We left our hostel at 8am. Today was the day when we would finally shoot the multi-cam talk show that we had been working on all week. By now I feel pretty confident with the cameras and I was excited to finally shoot it after days of preparation. Having said that, we all felt under a lot of pressure in front of a live audience of the students from the school and being in charge of all of that expensive equipment is not something that I am used to. I was nervous because I don't have much experience with cameras before this week and although I am getting used to them now it felt like a high pressure working environment and I definitely didn't want to mess up!
Just before the last rehearsal they had a surprise for us. We would not only have to shoot the first show but there would be another show afterwards where one of us would be on screen interviewing Frej, our teacher, about the ErasmusPlus programme. As I was the only one stupid enough to volunteer, I was the interviewer. It turned out that I was more nervous than I thought I would be and I messed up one of the questions but all in all I was pleased with the final result and I was proud of us all for making it happen. After the shooting was finished they told us that we could go home early since we had been so busy we needed to rest so we ate lunch in the school and then headed back to our hostel for a well needed nap before we headed off to hang out with the Finnish students that evening. I was feeling a bit homesick so I decided to stay home and rest while everybody else went to the grocery shop. I am finding it hard being away from home but I wouldn't miss this experience for the world. Everybody has been nothing but kind and welcoming and I am having an amazing time. We headed over to their apartment at around 6pm and we had a lovely time listening to Finnish music and getting to know them better. We even put on some Irish music which went down very well. It was great to relax after a stressful afternoon. -Mairead (Thurs) After arriving at the school many of the students had to attend general studies. So we got the opportunity to see the black magic and red cameras but also the chance to learn about the red camera and how it works. We also learned about changing the lenses which is a little different from conventional cameras, this is something that not many people get to do in Irelan, so that was something which we all really enjoyed.
Later in the day we went to a ski slope as it was for most, our first time skiing. We all fell at least four times but we all got the grasp of it very quickly and was just the icing on the cake to a great day. -Daniel Oh boy whatta day! Today we started our day as any other. Stephs alarm went off but Mairead, Steph and I were so tired we shut it off and turned around for another half an hour. We’ve been doing so much since we got here we haven’t really had a chance to sit back and relax so the tiredness had definitely caught up on us. We love everything we’ve got to do, we’re amazed at how much the Finnish students and teachers want to do activities with us, it’s definitely been a very warm welcome and I can’t wait for all the rest of the stuff they have planned. Our days are jam packed!
After finally getting up, getting breakfast and having a cuppa (typical Irish morning) Taru and Marco pulled up with Jon and we headed off to Nakkila towards Sataedu. Taru fed us with more facts about Finland and we took everything in. This country is just amazing. We arrived at Satadeu, the snows starting to melt a little bit and the beautiful fluffy snow we have all come to know and love over the past few days is starting to resemble something a little bit more familiar to us Irish. SLUSH! It’s starting to get slippy so we’re watching we don’t fall on our asses now. We were greeted as always with lovely warm welcoming smiles from all the students, I can’t get over how lovely the Finnish are. We sat for our morning meeting with Taru and we were told we’d be working with Frej on multi-camera again. Multi-cam is something we don’t have access to at home and it’s honestly the best experience possible to be able to work with 4K cameras and get to use the mixer as well. We were also setting up the set for our Friday Multi-cam shoot, which proved to be quite the stressful task as cameras, mics, lighting and chairs had to be set up. The lighting set up isn’t something we wouldn’t have much experience with, we’ve worked with lighting before with Jon but actually assembling the lighting was a whole new ball game. Steph took one for the team and volunteered to help Jusso put up the lighting, which involved climbing a rather high ladder to place the lights on the beam. Honestly I have so much respect for her because there’d be no way I’d even try to climb a ladder with very heavy and expensive lighting equipment. She’s a trooper. Later in the day we watched a Finnish movie with some of the class and it was quite interesting. It was very melancholic but the students said that’s what Finnish movies are generally like. Then we were escorted out to the Satadeu bus to be transported to our valentine’s dinner with the head of international affairs. It was so thoughtful that they invited us for dinner, but the best part...We weren’t just being served....we were making the food! Us Irish should never be allowed into the kitchen. We were a mess! Daniel and I were in charge of the quiche, Jon made Croque Moinseur (it was a ham and cheese toastie) and Eamonn, Steph and Mairead made Shepard’s Pie and Wisemen Pie with the help of Jon’s artistic skills to add a little something extra to a plain pastry. We dropped Jon home later and it was pretty emotional, he was definitely like a 6th student and we had the best time with him. He always kept us laughing. So we were quite sad to see him go. All in all we’re having a great time, we’re learning so much and I don’t want this experience to end. We’re in a beautiful country, with lovely people and learning about the things we love. What’s not to like? Obviously I miss home and I’ve been a little homesick today but at the same time I’m taking in this amazing experience and I couldn’t be more grateful. I can’t wait to keep working and learning and to take all this amazing new knowledge back to Ireland with me. Sarah. Today (Tuesday) we went on a trip to Tampere museum and to the Finnish broadcasting company YLE'S studio. We were accompanied by two Finnish students, as well as Frej and Jon. We first went to the museum, which was a mixture of a history, nature, technology, gaming and hockey museum. Each section of the museum was very distinct from one another, and displayed unique aspects if Finnish culture.
