And so I’m into my last week in NYC and my last week of interning for the Moth. Nearly two months of living and working in this brilliant city are just about over, and unsurprisingly, this final week has been one of the most full yet. After feeling a bit unwell at the weekend (probably something to do with the heat) I was sure to get myself together enough to go into the office on Monday to begin the final stretch of work to get my video project finished. With Brandon and Laura away that day, I had to fend for myself and overcome alone the regular problem solving exercises that occur when using software you’re not quite fluent with. However, in just a couple of short weeks, Final Cut Express is finally more on my side. On Friday afternoon, just in time to leave early and enjoy the weekly half day that is Summer Fridays, I finished the video and set it up to fully render. My project was complete! Although I know there are some aspects of it that are yet to be developed, I hope that it will be a useful foundation to the Moth after I leave. I’ve learnt so much from making it and I’m really glad that I set out to pursue a task that, rather than being easy, was daunting, ambitious, definitely outside of my comfort zone, and above all something that allowed me to develop skills I didn’t even know I had.
Also this week, I can count myself very lucky that in my last few days at the Moth I was able to attend the Podcast recording session at Argot Studios. Podcast host Dan Kennedy took to the recording booth ready to present this week’s storytellers, while I, amazed to hear the familiar lines I’d been listening to in my Ipod headphones for so many months previously now being recorded right in front of me, looked on with fascination at the seemingly billion-and-something faders on the studio mixing desk. These many knobs became less of a mystery after I was lucky enough to get a recording lesson at the studio from Paul who (after making me painfully try to recap my year 9 physics lessons about sound waves) taught me a lot about capture and the best way to make a podcast, or indeed, any kind of studio produced and edited recording. Very, very useful and a lot of fun.
This has also been a week of goodbyes and this first came in the form of cupcakes (somewhat of a Moth office tradition) and then a lovely dinner at Sensation Shanghai Dumpling House (complete with some background TV of the Olympic Opening Ceremony – we didn’t miss out totally!). Last night was our final StorySLAM before Polly and fly home, which was at The Bitter End with and hosted by the vivacious Sarah Barron. The theme of the night was Judgement. Despite seeming so recent, I realised it’s been nearly six weeks since Polly first told a story at this venue, apparently leaving my judgement of the passing of time a bit questionable. It’s unbelievable how fast it’s gone. I feel so privileged to have been a part of the Moth even for this brief time. I’ve met some incredible people and had some amazing experiences. I’ve learned something new nearly every day and I would love to be able to come back to this brilliant city.
Real Voices 