Amy MacBeath

So last week I decided to do some filming back up north in the Highlands.  As I am doing a masters in multimedia journalism I thought it would be a nice addition to my portfolio.  The nice folk at Culloden Battlefield were very helpful and I have cracking footage of bogs, stones, a redcoat (not a real one, just someone dressed up) and a Jacobite (sort of a real one…Ray Owens makes a living out of being a very impressive Highlander!).  It was all going reasonably well considering I was filming alone…apart from the gales, brilliant sunshine, rain and hail stones – all at once!  So when it came to doing a wee piece to camera I appeared a drowned rat with blue cheeks in front of the camera trying to talk about Culloden in the howling wind.  Disaster! 

When I came to filming in town it was better news – the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the riverside looked all pretty and green.  Even old Flora at the castle looked better than I remembered when I took her picture.  But as always you get that one comedian….as I am trying to hold very still and film up the river from the bridge some rather annoying individual thought it would be funny (and of course altogether original) to honk their horn right behind me.

All in all I hope my filming expedition went as well as I think it did and that my short documentary will look at least semi-professional.  Plus the weather ’effects’ will surely add a bit of authenticity to the piece. Spielberg, however, can relax for now!

The last week of my postgrad in multimedia journalism is here and news on the job front has only become more dismal since I started!  With further cuts at the Daily Record on top of the seemingly endless announcements of redundancies and cost cutting the future for us young budding journos is hazy! 

But I refuse to become disheartened!  The blunt, honest advice received about the realities of my chosen career only motivate me further.  As moods dip lower I am determined to remain positive and try and make the most of what comes my way. 

So, until the day comes when I have to sign on (fingers crossed it won’t happen!) I am going to be optimistic – after all there will always be a place for keen, (multimedia trained) journalists….

…let’s just hope there’s room for this Invernesian one!

I’ve not totally lost it don’t worry – just saw an advert for a new limited edition Walker’s crisp flavour Cajun Squirrel.  Now, I am a little baffled by this but what really got me was the small print on the bottom of the screen saying “Over 16s only”.  Why?!  I don’t understand why exactly there appears to be an age restriction…unless squirrels have a little known intoxicating quality.  Either way, that has most definitely got to be the strangest flavour of anything I have come across – the link between what I consider cajun and the fluffy tailed little creatures is also a little lost on me.  Some kid on youtube described them as cheesy, spicy and alright (he’s not going to win any food critic emmy’s any time soon)!  I am weirdly intrigued and may just have to investigate this matter further along with the other combos they’ve come up with this time!

I decided recently that I love cooking again, not just like heating something up or adding a jar of sauce but proper homely efforts that may you feel all warm and cosy inside.  It’s never fun cooking for one, there’s no satisfaction in the finished product if you don’t have someone else to enjoy it.  By sheer guesswork alone I’ve learned that I can make a pan of broth or tattee soup, macaroni or lasagna just like my mum’s and even her mum’s (both great cooks!) and my veggy efforts have gone down well with my vegetarian sister, all good signs.  Even my cranachan attempt was scoffed!  But I haven’t yet discovered my trademark recipe…my latest creation was a butternut squash risotto with chili and creme fraiche…very yummy…but I now have to go on to bigger and better things!  So the search begins to find my very own ’signature’ dish!

So I’m putting fuel in my car earlier to be extra organised for my drive home and to much annoyance I discover that my poor wee car has fallen victim to one of the rogues of the road – the white van man.  Now this is not an attack on all people who operate such vehicles but to that one white van man who so kindly scratched my little car.  Now you may ask how do I know that it was you who harmed my vehicle…simple.  After overcoming my initial anger, Detective MacBeath observed that said scratches were at such a height that it cannot have been a car and the marks must have been the result of a van impact.  And how did I know it was you..you left white paint on my black car!  Pretty good investigative skills but now I am left without a culprit.  So to you who carelessly defaced my property…please leave a note next time..or better still…please don’t!!  Much appreciated.

In an attempted joke (I hope!!) I was recently told I had a voice for silent movies following my esteemed colleague been labelled (also in jest) with having a face for the radio.  Which leads me to wonder how vitally important is it in our modern multimedia world to look good.  I had my first chance today to co-present a televised news bulletin – fully prepared to look like a whale on screen I think I wasn’t as shocked as I could have been watching myself back (thank you hi-def cameras!).  I did however appear to have demon eyes as I think the lights, which I hoped were also tanning giving the heat that was adding colour to my cheeks, inflated my pupils until all I had were a couple of shiny coals where some blue formerly existed.  My co-presenter was concerned that she managed to look evil on camera.  So, what have I learned?  The camera doesn’t miss a trick!  I am beginning to understand the commitment it takes to be seen by millions every night!

