How has this experience (Internship) made you consider your college path that will ultimately lead to your career?
I don't really know what I want to do in college. I'm very interested in many things and find it tough to decide on one or the other. I know I have to, but I think I'm putting it off for as long as I possibly can. Going into the sciences, specifically physics, is an option for me and one that I'd probably enjoy. So is going to med school. And so is film school. Through this internship I have learned that I am a capable filmmaker and that learning about it is something that I like. I enjoy the feeling of starting and ending a project and having something to show for it. Furthermore, I have found out that my favorite part(s) of the filmmaking process are writing and editing. I like shooting and all of that, but it's in the editing/writing room, where I have full control to sculpt the story/final product, where I have the most fun. I'm seriously considering film school as a possible alternative to STEM. Sure, I guess I won't make as much money, or be as objectively successful, but I think it'd make me really happy. Especially lately, the times when I've had the most fun is always connected to film in some way or another and I think that says something important about me. I guess we'll see, I still have the summer to figure things out.
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As I've detailed on my blog before, my internship project is a documentary. I chose to make it on social media and politics, and interviewed some of my peers and colleagues at MACSD. I asked them about their social media experience, as well as what they think about the political landscape. The documentary helps out MACSD by essentially proving that they are fulfilling their mission statement when applying for grants since we are a non-profit. Through working on my project I learnt about all aspects of the filmmaking process - color grading, editing, lighting, shot composition, writing - and I think I will continue to do so as long as I take on more and more challenging projects. You can view my documentary here, and my POL slides are below.
How have you been making a meaningful contribution to your workplace?
I have been helping out with the promotional campaign for our upcoming summer camps. This is a meaningful contribution to the Media Arts Center because it helps get people to sign up for the camps, supporting MACSD financially. My project, a documentary, also helps out the center because it is proof that they are fulfilling their mission statement and helps them obtain and retain grants. In addition to all of that, I help out in any way else I can in order to make sure everything runs smoothly. How is your project going from an idea or inspiration to a final product? For my project I'm making a documentary about social media and how it has changed our engagement with politics, as well as the rampant misinformation being spread nowadays. I already had a portion written around that concept that got cut out of a video essay I was working on at the beginning of internship, so all I had to do to the writing was condense it a little bit and write some questions for interviews. I haven't completed filming yet, but the most interesting part is going to be the filming and production. Although I have a general structure written out, it's the answers to the interview questions that'll really shape the documentary and I'll have to adapt to that while editing and shooting. How has your view of life beyond high school grown or changed through internship? I have realized that writing and editing are definitely my favorite parts of the filmmaking process. I like being able to edit the narrative of a project conceptually/literally . I do enjoy filming, but the atual mechanics of it aren't really something that interests me that much. Regardless, I'm willing to do whatever I need to in order to make a final product I am proud of. In addition, I have realized that office work isn't for me. I can complete administrative work and complete it well, but I'd always rather be doing something bigger and better. How did interpersonal relationships and/or collaboration at work influence your understanding of life outside of high school? I have had the privilege of working with a fellow HTHNC student while at internship which has its positives and negatives. On one hand, filmmaking is inherently collaborative and just having an extra pair of hands around while trying to set up a shot, capture audio, or while filming can make all the difference. I've been a stand in while Jack frames a shot many times, and I help him out with editing in Premiere just as often. We both play to our strengths and learn from each other. On the other hand, there are other interns at this site and I haven't gotten to know them too well since I've always had Jack to hang out with/work with. In the next week and a half I hope to be able to work with them more, since I'm sure they have skills worth learning as well. Photo 1: This is my Canon AE-1 Program. I've been taking photos of the MACSD space on it and so I hope to use that roll as my final photo essay
Photo 2: This is my workspace. I have my laptop where I do most of my work, as well as a camera and microphone for audio/video projects and food because I typically eat breakfast when I get here. Photo 3: Jack sits at a desk right next to me. This picture is what I see whenever I turn to the right. It's nice having a familiar face around. Photo 4: The screening room was closed when I went to go take a photo inside of it, but here's an exterior shot. It's a fairly small theatre, there's only about 50 seats or so, but I like the films being shown. Photo 5: This is a display inside of the gift shop. I find the synchronous TV set installation to be really aesthetically pleasing. I think I've advocating for myself really well throughout the internship. I'm always communicating with my mentor and making sure that I'm accomplishing any tasks he may give me. I'm also proactive to be sure that I'm taking on projects that are as challenging as possible. It was my own idea to shoot the promo in addition to the assigned administrative work because I wanted to do something video-related before we began work on our documentary. I also have multiple personal film-related projects I'm working on and I spend time on those between tasks. I think showing my commitment to my own projects is a form of self-advocacy too because it shows that I'm prepared for any responsibilities my mentor may give me.
