Amanda DeCamp's Production Memo

By Amanda DeCamp

For this project, I started with my story pitch. It was very weak at first because I did not have an angle. I knew that I wanted to write about food, but I was not sure what else. Finally, with some research, I was able to refine my story to writing about eating healthy on a budget and avoiding fast food. By researching online, I found that people with lower incomes eat more fast food and that there are more fast food restaurants in black neighborhoods with lower incomes.

It was helpful to come up with a list of 10 links. By reading similar articles, I was able to come up with my own unique angle.

The interviews that I got were the hardest part to come by. Originally I wanted to stay strictly in Hempstead, but when I tried to get people to talk to me with the flipcam in Hempstead, I was very unsuccessful. People would either say they didn't have time or that they just didn't want to. I had more luck in Westbury and Willison Park, which are both within five to 10 minutes from Hempstead Turnpike. Also, I originally was trying to set up an interview with a dietitian from Hempstead, but she stopped returning my phone calls. Finally, I thought to look at Hofstra's sources on health and found Andy Herman who was very helpful. In the end I learned that one source is better than no source, even if they weren't who you planned on getting.

The video editing is not perfect but I did learn a lot about broadcast journalism and online journalism by editing my own video. Hopefully with this experience, I will be able to improve my broadcast and editing skills.