JMSC ABC News on Campus Team Pillow Fighting

The JMSC News on Campus team has turned round a piece for the American broadcaster, ABC, at top speed.

The team covered the World’s largest slumber party for International Pillow Fight Day on Saturday 2, April. More than 1000 people in Hong Kong joined 100 other cities round the world in an enormous pillow fight for fun. The news of the event spread through social media networks.

Watch the story on ABC here.

Stephanie Kwan (MJ 2011)

The idea for the piece came from Maha Shah who had researched the idea and pitched it to ABC Commissioning Editor, Christina Caron, in New York. Shah oversaw the project.

The piece was scripted and presented by Stephanie Kwan and shot by Grace Lee, who even braved filming in the middle of the pillow fight! All three team members helped with the editing.

“This was an interesting story to do for ABC News on Campus, due to the very light-hearted nature of the event,” said Stephanie Kwan. “I was given the opportunity to report and film a PTC (piece to camera), which was my first for a news story.”

“Overall, doing this story was a very positive experience,” she continued. “The group worked very well together from the start of filming to the final editing process. I feel that I’ve gained valuable experience in being a video journalist from this ABC story. With the guidance of JMSC teachers, Rob McBride and Jim Laurie, I was able to experience the skills needed to be a successful video journalist.”

Heidi Yeung, the ABC News on Campus Bureau Chief, was pleased with the speed with which the story was turned round.

“This has been the quickest a team of the Hong Kong Bureau has put together a story,” said Yeung. “Maha Shah literally pitched the idea a few days in advance of the event, which was just last Saturday 2nd April, and it was edited and put online by Monday 4th. It’s an incredible effort that Maha, Stephanie and Grace put in, and a fantastic story about a fun and unusual event for Hong Kong came out of it.”

“ABC News on Campus has given me a taste for the broadcasting news world,” said Kwan. “I have been able to experience the entire process of pitching a story, working with a small filming crew and editing a news package through this programme. With the continued guidance and input from our experienced video journalists, Rob and Jim, I have been able develop an interest in video/TV news.”