So it appears that I am doomed in this culturally diverse and accepting city to be forever labelled by that delightful (and derogatory term may I add) that us Highlanders just love.  A teuchter.  With my recent experiences whereby our region of fine folk have been dismissed by some as not worth worrying about all the way up there I feel that I should jump to the defence of my kind. 

First and foremost I have never considered myself to be a ‘teuchter’.  I am a towny through and through and to me the term always meant some rural Black Isler or islander with their broad accents/Gaelic and funny ways- both qualities I do not consider to have (or at least in any great amount..well the first one anyway).

So, I decided to look this up and put the matter to bed once and for all.  But alas, it’s not to be….every definition I have come across is just another way for a lowlander to have a dig at us poor Highlanders.  One even claimed that it was a positive term lowlanders use for us…who are they kidding?

“teuchter:  A Lowlander’s term for a Highlander, not exactly insulting but not to be used to a Highlander’s face”      …………….uhum!

Last week I spent my third and final placement at the BBC in Inverness.  Having already crammed serious amounts of information into my head since New Year I arrived prepared to stuff in even more!  Being a Highlander my plan was to go to Broadcasting House up north so that I would be working in a familiar area and, if need be, be able to pronounce places!  The first couple days were spent writing, cutting and researching for the Highlands & Islands news bulletins and going out with the Reporting Scotland presenters to film packages.  The timing of Inverness Caledonian Thistle sacking their manager worked well for me as there was plenty to film – I narrowly escaped an appearance myself!  The best part was getting the chance to research, script, edit and voice my own piece for the morning bulletin – they actually aired it too!  I even noticed one of the scripts I wrote made the website. 

Thursday was spent in the features department researching for the BBC Radio Scotland ‘No Going Back’ programme…basically I called random people and asked for their memories and stories on the naval base and protester camp at Faslane, Argyll & Bute.

On my last day I worked with the Gaelic team on An La (the news for BBC Alba) – it was an interesting experience to say the least as everyone dipped in and out of Gaelic all day..I found myself smiling when they all laughed just so I looked as though I was in on whatever the joke may have been…could have been at me for all I know.  As the producer had handed over control to someone for the night I shadowed him and he gave me a very useful and much needed lesson in avid - I think all his work took him five times as long due to the fact that I had to press all the buttons. 

Overall I really enjoyed my week there and think I learned a lot, having a chance to put my begginer’s skills into practice….

…..I also hope that it will be the end of being asked which school I go to for a wee while!

So I finally got to see the Mighty Boosh Live last night at the SECC after years of never managing to make it to shows.  Despite the fact that this particular show has been on the go a while and I’m sure all the mistakes and jokes possible have already been made it was absolutely hilarious (apart from the really creepy fox which I really don’t like but have managed to avoid since I haven’t seen much of that series).  One thing I will say – at the risk of sounding well beyond my years – is that I couldn’t quite believe the number of parents who had taken their kids along to this show.  Now, I consider myself a well up to speed fan of the boosh comedy and am well aware of how rude..well pretty sick actually..the jokes get but I don’t think it would take a genius to know that what is produced for BBC3 is a very strictly edited version of their act.  I therefore was surprised at the naivity of the father sitting behind me with his arms folded commenting that “there isn’t all this swearing in the one you see on tv”…??!!!!  To which his son answered “but it’s funny so just shutup and enjoy it”.  What are kid’s becoming these days that they are allowed to go, no they are taken, to watch this type of obviously adult comedy but also to laugh along to the dirtiest of jokes with their mothers at their elbow.  Anyway, rant over because I really did enjoy the show and their off the wall style and was even sad enough to come home and watch my favourite episodes before bed. 

This week I spent three days down Pacific Quay at STV in their newsroom.  I wasn’t sure what to expect after only having experienced newspapers, magazines and a small amount of radio so I wasn’t entirely sure what I would be faced with.  Within ten minutes of being there and having literally taken my jacket off I found myself being interviewed on camera for the website – an experience I really wasn’t prepared for!  Less than an hour later I delightfully found myself being filmed again but luckily I was part of the editing of this and avoided online stardom this time. 

The newsroom itself was mixed in with the five thirty show and with the endless introductions it becomes very clear just how much work goes into producing these bulletins from news gathering to production.  The team were all very pleasant and patient with a beginner like myself and there was so much to take in in the small amount of time I was there – I gave it my best shot!  In the mornings I helped with John MacKay’s blog before grabbing the chance to go out most of the rest of the day to film anything from traffic accident, assault and abductions scenes to an extremely fat dog and comdian Karen Dunbar reciting Tam O’Shanter to me from a throne.  In three days I think I saw more of Glasgow than ever before.  It was also a good chance to watch the editing of the packages before watching the production process for the 6 o’clock news.  Seeing the finished process after observing the work that goes into it gave me a whole new insight into the world of broadcasting.