AEL. 3001. 2023. BLOGS

Encountering my initial experiences: A ‘Blast 106’ and ‘Cinemagic’ story

Wouldn’t you like to know…

BY Erin Dudgeon

Following a catch up with my best friend Rachel in the summer, she brought up so casually the dreaded question about our 3rd year of university “Have you got anywhere sorted for work placement yet?”.  As I was in the middle of recovering from a broken heel bone sustained on holiday this I not what I needed to hear. I was only focused on getting back on my feet, (LITERALLY) I had not even thought about securing a placement.  As the time for returning to university came closer and closer, I frantically searched for local television and video production companies who may have perhaps been able to take me on as a pair of helping hands. I had always envisioned myself working behind the scenes as a production assistant for instance in UTV or BBC. I thought I would have been able to get into UTV through a connection of my cousin, but that unfortunately did not happen. 

Thankfully, by the time I returned to university I had been able to secure two part-time work placements with Blast 106 and Cinemagic. This came about through the same contact I had, which was a woman from my church who was and still is a longstanding volunteer at both companies. 

 To reflect on my initial experiences of my placements, I am going to use Boud’s Model of Reflection from 1985. This model shows the learner like myself that when we reflect on the tasks delegated to us and collect our thoughts and feelings relating to the event, “it has the objective of making us ready for a new experience” (Boud et al, p. 34). By using this tool as a way of reflection, learners are able to learn from mistakes made and implement an action plan to improve in their area. This is a requirement of reflection as “without routinely engaging in reflective practice, it is unlikely that educators will comprehend the effects of their motivations, expectations and experiences upon their practice”. (Lube and Botha cited in Alqaryouti et al.)

Making my new waves… 

Even though Cinemagic is not as intense and a high – pressure placement compared to that of Blast 106, I still found myself thoroughly enjoying and fulfilling the placement requirements. I had to organise and ensure a smooth running of events which included greeting and showing the film festival goers to their seats, and attending to any producers or directors of shows/films that were guest speakers at the film festival — (I can now say I have met the director of some episodes of the Moomins Valley series!). As my time with Cinemagic progressed, I was allowed to help the behind – the – scenes team, during which I helped to set up and prepare the DVD player for the films being showcased that day and adjusted the sound and lights to an appropriate level for the audience to see and hear comfortably.  

In contrast from my Cinemagic placement, my role in Blast 106 has been more tailored to my practical skill set that I have gained throughout my university learning, as I based a lot of my attention in assignments in producing good quality sound. In September when Neil, the head of sound in Blast 106 welcomed me into the team, he detailed that I would be oversee researching, scripting and producing a Student and Youth news bulletin that would be broadcast every Wednesday and Friday during term time. This is only one out of the many tasks I was given to complete. I have also additionally been assigned the task of producing radio station jingles and more recently (as of 10.11.23), I have been given the opportunity to voice track and host the radio station ‘Sunshine 1049’ for a couple of hours a week. 

On my first day at Blast, I felt nervous and anxious, as I did not know what to expect. Fortunately, there was only Neil and myself in the studio, which was to my benefit. He made me feel very welcome and it turned out Neil was just as nice as he was on Zoom when I had first secured the placement. What I thought was my first challenge of the day (which was finding the studio), was not my only challenge. As Neil showed me how to script and produce a Student and Youth news bulletin, he looked at me and said, “well now it’s your turn”. Not only did I lack the radio presenter voice, but I had no experience in the editing software ‘Adobe Audition,’ which the Blast 106 presenters use to pre-record parts of their shows — and especially the Student and Youth news bulletin. 

Reflection 

As much as I was excited to embark on my work experience, I was just as nervous to see what it would entail. Would it be challenging? Would I be able to complete the tasks to a high standard and on time? Would I fit in with the people I was assigned to work with?  These were all thoughts which were going through my head.