The Studio tour was very insightful as we were given an indept tour. We were shown around the studios and got to watch the multicam shoot of a children's TV show. Many of the studios were in use during our visit so we could only view certain sections. Our guide was great, he was very open to questions from us, about our work and setting up work for the future. Today was a nice change of pace for us, but we're all glad to be getting back to the studio tomorrow for more work. -Eamonn This blog post covers our arrival to Finland on Sunday February 11th as well as our first day of work at the Sataedu on Monday 12th. Therefore it'll be quite a long one, but bare with me it'll be useful!
The Media students group for Finland 2018 comprised of Steph (Me), Sarah, Mairead, Eamonn and Daniel. We are accompanied by Jon for the first week. We arrived into Helsinki airport after a pleasant flight to a timezone that was 2 hours ahead. After having our first tentative bites of Finnish food we tried to board our train to Pori. This got off to a pretty dramatic start as it transpired that it was not 1 train but 3 that we had to get and they did not lend well towards people accustomed to the Irish transportation system. There was no ticket kiosk, only a machine which required a special Finnish card which we obviously did not have. So it transpired in fact that we had to book them online from a very complicated website as we were boarding the train. This meant that Eamonn for instance accidentally bought 2 and so his cost was over a hundred euros, whereas I bought 2 too but just children’s tickets and paid 72. Other people only paid 35. Therefore I would definitely recommend that future students to Finland book online in advance as there is no way to remedy the mistake on the spot due to the fact that it is all done without human aide. Aside from that, the Finnish train is beautiful and even has a restaurant and bar. We later arrived at Hostel Buisto which is centrally located in Pori and very comfortable. No-one was there to greet us on arrival which was a bit strange but we figured our way around nonetheless with the help of Taru and Frej who kindly picked us up from the station. Taru also brought us to a small food store, much like Lidl or Aldi so we arrived at the hostel well equipped for the morning. The next day Taru and Frej picked us up at 9:10am (Monday is a late start, generally it’s 8am) and we drove the 20 minute journey to the school. The facilities were very impressive. The studio was a huge cavernous space that was is well suited to staging, lighting and jibs. In addition to this it is a matte black and hung with black again so it’s specifically designed for backdrop work. The school building also houses Animation / Gaming / Photography classes. After giving us a tour of the building, Taru and Frej introduced us to the Finnish students. We were all very pleasantly surprised by their willingness to talk as we had been warned that they are generally quite reserved. Their English was excellent and they were particularly responsive once approached first. The students helped us assemble the tripods and cameras and under Frej’s instructions, they gave us a runthrough of the Sony FS5 and 7s they were using. Then we broke for lunch which was free I think today. Though I’m not sure if that’s always the case. After returning from lunch we set up the room as if for an interview. It was perhaps 2 concentric circles of chairs with two chairs facing each-other in the middle. This was the basis for a multi-cam shoot. This was the first time any of the GTI students had ever had the chance to film multi-cam so it was quite intimidating but a lot of fun once achieved. It comprised of 4 cameras, one of which was on a dolly and intercoms which led into a sound studio containing a mixer next door. A director and studio director co-ordinated the cameras through a shotlist that was about 3 minutes long. Frej had us all change positions after about 4 takes so everyone had a chance to mix, direct and shoot. As someone who is sensitive to criticism and hates to make mistakes I found this tough at the start as I didn’t know the studio lingo and Frej was strict about keeping the atmosphere and schedule as close to a professional one as possible, but I quickly caught on. Finally, on our return to the hostel we 5 decided to go to Puuvilla. This is a shopping centre about 1km from the hostel. We were very surprised to find it actually because everyone was very insistent that Pori is as 'dead as a dodo', but in fact there are a good few shops around if you care to look for them. Puuvilla for instance has a HM, Hesburger (Like Supermacs) a cheap grocery store, Tiger and plenty of Finnish shops. Everyone has a good level of English too and are helpful if you speak with a smile and start with a simple question. All in all it was a great first day! If anyone wanted some advice regarding the weather I would say that it’s surprisingly warm despite the fact that the snow is half a foot deep. This is because there is no wind. However I would recommend bringing a hat, scarf and shoes that are water resistant with a good rubber sole and grip. Also, the air is a good deal drier than in Ireland which can lead to your eyes, lips and hands feeling very dry so I’d advise having eyedrops (particularly for those with contact lenses) and chapstick. -Steph Images: 1. The view from the plane 2. The Hostel Buisto interior 3. Multi-Cam Shoot 4. Coffee Breaks on set 5. The Studio 6. The School Exterior 7. Puuvilla (Shopping centre short walk from Hostel Buisto) |
Media 2017-18Stephanie Brennen Map of Pori |