I have been following the tips from 'How to be an intern everybody remembers'. I made a point to keep a notebook with me whenever I go places. In addition, I try to always be doing something and let my colleagues around me know what I'm doing. This way, I have space to work on what I need to do, but I also keep my mentor in the loop so he can assign me tasks when he has them. And also, obviously, I dress well and am punctual. I think that the two HTHNC interns, Jack and me, have definitely left an impression on our coworkers. We're the only two interns who sit at desks upstairs along with the employees, so we're always around and everyone knows us. So I have a couple of thing that I want to be working on throughout my MACSD internship. First of all, this week I want to finish the promo video I've been working on for the space. Jack and I shot some rough footage for it today, just to work out the general tone/style of the whole thing. We want to pull a Birdman and have the whole thing appear to be one take, but I don't want to do it by moving the camera so that it appears to be dark for a moment where we can cut it. Instead we're doing a whip and then cutting while it's blurry which looks really great. I cut together the first half today and it looks alright. Ethan, the head of MACSD (and also Jack's mentor), wants it to appeal to teens so we're trying to hit it from that angle which is quite challenging. Everything that is appealing to teens has such a short half-life that by the time we'd finish and put the promo out it'd date itself and lose its appeal. We're gonna work on ironing that issue out tomorrow. In addition, I've been the one doing all the talking to the camera in the video which I'm not a huge fan - I'd rather be on the other side of it - but there's not really anyone else we could get to do it although it's something else I want to look into.
Other than the promo, the entire group of interns (there's a bunch of us) are going to start working on short documentaries under the instruction of a filmmaker soon. I'm happy to be able to shoot some stuff and work through making something, but the idea is that the documentaries fit around a social justice theme which I find limiting. I'm hoping to find a way to implement themes I care about (social media and our relationship to technology) and infuse them with politics. I have some material already written about that so I plan to adapt that into a more documentary format and then shoot off of that. I get that doing the documentaries around a certain theme is important because it's what allows MACSD to obtain funding via grants, but I'll be frustrated if I get limited creatively because of that. And then, in addition to the other two projects, I have a ton of personal video projects I'm working on. I want to complete at least two more video essays, finish my third script and begin my fourth, and then do as much preproduction on my upcoming short film as possible. That involves a lot of writing and logistical work which my coworkers at MACSD have experience with, so I'll definitely be drawing upon them for support. Mentor InterviewWhat should I know about you/MACSD before I start working here? I think that we have a strong mission to reach out to underrepresented communities. We work closesly with city heights and schools there in order to expose them to an art they may not necessarily be expoered to. We’re a very unique space for arue. What is your job title? Education and Outreach Coordinator What are your main duties and responsibilities? To coordinate the onsite media art camps throughout the year and make connections with local schools to bring teaching artists in. Why did you choose to work here? I am a cinephile and I thought that my teaching background would make me a good fit for the education program here. What skills and training are necessary for your position? How did you acquire them? Project management skills - being able to manage multiple things at once and being really organized - are important. Interpersonal skills are as well, so are writing skills because we apply for grants since we’re a non-profit. I acquired them primarily by on the job training and through past experience. A lot of the skills carried over from my career as a teacher and allowed me to do my job here. Is there anything you wish you'd realized about the world of work when you were my age? I wish I’d known when I was your age how important networking is. That’s really how you find jobs. What does it take to be successful in this organization? It takes a commitment to constantly work on your organization skills and learn to manage all the projects that are happening at once. You need to be able to multitask efficiently. What other advice do you have about working here? Learn as much as you can about what we do here because in doing so you might find opportunities for yourself that can benefit you. Internship JournalSo far, my first week of internship has gone well. I have a 45 minute commute which is new to me, but I'm totally fine with it because I have a ton of podcasts to get through so I listen as I drive. The biggest thing I've realized so far is that MACSD has a really wide scope. In addition to showing films and providing filmmakers with a space to work, we're also running summer camps and prepping for a film festival. The arts center is also really involved in reaching out to underrepresented groups and exposing them to the arts which I didn't know before. A lot of the workplace skills instilled upon me by HTH have helped out - mostly the ones related to organization and independent work because that's the majority of work here. I actually enjoy working independently quite a bit because my mentor encourages working on my own projects so I've been able to make progress and learn skills that make me a better filmmaker. I'm looking forward to working on my own projects and making some videos for the space as well.
