| Where there’s a will, there’s a way Bon jour! While we enjoy all that Paris has to offer, we must also churn out a multimedia project because let’s face it, we are here for a class. Being a broadcast major--but mostly being the fact I lugged over 5 lbs. news camera and tripod halfway across the world--I decided to produce a 2-minute news package on the French identity. Yesterday morning, my partner and I decided hitting the flea market would be a great way to get a diverse group of interviews to use for our stories. One reason being the venture was already on the itinerary for the day so we wouldn’t have to go alone, and the other being there would be a ton of people so it wouldn’t take long and we get a head start. But as with everything else in life, we hit a few bumps. We first did a few stand ups, which drew a small crowd because hey when we see a big camera and microphone we all become moths to a flame. This got us even more excited to get our interviews because the people surrounding us seemed excited to see they had stumbled upon a little bit of media attention so we figured we’d be in and out of there. Besides the language barrier, vendors working the flea market turned us down for on-camera interviews time and time again. Here’s a rundown of how a majority of our attempts went: 1. We approached the vendor in a friendly manner and strike up a conversation. 2. We’d brief them on the story we wanted to tell. 3. The vendor would enthusiastically begin talking (in a good amount of understandable English) about what their thoughts were and maybe say something compelling. 4. We asked for permission to conduct an on-camera interview. 5. The vendor refused and insisted they did not know enough English or had nothing to say. We were so disheartened by all the rejection we experienced in such a short amount of time. What happened to all the excitement the vendors and customers showed when we were doing our stand ups? But just as we were about to throw in the towel, a wonderful French-speaking angel came our way. Her name was Coralie and she was a former Columbia College exchange student and our personal guide. She made her way to us and offered to help by acting as our translator. I can’t even describe the relief we felt. Our spirits perked up and we were ready to give it another go. For the next hour or so, Coralie persisted with us and we were able to get the interviews we came for! Photo Courtesy of Sammy Saiyavongsa