What is it actually like covering big events like TEDx University of Nicosia 2019?

What is it actually like covering big events like TEDx University of Nicosia 2019?
Is the media sphere the right one for you?

Going to the cinema in order to watch a movie is the way that a lot of people hang out with their friends. I personally enjoy watching movies so I thought that if watching movies is so fun then it should also be fun to make them as well! So I chose a course at the University of Nicosia, where I am studying, and I have been learning the process of making a movie from a theoretical point of view. However, apart from the theoretical perspective of the subject, I wanted to gain some practical experience. Thus, I joined Mediazone to get first-hand experience and check if my thoughts were true.

Indeed, I had the chance at the TEDx University of Nicosia 2019 event. That was the perfect opportunity to learn a lot about video recording. But, let’s see exactly what happened at the event…

First of all, preparation starts: lab assistants need to understand where to place equipment, something that is done long before the event, at rehearsal. Then, on the spot, the production team has to place equipment in the correct positions, setup up lighting and adjust camera settings. A lot of final adjustments happen at this point.

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December 13, 2019 /  2

Helping Around in TEDx University of Nicosia 2019

I am a first year student at the University of Nicosia and I am studying Digital Communication and Mass Media. This gave the opportunity to become a volunteer at Mediazone which is such an amazing experience that I knew I would only have once in my life.

Until now, several things, that I thought they would be hard to accomplish, showed up. Although, they actually gave me the opportunity to work even harder and learn through those. Even though I am a volunteer, I still want to do as much as I can and to work on different things. Thus, when the time for TEDX University of Nicosia 2019 came, I couldn’t believe it. But at the same time, I asked myself “How can I do this?”.

At this event, I was handling graphics which was a fairly easy task: you press a button and lower thirds appear on the bottom and on left side of the screen. However, I came prepared for anything. When event time came, I needed to wake up early and to work all day but it was definitely worth it.

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December 6, 2019 /  3

DIGITAL COMMUNICATION OR SCHOOL OF LIFE?

When I started studying Digital Communication at the University of Nicosia I thought that the courses were going to be mainly practical and we were going to be taught technical aspects of filmmaking… But how naive was I!

I mean, we are definitely getting used to all of the fancy equipment available at Mediazone but it is much more than that. It is more than pressing the record button and following the action.

To begin with, professionals in the field are like FBI agents and marketing professionals combined together that could conquer the world if they only wanted to. These people definitely know what you’re thinking about if you, yourself, have no idea what is going on inside your head. The reason behind this is that if you chose to study Digital Communications you will have to interact with a lot of people and directly with a majority of them in order to accomplish your production goals -and body language plays a big part in that. You are always transmitting messages to people around you whether you like it or not and to make your life easier you may want to familiarize yourself with the meaning behind it.

 

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November 22, 2019 /  11

Something Memorable

The most memorable event so far happened while I was volunteering at Mediazone for the Summer Graduation of 2019 – for the event, I played a hand in the social media role, Live Graphics Operator (less fancy than it sounds), as well as to direct the backstage graduation video.

Generally, I’d been itching for a proper project considering that I’d been volunteering there for a full semester. The chance to mess up at directing was one I (generally hoped to avoid) but welcomed. It also ensured that it kept me busy throughout the time; as I was also assisting in the posts that went to the Mediazone Instagram and University Facebook.
Side Note: I don’t mean to brag, but those posts with the puns? Yeah, that was me.

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November 15, 2019 /  5

My ‘UNIC September’ Experience

I developed a somewhat unexpected interest of hiking while spending some holidays at a mountain in south of Peloponnese a few years ago. But, never would I have thought that the next time I would find myself down a trail would be along the ‘UNIC September’ program. ‘UNIC September’ is the orientation program of the University of Nicosia, designed to introduce new students to the UNIC environment and enjoy the experience of being a UNIC student. Apart from learning and social activities one of the ‘UNIC September’ events is a day trip to the Troodos Mountain! And surely enough, I was assigned to this event by Mediazone.

