BLOG (Elisa Casella, TV Student)
Almost everyone has had the dream to be on TV. I have been hooked since television became my Friday night entertainment. I actually wrote my own 20/20-style script at 10 years old and presented it in front of the entire school! Yes…I actually thought I was Barbara Walters. I even recruited a blonde-haired boy to play Hugh Downs. Alas, that was a long time ago. But my curiosity about a television career has remained alive in me ever since.
Fast forward to the year 2008. I found a yellow paper in a dusty binder one day. I could hardly make out my writing in faded green ink, but I did manage to read The Montreal Radio and Television School. Like a force taking over my hand, picked up the phone and called the school. Robert Vairo answered. Crazy right? In January 2009, I began TV class.
As the dream becomes a reality, TV type things have taken over my life. I practice voiceovers and 30 second reports during casual conversations with friends. I write news scripts in my sleep…VO, OC, SUP, and SOT are all my new ABC’s. Weather reporting is fun…once you master your highs and lows (and your geography!) Interviewing looks easy right? But try getting an intro and three intelligent questions squeezed into 50 seconds…even three minutes…when your are LIVE. You quickly learn that Shakespeare was right “brevity is the soul of wit”… and that Oprah is awesome! The class has taught me that practice makes perfect…and the adrenaline rush of being on TV is part of the job…whether you are doing an on-location shoot about an anti-war demonstration or a community update in front of tourists on St. Catherine Street.
I am equally amazed to see how all my colleagues have evolved (and still are) since January. Everyone in the class has a unique experience to share with the world, and each have their own particular interests, whether it be sports, news, or entertainment. Some of us have even discovered new talents. And the course is not finished yet!
Just remember, as someone wise once told me, there is no such thing as one day, only Saturday, Sunday, Monday… you get it. So, what are you waiting for?
Elisa Casella
