When I first decided to apply to the Daily Bruin, I expected that working as a video journalist would be exciting and glamorous. And to an extent, my expectations were met. I got VIP media passes to Outside Lands, flew in an airplane with a student who was also a pilot and sat with ex-gang members as their gang tattoos were laser-removed.
Beneath all the glamour, however, were the challenges of an endearingly problematic video department. The cameras never seemed to work. The tripods were always a little bit crooked. The computers would crash in the middle of editing.
But the imperfections and the struggles were part of what made journalism exciting and what made the storytelling real.
It was a constant reminder that real life is not a string of perfectly crafted words on a page or tastefully filtered images on a screen. It’s raw, unexpected and hard. Real life is a series of successes, failures, trials, joys and sorrows. And for each of those moments in life, we need grace and we need community – people to run with us, pick us up when we fall and inspire us to run again.
That’s where Daily Bruin and the Video section come in. At the Daily Bruin, I found myself in the company of people who were passionate about storytelling and using their creative talents to make a difference. A group of people who stood by the truth and who weren’t afraid to shine a light in the dark places. The unglamorous challenges of meeting daily deadlines and dealing with malfunctioning equipment were worth it because of those close friendships I made along the way.
I expected a lot of things from working at the Daily Bruin, but the one thing I did not expect – the community – is one of the things that I will cherish the most.
Ferido was a senior Video reporter from 2014-2015, Video producer from 2013-2014, assistant Video producer from 2012-2013 and a reporter from 2011-2012.