Student assistants in Mediazone are given opportunities to attend and work on various events and projects around Cyprus (and sometimes abroad -yep!) throughout the semesters. Meaning wherever the University goes we follow. Some projects are much more challenging than others but at the end of the day we always feel rewarded as we could have not gained any of the professional experience, precious moments nor develop our selves so early on, during our college years. And all of that is possible only because of Mediazone…

The day of the event came quickly. The bus ride to Troodos Mountain was pretty fun and all freshmen were anticipating the hike. Once we were up the mountain, we noticed the temperature falling – which was a nice escape from the September heat of Nicosia. Soon enough, we were at the beginning of our trail; the Caledonia Waterfalls…

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October 17, 2019 /  2

Jenga: A Mediazone Retrospective

New Mediazone Blog starts here and now!

So, buckle up for new faces, new posts, and most importantly, complex analogies.

Before getting into the meat of this post, let us cover the background that facilitates the operations of Mediazone.

Training is a very meticulous but rewarding process. It was my very first training experience and, in many ways, it was comparable to boot-camp. The challenges of training combined with my inexperience felt overwhelming. But this was quickly changed by icebreaker activities. The icebreakers included a variety of intriguing team building exercises. One of those exercises happened to be very personally memorable as it pushed me to write about this experience, i.e. the Giant Jenga!

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October 10, 2019 /  8

Safeguarding Cyprus tradition – one video at a time!

Updated on August 3 2020.

The UNESCO Chair here at the University of Nicosia has consistently been involved with highlighting, preserving and emphasizing the importance of Cyprus culture and heritage.

The Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO, with the support of the UNESCO Chair, University of Nicosia and Mediazone, collaborated on a project documenting elements of intangible heritage, spanning two years that began by bringing to the forefront the important art of Lefkaritiko Embroidery Lace making, in the village of Lefkara. That was just the beginning of an incredible relationship.

In the first project, 20 Cypriot artists received the opportunity to work with the teachers of the craft, to learn and live alongside them and ultimately create their own works of art, culminating in a gallery opening and an exhibition in Strasbourg France.

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May 9, 2017 /  2

Photography Classes at University of Nicosia

It’s a click of a button and viola a photo is born, kind of! Photography has become so very easily accessible to all of us but yet has lost its true notion of documentation of either real life events, a moment in time or a fabrication of our imagination. The photography classes at University of Nicosia are designed through the enthusiasm of its instructors to release the passion of true photography again, through the difficulties of capturing the perfect light or the greatest expression through a class mates face this class really focuses on getting students to reconnect with what photography really is all about. Continue reading →

March 3, 2017 /  

(E)volve (R)eflect (A)chieve (S)earch (M)otivate (U)nderstand (S)tart

Have you ever wished to undergo the fastest possible evolution during your university years? Do you agree that “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” learning? I personally do and that motivated me to take part in the Erasmus Study Mobility program and spend the spring semester of 2016 in the History of Art department of Kingston University in London.

This time abroad proved to be a very transformative period for me, especially because of the challenging nature of the courses that I was taking. One thing that I really enjoyed, and would love to see happening more here in UNIC too, was how the different departments, i.e. Art and History of Art, Architecture, Design and Film collaborate between them and inform each other on various items; e.g we once had a guest lecturer from the Modern Interiors Research Centre of Kingston University, which is recognized around the world for being dedicated to the study of interiors and their contents. Therefore, the lectures were extremely interesting yet seemingly a bit all over the place, which led me to the realization that it is actually this interdisciplinary type of fields of study that characterizes the way we study Fine Arts nowadays, i.e. the incorporation of research in practice and vice versa. Continue reading →

October 20, 2016 /  

One shot and a thousand stories. Discovering Photojournalism

Have you ever thought that every picture has a story behind it? Every selfie, picture of a cat or food on Instagram can tell you a story… even if it is banal it still tells you something. On the other side of photography, there is a professional world which is more versatile, complex and deep. If I ask you to explain what photojournalism is, would you first imagine photos of pain, devastation, war, poverty, death and cruelty? Or maybe you see happiness, success, bright colors and celebration? It doesn’t really matter because all of these could be photojournalism; it is more important what you feel when you imagine it. Photojournalism is about telling different stories – happy and sad, persuading, motivating, informing and making about making you feel. Continue reading →

October 18, 2016 /