My name is ReAnn Orr and I am a Senior Film & Video major. During the summer of 2018, I did an internship with Mad Queen Productions. Mad Queen Productions is a production studio based in Baltimore, owned and created by Madeline Becker. I found out about this internship through MICA Career Development internship site. What appealed to me was that the internship position was listed as Video Archivist.Appropriating archival footage is a tool I have used frequently in my work and know how to execute well. After setting up an interview with Madeline, I got the the job. Madeline hired me as Video Archivist for a documentary she was making about painting professor at MICA, Raoul Middleman. My job consisted of finding archival imagery and video of topics Raoul spoke about in his recorded interview with Madeline. Some examples of these videos and images included family photos of Raoul, photos of historic Baltimore in the 20th century, and media of New York in the 1950-60s. Media was labeled and stored in a folder for Madeline to use in her documentary. I am most proud of my contribution to this documentary and being able to provide my boss with media she was surprised by and eager to use in her film. I played a significant part in researching the history of the environments Raoul interacted with.
My biggest takeaway from this job was learning what it is like to be in an office setting with other coworkers. This office experience is something I’ve avoided because I enjoy being physically active. While this internship was mentally challenging and enjoyable, it solidified my discomfort with working at a cubicle. I learned that I prefer to be working on my feet, perhaps on a set. From this job, I have learned how to better communicate ideas with coworkers and to be open to their ideas. Working this job clarified my desire to work at a more active job. I would like to work on a film set and be in charge of overall organization.
