For this week, we had to watch a couple segments by Ira Glass, who talks about storytelling and what that entails. These videos were very powerful in that he describes how essential storytelling is, and how although many think that they have the right idea with it, they’re all actually wrong — especially those in high school. He goes into the anecdote, which is basically a story in the most basic form. The huge misconception with stories is that many think it involves entire plots but truth be told, it can be very simple, even if that means it’s going to be boring. The anecdote is one of two building blocks, the other is a moment of reflection. That is incredibly essential because if you don’t have it, then you go around wondering why you’re watching it? The two building blocks go hand in hand, as Glass states, and that one must be ruthless to have both the action of the anecdote but ALSO, you mustmustmust have that moment of reflection, otherwise, it’ll just deadpan.

The second video is really just summed up in one essential part for me, which was ”if you’re not failing all the time, you’re not creating a situation where you can get super lucky”. I totally agree. He notes that even video, radio broadcasting companies is all about luck, where you have a set schedule and how it’s all about luck. Although hard work does pay off, sometimes great things just have to happen, and you cannot just force it to come out on its own.

Jad Abumrad has a completely different perspective, but still incredibly enlightening. I especially enjoy when he starts to describe his way back to the office and he says, “I’m painting something, but I’m not holding the paintbrush — you are”. He states the word ‘co-authorship’, which basically involves connecting with someone. All in all, radio has this intimacy.  Television gives you the image, you cannot change it because it is there already but the radio entails so much more, radio allows you to create your own image with its own ‘vibrations of the voice’. That idea of itself gives chills.