I was a bit nervous going in on my first day of internship because I had never been to MACSD before. Upon entering, I felt better - there was a lobby, adjoining store/concessions stand, and theatre visible right as I entered. A couple other new interns were in the lobby with Larry, the education coordinator (and my mentor). We did some paperwork and then he gave us a tour of the rest of the space. Apparently it used to be an auto parts shop so it is really large. Downstairs there is the lobby, story, theatre, two rooms for editing, the green screen room, a conference room, and then an outdoor backyard sort of area. Upstairs are where everyone's desks/offices are. The space as a whole is pretty quiet since everyone is working on videos with headphones or administrative work. After the tour, we worked on reaching out to contacts for MACSD's upcoming student film festival and filmmaking summer camps. In addition, I helped to identify editing points in a video they were helping some students out with, actors for the summer boot camp, and assist a patron with filming an interview.
I had fun on my first day, and I like the space I get to spend the next couple of weeks in. I learned quickly that you'll receive more challenging/interesting assignments if you advocate for yourself and take initiative. I don't intend on spending my internship doing administrative work, so I also have independent projects to work on that all relate to filmmaking in some way, shape, or form which is something my mentor is okay with. I was surprised by the number of other interns at the site. In addition to Jack and me, there's a bunch of interns from other High Tech schools. It's cool to be in a collaborative environment, but I worry about running out of tasks to do with so many people there to do them, so I plan on advocating for myself and my skills as much as possible in order to stay engaged and continue to learn. For my 11th grade Career Day I went to Dukes and Davis Optometry to learn about their practice and the field of optometry as a possible career.
A typical work day here depends on your position. Everyone starts at 9am and can go as late as 6pm, but the actual work you do depends on your role. The main person I shadowed was Dr. Camilla Dukes who is a licensed optometrist. The first thing she did when she arrived was show me around real quick, and then went in for a consultation. The patient who she was working with was a young boy with autism. His mother had noticed he had trouble reading and wanted to test his vision. The consultation was also going to contribute to a lawsuit the family was involved in in regards to the disability care their child was receiving. The consult was about an hour long and essentially consisted of Dr. Dukes going through the child's test results and explaining the implications of each of them to the mother. It was really interesting to me what Dr. Dukes could find out from simple vision tests. For example, she was able to come to conclusions about neurological disorders like dyslexia and epilepsy just by looking at his eye movement and focusing time while reading. Other than consultations, Dr. Dukes would also take in patients who were having some type of eye trouble, and try to get them sorted out. Each patient interaction took upwards of an hour so there were only approximately three or four throughout the day. The general work policies looked to be the standard rules. Don't be late, call in if you're sick, etc. The dress code was slightly more relaxed than it would be at another doctor's office because they're not part of a giant conglomerate. In addition, not having the white coats was useful since they dealt with lots of people with disabilities and the absence of the coats made them more comfortable. Overall, I enjoyed my career day. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect coming in, but the office had everything. They had one section for selling and fitting eyeglasses, one for vision therapy, and then one for check-ups so a visit there had three distinct prongs of possibility. I was surprised by the breadth of the field of optometry and found what I learnt about it to be fascinating. The class that would help me the most at the office is definitely biology since we learnt about different organs and their functions and that includes the eye. Humanities is useful since it's important to continually document and be concise and accurate in your documentation. There would be simple arithmetic for various tasks, so math is helpful as well. |