On my first day I thought Neil would have introduced me to the OFCOM radio rules and regulations that I needed to abide by as a radio presenter. Instead, I was thrown into the deep end a little too much for my liking. Nonetheless, I was up for the challenge of using a new software. I wanted to impress Neil by being enthusiastic to learn and dedicating myself to any task assigned to me. As I navigated my way through ‘Adobe Audition,’ I realised that it was quite similar to ‘Pro tools’, especially when setting up a multi-track session. To my surprise, I quickly picked up some tips and tricks and got to grips with ‘Adobe Audition,’ more quickly than I expected. Once I encounter something I am unfamiliar with I am dedicated to understanding it in order to further my skillset. 

I didn’t really anticipate Neil asking me to record my voice in a trial Student and Youth news bulletin. I was hesitant as I was not confident with how my voice would sound. However, Neil reassured me that I was pronouncing everything correctly and that my voice was perfectly fine. He reminded me that everyone has their own distinctive voice qualities. I recognise that I do often generate and impose high standards on the work that I produce. Sometimes, I am disappointed with how I perform. Though, I realised that I am still in training, and I am pleased in myself for trying and being out of my comfort zone. 

Where now?  

Learning to increase in self awareness. 

Fear and uncertainty can hinder me from moving forward and growing as an individual and is a way to avoid challenges. With the increase in research surrounding one’s emotions relating to reflective practises from Boud in 1995 and Vince 2002, it infers “that reflection on emotion and with emotion is beneficial. However, all these models are derivative of a rationalist model where emotion is considered problematic and requires management (Vince, 2006).” (cited in McManus, p. 6)The “Yerkes Dodson Law” mentions “that an optimal level of pressure or anxiety increases performance, but only up to a point.” “Too much pressure has the opposite effect, causing someone to panic.” Yerkes Dodson suggests “The best way to leave your comfort zone is to gradually expand it and find your optimal level of “good stress”” (BetterUp Blog). By challenging myself to learn one thing at a time, I was grateful for my placement as I was able to learn a new skill set but under supervision and under guidance. I found it give me a boost in my self – confidence, but I also gained an insight into how I cope with stress (BetterUp Blog).

As I set aside time every Monday to research and produce the Student and Youth bulletin, it seems to take me a little bit longer as I am not under the same supervision, I had on my first day. I had to be able to adjust to this setting as most of the radio presenters pre-record their show from home. I feel that it has impacted on my learning experience as the environment is not what I expected it to be. I eventually have become more confident and direct with Neil and expressed these concerns of feeling alone in the studio. I did not want to be interrupt those working from home to enquire about something. I had to remind myself that after all Neil has encouraged me to phone him for advice. I have to reduce overthinking, acknowledge and celebrate any progress, big or small. This leads to personal and professional development which is what I aim to grow in while completing my first university work experience. (BetterUp Blog)

I am recognising that the Cinemagic placement has highlighted my strengths and abilities in being able to connect and converse with strangers. I have enjoyed making individuals feel welcome and hopefully have enhanced their experience at any Cinemagic events. I am learning to use my initiative more confidently. 

Overall, my initial experiences of placement have been slightly overwhelming but worthwhile to grow in my own confidence. While it has shown me my weaknesses, it has also emphasised my strengths which can be a good motivator in future growth. 

Some memorable words from Helen Hayes have stuck with me as I intend to step into the world of work following university. She reminds me that – “the expert in anything was once a beginner.” It highlights that everyone was a beginner in something, just like me.

By Erin Dudgeon, 3rd Year BCP student. 

References

Boud, D., Keogh, R., & Walker, D. (1985) . London: Routledge. Print. 

Maggie Woll, “How to get out of your comfort zone (in 6 simple steps)”, ‘BetterUp Blog’, 11th March 2022. URL: https://www.betterup.com/blog/comfort-zone. Accessed 14th November 2023. 

McManus, Julie. Dr. “A NEW WAVE OF SENSATION: THE CRITICAL ROLE EMOTIONS PLAY IN CRITICAL REFLECTION”. Warwick AC UK. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wbs/conf/olkc/archive/olkc6/papers/id_252.pdf. Accessed 16th November 2023.

Mohamed, M., Rashid, R.A. and Alqaryouti, M.H. (2022). Conceptualizing the complexity of reflective practice in education. Frontiers in Psychology, [online] volume 1, version (1). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1008234. Accessed 16th November 2023.