Sunday, January 23, 2011

FIFTY SECONDS OF FAME


By accident far more than design my library book club and I found ourselves being filmed by TV3 last Monday while we were being interviewed about our thoughts on THE TWELVE by Stuart Neville.
Before I write about the actual experience of being filmed and seeing myself on television, I suppose I'd better explain how we ended up in that situation.
A while ago Bord Gais Energy (Ireland) started a book club (BGEB) online which I joined as soon as I found out about it. Since there was an option to register book clubs, and it came with the promise of prices if you were selected as book club of the month, I signed my Bailieborough Library Book Club up as well. I don't remember seeing any mention of TV3 or the possibility of a book club being picked for a television appearance, but that may well be a case of me not paying enough attention.
I had sort of forgotten about signing the book club up when I received a news letter from BGEB and discovered, much to my surprise, that my book club had been picked both as book club of the Month for January AND to read and discuss a book for a broadcast on TV3.
Thanks to wintry weather and the Christmas holidays the copies of THE TWELVE reached us rather late and all of us had to do some speed-reading to have the book read in time for filming. But, we all managed it. Not in the least because THE TWELVE is a very well written and gripping story.
Last Monday morning a small crew from TV3 arrived in Bailieborough library at 11 in the morning and spend the next two hours filming the book club, the library and individual interviews with six members of the book club. 
All of us were a bit nervous and giddy about the thought of being filmed and subsequently broadcast. The actual filming was far less scary than we thought though. Because the individual sections were done through a process of questions and answers (with only the answers being broadcast) we were able to concentrate on Michelle, who was asking the questions, and more or less ignore the fact that there was a camera there.
After the interviews were over, the library itself was filmed, both inside and out.
The following morning just before half past nine we could see ourselves on television. I have to say it's strange to see and hear myself like that. 
Why is it that I never look or sound like I think I do?
Other than that though, I'm extremely happy with the six minutes piece that was broadcast that morning. It advertises my library to its best advantage and I do think that all of us came across as reasonably sensible and well spoken people, even if they did get the name tags a bit mixed up. Just in case you're curious, I am the person who is identified as Pauline Keogan (and she appears with my name attached). If it had been left up to me to create a piece to advertise the library and its book club, I couldn't have done a better job.
I'm not sure I'd want to appear on TV again, anytime soon. But the experience wasn't anywhere near as frightening as I thought it would be. 
Whether or not I'm right to be proud of what went out you can judge for yourself here.

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