and rotate to allow me to just record for 1 or 2 periods during a game. I found this as a great help as it gave me a break to relax and observe the others.
Evaluation
Before joining the Giants, I had only seen a handful of ice hockey games in my life. I knew I had to increase my knowledge. So, I started to watch live NHL games to give me a better understanding of the flow of games and how the camera moves between plays. Some things as simple as a slow zoom before face off or tracking players going to the bench and then transitioning to the new player entering the ice. Some tricks like this helped me increase my professionalism in live camera skills. I have been given a great insight to how the basics of running a live pay per view event in terms of production meetings and scheduling, talking to various different members of crew working in their own departments has helped me to see the bigger picture of the production as you can be quite isolated on camera at times.
Analysis
It is important to review your work from a critical standpoint, I watch the match highlights the following day on YouTube. (Fig 6) I look at it from a point of view of a fan. Did I capture the important moments of the game? Was the composition correct? Was there any rash movements? Reflection is a repetitive exercise. We consciously think about the events that have happened, the actions we took, how this made us feel, and our reactions to the corresponding events. I took notice of the management styles used with me in particular, how the crew gave me the time to learn on the job and make mistakes. Nobody is perfect (Northwestern, 2019) talks about a having a healthy perfectionism. As long as I learn from my mistakes and don’t become obsessed by trying to make them perfect, the understanding will help make me a more skilled employee.
Conclusion
From this time period I have learnt that where there’s a will, there’s a way. (Fig 7) If you are willing to put in the extra effort you can help build your own self confidence and improve at any skill you put your mind to. I have found out that even the guys doing the job for 20+ years are open to making errors. Through research I gained knowledge on the sport of ice hockey. Though repetition and practice I can now be counted on to work independently when setting up and de-rigging gear and also when on camera I am trusted to do a professional job that they have decided to keep me on past my placement hours and I am now being paid to work at the SSE as a camera operator.
Action Plan
Looking forward I now understand that it is ok to feel overwhelmed as long as you have the awareness to understand that mistakes happen and as long as there is no long lasting effects, there isn’t any problems. Since working with the Giants, it has opened doors to additional jobs in the industry. I stood my ground and fought and now I am reaping the benefits. ‘Artists should work for what they believe in, they should pursue their interests,’ (Barton). I can take the lessons learnt from this experience and implement them going forward.
Work Cited
Figure 1-https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/49398927135343153/ [Accessed 21 March 2022].
Figure 2- Self made original picture
Figure 3-Figure 2- Self made original picture
Figure 4-https://together-therapy.co.uk/anxiety/flight-or-flight-response-explained [Accessed 23 March 2022].
Figure 5- https://www.gifservice.fr/en/gif/sports-hockey-usa-n-h-l-national-hockey-league-logo-g7299-p151675.php [Accessed 22 March 2022].
Figure 6- Belfast Giants vs Dundee Stars @ SSE Arena Belfast 19 March 2022 highlights YouTube Link-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MbewDDR6bg [Accessed 22 March 2022].
Figure 7-https://quotefancy.com/quote/1324040/Angela-Merkel-Where-there-s-a-will-there-s-a-way [Accessed 23 March 2022].
Figure 8-https://blogs.canterbury.ac.uk/studentnews/looking-forward-to-2022/ [Accessed 21 March 2022].
Northwestern Family Institute. Pushing Back on Perfectionism: How to Be Happily Imperfect. 2019. [online] Available at: https://counseling.northwestern.edu/blog/maladaptive-perfectionism-coping-strategies/#:~:text=open_in_new%20But%20when%20they%20fail,excessively%20high%20or%20impossible%20goals. [Accessed 23 March 2022].
Barton, G. Don’t get a job… make a job: How to make it as a creative graduate (p. 67). essay, Laurence King PublishingLtd. 2020.
Additional Reading
Fanthome, Christine. Work Placements – A Survival Guide For Students. Macmillan Education, Limited, 2004. [Accessed 19 March 2022].
Sharp, E. How to get a job in television. Bloomsbury Publishing. 2009. [Accessed 23 March 2022].
