Decisions, decisions - theMediaNet

I love the process of editing, especially if I’m working with a really skilled craft editor. An hour in the edit suite can represent hundreds of individual decisions. Which take shall we use? How long shall I run this shot before the cut?  When shall we begin to ramp the sound in or out? It feels a bit like cooking – adding a little of this, taking away a bit of that, to try to produce the most satisfying result.

The creative process is all about making decisions.  Everyone who works in media knows that producing content is a complex, multi-layered process.  Some days you find yourself working at the front edge of creativity – making decisions that will directly affect the content and be heard or read by many thousands of people.  Other days are filled with tasks that seem much further back down the creative pathway – team meetings, budget planning, writing proposals, dreaming dreams. But all the decisions, from budget allocations to staffing to those vital decisions that are made in the edit, contribute to the end result…the programme, the article or the video.  This matters because it is the intricate weaving together of those thousands of decisions that determines whether the end result is good, beautiful, funny and life-giving or poor, mean and ugly. 

Where do decisions get made?  They come from the creative heart of the content-maker.  The decisions we make are shaped by our will.  There’s a rigorous consistency between what’s in your heart and the things you make.  In Luke 6:45 Jesus says “A good person brings good out of the treasure of good things in his heart; a bad person brings bad out of his treasure of bad things. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” 

“What the heart is full of” is not an accident.  We are responsible for feeding and developing our own hearts.  We nurture them with the things we read or watch and the ideas we accept or reject.  We tend our hearts, allowing God to make them like Christ’s, or we neglect them and allow them to be shaped by whatever our culture throws at them.

Within this amazing network with its 850 members there are creative people of many kinds.  There are TV producers, journalists, radio presenters, web designers, camera operators, editors and many many more.  Creative people come in all shapes and sizes.  850 creative hearts learning to think and act and make choices like Jesus will make a huge impact on the media we produce.  Let’s support and encourage one another as we invite God to cultivate our hearts.

Bristol MediaNet gathering
Next week will see a MediaNet gathering in Bristol.  We’ll be at Halo Restaurant, 141 Gloucester Road, Bristol on Thursday 11th July from 6.30pm.  I hope you can join us to share food and encouragement with creative Christians from across the South West region.  Please drop a line to Carmen Carrol via info@s2sgospel.com if you’re planning to be there.  I look forward to seeing you.

Glastonbury
Congratulations to the many MediaNet members who were involved in the stunning coverage of the Glastonbury Festival this weekend.  They include Lynda Davies, working with Radio 1 events team, and Colin Paterson who reported for Radio 5Live from the front row of the Pyramid Stage. 

Voluntary work at UCB radio
Christian broadcaster UCB is currently advertising two 12 month voluntary placements within their Broadcasting Department. One placement is with TV, the other with radio – both are a great opportunity to gain experience within the media and at a Christian organisation. The voluntary placements are ideal for a gap year and accommodation and a food budget are provided for both. More information and a volunteer application form can be found at www.ucb.co.uk/jobs
 
Speakers' Corner
MediaNet member Steve DJ is the editor of Speakers’ Corner, the opinion section of the London blogging site The London Word. He’s looking for people  interested in writing one-off or regular opinion pieces. They can be about anything at all (big or small, positive or negative), providing it relates to London. All work, including Steve’s, is done on a voluntary basis.  Please send Steve an email at steve.dew-jones a_t hotmail d_o_t co d_o_t uk if you are interested. 

That’s all for now.  Do keep in touch.  We love to hear what you are doing.

Andrew
07772 710090
andrew a_t theMediaNet d_o_t org